Wiser's De Luxe

I agree it is a nice easy everyday whisky - if you like this, I suggest the Wiser's Small Batch - similar profile but more robust.

Nice review! Interesting all the notes about all the wine - i don't remember those. I'll have to try looking for them if i taste this again

And yes, wiser's small batch is a big notch up

@JasonHambrey, good to hear from you!

I think that Wiser's Deluxe is actually underrated. In the right mood, Deluxe is quite satisfying, and could certainly rate a good bit higher than 75 points.

Old posts and reviews of mine will reveal that the only bottle of Wiser's Small Batch which I owned I disliked intensely. I am always willing to taste from another batch, though, to see if it is different. I reviewed 30+ Canadian whiskies, mostly 5 to 6 years ago, before the more recent very active Canadian Connosr contingent consistently continued to contribute.

@JasonHambrey I don't recall the wine notes either...next time, I'll have to concentrate and see if I can spot them.

@Victor I agree it's underrated. I remember liking the Small Batch better, but I don't really buy it often, whereas I do buy the Deluxe occasionally. At Spirit of Toronto we tasted the Wiser's 35 Year Old, which will be released in the fall (not sure how many bottles the US will be getting) and it is excellent.

J.P. Wiser's is certainly capable of putting out some excellent whiskies. I remain a huge fan of Legacy and Red Letter.

@talexander, I agree with your assessment of the Wiser's 35 YO, it is excellent. I tired it a couple of years back when it was touted as "thirty years old" and was absolutely blown away by it.

@paddockjudge But I really loved the G&W 17 and the Lot 40 Cask Strength. Those were my favourites of the class.

@talexander those 2 were my favourites as well, I would try to get them if the opportunity arises, though the paucity of bottles makes pessimistic.

My money is on the @paddockjudge picking up 3 or 4 bottles of the Wiser's 35 yo. Knowing him, it could happen before September.

On the subject of dark fruitiness, some dark fruitiness tastes like it derives from rye grain and some tastes like it derives from grape-wine. In the case of Wiser's Deluxe the fruity flavours have always seemed to me much more like a few wine casks were thrown into the mix rather than that they came from rye grain. Indeed, taste it again and draw your own conclusions.