The Best Cask Strength Rye yet? Alberta Premium, Batch 4
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- Опубликовано: 24 мар 2023
- Episode 480. Here I sip the latest batch of AP premium and compare the the Jim Murrary, controversial pick for whisky of the year. Does this stand up? It is certainly sweeter and easier to enjoy, but is it better? What are your thoughts? #rye #caskstrength #whiskyneighbour
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Just picked up a bottle. Downright delicious!
Glad you enjoy it! It is not for the faint of heart!
American here who picked this up in Edmonton recently. I couldn’t agree more - this drinks much more like a high rye bourbon than I expected! Very sweet. If I were given this blind and asked to guess the mash, I’d say it has corn no question.
Grat insight, and glad you were able to pick it up. Cheers!
Jon, would love to see you do this again but add in Batch 5. Hopefully you still have enough batch 1 and 4 left for a comparison. I’m feeling batch 5 is a bit of a step up from 4.
Awesome. I need to chase down batch 5!
@@WhiskyNeighbour W&B Emerald got it in. I’m sure more in the area will have too, or at least very soon.
@@chargerguy74 Sounds like a great thing to do on the weekend!
Love it neighbour. Have you had the latest batch? Think it’s 64.1%. Trying my first pour of it watching your Alberta premium vids. Always look forward to my annual bottle of AP cask strength rye 🥃
I have yet to bring the latest batch home. What do you think of it?
@@WhiskyNeighbour it’s good like the others. Only had a neck pour so it’ll be nice to really get into over the next little bit here and see what’s really about
@@alexcchisholm6289 thanks for sharing!
Just found batch #3 while I was in Kentucky. Even the neck pour is fantastic. Can't wait till it has some airtime!
Awesome!
Have you or anyone ever done a test tasting of the Booker's Noe 10th Anniversary?
Sadly I have not had the pleasure. I'd have to look around, none of the usual channels I follow have. Would be a good whisky to talk through. Cheers!
I have batch 2-4. Batch 2 is in my decanter and has only gotten better in the last year! 100% agree with this view on the 4th.
I could see how batch 2 would improve with air/time. Thanks for sharing!
What an awesome predicament to be in. I am still kind of that guy in the store who us used to 40 percenters. I have to work my way up to Alberta Premium cask strength. If I am feeling like it's a rye night I would start out with a Lot 40, maybe switch to a Bottled in Bond range rye then cask strength. I like your suggestion to take smaller sips. Alberta Premium is a bruiser but I like it now and again
Lot 40 is fantastic. Good for almost all events! I hope you get a chance to try this new release
Had the batch 2 a year or two ago. Trieds this a couple of Saturday's ago with friends. Will be buying a bottle to share now too. :)
Awesome! This is certainly more drinkable than #2. At least for me. Cheers!
You nailed it Jon. These are big bold kick in the arse ryes. I think I jumped the gun back then post Jim Murray's review and grabbed the second release which was a 66% abv. It is a great bottle but as you mentioned it just felt like an ethanol bomb. I am truly enjoying the WhistlePig rye at the moment and debating whether to give the latest AP CS release at 63.5% a try. There are plenty of bottles available but the price has gone up to over $85 in Ontario now. Cheers to the AP CS rye, a great annual release.
Still lots of kick in this. If they put on another couple years and the abv hit around 58-61, I think this would be even better. Still, this is the most, refined of the 4 for me yet.
@@WhiskyNeighbour Sounds promising. Thanks Jon!
I am new to whisky, in that I have been drinking whisky for 35 years but have only been recently paying attention.
I'm not rich and do indulge so a challenge for me has been finding good and inexpensive whiskies to stock, so when I feel like having more than a tasting, I'm not drinking above my budget and have some modest, really modest stock in the cabinet.
Today I splurged on 2 bottles of the newest release as they just went on sale here. I've never had a cask strength before so I had my first out of the neck neat. It was an experience and enjoyed it as such. Then I had another with ice, enjoyed that a little more.
Left it alone for a little while and had a few other drinks and tried it one last time before bed on the rocks and let me tell you, THAT NOSE!
I enjoyed the nose way longer than I should have because I had never experienced anything like it. It was so wonderful!
I am a million miles from being any kind of expert, but the first time those fragrances hit with just the right amount of melted ice, past the neck and having had a chance to breath for a relative rookie like me, well hell!
I picked up 2 that I ordered last week just today and I'm pretty sure I'm going to order 2 more tomorrow.
Cheers!
Thanks for sharing your experience with this. I think it is an excellent release, and certainly worth having a bottle or two around. As for being an expert, you certainly are regaring your own preference and tastes. Cheers!
