Review by: TOModera
Xmas is… busy.
Wow, what a great start to a review, you can’t tell I’ve taken time off or anything.
Okay, for me, in my family, I prepare a nice meal on Boxing Day. I take a week off, find something fancy, and spend most of Boxing Day doing it.
Boxing day, by the way, is the day after Christmas, where we all take turns beating ourselves up. Or something with shopping. Or my luck some famous Canadian playwright named Boxing who saved us from a US sneak attack.
Anyway, I’m busy during the day, so my uncle poured me a dram of Wiser’s 18 with an ice cube in it. After fishing that out, finishing the stuffing and crown pork, and the gravy, I was able to write up a review on this one.
Fair warning: This may have oxidized in the bottle a little, as it had been opened for who knows how long. And I was working around fresh sage and treats. Also I may be stressed. What I’m saying is that I will be re-reviewing this in the future.
Wiser’s 18 is a blended whisky from the people who brought us a whole bunch of other products named Wiser’s. They follow the Canadian law that says our whisky must be smooth, follow a specific profile, and have heritage, whatever that means.
For now, let’s see how it is.
Distillery: Corby Distillery.
Bottler: Distillery Bottling.
Region: Canuckastan.
ABV: 40%.
Age: 18 years.
Cask type: Unknown.
Price: $67.95 (CAD) in Ontario.
Color: Gold.
Nose: Lemon pepper, cherry, oak furniture, faint strawberry
Very faint nose, even with it coming to room temperature and the water added by the ice cube. Some fruitiness comes through, however it’s mostly wood and lemon with some pepper.
After 18 years, you’d expect a little bit more, however again, this could have oxidized OR it could be the low Abv.
Taste: Lemongrass, ginger, burn, vanilla, oak, olive oil, strawberry, caramel, lime
Opens up quite nicely now, lots of Asian flavours, and the influence of the ex-bourbon or oak is in there too, as well as those fruit notes that come from rye as time goes on.
What’s quite nice is the mouth feel. Even watered down, it still has a good viscosity for something I’d assume was chill filtered. Adds a nice tough to it.
Finish: Wood, sour apple, cumin, plum, maple sugar candy, parsley
And then there was maple. Well, I shouldn’t give them too much heck, there’s always a little bit of maple, as per our laws. It has a tart side as well, which adds nicely to make it different than the usual Canuck whiskey mandated flavour.
Conclusion:
It’s *okay”. I mean, the nose is weak, the taste is interesting and has a great mouthfeel, and the finish does some things different than normal. There’s no pine, there’s plenty of wood, it’s sweet, and there’s a smoothness to it. I’m wondering if it’s worth the price. Maybe if the Abv was 6 points higher? Or the initial Asian flavours kept up? Maybe.
Worth reviewing again.
Final Score: 81.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 