Signal Hill Canadian Whisky

The stretch of days between Christmas and New Year's feels special. You have free rein over your time and can disregard calorie intake. I'd assume. I'd heard some chatter regarding Canadian distillery Signal Hill, so I felt compelled to grab a bottle of their whisky. They went with a striking bottle, featuring a heavy base and a logo made of raised, matte glass. The aroma starts with a waft of ethanol, then quickly shifts to citrus, before settling on maple sugar. Further into the tasting, the nose takes on a profound, rum-like richness with fruit, cola, and nutmeg. This spirit possesses a moderate viscosity; it's not thin, but it doesn't feel syrupy. While there's a hint of warmth, it's remarkably smooth. The whisky offers a zesty, sweet, and oaky profile, probably a result of their utilization of three barrel types (Canadian whisky, new white oak, and bourbon). I detect a lingering bitterness on the finish, akin to orange peel. My favorite aspects were the aroma and the texture in the mouth. I'm keen to discover what Signal Hill produces in the future. This whisky became better as it sat after pouring, and I grew fonder of it as I sampled it. I can picture this spirit contributing a pleasing citrus complexity to a Manhattan, and it would also be quite nice served neat over ice. 7.25/10

Nose (undiluted): initially a bit solvent-like, then rich caramel and cream aromas, similar to Werther's Original hard candies, toasted oak, cola, and a subtle rye spice in the background, despite being 95% corn and 5% barley. Palate (undiluted): a rich arrival, surprisingly mouth-coating for a 40% abv bottling, with floral honey, figs, orange zest, and a hint of cinnamon. Finish: medium length, more honey, rye spice, flat cola, concluding with a slightly bitter but still pleasant orange zest note. Adding water enhances the subtle bitter note on the finish. However, this is not an unpleasant, vodka-like note, nor is it a bitterness from acetone or spirits. It's comparable to adding a dash of orange bitters to your whisky. I believe this would be ideal in a Manhattan or even a whisky sour. The spirit is well-balanced and perfect on its own as a digestif. 81/100

COLOR: Deep bronze; or aged brass; slightly cloudy. VISCOSITY: Very thin streaks; dense drops gathered rapidly; then large oily rivulets descended the glass quite swiftly. AROMA: Mild-Moderate (2/5); sweet corn & rich barley; vanilla, caramel, toffee; faint hints of citrus (perhaps imagined); woody oak. Quite agreeable for a Canadian offering; no unpleasant acetone. Score 8/10 PALATE: Thick, rich & coats the mouth; moderate intensity (3/5); very sweet and reminiscent of rum; vanilla, caramel & abundant maple syrup; tropical fruits & dark berries; a touch of cinnamon on the edges. Score 9/10 FINISH: Medium; sweetness persists; nice and juicy; fond recollections. Score 8/10 OVERALL: A very nice, sweet dram with a prominent corn character; delightful. Weighted Score 8.6/10 VISUAL: Sipping rum on Signal Hill in Newfoundland, observing whales and pirate ships sailing by.

This presents as a standard Canadian whisky style, but executed well. The aroma offers brown sugar, maple syrup, and a hint of oak or mild spice. Perhaps a trace of orange zest, but very faint. The taste is exceptionally sweet, a sugary sweetness. It strongly reminds me of Pike Creek, which is rum-finished. It does possess some pleasant coating characteristics, resembling butter or cooking oil. A touch of pepper or spice emerges on the palate and in the initial finish. The finish predominantly features more sugar sweetness and a bit of bitter oak. I believe this will appeal to many Canadian whisky enthusiasts, but for my palate, it's simply too sweet.

I usually wait to read tasting notes after forming my own opinions, but I certainly concur that it's spicy. I had to add an ice cube and a little water to tame it enough to discern the flavors. It's definitely sweet with oak, but I don't detect any vanilla. There's a deeper, more "rum-like" quality that I suspect originates from the bourbon barrels. This would likely perform well in cocktails where the whiskey is intended to provide significant impact to the overall taste.

Notes of vanilla, butterscotch, pecan, nutmeg, and cinnamon on the nose. A smooth, oily mouthfeel. The palate offers more butterscotch, vanilla, nutmeg, and pecan, with hints of orange peel and honey on the finish. The finish is very, very smooth and of medium duration. 3.25/5.00 – Quite Good (neat)