Lot No. 40 has received a bit of a makeover recently as the spirit which was previously branded, Lot No. 40 Single Copper Pot Still Canadian Whisky has received a new label, and the whisky is now known simply as Lot No. 40 Rye Whisky.
Lot No. 40 is of course the Corby branded whisky which was first released in the 1990’s as an upscale connoisseur’s whisky for the North American market. According to the Corby Website:
Lot No. 40 is expertly distilled in small batches using only the finest locally sourced ingredients. By distilling in a single copper pot still, the result is a whisky that starts off earthy and woody tasting and then becomes full bodied and complex with a velvety vanilla oak finish.
Those locally sourced ingredients must include rye grain as the new label tells us:
Lot. No. 40 is crafted in small batches using rye grain in a single copper pot still aged in virgin oak barrels.
Here is a link to the 9th best Canadian Whisky of 2016:
#9 Lot No. 40 Rye Whisky
Stay tuned as the countdown continues tomorrow with the Number 8 Canadian Whisky.
Chimo!
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* You may follow my 2016 Canadian Whisky Countdown by bookmarking this link:
The Rum Howler – Top 50 Canadian Whiskies of 2016
Lot No. 40 is, make no mistake about it, a new style of Canadian Whisky. It is made with locally grown rye which has been distilled upon a single 12,000-litre copper pot still. The final whisky is aged in new oak barrels to showcase the creamy caramelized flavours which new freshly charred oak barrels bring. Hiram Walker Distillery Master Blender, Dr. Don Livermore. elaborated on the process for me:
One of the many things we talked about was the re-release of Lot No. 40 Single Copper Pot Still Canadian Whisky (2012 Edition). Dr. Livermore, told me the whisky was first released in the 1990’s as an upscale connoisseur’s whisky for the North American market. Alas, timing is everything, and according to Don, the whisky never really caught on as the market wasn’t quite ready for such a new style of Canadian Whisky. With the new upsurge of interest in Canadian Whisky across North America (and in particular at the premium end of the market), Corby (the owner of the Wiser’s Brand), was optimistic that the time for this whisky has finally arrived.
Lot No. 40 was first released in the 1990’s as an upscale connoisseur’s whisky for the North American market. Alas, timing is everything, and the whisky style never really caught on as apparently the market wasn’t quite ready for such a new style of Canadian Whisky. However, with the new upsurge of interest in Canadian Whisky across North America (and in particular at the premium end of the market), 
Lot No. 40 Single Copper Pot Still Canadian Whisky is made with locally grown rye which has been distilled upon a single 12,000-litre copper pot still. The final whisky is aged in new oak barrels to showcase the creamy caramelized flavours which new freshly charred oak barrels bring.
Lot No. 40 Single Copper Pot Still represents Canadian Whisky in a familiar yet different form. It is familiar, because this is a true rye whisky, made with locally grown Canadian rye grain carrying that wonderful spicy rye flavour forward. It is different because the distillate for the whisky was produced on a single copper-pot still rather than on those tall column stills which dominate the large Canadian distilleries. It is different also because that pot still distillate was aged (for at least part of its life) in new freshly charred oak barrels to showcase the creamy caramelized flavours which those new oak barrels bring.
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