This is an NDP flavored whiskey. They don’t tell us who distilled the whiskey or what flavors they added.
This is a flavored version of their rye whiskey; that product’s website says “51% three year old Canadian Rye & 49% Kentucky Corn Whiskey” The Canadian rye is distilled in column-stills and aged for three years in new american charred oak barrels. The corn mash is distilled in Kentucky, aged three years in new American un-charred oak 53-gallon barrels. Why would corn mash be aged in uncharred oak?
Color: Yellow, with thick legs swirling down side of the glass.
Nose: Strong walnut flavor, no traditional rye whiskey flavors, though.
Palate: Right off the bat, sweet. Like most flavored whiskey makers, the manufacturer fails to understand subtlety. One can only fear that the excess sugar is geared either to entice a young audience, or cover up mediocre whiskey. No good whiskey, even flavored or in a cocktail, needs this level of sugar. The flavor overwhelms the whisky, and the experience on the back palate is a bit astringent. The flavor isn’t bad, but this is not something that I’d recommend to a regular spirits enthusiast.
Their website says “LiDestri Spirits Division currently bottles more than 100 different kinds of alcoholic beverages and is TTB-approved to produce 75 varieties.”
Awards? San Francisco Spirits Competition Double Gold, and WSWA Tasting Competition Gold, among others. But these awards are, in a word, worthless. See the articles by Chuck Cowdery, Putting Whiskey Rankings, Ratings, and Awards in Perspective and Wade Woodard’s expose on spirit award shows
