Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye Whisky 70cl, 43% ABV

Product Information

Sadly not as expressive and flavorful as I had hoped for, what with it being pot distilled and worm tub-condensed. I guess the big boys really know how to take the fun (flavor) out of their products, even if they’re marketed as a small batch. That is the award Joel was alluding to when describing the man in the Panama Hat and his Whisky Bible. 🙂 Lot 40 Cask Strength whisky enjoys a cult following among Canadian whisky drinkers, one that is spreading worldwide as it continues to win awards. Lot 40, in all varieties, is 100% rye whisky. It’s aged in new oak and is more similar to American ryes than traditional Canadian ryes. Also, living in a tropical country, I almost always look forward to going to cold places, because you can always add on more layers to insulate yourself… while you can only take off so much to beat the heat. The 1/11 rule is, and should be preserved as, part of our blending history. However it would go a long way for credibility in Canadian whisky if the rules required blenders to state if any non-whisky components were added to their products. Some other blenders have taken the opportunity to celebrate the rule and successfully incorporated it into their marketing, but I’ll say it again: mandated disclosure please.

Immediately upon getting this bottle home I was hit by another uncontrollable urge: I needed to make a Manhattan with it. I did Aengus' classic recipe - 2 oz rye, 0.5 oz sweet vermouth, dash of angostura, stirred not shaken with lots of ice, and served neat in a martini glass with Luxardo cherry. It was great - the best Manhattan I’ve had in recent memory. If the Internet is correct, the original Lot 40 (released in the late 1990s) was the brainchild of then Master Distiller Mike Booth. It was an attempt by Hiram Walker to create three different premium whiskies known as the Canadian Whisky Guild. The success of these whiskies was limited, probably owing to the reticence of consumers to embrace premium Canadian whiskies. Lot 40 was discontinued, much to the chagrin of Canadian whisky enthusiasts.

Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye – Review

Whenever an enthusiast-focussed bottling from one of Canada's big distillers is released and available in my area, I get uncontrollably excited. I need to have it. Immediately.

On the nose: The first thing I get is a big hit of ground cloves, followed by fresh rye bread, orange peels, a touch of oak, and then vanilla and those soft caramel candies. There also some floral notes popping through after a rest in the glass, maybe lavender. I’m no botanist, so take that for what it’s worth. This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. Have you got your tree up yet? We always leave ours to the last minute but the trouble with this kind of sylvian brinkmanship is that you might get to your friendly local tree dealer and there will only be unhappy stunted little bushes available. Or no trees at all! Then you’ll have to get one of those silver plastic ones from the supermarket. But then again, they don’t drop needles and you can use them over and over again. So in some ways you win. Maybe stop worrying and have a look at what’s behind the next door of your advent calendar. A truly stellar aspect of Lot 40 for me is its nose – a rich bouquet of baking spices (cinnamon and nutmeg in particular) and fragrant floral notes (including heather), with some dark fruits evident underneath. You can also smell the candied sweetness that is the characteristic of new charred oak barrels. Rich and complex, there are absolutely no false notes here­. Honestly I could smell it all night long (which, as my lovely wife has opined, would certainly make it last longer!). 😉 It’s day 11 of our countdown to Christmas with Drinks by the Drams Advent calendars. Today, we’re drinking a delicious little number from Canada, it’s Lot 40 Rye whisky.Add all the ingredients to an ice-filled shaker and shaker vigorously for 30 seconds. Double strain into a chilled tumbler filled with fresh ice. If you want to make your Sour extra silky, add some egg white. The only whiskey that remotely comes close to this one is Shenk’s Sour Mash whiskey from Michter’s. If I was grading this as a blind whiskey instead of a Canadian Rye Whiskey, I may actually score this an “8” for being so unique and flavorful. But in the realm of ryes, this is not what a person pouring a rye would ever expect. Even High West’s MWND shows off a base rye character, but this one is hard to tell between a rye whiskey and an extremely strong liqueur. Final Thoughts The palate is very pleasing as well, with much the same layered flavours as found on the nose. Not quite as fruit-forward as I was expecting, although still plenty of apple, pear and some prunes. A touch of anise. In addition to baking spices, it also reminds me a bit of the hot/sweet cinnamon candies I grew up on. However, I must admit that I find it doesn’t quite live up to the promise of that wonderful nose. As mentioned in my CC 100% Rye review, I actually like the more fruit-forward profile of the CC offering (as least as far as initial palate goes). Again, there is nothing offensive in the palate here – it is just a touch more subdued than I would have hoped for. Simply put, if the nose is a home-run, I’d rate the palate as a triple.