Tasting Notes: I'll admit it...I LOVE Canadian whisky, always have. I love Canadian Club, regular Crown, and all its derivatives. I love Gibson's, Forty Creek, and JP Wisers. I LOVE the use of bourbon grains distilled to a higher level, and then aged in used barrels. I've always thought Canadian whisky from top to bottom post 1990 was underrated in terms of flavor and appreciation. Because Crown and CC dominate the category it's easy to overlook brands like Rich & Rare and Pendleton's but I think people should start opening their eyes and palates. Today I'm taking a look at standard Pendleton. This is a Canadian whisky cut with Mt. Hood Water and bottled in Oregon to commemorate the Pendleton Round-Up a historic rodeo that lends its western bona fides to this liquid from the north. And though this brand has jumped around in ownership a few times, it has finally landed with some marketing dollars to spare at Proximo. Good thing too, because it's high time some marketers reinvented this amazing and sleepy category. On the nose, Pendleton is soft and sweet with vanilla and freshly cut oak, just like a Canadian should be, but on the palate it saunters forth, exhibiting fruit, spice, maple frosting, and a long caramelly finish. It's not as grapey as Crown or as fruity as CC but manages to blend both perfectly well with an extra cut of soft oak to round things out.
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