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Lot No. 40 Cask Strength Rye 2018 11 Years Old @ 58.4%

A Lot to be Excited About

8 890

@RianCReview by @RianC

28th Feb 2019

0

Lot No. 40 Cask Strength Rye 2018 11 Years Old @ 58.4%
  • Nose
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  • Taste
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  • Finish
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  • Balance
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  • Overall
    90

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Naff title, yeah, I know, but there is definitely more than an ounce of truth to it. I very much enjoyed the standard Lot 40 and @cricklewood very kindly sent me a sample of this so I could taste its big brother. Again, your kindness is very much appreciated my friend!

I've had the sample open a while now but I felt allowing it to get a little air after a couple of small pours was probably prudent. Review is neat.

Nose - First thing I notice is that despite the abv there is little to no alcohol burn here at all - it's very clean and inviting. It has a noticeably rye grain and vanilla creaminess to it that reveals big spices - a little white pepper, ginger and other assorted baking spices. There's a touch of floral about this too with some toffee and fruity notes - red apple for sure. Herbal as well with menthol standing out. Excellent and by far the best nose of any rye I've tried so far.

Taste - Having just had a nip of the standard to get in the mood this is immediately richer, spicier and fuller. Similar, yes, but much more complexity and power. This arrives with those huge rye spice notes then unfurls into more toffee and some dense fruit notes - red apple and sour cherry - with some menthol emerging. Clean, like the nose, but rich and full also on the palette. Superb mouthfeel.

Finish - Long. It's as if all the above flavours kind of hang in there for an age then the bold spice and some drying oak kind of take over. Very warming.

I've tried with water and it increases the floral and sweeter notes but something in the body and complexity is lost - I much prefer it neat.

I don't how much this sells for in Canada but I'd guess it's cheaper than an equivalent Scotch? Suffice to say, if I were Canadian I would be very proud of this whisky and would try to get a case of it - it's that good! Much more power and 'in your face' character than the standard and it weighs in much more heavily on the spice. Perhaps the standard is a touch more floral and fruity though? Both very good but I'd have to opt for this given the choice.

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8 comments

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

Nice review.

This stuff sells for about $100 when you can get it. Luckily some of us found bottles that were sold at a lower price (by accident). However, in terms of quality, it is definitely worth $100.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge commented

@RianC, clean, clean, clean, you've stated the obvious that never gets stated about this magnificent flavour bomb.

We were in the deep end of the whisky pool, at @Nozinan's most recent tasting session, having Lagavulin 9 YO House of Lannister Game of Thrones, Laga 12 YO LTD Ed 2012, and Bunnahabhain Feis Ile 2018 Moine Oloroso Matured when (I think it was @fiddich1980) someone asked me if Wiser's Legacy would hold up to a line-up like this? GAME ON! There were naysayers. We poured a round of the 45% abv blend, one third of which is Lot No 40, and yes, it stood its ground. @fiddich1980 made a comment that stuck with me, he said "it is clean". Three small words that defy some very nasty notions about Canadian Whisky.

@RianC, thank you for a nice review.

Cheers!

5 years ago 4Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

Thanks for the review. The ginger note in Lot 40 isn't always mentioned, but it's a note that always jumps out to me, and it's a lovely note at that. I have an open bottle and a backup bottle of both this version and the 2017 version (12 Years, 55%abv). They are both excellent, but I think I'm in the minority among whisky enthusiasts, since I prefer the younger, higher proof version. Of course, it's really splitting hairs at that point, since both are fantastic.

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC commented

Thanks gents!

@Nozinan - $100 - that's around £55. I'd say that's a good price for this too!

@paddockjudge - I really like that clean quality in a whisky so it's certainly something that stands out to me. No doubts as to the quality of distillate (or casks) here!

@OdysseusUnbound - I get ginger in a lot of whisky (and like it!) so I'm always quite inquisitive about how it comes across. In this lot 40 I'd say it was quite a complex ginger note, more towards the fresh but some baker's ginger in there as well - lovely!

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

@RianC The first time I tried Lot 40 Cask Strength 12 Year Old (2017 edition), I was expecting something very woody and was (pleasantly) shocked when it tasted like a gingerbread cookie with a lot of black pepper. I was in a little whisky bar in Windsor, Ontario (The Blind Owl) and I literally stopped everything and said "WOW", to the shock of everyone, especially my wife. She likes to tease me about how "nothing ever impresses you because you love to act snooty and pretentious". She's not totally wrong. :)

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@cricklewood
cricklewood commented

@RianC thanks for taking the time to put up your review and it's a cracker too. As others have mentioned you've hit a lot of great points in your tasting. It's not only the power that is exciting in this whisky but that defined profile, clean a is a good way to put it.

I find it expresses the grain in ways you don't obtain from many other high rye profiles, those floral notes, the ginger, that rising bread note, all backed by that flavor that just lasts a long time.

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge commented

@OdysseusUnbound, you can still "act snooty and pretentious" while drinking Lot No 40 Cask Strength Rye, as a matter of fact, I encourage it. It will help to strengthen the Canadian Whisky category and better mark our territory....kinda like the way single malt snobs act snooty and pretentious...

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC commented

@cricklewood - You're more than welcome! Thanks again for letting me try it.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?