Alberta Premium Dark Horse Rye

[ThePolskiOgorki]

Anyone here give this one a try? I was gifted a bottle and started to make my way through it. It is a Canadian rye whiskey from one of the best distillers in Canada (IMO) Alberta Premium. Anyone hear of a highly acclaimed American Rye Whiskey called Whistle Pig? Guess who really makes the rye they use? You guessed it , Alberta Premium.

Dark Horse is a mix of 90% 12 year old rye whiskey, 6 year small pot rye with another 8% being well aged corn whiskey and lastly some sherry wine is thrown in the barrel before maturation. Supposedly the same as aging in reused sherry casks but I don't know how true this is. Seems like quite the concoction but at least the distiller is upfront about how it is made.

I don't often like rye for sipping. I prefer it in cocktails or for shots. However I have been treating this one like a sipper. It takes a while to open up but on the nose I get some really nice raisin and brown sugar aromas but there is also a freshness to it. On taste I find it sweet upfront followed by a good blast of rye spice and the finish is not overly long, but that dried fruit element is present as well there is a good amount of wood flavours that seem to linger.

I think it's worth a try if you have seen it but are unsure. It's not going to change your life or anything but it is decent enough for a sipper and will be great in cocktails like Old Fashioneds etc. At $32 a bottle you can be sure you are getting your money's worth.

[Balboa]

Great whisky. Used to drive to Hawkesbury to get some until they started to bring some into Quebec this year.

[Rye]

It's not bad stuff but I prefer the Canadian Club 12yr, personally.

[agentdaffy007]

Tried it the other day. Not overly impressed by it. I would rather drink my Crown Royal Northern Harvest.

[Schumi5]

The price point is great but not a fan myself. I bought some after reading some reviews saying it was much better than Northern Harvest Rye. After trying both, I definitely prefer the Northern Harvest. I think it is the addition of the sherry to the Dark Horse which turns me off. It is such a sweet, overpowering taste. I get they are trying to shortcut the sherry cask aging but by just adding it directly to the spirit they lose all the complexity and subtlety. It is jarring and off putting for me.

[KJND]

The Dark Batch that is available in the states is not at all to my liking. Trying to burn it up mixing but to the point of just dumping it down the drain.

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[morganti]

It's not bad. I have been discovering rye lately and have been pretty impressed with Lot 40, it's very enjoyable.

[Knvb78]

Tried it the other day. Not overly impressed by it. I would rather drink my Crown Royal Northern Harvest.

NH is very good but beyond overhyped. Lot 40 is as good IMO and readily available

[ThePolskiOgorki]

NH is good and overhyped for sure. And it is not the best in the world. What is? Who the hell could even decide that anyway? I guess I could decide it if you gave me enough money. I will tell you anything if you pay me enough. Either way it's great for a Canadian Whisky to be recognized as best in the world, even if it is a Crown Royal product. Now if it was best whisky in the world to mix with coke I would be more inclined to agree. It is great for that.