Alberta Premium 20 Year

Neat from a Glencairn • Nose: It smells like nail polish. I cannot overstate how potent and unpleasant this aroma is. Even my wife, who rarely comments on my whiskies, asked "Are you drinking nail polish?" from across the room when I poured this. It also has notes of exhaust fumes and galvanized metal. Even after an hour of resting in the glass, few other scents emerge. There's a faint hint of oak and a pine tree car air freshener scent. This might be the most aggressive, off-putting whisky I've ever nosed. • Palate: It's thin, very thin. One would expect more character after 20 years in oak, but there's very little. It lacks any elegance, maturity, or a "luxurious" quality. There are faint flavors of toffee, plum, and apricot, or at least I perceive them to be. Perhaps I'm imagining them or wishing they were present. • Finish: It's short, which is a positive aspect. The exhaust fume aroma returns, followed by a subtle hint of pine and mint. • Thoughts: This whisky seems to deteriorate with each tasting. Perhaps my expectations are too high, hoping for improvement with time. Or maybe it's residual frustration over spending good money on this terrible whisky. It's hard to say. However, I've unfortunately consumed about a third of the bottle, giving each pour careful consideration. I genuinely wanted to enjoy this. I truly did. But I loathe it. This Alberta Premium 20 Year Old is utterly dreadful to my nose and palate. The remaining portion of the bottle will likely remain in my cabinet, reserved for instances when someone inquires, "What's the worst whisky you've ever had?" While this assessment may seem harsh, I strive for honesty. #sorrynotsorry Final Rating: 45/100 (not a typo) • Would I accept a glass of this if offered? Absolutely not. I'd prefer water. • Would I order this in a bar or pub? No. I'd opt for a Zima before paying for this whisky. • Would I purchase another bottle? Are you serious? No.

Let me preface this by stating that I find many Canadian whiskies to be excellent. This is not one of them. I'm uncertain which whiskey the writer of these tasting notes is evaluating. This is by far the worst whiskey aroma I have ever encountered. The only scents present are nail polish remover and gasoline/exhaust fumes. Appalling. The taste is weak and watery, with a nondescript fruitiness. This whiskey is a complete disgrace. I'm hoping my bottle improves with time and air. Lot no.40 Rye and Canadian Club 100% Rye (Chairman’s Select) are significantly cheaper and superior in every conceivable way.

I had high expectations for this bottle. Maybe I anticipated too much. The nose features sweet floral vanilla, cinnamon heart candy, brown sugar, deep baking spices, and a vegetal or grassy note. The palate has a slight sourness or tannic quality, then some spice and pepper, before settling into caramel and citrus. The finish for me is nicely drying and quite sweet. A subtle bitterness lingers as well. Ultimately, I believe I prefer their standard offering. It's nowhere near as complex but costs $17 instead of $85!

The aroma is dominated by pine, quite intensely. There's also a musty, aged wood scent, with sweet orange and vanilla notes underneath. The initial taste is sweet vanilla, leading into a developing spiciness with anise, clove, and pepper. The finish is medium and drying, with oak tannins, a touch of star anise and clove, concluding with sweet orange. This is certainly an uncommon spirit, unlike anything I've encountered before.

On the nose, it initially smells of paint. It does finish with a touch of sweet pepper spice. The taste follows the nose, with a stronger finish of rye and peppery notes. However, the paint aroma persists, just as it did on the nose. Remarkable.

Unpleasant aroma Average taste Weak finish Definitely not worth the expense! Numerous superior Canadian whiskies are available!