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Friday, April 28, 2023

Bourbon and Rye Day Friday: Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye, 132 US Proof batch

(The Royal) We interrupt this Glen Garioch programming to bring you one hot BARD Friday.

Alberta Distillers Limited (ADL), is like the MGP of the North by Northwest, essentially one huge factory cranking out rye spirit that everyone wants to steal bottle. In 2019 they started releasing their own stash at frighteningly combustible strengths. And just in time to fight Covid-19, the rye reached the US border in 2020, in a batch flexing 66%abv. Yes, that's 2/3s poison.

I tried it in 2021, orally. I survived, but it did not keep the coronavirus from invading my borders twice. As far as flavors, it wasn't terrible. In fact it was worryingly drinkable. Now I'm sitting down in the safety of my home to consume two ounces.

source
Brand: Alberta Premium
Distillery: Alberta Distillers Limited
Location: Alberta, Canada
Type: Rye whisky
Mashbill: 100% Rye
Maturation: "charred oak"
Alcohol by Volume: 66%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The rye's nose (and my nose) goes through three phases. Phase One: Roasted corn, hazelnuts, and wet sand. Phase Two: Candy corn and spiced rum. Phase Three: Lemon peels, wet dog fur, and flower blossoms. The palate is indeed hot, but not numbing. It's candy sweet, with a sprinkle of salt, a bit of barrel char, and plenty of lemons. Lots of sweet oranges roll into the finish, with hints of mint and pine in the back.

It shines most in a Manhattan (2:1 Rye:Carpano) Cocktail, bringing a pepper sauce spiciness and lots of tart citrus, unique in my experience.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

With a kinda weird, kinda nifty nose, and an approachable palate, this big Canadian can be sipped neatly in a Glencairn glass. I can't say I'd want to drink it all the time, as it's neither particularly rich nor fulfilling, though it could serve to numb one's brain if desired. But its Manhattan was really fun, and I'd certainly buy a bottle of it for that purpose, but not at $80, LOL 🙁. If dropping four score for cocktail booze doesn't ruffle your feathers, go for it!

Availability - North America
Pricing - 70-90USD
Rating - 82 (but mostly for cocktails!)