Canadian Club Chronicles 41 Year

Canadian whisky has never been my top choice when it comes to drinking whisky neat. I usually reach for scotch, japanese whisky or bourbon. I typically think of canadian whisky as a mixer whisky but I took a chance on this one because of its age (not sure I know of many canadian whiskies aged this long outside of the 42 year old that canadian club released the following year) and some very strong reviews. At $300, it's obviously not cheap, but for that money you would be lucky to get a scotch half that age. However, if you consider not all of the contents are 41 years old, it probably makes sense it "only" costs that much. The whisky in the glass is much lighter than I expected, so there may be a chance they didnt alter the whisky with 9.09% of sherry/cognac/rye, maybe some percent less. Its definitely there though, as the nose hints at sherry, along with barley. The palate brings some spice, dried fruit and honey. The oak is clearly there but not as overwhelming as I would have thought, maybe thanks to the younger rye. The finish brings a bit more heat than expected but there is still a nice sweet spice to it. I'm a bit conflicted on this one, I would have loved to see how this would have tasted unaltered. It's still very good though. Is it worth $300, I guess it depends on your opinion of canadian whisky. If you are a fan, it's a must buy, but if you have any hesitations I would probably pass unless you can find it cheaper.

No detailed tasting notes today, I am sorry... we were just enjoying the experiences and sharing our first impressions. I will go back to this and delve deeper once I’ve had more time with it. — Initially, aromas of sherry wine and cognac were dominant, with flavourful corn whisky throughout. - Given time, the corn came more to the nose and rye spice along with the cognac’s French oak spice revealed themselves on the palate. - As more time passed, those rye notes started to present themselves to the nose while the wine notes receded, and the flavour started to become more full bodied. - After more than an hour the whisky really started to reveal itself, presenting a little oak, but not nearly so much as one mag expect for a spirit that has spent so long inside a barrel.

This is easily the best Canadian whiskey I have had. Extremely complex and subtle. Requires patience. I give it a minimum of 30 minutes, but really needs more. Expect nothing out of it from drink and pour; it will taste watered down and boring. Needs no added water. After proper rest, vanilla and ginger dominate with an evolving fruit potpourri of flavors on the palate. All of this is backed up by a dusty oaky/rye foundation that never intrudes, but gives the spirit just enough backbone. Exceptional!

Bought this with very high expectations, after hearing how many people loved the C.C. 40 last year. Unfortunately, I was met with a whisky that did not live up to the expectations I had for it. The whisky I tried tasted like watered down, extremely weak, Canadian whisky (Though I acknowledge that there may have been something off about the bottle I received.) In my opinion, it's worth maybe $40 CAD, not $300. I'd recommend C.C. Chairman's Select 100% rye instead.

Beautiful Whiskey, I was trying to find a place that sold a glass, ended up buying a bottle instead. I'm glad I did, its such an elegant interesting flavor. Starts with vanilla, real maple, lightly sweet, gives way to oily thin mouthfeel, gets tingly spicey and almost mint finish that lasts for a good long while.

Had this with some wagyu ribeyes. Expensive meal to say the least but this whiskey was so good. Full bodied, smooth, sweet with vanilla and brown sugar and some definite spice. Complex whiskey that I enjoyed. I love the peated stuff but a good rye always hits close to home.