JIM BEAM Rye 7 years old 40%

Nose:
Good fatness on the nose lays the ground for attractive juicy fruit and hard candy. Firm spices spearheaded by cloves broadens the palette.




Palate:
More or less a continuation of the nose with some chewy toffee added for good measure. Alluring spice bite.





Finish:
Lemon cough drops aided by ozone-fresh spices. Perhaps a bit on the short side.


Comment:
I have no idea whether this is a discontinued whisky or merely limited to certain regions. It´s a 1000 ml bottle which points firmly towards an airport existence. Perhaps not as fun as the younger and zestier standard version but retains enough qualities to be able to save the day.

Rating: 8/10

OLD BARTON 8 years old 43%

Nose:
Flavoured tea, soft cherries and sweet chewy corn. When body temperature has been reached, a mesmerizing tobacco sweetness appears.



Palate:
All grains work in tandem here, producing a potpourri of flavours consisting of ginger cookies, overripe berries and surprisingly visible malt. All this even further enriched by chewy oak and buzzing spices.




Finish:
Orange marmalade followed by spicy oak and toffee. Fading out with soft cherries.


Comment:
A fine array of flavours but somehow not as well constructed as the 8-year old I sampled a couple of weeks ago. A good whiskey, no doubt, but where the constituent parts do not gel to 100%. The nose is wonderful, though. From when does it date? Your guess is as good as mine. I only knew of Very Old Barton before I laid my hands on this one.

Rating: 73/4/10

CANADIAN HERITAGE 21 years old 60%

Nose:
Toasted oak infiltrates a tasty morsel of orange peel and luxurious caramel sauce. Not that far removed from an extra aged grain whisky but there are noticeable bourbon traits, as well.



Palate:
Velvety texture. The caramel is clearly the leader of the pack here but is augmented by frighteningly attractive brown sugar. A thick syrupy fruitiness tries to gain a foothold but is only allowed a couple of short peek-ins.


Finish:
More toastiness to begin with. Then chewy oak and lip-smacking juicy orange-laced caramel sauce.

Comment:
This whisky has an interesting route. Distilled and bottled in Canada on behalf of a UK company, then imported to California and finally bought by me in Germany! As for its origins, I cannot tell for sure but there is a persistent rumour tracing it to one of Hiram Walker´s dismantled distilleries in British Columbia but I cannot know for sure. Mystery also surrounds its age. Distilled in 1976, bottled 2001, the neck label reads, which would make it 24 or 25 years in my book but the front label claims it to be 21 years old. Confusing but that shouldn´t stop you from enjoying it if you manage to track it down.

Rating: 8 1/4/10

CARSEBRIDGE 25 years old 56,4%

Nose:
Vanilla ice cream with peaches, held together by steadfast oak.





Palate:
Chewy oak supports a river of delicous summer berries. Hints of old-fashioned candy.





Finish:
Dry and spicy at first. Followed by tongue-based waves of soft, fruit-infused charcoal. Very long.


Comment:
A single grain whisky from the dismantled Carsebridge distillery. If you are willing to sacrifice complexity on the altar of hedonism, you´ll find plenty to savour here. Date distilled: 03.1979. Date bottled: 01.2005.

Rating: 8 1/4