Dixon’s Batch 3 Lightly Aged Rye

I’d like to thank Dixon’s Distilled Spirits for sending a bottle of this to the Toronto Whisky Society.

Dixon’s is Guelph’s first craft distillery. Started by Jeremie and Vicky Dixon, each of them have formal training in white spirits from Chicago, and Jeremie studied brown spirit making down in Louisville. They also have one of the youngest distillers in Ontario currently working for them, Miranda Drexler.

Currently Dixon’s is working on Gin and Vodka, making a variety of products that frankly I’d make if I was a new distillery in the province of Ontario, which hates quality alcohol.

Currently Dixon is making Dixon’s Batch 3 Lightly Aged Rye, a bourbon style whisky that is rapidly aged in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s not yet aged to three years yet, however as I said in the last “white dog” review, this is about seeing what flavours they start out with.

Let me be clear here: This is not a white dog. It’s been rapidly aged. So we’ll have to see how it has taken to this, but keep in mind it’s still quite young.

Price: $45 CAD

Region: Canada

Abv: 40%

Colour: 10Y 9/4

Nose: Acetone, old flowers, caramel, sucrose, lactose

Needs to sit for a bit, and the nose has a lot of rough spots. It’s reminding me of younger lightly aged bourbons, however it does have some sweet notes to it, denoting the casks have given it some of that sugar.

That said, the flavours aren’t too pronounced, and are very chemical.

Taste: Dandelion, butter, oak, sweat, soap

Floral, buttery, and then sweat. And not that good sweat when you’re having sex with someone, that bad sweat, like you just ate an entire meat pizza and have the meat sweats.

There’s some floral aspect here, which means it’ll end up a floral rye, which I am quite happy about. That said, like some ryes, at a young age it hasn’t gotten along with the aging.

Finish: Simple syrup, algae, sawdust, wax chocolate

Quite sweet, nice wax, not great chocolate, and a wood note that is still developing. I think this needs some time.

Also there’s a slimy vegetal note that I’m not loving.

Conclusion: Cards on the table people: This wasn’t for me. Let’s get that out there. I wouldn’t recommend it, unless you want to support the distillery as they grow. Which honestly isn’t a bad reason to buy the product.

That said, I don’t think this is a whisky to give up on. Let’s for a moment look at what is happening here: Some distilleries end up with a spirit that needs the years in the casks. It’s being made in Canada, which means it needs more time, however it’s the type of whisky that would normally be aged quickly in Kentucky.

Canada is a bit colder.

Finally, and I’ve said this before, actual rye whisky (rather than the colloquial Canadian rye whisky, which is any Canadian whisky) is a pain to make. Some of them age quickly, some take a long ass time (metric). They can be a pain to make as well.

So what I’m saying is this one didn’t work, however I have a feeling that in a few years, Dixon’s will have a product I really do enjoy.

(Buy the Oatshine)

32/100

World Whisky review #250, Canada review #77, Whisky Network review #1123