J.P. Wiser's Hopped Dark Ale Style Whisky

J.P. Wiser's Hopped Dark Ale Style Whisky proved impossible for me to ignore. I was compelled to pick up a brown 750mL bottle of the stuff. According to the copy on the label, this 40% spirit is a "distinctive blend of J.P. Wiser' whisky and hops for a rich, dark ale finish."

The whisky is produced by Toronto, Ontario's J.P. Wiser Distillery Limited. It's a very pretty auburn tonic that has an unusually sweet, caramel tinged aroma. The hops added to the distillation aren't immediately evident, at least not in the sense of an India pale ale. However, there is a slight brown ale vibe here that I found fairly agreeable. More than that, though, I found there to be cola notes--caramel and vanilla.

I'm no kind of expert on brown spirits, though I know what I like and I have tried a fairly wide selection of whiskies, bourbons, and scotches. My take on Wiser's Hopped is that it is to be commended for its innovation, though the execution proved a bit too sweet for me, at least on its own. This whisky proved much more enjoyable over ice and mixed with ginger ale than straight up.

Beer Barrel Bourbon

I've enjoyed my share of bourbon barrel aged beers, but this cheeky offering from New Holland Artisan Spirits turns that formula on its head--a bourbon aged in beer barrels. This 40% alcohol American whiskey's appearance at my local liquor store neatly coincided with my resurgent interest in amber spirits.  That, combined with enduring love off all things beer made Beer Barrel Bourbon practically leap of the shelf and into my bar, despite the nearly $60 sticker price for a 750mL bottle.

According to the label, this stuff is actually aged in American oak barrels before being piped into beer barrels for a three-month tour of duty that "lends biscuity notes and a smooth malt character to the robust whiskey tones of toffee and caramel." I can't pretend to be a bourbon aficionado--at best, I'm a zealous enthusiast--but I'll take a crack at describing the stuff. It's a honey-hued, faintly cloudy tipple that has a warm and boozy vanilla bean aroma. As billed, buttery toffee is a large component of the flavour, on top of a grainy body. I was expecting to be greeted with something notably beery, but that's not what this untrained and untested bourbon novice found.

New Holland Artisan Spirits is affiliated with the good folks at New Holland Brewing, out of Holland, Michigan--the outfit responsible for Dragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout and The Poet Oatmeal Stout, both of which I quite enjoyed. As for their bourbon, it was also a quality product. At 40%, it's a little less potent than the bourbons I typically prefer, and at $58 and change, a touch on the pricy side, but I'm glad I bought it. It was a treat.  However, for an establishment that is a brewery first, I was surprised that they didn't include any information about the beer that was formerly housed in those barrels.