Spirits Blind Tasting - A Spirits People Podcast

1.14 - J.P. Wiser's Dissertation Canadian Whisky & Old Forester 1920 Bourbon

September 11, 2019 Johnny Michaelsen Season 1
Spirits Blind Tasting - A Spirits People Podcast
1.14 - J.P. Wiser's Dissertation Canadian Whisky & Old Forester 1920 Bourbon
Show Notes Chapter Markers

In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of the J.P. Wiser's Dissertation Canadian Whisky and Old Forester 1920 Bourbon. Feel free to follow along with a dram of any of these or any other spirit you enjoy as I try to uncover the aromas and flavors of these 2 spirits.

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My tasting notes from this episode can also be found below:

Spirit A - J.P. Wiser's Dissertation (46.1% ABV)

Appearance

  • Clarity: Clear
  • Intensity: Deep
  • Color: Gold
  • Suggested texture: Medium > high

Nose

  • Condition: Clean
  • Intensity: Medium
  • Aroma characteristics: Ginger bread, vanilla, toffee/stroopwafels, chocolate orange, fresh apricots, lemongrass, rye grain, toasted oak
  • Other notes: A very fresh aroma character, feels like summer in a glass. Not getting much on the aging side, just some of that toasted oak
  • ABV: 45%-50%

Palate

  • Sweetness: Dry
  • Texture: Light, delicate, medium viscosity
  • Intensity: Medium
  • Flavor characteristics: Rye grain, fresh ginger, vanilla, lemon grass, slightly burnt toast, oak, black pepper corn
  • Other notes: All the notes are very harmonized which could suggest some age, but on the other hand the rye grain is quite pronounced so could be a young rye too. The color would suggest younger OR that it’s aged at the bottom of the rickhouse if in the US, or it could mean it’s from a colder climate like Canada.
  • Finish: Medium and very complex (Rye grain, grassy note, oak, black pepper)
  • ABV: 40%~45% 

Conclusion

  • Quality level: Outstanding
  • Blind guess: Rye Whiskey


Spirit B - Old Forester 1920 (57.5% ABV)

Appearance

  • Clarity: Clear
  • Intensity: Medium
  • Color: Amber
  • Suggested texture: High

Nose

  • Condition: Clean
  • Intensity: Medium
  • Aroma characteristics: Butterscotch, werthers original, brown sugar, vanilla ice cream, cinnamon, cloves, lightly charred oak, leather, raisins, black cherries 
  • Other notes: Dark and wintery nose compared to the very summery nose on spirit A
  • ABV: 50%-55%

Palate

  • Sweetness: Dry
  • Texture: Silky, mouth filling, medium viscosity
  • Intensity: Medium > pronounced
  • Flavor characteristics: Caramel, brown sugar, black cherries, cinnamon, cloves, burnt toast, raisins, leather 
  • Other notes: Feels like this has much more age than spirit A. More oak and char characteristics are coming through. Also, the ethanol is showing up and give a little bit of tongue burn, so the ABV should be higher than spirit A.
  • Finish: Long and very complex (Caramel, cloves, oak, cherries)
  • ABV: 50%-55%

Conclusion

  • Quality level: Outstanding
  • Blind guess: Bourbon


If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me at any time on Instagram @spiritspeople

Nosing the spirits
Tasting the spirits
Revealing the spirits