Wayne Gretzky No. 99 Red Cask

[Megawatt]

Recently released in Ontario and a few other provinces.  NAS blend from an unspecified distillery (Forty Creek is a strong possibility), finished in Gretzky's own red wine casks.  

 

Nose: vanilla and fresh field berries.  The wine influence is obvious. Quite pleasant.  Also a slight herbal/vegetal note, like celery salt.

 

Taste: smooth and medium-bodied with very little burn.  Lots of fruit.  Tasted blind, I might guess this to be something like Auchentoshan Three Wood.  Doubt I would pick it out as a young Canadian blend.  The grains are hard to discern.

 

Finish: all oak.  Quite long.

 

Balance: suffers a bit here.  The wine is perhaps a touch too strong for the spirit to handle.  By all indications this is a four year old whisky yet it almost tastes over-oaked.  But it makes sense in the context of Gretzky, who is known for his wines.  

[meadeweber]

Sounds like an interesting spirit.  I had not heard about it.  Thanks for sharing Megawatt.

[Paddy]

Thanks for the notes MW!