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

Spirits Blind Tasting - A Spirits People Podcast

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

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