Today I got tricked into buying one of these new whisky products at the local LCBO. How was I tricked? I blame the slow customers and myself for looking around while waiting. In my hand a nice bottle of riesling, which I was planning on destroying, but instead I had to pick up the new bottle of Canadian Club Sherry Cask. I had to, I mean look at this label...it looks so classy. By the time the cashier asked me moved forward, I wasn't able to snap out of my daze and actually carried the bottle with me to the register, placing it on the counter and taking out my wallet. I didn't realize what I had done until I was home staring at this bottle and wondering what happened to my riesling...oh yeah, I remembered leaving this where I found the whisky. And all this cost me $34.95 CAD...$35!!! Oh well, at least now I will have something strong for a few weeks. I just I had some cold coke.
So before I get to tasting this, I have to write about the "Sherry Cask" part of the whisky. Well, in short, this is a blended whisky that has been aged for at least 8 years in Spanish Sherry Casks. Why are the words "for at least" in the description? With blended spirits, you might get some parts that have been aged for just 8 years, others for longer...maybe even 12.
Once I got past my disappointment, I poured myself a couple of fingers of the whisky with its deep and captivating color. Just look at this color. It is deep through, except for near the bottom where you have less of it, creating a lighter color with a smooth transition. To the swirl, the whisky gets good wall retention time and looks moderately oily. The aroma is surprisingly sweet with notes of caramel, smoke, leather and some dried fruits. On the tongue, the whisky feels medium oily, very smooth and just a just a little heavy. It tastes a little smoky, a touch sweet and has hints of roasted nuts. The finish is short to medium, lightly aromatic and just a little below my expectations. I am not sure if the sherry casks have done much to improve on the flavor and if they have, I certainly cannot tell.
Scores:
Cost - $34.95 for a 750 mL bottle
Taste - 7/10
Overall - 7/10...great nose and palate, but a bit of a letdown at the end
is this stuff still available? Sounds interesting to me if it is
ReplyDeleteIt still is in quite a few LCBO's. Not sure about the rest of the country or outside of it.
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