That smile on your face right at the start told me it was gonna be a good 'un! Cheers Jon and enjoy your weekend.
Dude, I hope you took a sip of that sample I gave you of Batch 3! ;)
Sorry, Batch 2! :)
It was indeed. Fun, and bold!
@@richardagnew4959Howdy, Sir 🥃
@@Ben_Demon_Hunter My brother! :)
I've looked at this one a number of times and passed, intimidated by the ABV. I finally gave in today and bought this one. I am not disappointed. I'm tasting everything you are. Up until now there was only one Canadian whisky that gave me a pleasant surprise, and that was Wayne Gretzky 99 Proof. I'm not a rye guy, so I have no frame of reference, but I have to say this is probably top two best first try whiskies I've had, and I mean of all types of whisky.
High praise 👏 I am glad you are enjoying it too. I hope that continues, cheers!
Great review and bonus comparison my friend.
Thanks! This is a great Rye. Sweeter then many, but tasty
In scanning the comments, the consensus seems to be that Batch 2 wasn't as well received as the others.
Interesting.
I recall that you and I discussed this. It certainly was rather like sipping molten lava. Yet, with the right amount of water, I found it fantastic! Patience was needed, one just had to get it to that sweet spot.
It's fascinating how all of our experiences can be so different with the exact same whisky!
Batch 4 sounds pretty yummy too. It might be 86 bucks here, but at that ABV it's going to last for a good long while...or it should!
Always great to hear your comparisons...
Cheers Jon 🥃😁🥃
Marian 🇨🇦
I wish I had a bottle of each. Direct comparison is always best. Yes, #2 is better with time and water. This is sweet and approachable.
Is the cask strength version the exact same whisky as the base release , but at cask strength? If so, the 86$ bucks they charge at the SAQ seems a bit much. (the base release is 30$)
I'm not sure. I feel like there is also better process of selecting the casks. I find the flavour so much better then the base.
@@WhiskyNeighbour in that case it might be worth trying! Im all for encouraging local Products (Canadian whiskey brands really need to put out more great products not just Brown vodka)
@@carlsavard9050 Agreed!
The new batch finally arrived in Quebec and I have one on the way. Never had a chance to try these yet but they sound right up my alley, looking forward to it!
I hope you enjoy it too!
I will have to get back to my Batch 4 eventually. I was not in love with it on the neck pour...
It is singing for me! Hope it improves for you.
Quick! The house is burning down, you have your dog under one arm, and can only grab one of these bottles as you flee. Which one do you grab?
I haven't bought this batch yet, but based on your review, I'll go get one soon.
We were aligned on the first three batches: 1 is best, then 3, then 2. Can't wait to see where I will rank batch 4
If #1 was full. I would still grab that!
Hadn’t opened my batch 3 or 4. Saw your video today while on the sunny deck in pine lake. Opened the 4 and sipped along with you. Your tasting notes are impressively exact. Cheers buddy. Loving this 4🥃
@@reginaldbegin5140 cool we could share that! Cheers!
Was curious how it compared to the other batches.
Thanks
Always welcome!
Love the Alberta cask strength. It's still one of my favorite ryes that is pretty accessible.
Solid release each year
@Whisky Neighbour I still have some of my batch 2 sitting around.
I still wish ADL would bottle some older single barrel cask strength bottles instead of sending it all south. Although the 20 year bottle was terrible, especially at 42%. Just as soon pay the extra for a WP 10 CS store pick. I do have a few first batch bottles left and they are great at the price the first came out at.
Agreed! I would love some aged caskstrength AP, but also agree the 20 year was very poor.
I have two of the batch 2. A great whisky.
Cool that you have a couple that you enjoy!
Since batch 1, i NEVER have to suffer 40-43% Canadian whiskies, rye or corn : I use AP CS 65% to ENHANCE ALL my low-lies ! ! --- I waited 8 years to finally bring UP my 3 cases Alberta 25y (35 $CA) and 30y (50 $CA) 40% with this 65% to ... 48% ! ! !
Beautiful. A great use!
i just finished a wee 1.5 onz dram of the batch 4 good solid pour the 63.5 % edition Mmm Good you hot all the marks in your review but the only thing i found disappointing is the finish for a 63.5% i found it to short. everything else super.But like you said not for the beginner whisky drinker would i buy another bottle not sure,ill let it open up and age and then ill see.
Awesome thoughts! I hope it opens up a bit more for you
@@WhiskyNeighbour thanks for replying back i'm glad you did it shows you care about your subscribers
If she's sweet and bold, I'm in...as a bourbon drinker. I usually don't do rye b\c the Christmas spice notes not my thing. About $90 in Ontario...ugghh.
It still has those spice notes. Not as much as batch 1 though.