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Posts Tagged ‘Review’

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Review:  Lot No. 40 18 Year Old Cask Strength

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 27, 2022

Last year Corby, owners of the J.P. Wiser’s Brand offered us a brand extension to their popular Lot No. 40 Rye Whisky line-up with the introduction of two new additions, Lot No. 40 Dark Oak and Lot No. 40 18 Year Old Cask Strength. Lot No. 40 was first released in the 1990’s as an upscale connoisseur’s whisky for the North American market.

According to the Corby Website information which I recorded in 2016:

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.

Recently, Corby released a very exclusive brand addition to the Lot 40 Line-up, the limited edition Lot No. 40 18 Year Old Cask Strength. This is the oldest, and most exclusive expression of Lot No. 40 produced to date. It is a Single Barrel Whisky that was hand selected by Dr. Livermore which was limited to fewer than 150 bottles in total. The expression was bottled at cask strength (56.5 %) and limited to only 130 bottles produced.

I believe the expression has sold out. However, I provide this review such that if such a release were to be offered again, you might have some idea of what might be in store.

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Lot No. 40 18 Year Old Cask Strength

“… Maple, cedar and oak spice and sap. Vanilla and baking spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and hints of clove) push through as does a dry dusty impression of burlap. Macintosh apples, orange marmalade, canned fruit, and apricot brandy seem to all appear and disappear as I sip. Pipe tobacco rich toffee as depth and finally burly, rye rye grain and spice come bursting through …”

I hope you enjoy the review, and let us also hope that more releases of this wonderful whisky are on the way.

Chimo!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review, Whisky Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review:  Lot No. 40 18 Year Old Cask Strength

Review: Lamb’s Navy Rum (151 Proof)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 25, 2022

In Canada, Lamb’s is one of the most popular rum brands. This brand traces its history all the way back to 1849 when Alfred Lamb opened his wine and spirits business in London. His original Navy Rum is reported to have been a blend of 18 separate rums from various parts of the Caribbean. Alfred Lamb’s method of aging his rum in cellars under the Thames River is said to be one of the secrets behind the unexpectedly smooth taste and popularity of his rum.

The brand was licensed for North American production to Corby Distillers in 1952 and since that time Lamb’s rum has been part of the Corby portfolio of spirit brands. (Halewood Artisanal Spirits hold the license to bottle the brand in Europe, Africa and Asia.)

In North America, the main portfolio of Lamb’s Rums includes, Lamb’s Classic White Rum, Lamb’s Spiced Rum, Lamb’s Palm Breeze, and Lamb’s Navy Rum (which is sold both at 80 proof as well as an overproof 151).

Here is a link to the review for Lambs Navy Rum (151 Proof):

Review: Lamb’s Navy Rum (151 Proof)

“… a bevy of alcohol and caramel spice rising out of the glass. Enough to almost knock a person right over. This is strong, aggressive and demands my strict attention. Vanilla seems to be the predominant aroma with nutmeg, bits of cinnamon and cloves as well as that licorice like smell of molasses) rising up as well …”

Please enjoy the review which includes a 70’s disco reference from The Trammps which suits the rum just fine.

Chimo!

 

Posted in Overproof Rum, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Lamb’s Navy Rum (151 Proof)

Review: Liberator Rye Whisky 

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 20, 2022

The Liberator brand is an authentic small batch craft spirits brand produced by Highwood Distillers to honor the WWII RCAF base that was located in their home town of High River as well as to honor the brave men and women who fought in WWII. This is a small volume craft offering created such that Highwood Distillers would have a line-up of 100% Alberta made craft spirits produced for the local market.

According to Michael Nychyk, Operations Manager at the Distillery:

This is a small volume brand in our portfolio; but we are proud it honours the RCAF and their connection to High River. And not to mention the spirits are great quality!

Liberator Rye is distilled using locally sourced wheat in small batches. Highwood uses water from a Rocky Mountain fed aquifer to bring the distillate to 75 % abv. and then ages the whisky in a single fill used bourbon barrel for five years. Once the whisky is mature it is blended with aged rye grain whisky to achieve the desired rye-forward whisky flavour profile. At that point the whisky is processed through a multi stage filtration system to polish the final product, after which it is bottled at 42 % alcohol by volume with hand applied closures and labels.

Here is a link to the full review of Highwood’s hand crafted Rye Whisky:

Review: Liberator Rye Whisky 

“… Things begin with a nice push of fine oak spices and rye-like grain spices. There is a lovely toffee sweetness with almond and vanilla emerging as well. A somewhat grassy tobacco aroma lifts out of the glass with hints of ginger spice and perhaps a touch of cinnamon, nutmeg and milk chocolate …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with my serving suggestion, the Rye Whisky Splash.

Chimo!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisky Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Liberator Rye Whisky 

Review: Last Straw Distillery Blackstrap Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 18, 2022

The Last Straw Distillery is Ontario’s smallest production micro-distillery located at 40 Pippin Rd. in Vaughan, Ontario (a wee bit north of Toronto) just off Highway 400 and around the corner from Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre. According to Mike Hook, the team at Last Straw come to the craft of distilling from a variety of different backgrounds, and surprisingly none have had prior experience in the beverage or alcohol business. They are self-taught, and developed their recipes in house, through research, and trial and error, without the use of outside consultants.

Last Straw Distillery Blackstrap Rum is produced using blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap is harder to work with than sweet molasses as the sugar content is lower, and the sugars are harder for the yeast to access. The tradeoff is that blackstrap molasses gives a richer, more robust flavour when it is distilled.

The final rum was aged in oak for four years, and I have been told that the spirit contains no additives, flavours or colouring. The bottled rum is sold at 45 % alcohol by volume.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Last Straw Distillery Blackstrap Rum

“… A nice combination of light butterscotch, vanilla and almond greet me when I nose the glass. Orange peel zest, banana, and fine sandalwood spices also come forward as the glass breathes. (This is dusty and dry and much more nuanced than I expected!) …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with a couple of nice serving suggestions.

Chimo!

Posted in Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Last Straw Distillery Blackstrap Rum

Review: Liberator Vodka (Highwood Distillers)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 16, 2022

The Liberator brand is an authentic small batch craft brand produced by Highwood Distillers to honor the WWII RCAF base that was located in their home town of High River as well as to honor the brave men and women who fought in WWII. This is a small volume craft offering created such that Highwood Distillers would have a 100% Alberta made craft spirits line produced for the local market.

According to Michael Nychyk, Operations Manager at the Distillery:

This is a small volume brand in our portfolio; but we are proud it honours the RCAF and their connection to High River. And not to mention the spirits are great quality!

Their Liberty Vodka is distilled in small batches using locally sourced wheat. The local aquifer fed by the nearby Rocky Mountains is used as their water source, and the vodka is polished through a multi stage charcoal filtration system prior to bottling which is done with hand-applied closures and labels. The small batch production is limited to a maximum of 300 cases per batch.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Liberator Vodka (Highwood Distillers)

“… When I took a sip, my impression was that the vodka was soft vodka on the tongue. The lemon and lime in the breezes were joined by impressions of mint. The spirit was also lightly spicy with a pop of rye-like grain spice livening the palate …”

Please enjoy my review which includes my serving suggestion, the Vodka Daiquiri.

Chimo!

 

Posted in Vodka, Vodka Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Liberator Vodka (Highwood Distillers)

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