Alberta Premium Canadian Rye Whisky

Smell: Peppermint and bubblegum are the main notes I get from the nose. There is a light grass/hay note in there too. Some caramel, baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg) and vanilla extract. Green apple skin and light chlorine. Taste: Caramel and baking spices are on the forefront in the taste as well as the vanilla extract. The peppermint and bubblegum are still there but not as strong. The hay is barely there. Surprisingly decently strong flavors for 40% ABV. Finish: Light milk chocolate, almonds, cinnamon, peppermint. Some light green apple juice. Decently long again for the ABV. Mouthfeel: Medium to light, but it's impressive it's not completely watery considering the minimum proof. Some oiliness. Overall: For the price, this is quite a surprisingly decent whisky. It's got good flavors and intensity, it's a little complex and it drinks easily. A great everyday whisky. I did notice it benefited quite a bit from breathing a little bit. The first glass of the bottle was nowhere near as good as this one (beginning of the second half of the bottle).

Pale golden straw body Legs appear slowly, but once running our voluminous and speedy. Ethanol is a major contributor to the nose. Getting past that, there is some toasted white bread and a touch of vanilla that comes through the Pine-Sol. A bit of clove and green apple round out the underwhelming nose. Palate is soft and a bit sticky in a very pleasant way. Like those yellow wrapped butterscotch candies... The sweetness makes itself known, and stays nearly all the way throughout. There's almost a bitter, dry woody moment following the swallow, followed by the off-putting ethanol. It turns around with a moderately long but not complex finish. It tastes better than it smells, and it makes a very good old fashioned with some help from some quality bitters and a proper cocktail cherry. That is definitely what it will be used for in our house over the holidays.

Whisky critics like to talk this one up because they know it's also the source for a lot of great American ryes like Whistlepig and Jefferson's and Lock, Stock, and Barrel. But the truth is that Alberta Premium is a fairly typical not-quite-bottom-shelf Canadian whisky. And that the method by which most Canadian whisky is made means that it doesn't actually *matter* that this stuff is 100% rye, because a good percentage of the finished product is distilled to such a high proof that the constituent grain isn't recognizable, anyway. Flavours of vanilla, toffee, maple syrup (lots of maple syrup), distant grass, light fruit. A touch of oak. Some distant rye spice. Young and simple. Alberta Distillers is capable of making great whisky, but it doesn't really end up in ths bottom-shelf blend.

I “discovered” this as a “Closeout” in my local VA ABC store. It is reported that Alberta Distillery Ltd. produces the “best selling rye whisky in the world”. Though quite different than American Rye Whiskey, the Alberta Premium could, understandably, live up to that advertised level. It has the expected peppery rye spice but there’s also an unexpected dried fruit sweetness, not normally found in American ryes. There is also a level of viscosity that belies the low(40%)ABV. Alberta has legs that would make Betty Grable jealous.

NOSE Caramel, butterscotch, baking spice, copper, dried fruit and acetone. The Cask Strength version has a more intense, deeper, aroma, but this isn’t bad, or at least wouldn’t be if that industrial/acetone note wasn’t there. PALATE Caramel, watery butterscotch, copper, orange peel, touch anise and herbal spice with a hint of something industrial/solventy. Again, not bad, but that sharp note at the end keeps throwing me off a bit. FINISH Medium-Short -> Darkly sweet and spiced with a light touch of that acetone.

Well damn, I like it. I'm a great fan of comparitive tasting, so just for fun I paired it with Canadian Club 100% rye. The CC is noticeably darker but otherwise very similar, which is to say deliciously spicy and herbal. The CC seems slightly fuller and rounder in body, but that could well be a cognitive illusion based on the darker color. I give the Alberta Premium the nod by a sliver thin margin for authenticity, ie. no added coloring.