J.P. Wiser's 15 Year Old

I'm at the point of familiarity with Wiser's whiskies where I can try a new one and anticipate its character to 90% accuracy. This whisky is no exception. It stays firmly within the caramel/toffee/maple flavour camp, with the earthy quality particular to old Canadian blends.

The bottle promises a hint of rye spice but I'm not finding it. Instead there is a ton of oak, which was expected. The whisky is dry with hardly any fruit to speak of. It is smooth and supple in the mouth, becoming dry, spicy, and slightly bitter as it hits the back and sides of the tongue. The aroma is a little restrained for my liking, even after adding some water. Pleasant enough, though, with some maple fudge and dried autumn leaves. If you put this in a lineup with Wiser's 18 and their Canada 150 bottle, you would be hard-pressed to tell which is which.

I'll admit that I find this type of whisky less appealing than I used to. Generally speaking, I would prefer a younger whisky with a higher proportion of pot-still rye in the mix. Even so, this is a nice enough whisky which should please fans of the 18 year old.

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