I’ve taken the careful time to review Canadian Club Reserve 10 Year, it’s only appropriate that I tackle its older sibling the Classic 12 year. Unlike its younger sibling, the contents in this bottle are rich red, perhaps extremely dark brown in color. This whiskey tells stories in its color and I think it’s time we unlock a few of them now.
The nose of this whiskey is a treat, quite literally, reminding me of a vanilla bean ice cream mixed with a little hazelnut topping. Swirling the glass around in my hand and bringing up the aromas with a swift flick of the wrist brings a nice campfire smokey smell followed by more sweet vanilla.
Upon first taste it’s only appropriate to mention the extreme smoothness to this 12-year old whiskey. It has the expected creamy and buttery oak style approach on the tongue yet leaves a tingling sensation down the middle of the palate like it was a motorcycle of alcoholic pleasures cruising the highway of seduction (woah, that was even too deep for me). The mid-palate transition keeps with the vanilla and smokey oak flavors leaving a beautiful nutty finish behind as it goes.
This whiskey is very approachable and ends with a very smooth finish that doesn’t sour the face. It’s round in nature and finishes clean leaving behind only its flavor profile, no harsh or abbrassive alcohols. For a bottle of Canadian Club Classic 12 at USD $21.99, this is a great value for all involved. The sweetness of this whiskey would go excellent in a whiskey based cocktail like the Manhattan.
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