Wiser's Spiced

@talexander, one of the greatest services we can do in these reviews is to give others the 'heads up' about some of these less than artistic products. I would have been shy about sampling anything named Wiser's Spiced on principle, but now I know that if curiosity gets the better of me that it will be with a very small dram of it indeed. Thanks for posting the review.

I had contemplated picking up a bottle as a mixer for my egg nog, in lieu of rum...didn't get around to it, maybe next year.

IMHO, the Canadian whiskey industry is doing a great disservice to itself by not marketing/shelving these whiskies (Tap 357, Crown Royal Maple, Spicebox, Wiser's spiced) for what they are...liqueurs, and nothing more.

I would completely discount the entire Frankenwhisky category were it not for Alberta Premium Dark Horse (which has to be included as sherry is actually part of the product), which is very good. I think it's important to try these things. As I used to always say to others in my industry, "You don't know a good movie if you don't also watch bad movies." @Pudge72, this may actually be really good in eggnog! After all, that's what these products were created for, not for sipping neat or with a splash of water to compare alongside single malts and premium whiskies.

Thanks for confirming my potential eggnog application...a must purchase for Xmas 2013.

One reason I guess that most of these bottles are on the whiskey shelf at the LCBO is that the makers do bottle these at 40%+ (some exceptions, like Spicebox).

Revel Stoke: 45%. Wiser's Spiced: 43%. Alberta Premium Dark Horse: 45%. So a few of these are actually higher than 40%.

Most liqueurs are bottled at around 35%. Spicebox is 34.8% and Black Velvet Toasted Caramel is 35%. Hey, only in Canada could those still be called whiskies! But they are liqueurs, absolutely.

Obviously, in Canada it's all very loose and fancy-free (much like our sexual mores, parliamentary procedures and medical coverage). On one hand, you could say it results in shitty whisky and an inferior product. On the other hand, hey it's Canada! Anything goes! Whoo-hoo!

So, why are we criticizing the Canadian products in this category(Gibson's 100th Grey Cup, Tap 357, etc., etc.), and not Jim Beam Red Stag, Jack Daniel's Honey, or Wild Turkey American Honey, which continue to advertise themselves as whiskies? Both sides of the border are equally guilty...that, and Revelstoke is, I believe, produced by an American company (out of Minnesota), which just uses Canadian whisky as its base ( see Davin's review here: canadianwhisky.org/reviews/…).

@YakLord No question, they are guilty parties too - I hate Jack D's Honey as well as Red Stag, more than the Canadians. Gibson's 100th Grey Cup is actually good. And thank you for the Revel Stoke review, I didn't realize they were yet another example of American ingenuity profiting from Canadian whisky-making!

@talexander, thanks for "taking one for the team." I didn't have this on my radar. I'm embarrassed because tonight I couldn't bring myself to pick up a Centennial 10 yr old, while cradling a box of Masterson's, and you were potentially putting yourself in harm's way with Wiser's Spiced. I'm extremely pleased with AP Dark Horse and Gibson's Grey Cup 100th Anniversary Ltd Edition (I did grab one of these, it was sporting a 50ml Glennfidich neck-tie), especially pleased by the price.

@paddockjudge, I would say those are the flavoured whiskies I most enjoy. Soon I'll review the CC Dock 57 - stay tuned.