J.P. Wiser's Triple Barrel Rye

Tasting Date: 03/29/2018 Nose: 13/20 Bright and sweet caramel-covered apples. Twist of zesty, but sweet and juicy navel orange. Nose is warm and sweet, but piquant. Red currant and dried cranberry. Mild fennel seed. Expecting a bourbon by the nose. Initial Taste: 11/15 Bourbon on the initial punch, but the follow-up is immediate and unmistakably rye spice. The rye spice comes and lingers in the sinus cavity as if it were horseradish. Caramel crème candies, like Cowtails. Fairly mild in the initial impression, but every not perceived is a pleasant one. Very polite rye! Body/Mouthfeel: 7/10 Medium bodied. Alcohol does not thin it out on the palate. Super smooth and caramel-sweet with a sugary slickness, like caramel crèmes. Taste: 11/15 Chewing it, the same notes from the initial presence persist, bourbon corn notes, followed by some rye spice, and settling into light caramel and sugary crème filling, but there’s a slow fade into the navel orange note picked up in the nose. Nothing herbal, minty, or spicy in a salient, astringent, or pungent way. Notably, a bready character backbone is absent. Finish: 12/20 For a whiskey that gives such a smooth and dainty performance, the finish sticks around! The rye spices, bready and punchy with caraway, coriander, and star anise stick little flavor pins and needles all over and continue to fill the nose. Nevertheless, the palate is left pretty dry and begs for another sip. No overbearing astringency, no cloying sweet, but not a ton of depth either and moderate alcohol burn. Value: 10/10 For $16 I picked this up for…. Absolutely worth it, and I might go grab another bottle! Overall: 6/10 Solid enough on its own, but for the serious rye drinker, it may be lacking in depth and/or intensity. Every note is good, but there’s not too much to explore here. A fine drink, but somewhat lackluster. Again, decent enough to sip, but certainly an excellent mixer for any rye cocktail, especially those using highly aromatic bitters. Likely, this would be an excellent gateway rye for those who love very polite bourbons and want to dip their feet into some spice, especially with the low level of commitment to buy a bottle.

COLOUR: Orange-bronze. LEGS: Very thick on the clothesline, like a cold front on a weather map; very slow and oily as they dropped. NOSE: Very delicate and subtle; gentle caramel and acetone; almost nothing there initially, but after a couple of sips, the rich caramel sweetness rises up. SCORE 3/10 TASTE: Oily, mouth-coating; sharp rye spice bites the tongue and throat; very sweet and delicious creamy caramel; pepper; cinnamon; drying oak tannins; very bold and flavourful; creamy, mouth-filling richness. SCORE 7/10 FINISH: Long finish; the spice clings to your tongue for a long time, leaving it quite tingly; sweet liquid caramel lingers. SCORE 7/10 OVERALL: Starts out rather disappointingly -- the nose suggests that nothing will happen; but the taste makes up for it, as there is an explosion of sweet spice in my mouth; the finish is long and spicy; this is a very nice rye -- subtle when you first meet, but rich and delicious after a few dates. WEIGHTED SCORE 5.8/10

Nose: Rye bread, bubblegum and bittersweet oak, raspberry cream-marshmallow, chalky lime candy, old dusty lumber, mixed berries (cranberries, blueberries, blackberries), rose petals, rich caramel, some clove, spring garden green note, light espresso/fresh coffee bean note, eau de cologne floral note, creamy butter, fresh ripe green apples, grape medicinal note, grape juice, maple, sweet tea, applewood, cinnamon and black pepper, ripe pears Palate: Nectarines, apples and raspberries, black pepper and cinnamon, honey, light toffee and rich caramel, oak spice, lemon peel, bittersweet oak, lemon pith, candied lemon, rye spice Finish: Rye bread, candied pear, old toffee and caramel, barrel tannins, lemon peel

As some who enjoys a neat pour, this is a below average whiskey. I was taken back on the fresh crack, far cry from American rye. A few months later it has actually changed quite a bit. Super sweet with a decently spicy mouth feel. There's a dominant note I can't place. I'm new to Canadian whiskey, maybe it's normal but not quite pleasant. At $18 I can't really complain. May even be fair to say this is high end budget whiskey. Good background whiskey? That said, I'll be blending this with other whiskey searching for a better balance. Too sweet on its own.

Rye, rye, rye, some caramel, mint, eucalyptus, cooked fruit, and vanilla come out of the glass. There’s sweet simple syrup and a bitterness instantly on the tongue. Opening up, there’s plenty of rye bread, and spice, cinnamon and ginger, and a bit of cloves. The finish stays, with sugar syrup, rye, dill, and mint.

I've bought this several times! $16 , 90 proof and tastes like a much more expensive bottle. Lots of caramel, vanilla and rye on the nose. The palette is very nice with the vanilla and rye forward and a dark fruit taste ( similar to wine ) in the finish. Most surprising budget bottle I've ever bought. Big fan!