- UPDATE: This bottle was named best in the world in Jim Murray's influential 2020 Whisky Bible. How fantastic to see Alberta Distillers getting the credit they've long deserved, but good luck finding a bottle of this for $65 now! -
Calgary's Alberta Distillers should be famous amongst whisky enthusiasts as the world's foremost distiller of rye. The grain, though it flourishes in Canada, is generally considered the most difficult and expensive to work with. It's strong husk and low starch content make rye hardy enough for the worst weather, but also increase the amount of doing needed to mash and ferment it. It frequently gums up equipment and it's yields are quite low relative to other whisky grains. Of course, what it lacks in efficiency it more than makes up for by packing the most substantial flavour of any grain.
Because of the relative difficulty of working with it, Alberta Distillers are doubly deserving the praise their whiskies often get. However, because a great deal of their best distillate is shipped to the US to be bottled by independent American brands, the credit often passes Alberta by. This humble approach has benefitted consumers, though, as we pay a pittance when we pick up bottles of whisky worth way more than they retail for.
Finally, though, we are seeing some of Alberta Distillers' best whisky bottled with their own name on the package. The much-loved Alberta Premium has benefitted from premium brand extensions in the past (the Dark Horse bottling and some limited well-aged releases) but today's most coveted bottle joins the 'cask strength' trend that's worked it's way over from Scotland.
Cask strength bottling is a simple concept that, like everything in whisky, can't actually be described without great complexity. In short, cask strength means the whisky is bottled without any dilution; it is bottled at the strength it comes out of the barrel at. As with age statements, though, this doesn't actually tell you everything. There's no law about which exact barrel is referred to, whether it's the barrel it spent years in, a finishing barrel, or a marrying vat. Really, we don't know these things, but we do know cask strength means this whisky is substantially stronger than most bottlings.
In this case, we get whisky presented at a whopping 65.1% , a great deal more potent than the standard 40%
Alberta Premium. This means the same Alberta Premium flavours are massively amped up, without any dilution. But it can also be difficult to discern some of those flavours in the face of so much hot alcohol. For that reason, many choose to add water to cask strength whisky, but depending on the water used, the flavours can change in the glass. Reverse osmosis or distilled water would be the most "correct" to preserve flavours without adding minerals, but the most fun thing is to try and pair the whisky to water from its local area. Personally, I enjoy cask strength rye at cask strength, with no added water. Perhaps it's a mix of pain and pleasure, but so is much of drinking spirits.
At this high strength and limited availability, this bottle is significantly more expensive than its standard Alberta Premium brother. Still, it's about the best deal on cask strength whisky anywhere, as you might expect from this distillery. Similarly potent bottlings from Scotland or Kentucky can easily run into the hundreds of dollars so at under $70, this is a real bargain. To pass savings on to us, the distillery packaged it in the standard Alberta Premium bottle, albeit presented in a cardboard box featuring tasting notes. It's a wollop of flavour that will only be appreciated by enthusiasts but wow, what a treat it is for us!
Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye
65.1% alc./vol.
$65 at Co-Op World of Whisky in Calgary
First, a note of warning for those trying their first cask strength whisky: small sips! There's a lot of hot, hot alcohol here and this isn't a drink to quench your thirst. You've been warned!
Now, on the nose, the warmth rises up to greet with loads of oak, vanilla, and black pepper spice. The rich breezes seem almost to suck you in with their fullness.
Taking the first tentative sip, the first brief hit is maple sweetness for an instant before the heat begins to rise. Yeeeeooouuu that's a slap of hot rye! It's not just spice, though, like drinking hot sauce. It's an actual warming sensation on the tongue that almost takes your breath away for a moment. Now a new oak flavour profile comes in with lots of tannic influence, causing a drying sensation in the mouth. Here's some cinnamon coming in. Now the heat keeps building with a crashing wave of salt. The wave sweeps toward the back of the palate with blackberry, banana, and nutmeg. As the heat peaks, a new set of dill and caraway flavours arise along with fresh baked bread. A dollop of tobacco arrives late and, when combined with the heat, gives the feel of smoking a cigar.
The finish is, as is to be expected, lasts ages. It's still quite hot, but moreso puckeringly tannic. There's a rising bitter citrus and more caraway, all yielding eventually to some green apple sweetness, maple, oak, and grainy rye. And still lots more heat!
Well, basking in the lingering warm afterglow, it's time to try and decode the rollercoaster ride of this cask strength whisky. The heat is there, of course, but is perfectly complimented by the dusty, hot rye. It's complex heat rather than just ethanol like in most vodka.
Like all cask strength whisky, there's tremendous potential for flavour and its all there. This whisky doesnt have any age statement and doesn't have the complexity of longer-aged drams, but it's not anything approaching simplistic. Like other cask strength whiskies, it demands respect. It must be sipped tentatively because it delivers its waves of flavour with tremendous force. Alberta ryes are rarely subtle even at 40% and here, even a half finger's pour can provide an hour's sipping. The enthusiast will enjoy the massive flavours but will also relish the opportunity to mentally deconstruct the experience of sipping, allowing for a healthy dose of amazement at how much flavour can exist in so little liquid.
The most notable aspect of this dram is its structure; the heat washes over the palate, growing as it marshals an orderly parade of sweet, salty, spicy, fruity, and doughy. Coupled with a great finish, this cask strength version of Alberta Premium is a world apart from its standard sibling. It shares the trademark extreme value of so many whiskies from this province, though, and is a fantastic choice for the rye lover looking to reach a new level of flavour altogether.
Heatseeker Score: 93
Category Score: 94
Characteristic: Spicy
We're reviewing five different ryes produced at Alberta Distillers as part of a series. We invite you to check out the other reviews and find your favourite.
