Highwood Centenniel 10 Year Old

This whisky is a blend of a base wheat whisky, matured in ex-bourbon casks, blended with a flavouring rye whisky also matured in ex-bourbon casks. It is (at least) 10 years old.

Nose: Vanilla, maple syrup, butter table syrup, salted caramel, and a slight touch of smoke, with both slight rye and the wheat coming through in nice balance. I find the butter table syrup, in combination with the rest surrounding it, to be quite superb. There's also caramel, in a sort you might find in an overaged gouda. There's also some bright fruitiness to it - blackberry and white grapes along with a few wisps of dried apricot characteristic of bourbon casks. 87%

Taste: Reasonably sweet, with a big kick of oaky vanilla mid-palate. There are white grapes, slightly peppery wheat, and it finishes with a flourish of spice - cinnamon, cloves, cayenne pepper, and maybe a bit of nutmeg which slowly unfolds into the finish. It's quite easy-going, and easy to drink without many off-notes. Well balanced, but could use a bit more depth and clarity. 80%

Finish: Vanilla, with a bit of oak, wheat, and spice - bits of clove and cinnamon - but they feel a bit incomplete. The feel of a rye finish is there, though rye does not distinctly emerge as much as I expected. It dries out, slightly, and the feel is moderately big in the mouth - but the flavours are light and do not endure much. 80%

Intrigue: I do like the wheat in this one, and it is very well balanced. Highwood has done some great work, and I am certainly glad to have some wheat-focused distilleries still around, especially as I think wheated ryes could offer some pretty intriguing whiskies and should be explored more. However, a bit plain...80%

Weighting the nose 25%, taste 35%, Finish 15%, and Intrigue 25% the overall grade is 81.

*I realized I would never have time to upload all my Canadian whisky reviews to connosr properly, so I've been importing the tasting notes in bulk to expand the whisky base on connosr. For more info on the whisky (with simiklar tasting notes), see my post at whiskywon.wordpress.com/2014/05/…