Corby Spirit and Wine Limited Lot 40 Canadian Rye Whisky NV 750ml

This full-bodied blended whisky hits all the right notes, starting with plenty of rich caramel and oak tones on the nose and palate, plus touches of butterscotch, spicy cinnamon and clove. It finishes long, slightly oily and mouthfilling. Sip it straight or add a splash of sweet vermouth.

Corby’s latest Lot 40, this one undated, comes from the same distillation batch as the 2012 release, but with a couple of extra years in wood. The familiar flavors are all there: dustiness, sour rye, hard wet slate, floral notes, exotic fruits, sweet spices, and biting white pepper. Over these, time has sprinkled licorice root, dried dates, oatmeal porridge, vanilla, hints of bike tires, and mango peels. Flavors remain fully integrated with faint tannins underscoring a long sour-rye finish.

A beautifully crafted spirit, the Lot 40 now sits at the top of both of my favorite whiskey categories: rye and Canadian. A smidge of malted rye is added to the normal rye mash, adding an additional layer of an already complex bottle. Tons of spice on the attack, reminiscent of biting into a seed baked into a fresh, warm rye bread, but the fruit and honey notes are prominent and well-balanced. The finish is super creamy and smooth with an incredible roundness that encompasses all of the flavors at once. Super delicious.