Lot 40 Copper Pot Still Canadian Rye Whisky (750ml)

Professional Reviews

Staff Reviews

DO

David Othenin-Girard

David Othenin-Girard

K&L Buyer

Lot 40 Rye has gone from being impossible to get and expensive to be our go to affordable sipping rye! The spectacular quality you get on this one for the price is UNMATCHED elsewhere in the rye world. That said it's nothing like the grainy rye coming out of all the craft distilleries in the states or the punchy cocktail friendly bravado of a Rittenhouse. This is zippy herbaceous 100% pot still 100% Canadian is well matured rye unlike any other. Delicious nose of caraway, licorice, candied cherries, citrus peel and baking spices. The palate is cinnamon and spice and everything nice! It's almost Christmas-y! Sweet Muscovado finish to balance all the spice. The whole thing builds to a nice long satisfying finish. This isn't a powerhouse that's going to knock you out, but instead there's something more intricate and oblique about it. Perhaps it's the pot stills or something else going on, but this is one serious little drink for $30.

GW

Gary Westby

Gary Westby

Great rye whiskey is not easy to come by at any price and great Canadian rye is even harder to find. This Lot 40 is clearly the best rye in the store and one of the best that I have tasted in a decade. With a wonderful bouquet of Christmas spice and a complex array of flavors, this Canadian will please the pickiest of whiskey fans. The fact that it still comes across as easy going and moreish even with the wild rye flavor and layers of complexity made a big impression on me. I will make room in my cabinet!

Notes

Voted Canadian Whisky of the Year by the Whisky Advocate, Lot 40 is considered by many to be the quintessential Canadian rye whisky, garnering heaps of praise and a cult-like following. Distilled by Hiram Walker, now run by Pernod Ricard, it was briefly discontinued in the early 2000s, which set off a Pappy-esque manhunt by consumers who knew of its excellence (not in CA, however, where we were deprived of its presence). Now that it's been relaunched by Pernod, we're lucky enough to start getting a healthy supply in the U.S. It's clear after tasting it why the Lot 40 has the reputation it does. The flavors of rye are unbelievably pure, while the palate remains soft and creamy underneath. It moves from rye bread into a peppery note so intense that it almost transcends into sweet citrus before finishing rich and floral. It's the most exciting rye we've seen hit the shelves in more than a year. We think it's going to be a HUGE hit. Esteemed Canadian whisky writer Davin de Kergommeaux calls it "a contemporary masterpiece, seven generations in the making. This is one powerfully flavorful whisky that boldly mingles the galvanizing piquancy of distilled rye grain with the soaring floral fragrance of malted rye, and a fruitiness that comes with age." We call it the best rye whiskey we've tasted since stalwarts like Sazerac 18 and older Willett bottles became dreams rather than reality. This is can't-miss stuff. This is the kind of whiskey where you buy three bottles rather than one.