Review: Great Plains Cognac Casks 22 Year Old Canadian Whisky   95/100
Review by Chip Dykstra
Published October 27, 2023

Great Plains Craft Spirits are a small spirits company located in Calgary, Alberta. They are a small company which sources special whiskies for blending and finishing. The intent is to offer to the marketplace limited edition bottlings which feature custom blending and cask finishes. I reviewed their first offering, a stunning 18 year old Brandy Cask whiskey in 2020 (see review here) and was contacted this year to see if I wanted to taste and review their latest offering,  Great Plains Cognac Casks 22 Year Old Canadian Whisky.

This new release is a 100 % corn spirit produced from stocks which were part of the last barrels of whisky from the Potter’s Distillery in British Colombia (see note below).  Only 165 cases of this whisky were produced as the release was drawn from the last 3 remaining casks of the original barrel selection which Great Plains had acquired.  The corn whisky was originally aged for 17 years in ex bourbon barrels and then finished in for sixty months in ex-cognac barrels which it turns out had previously held cognac for a full 25 years.

The whisky was bottled at cask strength (58 % abv.) without chill filtering or added colour.

Note: Although Potter’s produced their 100 % corn whisky at the Potter’s Distillery in British Columbia, when the Highwood Distillery purchased the remaining stocks from the facility in 2005, they moved them to their aging warehouse in Alberta where they mature alongside Highwood’s own whisky stocks.

In the Bottle 3.5/5

I snapped a picture of my sample bottle, and it is shown on the left. The bottle itself is a medium tall long necked bottle with a slightly bubbled neck. It is sealed with a cork stopper which is appropriate for a premium bottling. A denser cork would be preferred as my cork was already spongy when I opened the bottle. I would also have preferred to see a metallic foil seal over the cork rather than the clear plastic seal which seems to cheapen the look of the presentation.

A bigger problem, as you can see from my snapshot is that the label is really hard to read. The coppery bronze lettering sort of blends into the black label (and into the whisky in the background). And if the bottle is in even a light shadow, the bronze lettering disappears altogether. This effect is so pronounced that when I went to a local liquor store where it was suggested I could pick up the bottle for the purpose of this review I overlooked the bottle on the display shelf on two separate visits as it just seemed to blend into the background.

The overall effect of all of this is to bring down the impact of the 22 year old age statement (which is hard to find even when you can read the label).  In all honesty the whisky appeared on the display shelf to be lower shelf bargain whisky which was misplaced amongst the super premium whiskies on the upper shelf.

Another problem is the cluttered label which tries to say too much and ended up hardly speaking to me at all.

Note: I had similar criticisms when I reviewed its 18 year old cousin (finished in a Brandy Cask) a few years ago. Unfortunately the label presentation has not improved, it has instead become a bigger issue.

In The Glass  9.5/10

Colour: Copper moving to bronze

Legs: Thick and stubborn

Aroma:  The initial breezes above the glass bring me rich oak and oak spice, caramel toffee, baking spices, bits of orange marmalade and toasted corn cobs. As I enjoy the aroma, the oak and spice keep building and building bringing impressions of fresh wood sap and waving fields of dry grain. Rich vanilla, lovely impressions of tobacco and leather, and a light nuttiness of almond add their impressions to the wonderful aroma. The fruitiness of green grapes, fresh pears and split apples add to the complexity and to a developing impression of  YUMM!

Its hard to put the glass down once you pick it up.

In The Mouth  57.5/60

At 58 % alcohol by volume the whisky carries a lot of alcohol warmth and spice through the delivery. However, 22 years of aging have given the spirit an oak structure that can handle the heat. Along with the firm presence of oak, there is a sweetness of butterscotch/caramel toffee and a firm vanilla presence all of which assure that the whisky tastes as good as the nose indicated, maybe better. There is yummy baking spices (cinnamon, cloves and allspice), soft chewy leather, and then graham wafers (dipped in maple syrup) all adding themselves to the plethora of rich flavour goodness. I also am beginning to taste hints of grape and cognac accenting the robust whisky flavour.

I guess you could say that I have completely forgiven Great Plains for the misguided label. Where it counts, the whisky delivers, and it delivers in spades!

In The Throat 14.5/15

The corn whisky has a lush oily mouthfeel with a spicy sweet finish that lingers seemingly forever. Baking spices settle on the palate, and the back of the throat is warmed by a wonderful mixture of fiery oak spice, tasty caramel toffee and yummy vanilla.

I am not even tempted to add water or ice.

The Afterburn  10/10

It’s time to admit that you can’t judge a whisky by its label. Great Plains Cognac Casks 22 Year Old Canadian Whisky is simply spectacular!  It is a pity that only 165 cases of the were produced, as this is one of the best Canadian Whisky offerings I have tasted over the past several years.

I suppose this means that this release will run out fast. With that in mind, I made sure that my wife knew that I needed another bottle (perhaps for Christmas!), and I made sure I informed her of this request before my review was set to be published (just to make sure she could find one). If you love great whisky, maybe you should grab a bottle too (before they are gone).

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

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Each of my review contains a rating or score out of 100 and these scores can be interpreted using the following scale:

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 more 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)