Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye

@paddockjudge Davin was too busy giving 95 point scores to notice

@cricklewood 95 points? He must be getting to be a tougher scorer these days.

@OdysseusUnbound true, I just spit balled that one out but yeah, 99pts all around in general from him.

AP 20 and AP CS don't disappoint.

APCS is a traditional Alberta Premium style with tropical fruits and the clean rye goodness AP has become famous for. It is a cask strength bruiser. HANDLE WITH CARE!

AP20 is not what I was hoping for; however, I like it. I have one question for this oily, spicy yet mellow and oh so sweet treat, you were finished in Smith and Cross Rum barrels, weren't you?! Thicker than the CS, it possesses characteristics found in Pendleton's 20 YO and CC 100% Rye, but much better than both of those. Not in the standard ADL style, AP20 is a spice bomb. New Oak is evident, heavy barrel char apparent. This is a new style of AP. I give it a B+.

@Astroke, I blended one at 5050, it was good. I think it can be improved

I keep seeing photos and reading intriguing tasting notes. I know mine is in the mail, but I still feel POMO - Pain Of Missing Out.

@paddockjudge trying the 20 for the first time today. Your description is bang on, a sweet spice bomb with some fruit. My thoughts on the 20 are the same. I was hoping for the Masterson's 10 profile at 20 years.

Will blend a 70/30 overnight and see how that works by tomorrow night.

Well, guys, sooner or later I guess I’m going to have to take a serious look at Canadian whisky. I just can’t get past my university years when I would regularly puke up cheap “rye” and ginger ale all over my shoes. But I think I’m about ready to check out the new, craft versions of Canadian whisky. It would be unpatriotic not to. I’ll never be in @paddockjudge’s league, but then who will?

@BlueNote, batter up!...and get some new shoes too. Haha.

Check your Private Messages

@paddockjudge Batter up indeed. Who doesn’t love a game seven. Scherzer’s ready.

@paddockjudge The 70/30 blend really works well. Adds some fruit and a nice Kentucky hug. May blend a whole bottle.

@Astroke, which way?

my favourite so far is 2:1, CS:20

@paddockjudge 70% 20 yr and 30% CS. Will try the 2:1 tonight.

@paddockjudge

I've got a bottle of Cask Strength and to me, it bears little resemblance to what I would consider the typical AP style. Comparing to the standard 5 year old, or ever the previous 25- and 30-year old bottlings, I doubt I would even identify this as the same distillery in a blind tasting. To my palate, the Cask Strength bears far more resemblance to the heavy pot-still character of Lot 40 or Masterson's, whereas the 20 year old has more of the clean wet-stone and fruit flavor of the standard AP style. Though I do agree that there is an extra layer of complexity with the 20 that I didn't find in previous well-aged expressions, which might suggest some type of cask finishing.

In any case, they are both excellent whiskies thought the 20 might be slightly harder to justify. The Cask Strength is a real winner, truly full-bodied and full-flavoured. If they had just bottled their standard blend at 130 proof I reckon it would be a different story.

@Megawatt, interesting comments you’ve made about the recent releases from ADL. Thank you for sharing your opinion.

It is obvious we did not have the same experience with APCS. I find it to be true to the Alberta Premium style with which I have become familiar over the years, this includes Masterson’s, WhistlePig, Hochstadter’s, AP25, and Shelter Point.

I would very much like to have a taste from the same batch of Century 21 YO as was used for your recent review. I enjoy C21, but not the extent that you have in your recent review. Highwood Distillers bottles s lot of great corn whisky, Century 30 YO, Century 25 YO, Canadian Rockies 17 YO and 21 YO, Highwood Ninety 20 YO both white label and burgundy label. It is encouraging to learn that Century 21 may contain some of this great juice, but until I drink from the same batch I’ll have to accept the possibility that our pallets do not align.

AP 20 does not resemble the Alberta Premium profile. It is a spice bomb more closely resembling Pendleton’s 20 YO and CC 100 % Rye and definitely a cut above. Their is a strong influence from new oak and char. Together they have shaped this whisky into something I was not at all expecting. An interesting whisky and one which I am a big fan.

I like them both and look forward to more of the same from ADL in the near future.

External reviews are starting to show up:

• insearchofelegance.net/blog/2019/…
• insearchofelegance.net/blog/2019/…
• whisky.buzz/blog/…

I'm assuming Chip Dykstra can't be far behind.

@Nelom I have read some of the reviews and it seems I like these more than some of the reviewers. That said, blending these at different ratios may achieve the best results.

@Nelom Soon I hope to see a number of reviews on Connosr... from Connosrs...

I just need time to get to know them. I've only tasted the CS once and the 20 is pending.

The agony of the wait...