A cracking 18 year old blended Canadian whisky from the J.P. Wiser’s range. Wiser’s has an incredibly long history, with the brand being established all the way back in 1857 in Ontario, and the first bottles were sold in 1893 (previously the whisky was only sold in casks!).
Master of Malt
Appearance
This whisky is mid gold in colour, it has a very thick swirl line that partially beads up. It then drops medium thick legs, followed by thick teardrops that hand just below the swirl line.
Nose
Initially I’m thinking hot mashed potatoes, a touch of menthol, vanilla pastries, and there’s definitely a milky coffee followed by botanicals.
More time and aromatic wood really comes through, followed by stoned fruits. Dunnage follows along, with cereals and cocktail cherries.
Palate
For 40% ABV the mouthfeel is very nice, must be the 18yrs providing the syrupiness.
Straight away we have a tussle between bright sweet fruits. Green grapes, greengages, and apricots, with vanilla.
There are spices too joining the sweetness. Cinammon and ginger, along with black pepper bring the bulk of it. Darker notes are here also. Cigar leaves, salted caramel in black coffee and walnut or pecan cake.
Finish
The finish is short to medium, and again a real mixture of sweet/spicy/slight bitterness. This is where the 40% ABV really shows, up until the finish it offered much more.
My thoughts
This was my introduction to J.P.Wisers Canadian whisky. I was rather excited when i opened the package it arrived in, and then i thought, 18 years old at 40% ABV, it could go one of two ways. After tasting whisk(e)y and new make spirit into the 60+ ABV’s range, it can be a step back to try a 40% ABV whisky.
Every now and then a 40% ABV whisky will impress me, and this is one of those drams. It has to be the age of the whiskies in here that hold it up very well indeed. It has a very nice mouthfeel and plenty going on nose and palate, more than i expected to be fair, and coming in under £50 i think it’s a good buy. Some will point to the ABV, i’d simply point at the bottle, and yes i’d have one, a pleasant surprise indeed for me.
This was a monthly whisky sample release from the Whisky Pioneer subscription service, their website can be found here.
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