Review: Revel Stoke Deluxe Canadian Whisky  82.5/100
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Published Jul 02, 2016

Revel Stoke Whisky is a product of the Phillips Distilling Company and is named for the town of Revelstoke, located in the mountains of British Columbia. The whisky itself is however not produced in British Columbia but instead it is distilled on the other side of those mountains at an undisclosed Canadian Distillery.

According to the producer’s website, the whisky is produced by blending a young 3-year-old whisky (the youngest allowed by Canadian Law) with a more mature 8-year-old whisky. The final blend is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

In the Bottle 4/5

The Canadian Moose features prominently on the label which seems designed to appeal to a younger crowd, and to emphasize that this whisky is more about fun and good times than it is about pomp and circumstance. I like the medium tall square bottle which is designed to work well in a bar setting, and I like the plastic screw cap which serves better than those annoying metallic caps.

In the Glass 8/10

The whisky shows me a light golden tint in my glencairn with a hue which has just started that journey towards a richer amber colour. When I gave the glass a tilt and a slow twirl, I noted a very light film on the inside of the glass, the crest of which dropped tiny leglets which tried to form slender legs, but instead seemed to evaporate rather than crawl dom the inside of the glass. Visually everything looks as it should, given the stated age of the spirit.

When I inspected the breezes above the glass, I noticed that it had immediately released a bevy of fine wood spice and dusty grain smells into the air. I could also sensed a firm impression of spicy rye grain as well as impressions of lightly bitter rye kernel, citrus pith and dry grassy tobacco.

As I allowed the glass to breathe, light impressions of vanilla and orange peel came forward along with a lightly sweet impression of apricot brandy. The combination of a youthful 3-year-old whisky with more mature 8-year-old spirit has given the Revel Stoke whisky an interesting character which appeals to me. There is, though some wayward notes of alcohol astringency warning me that when I sip the whisky, there might be a little bite to go with that interesting character.

In the Mouth 50/60

The flavour of the whisky leads out with a lightly sweet impression of toffee alongside both bitter and spicy rye grain. The mouthfeel is soft, however the whisky has plenty of wood spice to both heat and pucker the palate between sips.  This is a dusty dry whisky, and as I sip, impressions of ripened grain fields and dry grassy hay lands both find their way into my consciousness. There is a touch of vanilla and a hint of cinnamon in the flavour profile as well and perhaps also just a light indication of menthol. The young 3-year-old whisky within the blend brings a bit of its fire to the spirit when I taste it, as more than a hint of alcohol heat crosses the palate. Interestingly, I find sipping enjoyable despite the heat telling me that there must be just enough of the older 8-year-old whisky within the blend to smooth out the roughest patches.

When I mix the whisky I choose to do so with a splash of ginger-ale. Any good rye forward whisky mixes well with ginger-ale and the Revel Stoke is no exception. I find myself quite content watching an evening movie with my wife sipping my rye and ginger cocktail. (The movie was The Guns of Navarone with Gregory Peck starring if you were wondering.)

In the Throat 12/15

The whisky has a short crisp exit featuring dry whisky flavours of rye grain, wood spice and citrus zest. Bitter rye kernel and citrus pith add to the ability of the whisky to pucker the palate. There is a light burn as well, yet somehow I find finish appealing. Perhaps it is the soft (mild) underlying butterscotch keeping everything on track.

The Afterburn 8.5/10

The Revel Stoke Canadian Whisky is a pleasing rye forward whisky. The blend does feature some young 3-year-old spirit which taps the tonsils on the way down; yet I found the experience of sipping the whisky was much more pleasant than I would have expected. Although whisky is certainly one I would mix much more frequently than sip, I still found merit in the sipping experience. As indicated earlier, it seems that just enough 8-year-old whisky is within the blend to provide character and to soften the youthful portion of the whisky’s full impact.

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

Canadian Whisky Splash

2 oz Revel Stoke Canadian Whisky
2 Large Ice-cubes
Splash of Ginger-ale
Slice of Lime

Add the Ice-cubes to a rocks glass
Pour the Revel Stoke over the ice
Add a splash of Ginger Ale (to taste)
Garnish with a lime slice
Enjoy!

Note: If  you are interested in more of my cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

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As always you may interpret the scores I provide 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 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)