Canadian Club

So, stuck in the Emirates Business Class Lounge in Dubai for more hours than I care to think about, 15 hours travel under my belt and another 17 to go, I decided to have a proper drink. The choices (for me as a Bourbon fan) were Jack Daniels (sigh) or nothing. Oh, wait- what's that: Canadian Club.....So it's from the right continent. The name jumped out at me after watching all of Boardwalk Empire in one hit over a couple of weeks in winter. It's Canadian/Rye for sure, as namechecked by the likes of Raymond Chandler, Len Deighton amongst others as being the choice of dimestore hoodlums, garter handlers, thugs and guns for hire. So perfect for me. ;)

Gave it a try, pleasantly surprised so on the reverse trip from Manila, hit Duty Free and picked up a liter bottle for the remarkable sum of £17.

Colour is lightest of light ambers. Good legs in the glass Nose has hot chocolate/cocoa, a little vanilla and a fair amount of licoricey-phenol-alcohol. Light again.

In the mouth it's again, very light indeed- coffee-ish flavours with a little bit of cherry fruityness. Creamy almost- a light creaminess that coats the mouth- but a helluva a lot of alcohol fire. But also dry at the same time- moving to a burnt straw dryness. Then it slams to a complete halt like that dimestore hoodlum has just cold-clocked you with his .45. Barely no finish at all- maybe just a hint of dry sweetness that lingers for a fraction a second. Dry, light and short.

With an icecube or two, all of the fire goes and the coffee-creaminess expands into a vanilla flavoured smoothness that wasn't there before. Also fine in Coke or Pepsi: the dryness of Canadian Club doesn't have the cloyingness of JD and Coke.

Compared to Buffalo Trace or similar it's a very lightweight proposition. None of mint, cherry or big licorice stomping around and none of the enjoyment of the lingering finish of these whiskeys But compare it to Jack Daniel's basic offering there's none of that choking 'musty' flavour in the middle, nowhere near as much of the afterburner roughness and overpowering sweetness.

It's an easy drink that you don't need to have done 32 hours travelling to appreciate ;)

Find where to buy Canadian Club whisky