Gibson's 16yo Olympic Limited Edition...

Gibson's 16yo Olympic Limited Edition (40.0%): Today when I woke up at 7:30AM to watch the final game between Canadian and Swedish ice hockey teams I already had the idea to taste something special for the winning team after the game. So, I decided to pull the sample bottle of Gibson's 16yo Olympic Limited Edition from #DavinTT2 Canadian Whisky prize basket in the honor of Canadian Ice Hockey Team's gold medal..! Although the company's roots go back to Pennsylvania and it is owned nowadays by the Scottish company William Grant & Sons the juice in the bottle is Canadian. Their operation is based in Windsor, Ontario today but because this particular expression is all the way back from 1960 it is distilled in Valleyfield Distillery in Quebec where the brand was located that time and bottled in 1976. Quiet a gem... Color: Amber, yellow gold. Nose: Nail polish, acetone and linseed oil. Tung oil, light and clear wood varnish. If you used to spend weekends in your grandparent's house this nose will trigger special memories: old toys, woolen sweaters, thick blankets and old disintegrating leather jackets. Adding water brings some dried cranberries and dried sour cherry aromas. Gets very dusty and chalky, almost nose tingling. Palate: Quite a rye dominated palate, very old school Canadian whisky. Sultana raisins, zante currants and sweet prunes. Cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. A few drops of water made the texture very thin but added all sort of red fruits: raspberry jam and black currant marmalade. I also did get some very pleasant smoke, more like a fireplace smoke, candied pecans and charred wood notes. Finish: A smooth but long fade out with sweet spices: cloves and garam masala. Overall: I don't want to sound nostalgic but this is a lovely old whisky... I am always surprised how good the old whiskies handle the water addition even if they are low in abv. Great spirit and great wood influence with a bold attitude. I wish I could have a bottle at home. It was an enjoyable ride indeed...

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