Canadian Club small batch whisky review and tasting notes
The Canadian Club small batch whisky is a pleasant spirit, not too complex, very caramelized, velvety and spicy, but with a good amount of rye, which makes the drink slightly more engaging.
It’s an industrial dram, so it’s not the best in life, maybe it was fine in the days of Al Capone when Prohibition had turned off the taps of American distilleries, but honestly, it’s not a masterpiece. Like most Canadian whiskeys it wants to please at all costs, offers pleasure and little else. It is not a spirit with a strong personality, on the contrary, it tries not to have it to satisfy the thirst for every day booze, with maximum yield and little expense.
This does not mean that it is a bad, rude or badly made whisky it is technically clean and velvety and flows smoothly. The problem is that, aside from the immediate alcoholic gratification, it doesn’t offer much inspiration, it doesn’t have a stylistic personality, indeed it is very stylized and rigid in a whisky model that doesn’t go beyond the patina. Mind you, compared to the base product, the original Canadian Club 1858 is two inches above, but you could have dared a little more, considering the price.
How is Canadian Club small batch whisky made
In the mash bill, we find a lot of corn, but a higher dose of rye (rye) than the base product and this time not only sweetness and vanilla are felt, but also pungent spice tones and the classic references of mint and pepper. The distillation takes place with discontinuous stills, pot still and then refines for 12 years in ex-bourbon wood. The selection is more accurate and involves small batches of higher quality spirits than the basic bottle.
Organoleptic characteristics of the Canadian Club small-batch whisky
The nose is not bad at all, classic, clean, clear, but well delineated by rye. The fruit is sweet and oxidized with bursting plums, but the whole is dipped in honey, with tones of popcorn, butter, baked apples, with sharp spices to counterbalance. Nutmeg, oranges, mint and cinnamon to no end. Not very varied, but it is punctuated with cleanliness.
On the palate, it is as caramelized as on the nose, velvety, with an initial jolt of pepper and chili, but then the heat disappears quickly. The sip is fresh with ginger and pears, but then it is the wood that dominates. Overall it is accurate and broad, but it doesn’t dare much and the depth isn’t very bold. The classic case of I would like, but I can’t. But it all comes from the rein imposed to achieve an imposed and intolerant pleasantness. A drop of fresh water helps it open, with the development of delicate and subtle scents. The alcohol content is 40 degrees, so it is not particularly aggressive.
Canadian Club small-batch whisky price
38 euros for the 1-liter bottle, a normal price for an acceptable product.
What cocktails to make with Canadian Club small batch whisky
We have criticized it a lot, especially if you drink it straight. However, the situation changes if you use it to make cocktails: the one-liter format, the velvety taste and the spicy tones are excellent for preparing classic whisky-based cocktails such as Manhattan, Old Fashioned, whiskey sour.