Review: 8 Seconds Blended Canadian Whisky  80.5/100
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Revised and Re-posted October 04, 2017

Bikini Bull Riding (Image Courtesy 8 Seconds Whisky)

8 Seconds is a Canadian Whisky from Frank-Lin Distillers, Products Ltd. who have been a bottler and producer of distilled spirits since Frank Maestri founded the company in 1966. (Frank-Lin currently operates out of their new facility in Fairfield California with annual capacity of over 10 million cases of wines and spirits.)

The 8 Seconds brand is marketed with a direct tie to the western rodeo as it makes its push into the North American marketplace. (In case you are wondering, 8 seconds is the amount of time a cowboy must ride a bucking bull, or a bucking bronco, in the rodeo contest before the bell signals his ride is complete.) The whisky seems to be taking a page from the success of Hood River’s Pendleton (Let er Buck), by building an association with cowboys and the western lifestyle, albeit in a slightly different direction by interjecting some offbeat fun into the equation. To reinforce the association between fun, the rodeo, and their whisky, the company website, reveals the slogan for the 8 Seconds  brand, “Ride em Hard and Drink em Smooth”. (Browse the website and you will come across a photo gallery showing pictures of a 2009 Bikini Bull Riding Event where the contestants appear to be living up to that slogan.)

The whisky itself is a pretty straight forward offering, distilled in Canada and aged in oak. It is (I assume) shipped in bulk from Canada to Frank-Lin’s facility in Fairfield, California for bottling. The whisky has no age statement; but I note that the more premium 8 Seconds Black carries a statement of 8 years. I presume that the less premium 8 Seconds Blended Canadian Whisky would be somewhat younger than that.

In the Bottle 4/5

8 Seconds Whisky arrives in the short squat bottle shown to the left. It is sealed with a nice medium density cork which provides that satisfying ‘pop’ when opened. The look is bold and appealing, although that short stubby bottle has a somewhat familiar look to it as does that bull rider logo… (Pendleton Whisky comes to mind.)

The bottle presentation is fine, although I was hoping for something more original.

In the Glass  8/10

When I pour the whisky into my glencairn glass, the spirit has a nice mahogany hue. When I tilt and twirl that glass, the whisky deposits a thin sheen on the inside of the glass and proceeds to drop slender legs back into the whisky. The initial nose carries a fair amount grain and fine wood spices with a nice backdrop of vanilla and caramel. I let the glass breathe to see if the scents deepen, and indeed the rye spices seem to grow in strength with perhaps a hint of corn joining in.

This is not overly complex; but it is pleasant.

In the Mouth 49/60

The whisky translates well from nose to mouth with flavours of vanilla and caramel leading out and a peppery wood and grain spice not very far behind. There is a little honeycomb present and some nice impressions of tobacco, dark fruit and chocolate. The whisky carries a light astringency which reminds me of those rough and tumble cowboys who ride for 8 seconds on those bucking bulls. I cannot decide whether this roughness is good or bad; so I do not let it affect the score one way or the other.

When I add an ice-cube the whisky is just smooth enough to sip, although my instinct is to add a splash of ginger-ale as well.

In the Throat 11.5/15

The exit seemed smooth at first with butterscotch and vanilla coating the palate; however,  after the swallow a light bite hits the tonsils and a touch of burn  warms the back of my throat. There is the vanilla and butterscotch sweetness counter the heat, but I think I prefer  an ice-cube as well. Better yet, add that splash of ginger-ale too.

The Afterburn 7.5/10

The 8 Seconds Canadian Whisky is much better than when I first reviewed it 4 years ago. During that review the dram was plagued by unwanted must and a light moldy taste. Today the must and mold have disappeared, and a nice mixing whisky has been revealed.

You may read some of my other Whisky Reviews (click the link) if you wish to have some comparative reviews.

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Suggested Recipe:

I am always asked what my numbers actually mean. In order to provide clarification, you may (loosely) interpret the scores as follows.

0-25     A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49   Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59  You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69   Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74    Now we have a fair mixing rum or whisky.  Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79    You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84    We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89    Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94    Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+       I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.

Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and  Bronze medal  scale as follows:

70 – 79.5    Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5     Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95         Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+            Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)

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