Corby Lot 40 Cask Strength 2018 Single Cask
Northern Border 2018 Preview SOT part II
3 790
Review by @cricklewood
- Brand: Corby
- ABV: 54.3%
On May 5th I was at Spirit of Toronto with @Nozinan and @Paddockjudge, we attended the Wiser's Masterclass that was given by Dr. Don Livermore. We were presented with the 6 new expressions that would be released by the distillery in 2018.
Don joked that this was the whisky that everyone was here for, in a way he's right, if there's one Canadian whisky that gets the masses hot and bothered it's Lot 40 Cask Strength. Last year's release was a really solid whisky on par with other cult inducing rye whiskys.
The 2018 release is an 11 year old whisky, Dr. Livermore's said that his reason for choosing this particular bond was because they all exhibited a particular flavor profile which he felt was quite different than last year's edition (he mentions a licorice/anise note).
Nose: Caramel, pine tar, orange creamsicle, pepper and steak spice, floral, rising pastry (like brioche dough) and a bit of vanilla.
Palate: Creamy, thrills gum, licorice, grippy oak, green apple. Super floral but in this context it work, cooked stone fruit, a mix of cinnamon and clove.
This was delicious and worthy of the frenzy, the nose was so different than expected that I had to smell @Nozinan's glass to make sure I had the right liquid. As this was a cask sample I am not sure how much of an outlier it is, once they vat the 15 to 20 casks they use for the batch if these creamy and piney aspects will remain.
The bad news is the price is going up to 99$ (for all the NBC barring the Wiser's 35), I understand why they are doing this but I don't agree with it. Nonetheless in this era of 147$ Elijah Craig barrel proof selling out at the LCBO, I'm sure it will fly off the shelves.
@cricklewood What are the differences between last year and this year editions?