Thanks to ‘Whisky in the 6’ for the sample.

Canadian Club 40 Year Old, 45% ABV, $250 CAD

• Nose: Big hit of caramel and vanilla, honey, lemon grass, slight rye spice.
• Taste: Again, caramel and vanilla, rye, pepper, and apple pie filling.
• Finish: Medium/long, very good viscosity, caramel and spice notes linger.
• Thoughts: 7,000 total bottles, 100% Corn whisky aged in ex-rye barrels, oldest expression Canada has ever released. Canadian Club did this proper. They didn’t take advantage of Canada’s 9.09% rule, no additives, no colour. They did dilute to 45%, but I was actually surprised it wasn’t 40 or 43. I first tried this at an official CC tasting and wasn’t impressed at all. There was a youthful sharpness to it that threw me off, but I don’t get any of that this time. I actually quite enjoy this. At the launch event the bottle was cracked, poured, and was served within 10-15 minutes. This whisky obviously needs a lot of time to open up. $250 for a 40 year old is absolutely incredible value. But if you were to taste this blind I doubt you would equate that price tag to the juice. Bottom line it’s a Canadian whisky, this smooth, caramel and vanilla dominate, not overly complex, and pretty basic. But if you’re a CC fan or a Canadian whisky fan, you need this for the collection.
• Score: 86.5 – 1.5 value point(s) = 85/100

Scores:

After my initial score I will add or subtract points relative on how I perceive value (based on what I paid for the bottle). A zero value means I think the price is justified.