Whiskey of the Month #7: Canadian Club

I finally did it.  I stepped north of the border.  I was going to hold out for some Crown Royal Maple or some Pendleton but an extensive and wide-ranging discussion at work, of all places got me several hearty recommendations for Canadian Club, so off I went to score a handle of the stuff down at the Waterfront Hy-Vee Wine and Spirits.

It's affordable- at $14.99 a bottle, it's perfect for fans of whiskey on a budget (or those that don't care to break the bank with single malts) and a tag attached to the bottle proclaimed it 'Prohibition's Favorite Whiskey' while exhorting the consumer to tune into Boardwalk Empire on HBO.  As Templeton Rye has also been featured on Boardwalk Empire, I was curious to see if the claim was as good as it advertised.

And I have to admit, I was a little surprised to find out that it was true.  Not true enough to make me want to spring for HBO anytime soon but true enough that a peruse of Canadian Club's Wikipedia page was somewhat fascinating.  (They've received Royal Warrants from Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, George V, George VI and Elizabeth II, while having Al Capone be one of their most important clients during prohibition as well as being the drink of choice for Mad Men's Don Draper.   It was also randomly featured in Slapshot, I guess?  Not having seen Slapshot, I can't attest to that but Wikipedia (the Font of All Knowledge) has spoken.)

The lowdown on Canadian Club...

Color: Amber (I think you could also make an argument for dark honey as well, but amber is the predominant color here.)

Body:  It smells good, I'll give it that.  This is probably one of the better smelling whiskies I've ever smelled.   The most prominent notes are brown sugar and molasses

Palate:  The smell is amazing but the taste, the taste is a huge letdown to me.  It tastes weak and watery and while that makes it very drinkable (you can swill it like water, it's dangerous that way) it's something of a disappointment to me.

Finish:  It's not harsh and in fact it warms up nicely as it goes down.   While the palate might have been disappointment, the finish isn't- it's very smooth.

Overall:  It's drinkable, it's affordable- but it's also underwhelming.  I'd give this an overall 'meh' and stock up Dr. Pepper if you're looking for something to mix it with.