Alberta Premium 20 Year

Neat from a Glencairn • Nose: Nail polish. I can not emphasize enough how strong and off-putting this aroma is. Even my wife, who rarely comments on my whiskies asked "Are you drinking nail polish?" from across the room when I poured this. Exhaust fumes, galvanized metal. Even after letting this rest an hour in the glass, there are few other notes coming through. A bit of oak, some pine tree car air freshener. This may be the most aggressive, unpleasant whisky I've ever nosed. • Palate: thin, thin, thin. You'd think after 20 years in oak, there would be something going on, but there isn't. There's nothing elegant, mature or "luxurious" here. There are faint toffee, plum, and apricot flavours, or I think there are. Perhaps I'm imagining them or wishing they were there. • Finish: It's short, and that's a good thing. The exhaust fumes come back, and then there's a touch of pine and mint. • Thoughts: This whisky gets worse every time I try it. Maybe my expectations are too high, hoping it will get better with time. Maybe I've got some lingering anger over having paid good money for this awful whisky. Who knows? But I've (regrettably) consumed 1/3 of the bottle, giving each pour time and attention. I really wanted to like this. I really did. But I hate it. This Alberta Premium 20 Year Old is downright awful to my nose and palate. The remainder of the bottle will likely stay in my cabinet, only to be opened when someone asks me "What's the worst whisky you've ever had?" Perhaps it's harsh, but I'm nothing if not honest. #sorrynotsorry Final Rating: 45/100 (not a typo) • Would I accept a glass of this if it was offered to me? Not on your life. I'd rather drink water. • Would I order this in a bar or pub? Nope. I'd order a Zima before paying for this whisky. • Would I buy another bottle? You're kidding me, right? No.

Let me start by saying that there are MANY Canadian whiskies that I think are terrific. This is NOT one of them. I’m not sure which whisky the author of these tasting notes is nosing. This is by far the worst whisky I’ve ever nosed. The only aromas are nail polish remover and gasoline/exhaust fumes. Horrid. The palate is weak and watery with a generic fruitiness. This is an absolute embarrassment of a whisky. I hope my bottle gets better with time and air exposure. I’ve never been so tempted to pour a bottle down the drain. I would rate this zero stars if I could. What a waste of money. Avoid at all costs. Lot no.40 Rye and Canadian Club 100% Rye (Chairman’s Select) are a fraction of the price and are better in every possible way.

I had big hopes for this bottle. Perhaps I built it up too much. The nose has sweet floral vanilla, cinnamon heart candy, brown sugar, deep baking spices and something vegetable or grassy. The palate has something a little sour or tannic, then some spice, pepper and relaxes into a bit of caramel and citrus. The finish for me is nicely drying and fairly sweet. A slight bitterness hangs around too. In the end, I think I prefer their regular expression. Nowhere near as complex but $17 instead of $85!

On the nose, I get a lot of pine scent. Like, a lot. Some musty, dusty wood and then sweet orange and vanillas underneath. Palate is sweet vanillas at first then there is a building spiciness. Anise, clove, pepper. The finish is medium and drying. Oak tannins, little bit of that star anise and clove, then it turns to sweet orange. This is definitely a unique juice and unlike anything that I’ve ever tried.

One the nose, starts with the smell of paint. It does finish a bit with a sweet pepper spice. Taste follows the nose with a stronger finish of rye and the pepper notes. But the paint taste is there as it was with the nose. Wow.

Awful nose Mediocre palate Weak finish Def not worth the price! So many other nice Canadian whiskies out there!