Collingwood 21yo (40.0%): Last night I decided to pick something fancy to taste from #DavinTT2 sample basket: It is a mouthwatering 21 year old Collingwood Rye. Collingwood released this expression last fall for select markets in Canada and US only. The whisky is distilled from an all malted rye mash at Canadian Mist distillery in Collingwood, Ontario. What it makes it fancy is the unique finishing process rather than its age: After it's initial maturation the casks got married together and the vat went through another year of finishing in barrels containing toasted maple wood staves. Sounds incredibly ravishing... Color: Dark amber, wildflower honey. Nose: Warm German rye bread, hardwood shavings, prunes and roasted chestnuts. Nutmeg, garam masala and cloves. Early morning walk on a hot summer day: dried grass, dry clay soil and gorse bushes in the wind. So many layers of goodness... Complex and very enjoyable. Palate: Chestnut honey over toasted rye flakes. Dried dates, Greek baklava and chocolate covered salted caramel drops. Vanilla, crystallized ginger, maple syrup and orange zest jam. Every sip starts with toasted crispness and then continues with creamy and syrupy sweet notes. Finish: Long with maple candy, cinnamon and hard wood notes. Overall: Simply gorgeous... Damn, I wish I tasted this before..! I don't think that I have any chance to find a bottle now but wouldn't hurt to start to look for one... A complicated, multi-layered, amazingly well balanced and at the same time extremely and therefore also dangerously easy drinking dram. Another beautiful example to all the craft distillers out there how patience can be rewarded with such a high prize in whisky making. One of the best rye whiskies I sampled within a year. If you see one on the shelves don't think twice...
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