Whisky Review: Gibson's Finest 12 Year Old Canadian Whisky
With Meg's parents coming up for the weekend, I decided to stop in at the LCBO and pick up some beer to go with Saturday's dinner (her father is planning on hosting a dinner at our place, and I thought the beer would go well). As it turns out, the LCBO has a 'Value Added Promotion' on Mill Street Tankhouse Ale: buy six bottles of Tankhouse, get a free 50ml sample of Gibson's Finest 12 Year-Old Canadian Whisky. You'd think that I probably would have learned something after the disaster I had with the last 'Value Added Promotion' I tried, but apparently I didn't...and it was a plastic, PET, miniature to boot...
So, while I was getting prepared to bake (a double-chocolate mocha-frosted carrot cake), I opened the miniature, poured it into my Glencairn 'Canadian' glass (I also have a couple 'Speyside' style tasting glasses etched with the Highland Park logo), and left it to sit for a while. There isn't much I can tell you about Gibson's that Chip Dykstra and Davin de Kergommeaux haven't already said. In fact, Davin's review of Gibson's Finest 12 year-old contains a very thorough history of the Gibson's brand, so I'd encourage you to read what he has to say, as he offers some unique insights into the often byzantine workings of the international spirits industry. My tasting notes are below:
This is the first Gibson's product I've tried, and thankfully the experience wasn't that bad. The 12 year-old is a reasonable, fairly well balanced whisky, as far as I'm concerned. While it isn't as good, in my mind, as the Danfield's 21 year-old, it is better than many Blended Scotch Whiskies (I'm looking at you, Chivas Regal 12, Ballantine's Finest, and Black Grouse). To be fair, trying to taste it while baking a chocolate cake may not have been the best idea, so I am kind of obligated to give Gibson's another try at some point in the future. Other reviewers have not been so kind, however.
So, while I was getting prepared to bake (a double-chocolate mocha-frosted carrot cake), I opened the miniature, poured it into my Glencairn 'Canadian' glass (I also have a couple 'Speyside' style tasting glasses etched with the Highland Park logo), and left it to sit for a while. There isn't much I can tell you about Gibson's that Chip Dykstra and Davin de Kergommeaux haven't already said. In fact, Davin's review of Gibson's Finest 12 year-old contains a very thorough history of the Gibson's brand, so I'd encourage you to read what he has to say, as he offers some unique insights into the often byzantine workings of the international spirits industry. My tasting notes are below:
- Colour: Golden Amber
- Nose: At first just the horrible smell of acetone and nail polish remover, which had me thinking I'd made another mistake...so I left it for a little while longer to let it 'open' up a bit more. After about 20 minutes, the acetone was gone, and I was left with the faint but familiar notes of rye spiciness (although nowhere near the level of Danfield's 21 year old), fresh cedar planks, and cooling pastry.
- Palate: Thick, spicy (nutmeg and ginger), almost an orangey-buttercream icing flavour, but not overly sweet, as it was balanced by an oakiness.
- Finish: Smooth, not as long as I'd like, but pleasant overall.
This is the first Gibson's product I've tried, and thankfully the experience wasn't that bad. The 12 year-old is a reasonable, fairly well balanced whisky, as far as I'm concerned. While it isn't as good, in my mind, as the Danfield's 21 year-old, it is better than many Blended Scotch Whiskies (I'm looking at you, Chivas Regal 12, Ballantine's Finest, and Black Grouse). To be fair, trying to taste it while baking a chocolate cake may not have been the best idea, so I am kind of obligated to give Gibson's another try at some point in the future. Other reviewers have not been so kind, however.