Whisky Review: Lot 40 Single Copper Pot Still Whisky (Corby Distilleries)

I know that this is a beer blog but I grew up around whisky just as much as I grew up around beer. I remember every spring and fall, as soon as the seeding and harvesting was done, all my dad's friends would come over with different bottles of whisky and discuss grain and cattle prices, politics and baseball, hockey or curling. It was a tradition dating back decades. I can still remember being offered the last sip of beer out of every bottle/can of beer my parents had.. because they didn't like the taste of beer.. The taste of macro beers taste identical to what they did when I was a toddler.

I once snuck a sip of whisky while my dad and his friends were playing cards, my dad told me not to, but I thought it was iced tea, because of the rich reddish brown copper appearance that reminded me of iced tea.. boy was I wrong. However, I didn't mind it, sure it was strong, oaky and bitter, but I drank every sip of the tumbler of Five Star and Coke.. though I did get in shit from my dad for doing that.

Fast forward to my less-than-rebellious teens, like most kids in their mid to late teens, I started to drink, I hated the taste of beer so rye and Coke was my drink of choice for several years until I graduated highschool.

Now it's 2013, I feel like an old geezer but I'm only 28, I now mostly only drink micro beers, but I manage to drink some Crown & Coke once in a while as it brings me back memories of harvests and the grain train going right by the farm to pick up grain at the Pipestone grain elevator.

I thought, hey.. lots of beer geeks also like a good rye whisky, so tonight I'm reviewing Lot No. 40 Whisky by Corby Distilleries. Corby is also the same distillery that makes my dad's favourite farmer-approved rye, Meaghers' 1878.

Appearance: A nice dark oaky caramel, just like what you would expect in a quality Canadian rye.

Aroma: Going from beer to whisky reviewing is tough.. it's strong, of course. Notes of rich oak barrels, sweet caramel, fresh cut rye and a bit of rich dark fruit.

Taste: I don't generally drink rye straight, I prefer it with Coke, but for this review, I needed to get as much of the flavour as I could. The second it hit my tongue, it gave me shivers throughout my entire body.. hell just thinking about it gives me shivers. Right off the back there's a nice crisp oakiness to it, followed by a bit of rye grain, slightly sweet caramel. Mouthfeel is a bit spicy, leaving a bit of heat on the tongue even after the whisky has long been savoured. While strong and oaky, it's a bit more mellow than some Canadian Rye Whiskies out there.

Overall Thoughts: It will take me time to get used to drinking whisky again, but this will grow on me, it's a very solid & rich whisky. Costs around $45 before taxes (750ml, 43% ABV). The bottle cap is a pseudo-corked cap, plastic cap with a bit of cork attached to it. The plastic part of the cap gives it a cheap feel, but the cork is a nice touch. I picked this up as a gift to myself for having a job for an entire year now!

From the label: D Michael Booth distills this whisky in small batches using the same simple recipe developed by his forefather Joshua Booth, seven generations ago.

www.corby.ca/brands/Lot40