Lot 40 2012 release
*2013 and 2016 canadian whisky awards ‘whisky of the year’*
Instant favorite. Dill pickle chip lovers will soon fall in love with this handsome devil.
This is corbys resurrection of an old recipe used over a decade before. The previous lot 40 was a spectacular fail along with pike creek 10 year old. This is a single grain, rye, which contains 90% unmalted rye to produce a fruity profile.
2012 release
Alc. 43%
Bottle:
normal wine bottle. Cool decal of a distillery operation smattered with a long movie ticket and a little copper wire wrapped around the neck to hang a label. i can see where our pennies have gone to.
Nose:
Floral and dusty. It has a hearty smell, letting you know this packs a flavorsome punch. Dark marble bread, a bit of caraway and fresh garden dill pollen.
Palate:
right off the bat its heavy, sour rye bread. Dusty, spicy rye. I get a ton of fresh dill, dill pickles and stale pickle chips. In the middle there’s a nice ride of baking spice, clove, ginger turning to searing chilies. A bit of anise leads to a medium- long finish. A huge amount of sweet toffee. The oak is there, but it doesn’t impede the grain from doing its job. The oak helps tame the wild rye. There are hard candies in the finish.
2015 release
Alc. 43%
Nose:
Again, hearty and rich in nose. Dill, vanilla at first glance. Dark german rye bread, licorice, some gentle prunes and a floral influence. Very fruity rye nose with a touch of green grass.
Palate:
Pungent rye and ripe bananas. Big bread starts in while vanilla fudge, dill pickles and charred oak follow up. hard cherry candies are pleasant, and the baking spices seem to take a backseat. the exit is soft, slightly tannic with black pepper. This is a soft palate, but pungent and flavorful.
Please note:
Rye is almost like working with grapes, they differ every year due to climate and will therefore change the outcome of the whisky. Next years release will differ slightly.
The mash bill is made up entirely of rye, although 90% of it is unmalted. The remaining 10% is malted rye, which helps convert starches to sugars to start the fermentation process before it is distilled.
The age on this ranges between 5 and 9 years. There is a ton of wood influence due to being aged in virgin barrels. The spirit is distilled in copper pot stills, generating a full rye flavor and the raw spirit enters virgin wood at 58% abv.
The yeast selection is a well guarded secret. To hear the current corbys master blender, dr. don Livermore speak, he will say that yeast is a huge contributor to the overall flavor of whisky, which is not really discussed very often.
Overall:
This deserves a high score. Its fantastic. Connoisseurs rejoice! Canadian whisky is back and kicking ass.
canadian whisky enthusiast 