Wiser’s Last Barrels Review

This is a review I did as part of the /r/worldwhisky series of community reviews.

J.P. Wiser's Last Barrels is named as such because it was the last product of former Hiram Walker master distiller Jim Stanski before he moved on to become VP of Production. This product is interesting because the source of this whisky came from grains that were combined before distillation. While that's a pretty common technique used in American Whiskey, it's unusual for a Canadian Whisky where grains are usually distilled individually then batched later. Another oddity here is the use of a sour mash process that came from soured milk. While the sour mash process is uncommon in Canada, it is common in America though it typically involves using left over mash from a previous distillation run. Finally, while most Canadian whiskies I know of tend to be heavily rye based, the mashbill here is 80% corn grist, 11% rye, and 9% barley. All of that makes this product very bourbon like in nature and I expect it to taste like one. 

Aged 14 years; 45% ABV; $65 (CAD)

Nose: Smells a lot like bourbon with typical corn, vanilla, and caramel notes. There's a lot of fruity green apple as well.

Taste: Upfront is all of the same notes from the nose with a lot of added honey. It tastes like honey covered caramel corn apples. In the finish though some bitterness like old wood, unpleasant ethanol like nail polish or young distillate, and pepper notes come out. 

Thoughts: Definitely the most unusual Canadian Whisky I've ever had as it's very bourbon like and the fruit notes are very nice. I love the nose and the front to mid taste is great but things go all wrong in the finish. If only those initial notes carried through or the bitterness was toned down I'd like this a lot more. 

Rating: 75/100

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating. Thanks to /u/Jolarbear for the sample.