"Ninety" 20 YO Canadian

I am not an expert on Canadian Whisky by any means, but my recommendation is get it before you can't!

I have tasted this from a number of bottles, not sure if all are from the same batch, and it is always excellent.

Interestingly, it is called a "rye" but is 100% corn...

I have not tried t. But just checking, is this what you're referring to?

therumhowlerblog.com/whisky-reviews/…

@Nelom Yes, that is the stuff. I guess I better pick up at least 2 bottles...

@Nelom I believe it is, and I believe it to be an excellent whisky. One of our Connosr team has ranked it among the top 3 corn whiskies.

Sounds like I'm gonna have to go grab a bottle of my own. It's not in stock at my two local LCBOs, but there's some in the next town over. Thanks for the tip.

@Nelom a few things you should know about HW9020. Check out this list.

Top 10 Single Grain Canadian v. 2.0

connosr.com/lists/389945/…

@paddockjudge Thanks for the list and notes, PJ.

@paddockjudge Thanks for that link. Not only for your list, but for making a Connosr newbie like me realize there such a thing as lists on the site. :)

There's a new label coming. Not much of a change from the awful current label mind you, but a slight improvement. I like the white, and the new font for the body of the label is better too.

Here's a picture: pbs.twimg.com/media/CtJj-2yUIAA_TsA.jpg

Taken from Evan Eckersley's twitter feed: twitter.com/SageLikeFool

@Nelom

As long as what's in the bottle remains high quality....

I was reading on Jason Debly's site in the comments on his review if this whisky that Highwood plans to continue this as a recurrent limited release item. Let's hope they can maintain the quality.

@Nelom I see they retained on the label "Rye", despite there being no rye grain whatsoever. Adds to the mystique of Canadian whisky, I guess????

Those questions marks were actually typed as eye roll emojis.

@AdamH I'm of two minds on that one. On the one hand, this whisky is only sold and marketed in Canada, and Canadians are well aware that "rye" is just another word for whisky here. So no big deal that they're calling it rye. In a way, I kinda like it from a Canadiana standpoint. Kinda like those goofy bilingual DVD-boxes where the title hasn't actually been translated to French, and simply appear twice: i.imgur.com/iHrYOXS.jpg

It's sort of silly, but it's uniquely Canadian, so I like it.

But on the other hand, the fact that our next door neighbour don't share that nomenclature makes it a little bit confusing, so refraining from using it when there's no rye flavouring whisky in the blend certainly wouldn't hurt anything and would only serve to make things clearer.

@Nozinan Of course I agree that in the end what matters most is the quality of the liquid inside the bottle, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that presentation matters to me at least a little. It's a part of the complete package, and it impacts how much I enjoy taking the bottle out of the cabinet and pouring myself a glass. Once it's poured and the bottle is back in the cabinet, of course the label doesn't impact how much I enjoy nosing it and drinking it. But when I reach for an ugly bottle, I always do so with a small frown and a wish they'd get their act together a bit.

@Nelom Yeah, I'm not fond of the bottle.

Pretty good stuff inside, although I find it to be rather simple on the palate, mostly brown sugar candy. This sweetness is something I'm coming to discover and enjoy in several of the higher-end Canadian whiskies I've tried (Nintey 20, Gibson'a 18, and a recent acquisition Century Reserve 21).

@Spitfire

Yes, the contents are good. Not complex, but the flavours that are there are quite compelling. In fact, I may just have to pour a dram tonight if I have time after the kids go to bed...

@Nozinan "Not complex, but compelling"--exactly! There are times when yes, I prefer a complex palate--but I find myself reaching for the simple sweetness of these Canadians quite often these days. Perfect for and easy, after-dinner dram.

@Nozinan Easily one of my favorite Canadian's. Cannot remember not having this, Legacy and Lot 40 in my bar.

@Astroke I can. I've only ever had samples of Lot 40 in my collection, and Wiser's hasn't even made it that far. I bought my first bottle of Highwood 90/20 in 2014, likely at the instigation of @paddockjudge.

Before that my only Canadian was Forty Creek. And before 2010, other than gift bottles that I knew nothing about (otherwise how could I have opened a Macallan 25 arbitrarily for no good reason?) I would have had NO whisky in my cabinet.

makes me realize how far I've come in such a short time.