Liquormen's Ol' Dirty

Celebrity-branded spirits are hardly a new concept. Any corporate behemoth with cash to burn can pay an athlete, musician, or actor to slap their name on a bottle of anything. Inevitably, sales will soar as the cult of personality supercedes taste. When all is said and done, most of these celebrity bottles don't reflect their namesakes in the slightest. Thankfully, that isn't the case with the Trailer Park Boys.

Hot on the heels of their beer brand, ripped right from the screenplay of the iconic Canadian tv and film franchise, the Boys created a whisky that reflects their tastes perfectly.

You can almost hear Bubbles exhorting you to "drive that into yer gut" as he hands you a bottle of Liquormen's Ol' Dirty Canadian Whisky. 

Bottled by Newfoundland's Rock Spirits, this sourced whisky is very much not made for contemplative sipping. Slightly too pricey for Jim Lahey-level consumption, it's still an affordable bottle that's better than you'd expect. It's aged for three years in charred white oak, though more details on the whisky's origins aren't publically available.

No cheeseburger picnic would be complete without a bottle of Liquormen's, sure, but as an irreverent ingredient in an inspired cocktail, Liquormen's will shine on its own merits. A must for Trailer Park Boys fans (who isn't one?) but also a pleasant surprise as a whisky.

Liquormen's Ol' Dirty Canadian Whisky

40% ABV

$33.95 at the LCBO

Pouring a straw colour, this whisky smells like what it is, young rye. Corn sweetness, hot rye, and a little ethanol burn hit the nose. There is some light citrus as well on the fresh, hot nose. 

The palate has more body and viscosity than you might expect. It starts off with a typical caramel sweetness but white hot rye quickly explodes alongside vanilla. There is a slight musty off-flavour in the distant background, almost plum-like. Its quickly masked by cassia and peppercorns from the potent rye grain. Not too syrupy, the sweetness continues to build as the rye carries into the finish. 

Ironically, the best descriptor for the finish might just be clean. Spicy young rye carries through to a hot finale with growing brown sugar notes. Noticeable oak intermingles with the heat and banishes any corn sweetness. Before you know it, you realise this is a focused, glowing finish that actually begs for another pour. Next thing you know, you're mowing the air, Randy! 

Heatseeker Score: 80

Category Score: 85

Characteristic: Sweet and Hot

"Randy, I am the liquor."