Gibson's Finest Rare 18yo
Canadian Whisky
40% abv
$49.95 (CAD)
A classic distilling company whose bottles have probably decorated the shelves of every Canadian home at one time or another. Apparently not this particluar expression as I could barely even find a pic online to use, which is probably why when I saw this behind the bar at the Robbie Dhu center at Glenfiddich distillery I just had to sit down with a dram.
I was very surprised by their website. Very much targeted at a particular demographic, and although I think I am a part of that group, I had to mute the damn music player. And the suggested serves included such ViSiOnArY cocktails as rye and coke and rye and ginger ale. Yowza.
I have always enjoyed the Gibsons 12yo, easy, mellow, affordable, and pleasant to sip and/or mix. Let's see how this 18 year old is. Tasted with RH in a couple of really comfortable chairs. His notes appear in quotes.
TASTING NOTES:
Rum, tropical fruit, milk chocolate. Coconut, tropical, and generally estery/fruity. Increasingly sweet and “happy to sip at a bar on ice”
Generic chewing gum, salty and sweet, and flat like old Coca Cola. Sweet and increasingly pleasant with subtle spice and gentle toffee and vanilla.
SUMMARY:
Easy and gentle, well-rounded and pleasant but all verging on boring. I think most folks who spend fifty bucks on a bottle of whisky want to EXPERIENCE flavours, not just consume comfortably. I think. But maybe not. I mean, I brought a Balvenie 21yo PortWood to a couple of gents at a fancy steakhouse where I was hosting a tasting last night and one of them took a sip and grimmaced before saying some really stupid and ungrateful shit. I managed to remain polite and asked him what he enjoys to drink and he said "expensive wine." Idiot. Nothing like choosing your wine based on price. He continued, "In fact, give me Ketel One on ice with a bit of lime and I'll sip that all night." Mmm... flavour country.
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2 comments:
I really think Ketel One shouldn't be adulterated with lime. Might as well stick moonshine in a glass, squeeze lime over and drink it.
Indeed, nothing screams louder about a person's tastes than picking drinks based on how expensive they are.
When I first tasted this Canadian whisy I too was of the opinion that it was a little simple or lacking in big flavor. However, having reflected a little, I think I was comparing it to scotch whisky and that may be a mistake.
Generally, Canadian whisky does not have big lumbering flavors. Its subtle and restrained like the people.
This whisky is a great representatation of Canadian whisky.
Cheers!
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