Ninety 20 Year Whisky

Ninety. Sigh. There are many ways to enjoy this whiskey. Neat. On the rocks. Chilled in the freezer. Never mixed though. This whisky says on the back of its bottle it is a blend of their 20 year batch. This equates to other whisky of ages blended into it. Make sure you read the fine print on this one to know exactly what you’re getting. It has high doses of vanilla and pours thick. It is super smooth and extremely sweet. Overall i would rank this as a 2 out of 5. The bottle is thick and heavy. I received this as a gift, however, there isn’t much complexity to this whisky and it isn’t something i would ever purchase. Save yourself the trouble and bypass this dram. You’re better off grabbing a bottle of Jack Daniel’s if that’s the case.

This is a pleasant whisky, but it’s hard to understand what it was doing all those years cooped up in oak. Butterscotch on the nose prepares you for the sweet, buttery taste, reminiscent of honey toast. There’s something high and sharp there too, like pear drops or turps, followed by a gentle vanilla thrum to close. There are better Canadians out there for the money.

Took me a long time to warm up to this. First time I tried it I thought it was sweet and light. However, take a few months with a bottle and it starts to come alive. Upfront, lots of butter, toffee, and a light fruit. With time some spice and oak. What stands out with time is how incredibly balanced this bottle is. An amazing deal if you can still find it!

Boom! The nose is a big whack of vanilla. The whisky, too, has a yummy, oaky flavour rather like a nice big bourbon. For a 20yo it’s a bit lacking in complexity. For a Canadian, it’s not especially spicy either. It is decidedly moreish, though, and not too expensive, so go for it!

About as smooth a rye as I have ever tasted. Highly recommended.