Highwood Century Reserve 21 Year Old

"Smooth" isn't normally a word I like to use with respect to whisky, because it is too generic and doesn't really say much about anything. But I'll be darned if this isn't the smoothest whisky I've tried.

The nose is lovely, with vanilla, butterscotch, hints of chocolate, and a delicate floral note. Gentle and sweet, yet full.

On the palate it is buttery-smooth, almost creamy, with rich, chewy sweetness leading into mellow wood-grain spice. Extremely easy-drinking, undemanding, and enjoyable. The medium finish is slightly dry.

Overall, just a lovely whisky at an outstanding price. If you're looking for something to clobber your taste buds you might find this one too mellow, but for my part I find it superior to most other very old Canadian whiskies on the market.

On a side note, the fact that they offer this in 375ml format is wonderful. It even comes in a beautiful imitation crystal decanter. A perfect find while on vacation. On the other hand, the fact that they call it Canadian Rye whisky when it is in fact 100% corn is confusing, if not outright misleading. But sadly, most consumers don't know or care about the difference. Either way, a prime example of a well-aged grain whisky.