Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Old Montreal Distillery

Bottler: Buffalo Trace/Sazerac

Region: Canada

Price: $50

ABV: 40%

Age: NAS.

Color: 1.4, Tawny.

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Nose: Things are a little faint here. There are a few distinctive cooling notes that lead me to think of menthol and mint a bit. Every so often there’s a sharp note of green apple, some caramel, and notes of well toasted marshmallows (with a hint of char on the outside).

Palate: This is silky smooth, it goes down far too easily. There’s not a whole lot of flavor unfortunately. Caramel mostly dominates along with that charred marshmallow popping up here and again. Every so often there’s a bit of fruit pie filling as well.

Finish: Short, it almost doesn’t exist at all. There’s a little bit of vanilla that’ll pop out as fast as it’s popped in and you might miss it if you’re not paying attention.

Conclusion: Every so often, I come across a whisky that is clearly lacking in many ways but my hand keeps going to in the liquor cabinet. This Caribou Crossing appears to be one of them. The nose, though faint, is fairly delightful. The palate could use a lot help with flavor, what little is there is nice but there simply isn’t enough of it. And the finish is so short that is very easily missed. It’s lacking but I’m enjoying it. I’d love to see what this whisky would be with even a few extra percentage points of ABV, as it stands it is too smooth and it’s being held back by that. Would I buy another bottle? Maybe.

Final Score: 74.

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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.