St. Laurent 3 Grains Whisky (43%)
Even though I recently used this Québécois whisky as an example of transparency in Canadian whisky making, I have to admit that when I purchased it from a Montréal SAQ I did not take note of the fact that the three grains involved were listed on the label alongside their percentages, specifically 75% corn, 15% rye, and 10% barley.
When I initially opened and tasted it casually, however, the first words out of my mouth were, “This is bourbon.”
And indeed, not only is it bourbon – American whiskey rules aside – it is a very good bourbon, one which would stand happily and proudly beside such Kentucky icons as Buffalo Trace and Four Roses. It is also a whisky with a story behind it.
You see, I was a bit surprised to find it in the SAQ at all, given that I knew the Distillerie du St. Laurent of Rimouski, Québec, had gone bankrupt and closed down two years ago. What I didn’t know was that the Québec City-based Distillerie Arsenal had bought all of the brands and stock of the defunct St. Laurent after it went under, meaning that this particular bottle of minimum three year old whisky was distilled and aged for at least one year in Rimouski before rights to it were transferred to Arsenal. Whether the new owner plans on continuing to make the whisky the same way and age it near the St. Lawrence River, as St. Laurent had done, I do not know.
On the nose, it has all the charred barrel character one might desire of a bourbon, with morning-after-a-beach-campfire notes dominant and stewed fruit, raisin, cooked vanilla, and a hint of salinity. That last bit might have something to do with the banks of the St. Lawrence positioning of the original – and possibly still in use – warehouses St. Laurent used to age its whisky. As the label says, “Aged by the Sea Slowly but Surely.”
The palate entry is sweet caramel with a slight bite of black pepper, expanding in the mouth to stewed apple and pear, smoky toffee, enhanced spiciness, cooked vanilla, and orange oil. The finish dries wonderfully with charred wood and lingering peppery spice, and just a hint of lingering salt.
Of all the many and varied Canadian bourbon-style whiskies I have sampled since US spirits disappeared from the shelves of most Canadian provinces, this is to my mind without question the most authentically and unapologetically bourbon-y. Which is not the same as saying it is the best, mind, but if you’re looking for a quality solid bourbon substitute, this is your bottle!
91 ($60)
