Wiser's Small Batch

Small Batch is a mid-level whisky from Wisers, who are generally known to make pretty good stuff. The label states that it is aged in virgin oak, and that it is "double barreled", which probably means it was re-casked after blending.

On the nose there are soft aromas of butterscotch, pulled taffy, and quite a bit of oak. I scored the nose 18 because it is pleasant but not very deep; it doesn't beg for repeated nosing.

In the mouth the whisky is light- to medium-bodied, with a soft silky texture on the tongue. Caramel sweetness spreads across the tongue before the spices kick in as oak grips the mouth. I'll give it a 20 for the flavour because it is satisfying to drink and pretty well-balanced.

The finish is what I would call off-dry (whatever that means). It leaves you with a nice oak impression and just a hint of sweetness. A little on the short side, though. 18

Overall, Wiser's Small Batch is a good entry into the premium Canadian whisky category. It is a smooth, tasty whisky with a bit of extra kick over the standard Canadian product. Extra points for striking a balance between full flavour and smooth delivery. 22

Recent addition to the Wiser's stable, it's a very affordable rye with a nose of spice cake: caramelized sugar, cloves, nutmeg and Jamaican pepper with a hint of candied apple and orange peel boiled. A beautiful dark vanilla is added and is followed by green wood, compost and fresh cranberry. One of the most spicy nose that you can find. I said, spice cake, but I might as well have said fruitcake, club lion style.

The mouth is a beautiful spicy vanilla with cinnamon and nutmeg and a touch of fresh toffee and apple-cranberry. Not to mention a beautiful green wood with clove and a long spicy finish.

Adding water brings a floral nose and wrings out the sweetness and a somewhat medicinal taste. A bit like clove oil syrup. It thus becomes a much cooler and fresher whisky.

Superb. We take it with water in summer and straight the rest of the year.

Rye has quite a bit of spice, but Wiser's found a way to not get too earthy, a taste often associated with rye whisky. If you want to see a rye heavy bourbon for which it they were not able to balance that so well, try the Fighting Cock Kentucky Bourbon. Barley sugar and earth. Strange

Drunk neat.

Nose: Vanilla-dominant with fruitiness that decreases each time it is poured. Some minty freshness in the background. While it sounds nice, this mix unfortunately ends up smelling slightly chemical.

Taste: Slightly less sweet than maple syrup, but it has all its syrupy consistency. Again, I detect weak mint. As it warms, the rye makes an appearance with a increasingly stronger spiciness, though it never becomes overpowering. Simple, but frank tastes.

Finish: Rye spiciness and toasted oak, soft and very pleasant. Warmth is subdued and short.

Balance: It's a simple and easy drink, but it still maintains the "full flavours" mentioned on its bottle.

Will I buy it again? The price is right (30$ CAD), but life is too short for sipping average spirits. The nose is a major let-down, and, though they are strong, the flavours are too simple to be interesting.

Thinking about the tastes, I think they might actually make good, fake bourbon balls. If I ever try it, I'll post my impressions here.

Wiser's Small Batch is a full-flavoured Canadian blend. It tastes kind of rummy, with burnt sugar and butter aromas. It also has a chemical element, sort of a mild 'magic marker' smell. It is full and spicy on the palate, certainly more robust than your average entry-level whisky. I just don't find the flavour that distinctive, and while it has a smooth full body the flavour can come across as a little harsh or a tad sour. I recommend it on the rocks.

The Wiser's whiskies are currently distilled at the Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery in Windsor, Ontario.

Nose: strong aroma of pleasant old sweet maple coupled with not-so-pleasant undefined astringent cleaning chemicals

Body: thin body, maple syrup consistency, coating the tongue

Taste: very sweet,like maple syrup. There is a lot of wood flavour and very noticeable spiciness, probably from rye, but, as with the nose, it tastes like there are cleaning chemicals mixed in with the taste of the maple syrup.

Finish: the flavours last quite long and fade away together. The chemical flavour is the strongest flavour at the end.

Balance: I have sampled from this bottle for 3 1/2 months now. For the first 3 months I thought this was quite possibly the worst whisky I have ever had in my mouth. For 3 months all I could taste was the industrial chemical taste, and some obscured spice in the background. At 3 months the flavours opened up a lot and mellowed out somewhat, with more sweetness becoming apparent, and an easier access to the wood and spice flavours. Now I would consider this drinkable, but at the low end of desirability.

Nose: Sweet vanilla with caramel, oak, grape fruits. Strong smell. Not so attractive to me, but not repulsive either. Spicy.

Taste: Very sweet, syrup taste, maybe too much, delivered in a velvet texture. Then the roughness kicks in with rye and fruits flavors very well balanced by a bit of vanilla. Very strong, with a woody finish and a bit of citrus. The caramel fades; the oak stays a bit longer on the palate.

For me it was an interesting try-out, but it is not one of my prefered whisky taste. Just another discovery. Though I was pleased by how strong and affirming it is. Good simple canadian whisky, like many.