Lot No.40 Rye

The bouquet offers clear notes of rye from start to finish, beginning with fruity plum and menthol followed by cinnamon, clove, and a hint of smoky black cardamom. There is a touch of dill mingling with a slight prickle of alcohol heat, which marries nicely with the heavy rye aromas. Wonderfully rich on the palate with a full, spicy character. An initial light brown sugar sweetness transitions to a dry mid-palate full of rye bread, black pepper, brine, and a mouth-watering sourness. The finish is amazingly long and savoury with the numbing quality of cloves and capsaicin on top of toasted oak, rye grain, and dusty cinnamon. A delicious introduction to Canadian Rye Whisky.

Lot No.40 is actually a revival of a whisky from the late 1990’s, named after the plot of land home to the historic Ontario farm of Joshua Booth, the ancestor of one of Hiram Walker’s distillers and a Canadian pioneer, politician, and distiller. Lot No.40 was a plot of land occupied by one of the ancestors of Mike Booth, the now-retired Master Distiller responsible for creating this whisky. Proud of his distilling heritage, he paid homage to his ancestry by naming this rye-heavy whisky for the spot where his family set up their first Canadian still many generations ago. The contents of this bottle are made from a mash of 90% Rye and 10% Malted Rye, made at Hiram Walker distillery and aged for seven to eight years.