Canada Week Part I: Masterson's Barley and Wheat Whiskeys

It's been a while since I took a serious look at Canadian Whiskey, and there is a growing number of whiskeys coming out of the Great White North these days, so grab a bag of milk and some poutine, it's Canada week!

Last year, I reviewed Masterson's Rye from 35 Maple, a Sonoma, California company that bottled a ten year old Canadian rye whiskey, similar to those from WhistlePig and Jefferson's Rye.  It was very good stuff.

Now Masterson's has two new Canadian Whiskeys on the market, a straight barley and a straight wheat whiskey.  Presumably, as with the rye, these were originally intended to be components of a Canadian blend until 35 Maple purchased them and bottled them as straight whiskeys. While their rye was composed of 100% rye, there is no information about the mashbill of these whiskeys, so we don't know if they include other grains as well.

Masterson's 12 year old Straight Wheat Whiskey, Batch 001, 50% abv ($65)

As you can see from the picture, the wheat whiskey (on the right) is much lighter in color than the barley. The nose is alcoholy with a distinct sesame oil note.  The palate is light and sweet without much discernible flavor other than a touch of milk chocolate and a medicinal note toward the end with just a touch of graniness underneath it.  The finish is pretty much nonexistent.  There is very little substance to this; it reminds me of some of the not very good Scotch grain whiskeys I've had.  If the Masterson's Rye came from the flavor grain elements that they use in Canadian blends, I'm wondering if this is one of the base whiskeys they add to round the blends out.

Just for kicks, I did a side by side tasting of this and Heaven Hill's Bernheim Wheat Whiskey. The Bernheim had a depth of flavor, richness and balance that was totally lacking in the Masterson's.  Between the two, my guess is that the Masterson's has a lower proportion of corn (if any) in the mashbill.  Plain wheat is just not that flavorful.

Based on both flavor and color of Masterson's Wheat, it would surprise me if it was aged in new charred oak for 12 years.  Aging in new charred oak is a requirement for wheat whiskey in the US, and given that this is labeled "straight wheat whiskey" and not "Canadian Whisky," I would think that it would have to comply with that requirement, but you never know what exceptions the TTB will make.


Masterson's 10 year old Straight Barley Whiskey, Batch 001, 46% abv ($65)

The nose on this is very nice with fruit and spice as well as some strong floral notes.  On the palate, it's light and fruity in a pleasant way but also has the raw wood notes that are common in younger craft whiskeys (think Hudson Malt Whiskey).  The finish is mostly medicinal.  This is certainly better than the wheat whiskey, and it's not offensive, but it's not good either.


These whiskeys are a real let down after the very good Masterson's Rye.  The wheat whiskey is pretty bad. The barley is okay but nothing I'd recommend.   Selling either of these poor to mediocre whiskeys for $65 a bottle is downright scandalous! 

Spoiler Alert: Fall Whiskeys Revealed

Fall is the big whiskey season when all the special release whiskeys come out, but because of the TTB label approval process, we get a preview of them in spring and summer.  Here are some of what awaits us this fall (other than Zachory Boone):

• Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch.  Last years Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon was one of the best bourbons of the year.  This year's will be composed of 18 year old OBSV, 13 year old OBSK and 13 year old OESK, the same recipes in last year's edition but at different ages.
• Woodford Reserve Master's Collection.  It looks like this year's Woodford Master's Collection will be a repeat of the Woodford Rye Whiskey experiment of two years ago, except with barley malt.  There will be a single malt whiskey aged in used barrels in the Scotch style and a straight malt with corn as a secondary grain aged in new charred oak in the American style.
• Masterson's.  35 Maple, the bottler of Masterson's Rye will be importing a 12 year old straight wheat whiskey and a ten year old straight barley whiskey from Canada.
• Redbreast 21.  A 21 year old version of Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey.

Stay tuned for more new releases as I find them.

Sonoma Whiskey Part I: Masterson's Rye

I grew up in lovely Sonoma, California, in the Northern California wine country. While wine is clearly the beverage of choice for my home town, there are two recent whiskeys that have come out of Sonoma (though neither was distilled anywhere near the town). Today and tomorrow, I'll be reviewing my hometown whiskeys.

If you grew up in Sonoma, Sebastiani was a name you knew. The Sebastiani Vineyard was the biggest winery in town, we saw movies at the Sebastiani Theater, our local elected officials were Sebastianis, and when old man August Sebastiani died we read in the local rag about the Dynasty style struggles between the different branches of the family to control the winery.

Now, the prominent family has entered the spirits world with their new company, 35 Maple, named for the Sonoma street address of their office. Similar to Whistlepig and the recently released Jefferson's Rye, 35 Maple's Masterson's Rye is a ten year old whiskey made in Canada from a 100% rye mash.

Masterson's Rye, 10 years old, 100% rye, Made in Canada, 45% abv ($65)

The nose on this is strongly vegetal, which is typical of these 100% rye mashbills, full of pickle juice and capers. The palate follows through with a goodly amount of spice and even some Worcestershire sauce (Hmmm, Bloody Masterson anyone?) followed by some floral/perfume/soapy notes.

It will be interesting to see if these Canadian straight ryes (mostly being released for the US market) are a new genre or Canadian Whisky or just a fluke due to a few loose barrels of the stuff being available for sale to willing bottlers. They have a unique, bold character that flies in the face of the stereotypically sweet Canadian blend and is more spicy and vegetal than Kentucky style straight rye.

Davin de Kergommeaux, over at Canadianwhisky.org calls Masterson's "the best of the Canadian straight ryes." I've only had two of the three, but in a side by side of Masterson's and WhistlePig, I found both to be pleasing. The Masterson's is bolder in the spice department, but the Whistlepig has a touch of sweetness which lends a bit more complexity, but the truth is, these are very similar whiskies. If you're a rye fan, I doubt either will disappoint. They are comparably priced, though the Whistlepig is slightly higher proof at 50% abv.

Back in Sonoma, 35 Maple has plans to continue bottling spirits, including a gin, a rum and a bourbon. Based on the quality of Masterson's, I'll be looking forward to their future bottlings.

Coming tomorrow: Sonoma Bourbon