Canadian Club Chairman's Select 100% Rye

@talexander, thanks for a very informative review.

I still haven't yet had a taste of CC Chairman's Select 100% Rye. Sounds very nice, though 'grapefruit pithiness' always scares me. To which of the various ADL ryes would you say this is the closest in flavour style and character?

Also, perhaps you or @paddockjudge knows whether or not some of the rye is malted here. Probably so, I should think. If not, then they'd have to use commercial enzymes.

I believe Canadian rye tends to be malted. @paddockjudge might know better than I do, though. That might explain the difference of character to American rye (although that's probably more attributable to the barrels used - but what do I know).

I would put the flavour profile somewhere between Alberta Premium and Alberta Springs 10 Year Old, if that makes any sense. But it does have a "Canadian Club" character in the caramel, so perhaps used CC barrels were utilized. It is very nice, but still not nearly as punchy as the best US ryes!

BTW I won the opportunity to buy the 2014 Stagg - it's ready for pickup at my local LCBO! I'll grab it tomorrow...

Interesting. I asked @paddockjudge awhile back to try vattings in various ratios of Alberta Premium and Alberta Springs. I wanted something drier than AP, but sweeter than AS. He did, and the results seem arguably superior to either whisky alone. I will have to spend more time with them to decide which of the ratios I like best (2:1, 1:1, or 1:2). I bought my first bottle of Alberta Springs strictly for these vatting purposes.

God, I hope that that CC Rye doesn't have caramel ADDITIVE.

Great to hear that you got a 2014 George T. Stagg! I know how you do love it, as do I.

Mary Anne was able to turn up a 2014 Stagg this year and let me buy it from her...but I've promised that bottle to @smokeybarrels. I had planned to one day bring him a bottle of the 2012 release, but you can't legally bring liquor onto an airplane over 70% abv. Unsafe.

Hm I didn't realize you couldn't bring 70% alcohol on a plane...

Re: caramel - it will have colouring but not caramel FLAVOUR added (save that for the Wiser's Torched Toffee! Horrors!). Up here, they're all caramel coloured.

Very nice comparison @talexander. I think you'll like this one @Victor. CC 100% Rye is to the best of my knowledge produced with Alberta Distillers Ltd's proprietary enzymes.

Brown-Forman had a 'new cask and aged cask rye' offering as part of their Master's Collection. Chris Morris, master distiller at B-F stated they would never make rye whiskey again - a sticky residue coated their works as a result of the rye distillate production, Apparently this is a bigger problem with malted rye than with the use of enzymes.

ADL is the king of rye grain distillation - the largest consumer of rye grain on the planet. Although they may not be the best marketers of this delicious spirit, they are the #1 source for Independent Bottlers who then spin it off as some stylish boutique offering to the rye-hungry hoards; WhistlePig and Masterson's immediately come to mind.

New oak, heavy char and a generous portion of pot still flavouring whisky are not the only factors making this new expression an instant hit. Beam Suntory assembled a cross-functional team of specialists with expertise in key areas. Kentucky provided guidance in wood management, Alberta produced some primo juice, and Ontario dressed-up and distributed this darling to the market - projected to be 70,000 cases per annum.

Upon my first taste of this incredibly delicious whisky I immediately penned my prognostication at Whisky Advocate to declare this beauty as a clear winner in multiple categoties..."winner, winner at the whisky dinner".

Great Whisky. Great Value. Game changer. This one is a very easy sipper...if only it were available at a higher proof; Oh Canada!

Might have to source a bottle of this stuff to help acclimatize my palate to rye. My non-drinking friend won the right to a bottle of the Thomas Handy Rye which I am happy to take off his hands.

A little jealous of @talexander:

STAGG was THE PRIZE

Always happy to trade.........

How would you compare the CCCS to Lot 40 (my most consistent reference point for good Canadian rye)? Thank you!

@Pudge72, I think the CC rye is more rye-forward - which is not to imply that I prefer it to the Lot 40. I'd have to try them side-by-side but I think Lot 40 has more complexity. I'll have to do a comparison...

@Nozinan, we are long overdue for a tasting, I'll be happy to provide a sample of the CC rye.

@talexander, Lot 40 has more complexity - I agree with your assessment and look forward to the results of your comparison.

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whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/…

thanks for the feedback!

I wonder what’s changed in the last 4 years... The rye you describe sounds delightful, while the one I just reviewed has none of those fruity notes you describe. Maybe this one became a victim of its own success.

@OdysseusUnbound I firmly believed that it has changed - subsequent bottles that I've purchased have been lesser quality than when this expression was first released...

@talexander, I concur, it has changed. The early batch(es) released upon the launch was nothing short of stunning. It was rumoured to be aged seven years in heavy char new oak. I doubt that subsequent batches received the same treatment. I have one or two bottles in the bunker from the launch era. I see a h2h in our future.

@paddockjudge I don't know, maybe I should get you to try from my bottle. Maybe I should try it with you. Rye always seems to taste better when you're around... except Lot 40 CS - that's always great.

@Nozinan, I would welcome a tasting of CC 100% Rye with you (and a posse of Connosr Rye Hounds led by sheriff @talexander)...somehow we get bogged down in cask strength, single cask, and limited releases all too often. We should definitely have a bottom shelf session....spitting strongly supported....