Maker: Corby, Corbyville, Ontario, Canada
Distilled: Hiram Walker, Windsor, Ontario, Canada (Pernod-Ricard)
Age: NAS
ABV: 45%
Michigan State Minimum: $45
Appearance: Light copper with long thick legs.
Nose: Leather, spearmint, potpourri, coriander, green cardamom, woodruff, Habanero peppers.
Palate: Full bodied and medium dry. Butterscotch, white pepper, basil, cilantro, alcohol.
Finish: Eucalyptus cough drops, aged Alsatian Pinot Gris, hint of oak.
Parting words: Wiser’s Legacy is the legacy of now retired master blender David Doyle. Wiser’s Legacy is back in the U.S. after two year long absence. Named 2013 Canadian Whisky of the Year by Whisky Advocate, it’s a remarkable product.
It’s made from a blend of rye, malted rye and maltly barely and has loads of minty Canadian rye aromas (think early batches of Whistle Pig) that are elegantly balanced with candy sweetness and toasted barrel notes. It manages to be both unabashedly Canadian and a transcendent, world class-whisky on par with bourbons twice its price and single malt Scotches four times the price. I taste something new every time I pour myself a couple ounces.
Nobody knows how long it will be back on American shelves, so buy a bottle or two while you can. Wiser’s Legacy is highly recommended.
Sipology 
Did you have the earlier release to compare? I’m curious how they compare. I can send you a sample.
Is there a way to tell which batch is which? The one I used for the review was purchased right before it went on hiatus in the US.
Then your’s had to be the 1st batch as well. I liked this but want to know if new batches are the same. Not sure if any sure way to tell, other if your store suddenly has many bottles of it in stock.
I’ll probably pick up another bottle if there are still some hanging around on the shelf next time I go shopping. Head to head might be nice.
Nice to see you shine the spotlight on Wiser’s Legacy. Extremely high praise and deserving of every word.
Legacy is NAS; however, Dr. Don Livermore, David Doyle’s successor, described this expression as being a blend of column and pot still whiskies: corn, rye, and barley (1/3 rye) and all aged in New American Oak for approximately 10 years. The pot still corn whisky used in this is absolutely delicious and can be compared to Highwood NINETY 20YO 100% corn whisky 90 pf. The pot still rye component is similar to Lot No.40.
I have tasted from seven batches of Legacy, all are delicious, with some discernible differences, but have never sampled more than three batches at a one sitting. Too many factors to attribute to batch variation alone. Overall, very consistent.
One of the earliest batch numbers is L10 270, followed by L11 090, L11 196, L11 326, L12 096,
L12 303 (both domestic and Export) and L13 289 – there may be more, but my experience is limited to this list.
I suspect the Export versions are bottled at the same time as the domestic line runs, which indicates the 1 liter and 750ml versions are likely to be the same expressions.
I’m currently sipping from the 1 Liter Export version, batch L12 303. Beautiful nose on this one – extremely floral, hints of a lilac hedge in full bloom, and a big oak influence similar to an ‘aging on the string’ country ham.
Cheers!
pj
Thanks for the comment, and sorry for the long delay in approval! Will write more later.