Signal Hill Canadian Whisky
Mixed Signals
3 1180
Review by @OdysseusUnbound
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall80
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Distribution of ratings for this:
- Brand: Signal Hill
- ABV: 40%
I was happy to receive this as a free (full sized!) bottle from the company. Maybe I’ve “made it” as a blogger. Of course, once I publish my review, I may never get free whisky again. Oh well, I have to be honest. This is a whisky sourced from Ontario, and if I had to guess, I’d say it’s from the Hiram Walker distillery, using the Canadian Club “stocks”. So here’s what I know about this whisky (from their marketing people, er, their communications team)
Signal Hill
- Crafted in St. John’s, Newfoundland – within sight of the historic Signal Hill.
- Blended (ed: diluted?) with the pristine waters of Newfoundland, Canada.
- 3-cask aging process for a deep amber colour and complex flavour: White Oak Casks, Bourbon Casks and Canadian Whisky Casks
- Aged in a variable climate to deliver richness
- Non-chill filtered for a fuller mouthfeel and smoother finish
- The contemporary bottle compliments the non-traditional whisky
- 95% corn, 5% barley
- Blended in small batches
Tasting Notes
- Nose (undiluted): strong solvent aroma at first, after a few minutes there’s rich caramel and cream aromas, reminiscent of Werther's Original hard candies, toasted oak, cola, and a bit of rye spice in the background. (19/25)
- Palate (undiluted): rich arrival, surprisingly mouth-coating for something bottled at 40% abv, floral honey, figs, orange zest, a touch of cinnamon (21/25)
- Finish: medium length, more honey, rye spice, flat cola, ending on a slightly bitter (but still pleasing) orange zest note (20/25)
- Balance: it’s not super-complex, but it’s fairly well-integrated. (20/25)
Adding water emphasizes the slight bitter note on the finish. But this is not an "off" vodka-esque note nor is it an acetone or spirity bitterness. It's akin to adding a dash of orange bitters to your whisky. I think this would make Signal Hill good in a Manhattan or even a whisky sour. I haven’t tried it with diet Ginger ale....yet. The whisky is fairly well-balanced and is good on its own as a digestif. Its biggest asset is the texture and flavour on the palate. I don’t know if the rich texture comes from the lack of chill-filtration or because it’s almost exclusively corn whisky. Maybe it’s both. I doubt this will change the way people perceive Canadian whisky. It’s well made, easy to drink, but I wouldn’t classify it as bold, spicy, or call it a radical departure from the familiar.
Thanks for the review, being honest is key despite the potential backlash.
I have to say I truly wonder what the aim of many of these new Canadian whisky "brands", the market is saturated with this kind of light, smooth Canadian whisky, they aren't bringing anything new to the table.
There is bearface that at least is doing some cask manipulation but even then they are all dealing in been there done that.