Wiser's Small Batch

[Jono]

This premium Canadian Whisky, 43.4%, has something in the nose that I find unpleasant...it fact...it has a whiff of the dreaded "formaldehyde" like odor that I found so strong in Canadian Mist.

The taste has some of the same notes...I am not sure what this is. Once past those odd notes it is a smooth and gentle whisky.

Here is a more "professional review"

http://www.artofdrink.com/spirits.php?name=Wisers+Small+Batch

"Classic Canadian oak, vanilla and butterscotch...prickly rye finish."

What am I tasting? Odd, the above does not match my palate....maybe it is just an individual thing. Anyone else have experience with this whisky?

[callmeox]

This Canadian Whisky

Which Canadian Whisky?

[Jono]

See my revised post above....I accidentally sent it in mid write up.

[Jono]

http://www.tastings.com/search_spirits.lasso?se=k&sb=All&ca=Canadian&sf=ScoreForSort

This review says "maple on cereal, buttery caramel and brown spice....buttered cream, honey nut toast and cinnamon spice..."

I wish...sounds like a great Christmas cookie. A splash of water helped reduce the offending note.

A friend who has a strong family tradition of having Wiser's, as her grandparents came from Canada, really liked it.

[Gillman]

Jon, this is just my guess, but I think you are tasting what I call a pine-like note in the taste. It comes in my opinion from the part of the blend which is distilled at a low proof. I think (I don't know for sure) this blend has a greater proportion of it than most Canadian whiskies. I like it because it balances the sweet mapley notes noted in the review. It is a taste I recognise in other Canadian whiskies but in them it is more a hint, not a top-note.

I think the taste probably comes from Canadian low-proof (at distillation) rye whiskies aged in reused barrels.

This whisky makes a superb Manhattan by the way.

Gary

[Megawatt]

I find the butter and toasty descriptions quite on the money. Nothing unpleasant about it at all. Are there other Canadian whiskies that you like? Maybe you are just not used to the style, similar to how an uninitiated person might think that bourbon smells like Varsol.

[Jono]

I find it much less pronounced in the Alberta 25 and the Crown Royal LE....it must be something that just differentiates Wiser's...maybe their whole line has that particular note. For me, it puts me off a bit...but my friend really liked it...so there is individual taste at play. The CR LE is quite a mouthful...I liked it a lot...the Alberta was really nice..more gentle than the CR LE. The Wiser's SB for me benefits from some ice or a splash of water.

[Megawatt]

I find it much less pronounced in the Alberta 25 and the Crown Royal LE....it must be something that just differentiates Wiser's...maybe their whole line has that particular note. For me, it puts me off a bit...but my friend really liked it...so there is individual taste at play. The CR LE is quite a mouthful...I liked it a lot...the Alberta was really nice..more gentle than the CR LE. The Wiser's SB for me benefits from some ice or a splash of water.

Those are two of my favourite Canadians you just mentioned, so you obviously know good whisky . Maybe the Small Batch will just take some getting used to.

Wiser's 18 is a whole different story. Last time I had it, it was quite rich and sweet with a pancakes-and-syrup flavour.

[Jono]

Re my initial impression:

http://www.apawood.org/level_b.cfm?content=srv_env_form

"... all wood products, contain and emit small amounts of formaldehyde. Because formaldehyde occurs naturally in wood, there is no such thing as “formaldehyde-free” wood. An oak tree, for example, emits 0.009 parts per million (ppm) of formaldehyde. By itself, this is a very low quantity, ..."

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-8932190_ITM

"Oak Trees May Contribute to High Levels of Formaldehyde in St. Louis."

Publication: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News)

Publication Date: 20-NOV-02

http://www.ecobind.com/research/Formaldehyde_Emissions_from_Solid_Wood-MB.pdf

"Oak wood in the green state showed the highest formaldehyde emission, with 9 ppb ... oak decreased to 4 ppb in the dry state."

So, I wonder if certain distillation processes allow these small amounts to concentrate enough that some people can detect their presence?

Volatile Compounds in Foods and Beverages By H. Maarse

See pg 547-556....bourbon 16-48 mg / L....Canadian 8-28

http://books.google.com/books?id=_OvXjhLUz-oC&pg=PA550&lpg=PA550&dq=whiskey+%2B+formaldehyde&source=web&ots=fxfJhBzmwE&sig=fB251lgwdeUN2GjEPC1otAizpgI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result

Hmmmm....I have not detected it before in bourbon....odd.

I guess a test of Canadian Mist, Wiser's Small Batch and other whisky/eys would be necessary to answer the question. Any chemists out there?

[Megawatt]

I guess you'd have to know what formaldehyde smells or tastes like to get the impression you described. I'm having a glass of Small Batch right now and I find, beyond the standard Canadian toffee taste, a lot of toasted oak flavour and some good spice, almost like cinnamon.