Canadian Club 20 Year Old

Having entertained the mind, now let’s turn to the magic on the palate. The Canadian Club 20 Year Old has been one of the most pleasant whisky surprises of 2013, and CC has certainly started a bright new chapter in its story. 

Nose: The nose on this whisky is vibrant, fresh, dense, complex, sweet, fruity, herbaceous, creamy, spicy, woody, medicinal and rich in corn and rye. The whisky is immediately vibrant and energetic with a fresh gust of dense character. It is ridiculously complex, with sweet bourbon-like notes of raspberry cotton candy over licorice and fruity raisin, dates and glazed oranges – in fact, syrup and jelly (jello) layered orange poppy seed cake develops. The herbaceous twist of fresh mint and and crushed basil flickers weakly within the bright sweet North American style – a style that offers sharp flints of varied spices smoothed by creamy vanilla and custard as the warm kiss of rye remains a constant embracing feature – almost makes you want to slap on a pair of slippery brogues are dance yourself silly at the Copacabana. The woody notes are beautiful, resonating the American white oak – very North American with a Canadian rye twist. A medicinal character also develops, almost like a think haze lifting over the whisky, most in the form of menthol and mild eucalyptus. The grains shine through from the distillate, despite 20 long years of maturation, this whisky is energetic, rich and vibrant.  

Taste: The taste of this whisky is sweet, spicy, woody, complex and energetic. The character on the nose move seamlessly to the palate, but first comes the rye as it gently caresses the palate with shimmers of menthol and mint as the corn glows brightly. The white oak shines with sharp whips of spicy bourbon and grain rich distillate – this is sensationally made! The sweet fruit (brandy soaked raisins) merges with anise seed as the licorice on the nose softens and becomes more elegant and earthy while licorice and dark chocolate raspberry bullets develop. 

Finish: The rye lingers with the sweet warmth of the American white oak influence, that electrifies the taste buds as they buzz with the flavours that make this Canadian whisky truly sensational – sweetness, smoothness and a touch of rye alongside spiced dark chocolate.