Canadian Whisky Review: Tap Rye 8 Year Sherry Finished

Tap Rye is a series of sourced rye whiskies (possible from Alberta Distillers?), which are 'finished' with the addition of maple syrup or fortified wines, as is allowed by Canadian law. The sherry 'finish' has Amontillado sherry added after the whisky spent at least 8 years in oak casks.

This whisky is bottled at 41.5%, probably with chill filtration and possibly with coloring.

Thanks to Michael Kravitz for the sample.

Tap Rye 8 Year Sherry Finished Batch #14TL-898

Nose: solvent, weak grain notes, odd oak, muted rye, raw sherry, raisins. After adding a few drops of water the sherry turns into molasses and it becomes more generically grain-y.

Taste: grain, barrel, and a little sherry sweetness up front, oak tannins and rye in the middle with a raw sherry overlay, bittersweet grain going into the finish. After dilution it becomes generically sweet and grainy throughout with sherry in the background.

Finish: uncooked grain, oak residue, raw sherry

Someone clearly thought this was good enough to put a marketing push behind it, but I just don't see the point. It's unclear whether these were particularly good cask picks to begin with, but the lipstick of sherry hasn't made this pig any prettier. I can imagine that it might be a bit better if this was actually aged in sherry casks to let the components integrate with each other, but the sherry was clearly added rather than coming from a cask so it just feels like an underdone muddle. Can't recommend spending money on this whisky.