I have heard quite a bit about Canadian whisky and not all was very nice words. I have tried some that might have been on the cheep side and not really in my taste range, so in my ears Canadian whisky didn’t have the best reputation.
Ones taste buds change over time and to test that statement I challenge my self in trying whiskies I have tasted in my early whisky days to see if I like them better now. Some actually do and some definitely don’t.
I was sitting in the small cozy and well-stocked bar at the Hotel Spreeblick in Lรผbben, Germany, looking at the shelves when I spotted LOT 40 – Canadian Rye Whiskey. Why not taste it. I had not tasted it before and I like Rye Whiskey, so it could not go completely wrong.
At one point I think Thomas the own look at me like “Do you really mean this” but he was kind and served the whisky. He surprised me by saying it was a good Canadian whisky. Me expectation raised a bit.
I must sayโฆ. I like it and it can easily become fixtures on my shelf.
Why is the whisky actually called LOT 40?
The short story is โฆ. Yes, you get the short one for the long one can be a bit complicated ๐
It started back in 1784 where Joshua Booth, a successful businessman, had some land where he had seven grist mills, one of which was on lot 40. It turns out that there were also distilleries in connection with these grist mills and here rye was made into whisky on pot stills.
The whisky made at that time we don’t know what was called.
Let’s turn the clock to 1998 because here is another mile stone. Six generations later, in honor of his great-great-great-great-grandfather, Mike Booth makes a rye whisky and calls it LOT 40. It was part of the Canadian Whiskey Guild series.
It was made from 90% unmalted rye and 10% malted rye, distilled on a pot still and matured on freshly emptied bourbon casks.
Unfortunately, LOT 40 was not a success at that time and lived only a few years.
It so happens that in 2012, former master blender David Doyle and current master blender Dr Don Livermore at Hiram-Walker revives LOT 40 and here we are, some years after, sipping fantastic LOT 40 Rye Whisky.
This time the recipe is 100% unmalted rye, distilled on a pot still and matured in new white oak barrels.
I don’t know what the earlier LOT 40 tasted like but this is a good experience.
๐
ต๐
ฐ๐
ฒ๐๐
๐ฟ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ง๐ฎ: Hiram-Walker
๐๐๐ข๐: Lot 40
๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐: Rye
๐พ๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ง๐ฎ: Canada – Ontario
๐ผ๐๐: NAS ( can actually be 7-8 YO)
๐ผ๐ก๐ %: 43
๐พ๐๐จ๐ ๐จ: New American White Oak
๐พ๐๐๐ก๐ก-๐๐๐ก๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐: Yes it might be
๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐๐ก ๐๐ค๐ก๐ค๐ช๐ง: Not sure
๐ฟ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ฃ: ?
๐ฝ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ฃ: ?
๐ ผ๐ ๐๐ ฐ๐๐๐ ธ๐ ฝ๐ ถ ๐ ฝ๐ พ๐๐ ด๐
๐: Caramel, earthy, vanilla, toffee, brown sugar, ryebread
๐: Round, rich flavors, pepper, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, orange,
๐: Medium to long, delicious, rye, spicy, clove, oak
๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ฎ: ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ (5/6)
๐ ผ๐ ๐๐ ฐ๐๐ ธ๐ ฝ๐ ถ ๐๐๐๐๐ ด๐ ผ
๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ – ๐๐ญ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ค๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ฎ – ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ง
๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ – ๐ผ ๐๐๐๐ช๐ฉ๐๐๐ช๐ก ๐ฌ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ฎ – ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ก๐
๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ – ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ’๐ฉ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ – ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐ข ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐๐
๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ – ๐๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐๐ – ๐’๐ก๐ก ๐๐ค ๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ฎ
๐ฅ๐ฅ – ๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐๐ช๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐, ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ค ๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ
๐ฅ – ๐๐๐ฉ’๐จ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐ฎ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ฉ