AO – Beam Suntory World Whisky (43%)

A unique expression, this bottling is a blend of whiskies from distilleries in the five major whisky-producing nations – Canada, the United States, Ireland, Scotland, and Japan. The precise distilleries are not disclosed, but the company has only Alberta Distillers in Canada, Cooley Distilling in Ireland, and, of course, Beam in the US, so at least those are certain. Scotland is a bit more open, with the company owning several distilleries there, and the Japanese component could come from either the Yamazaki, Hakushu, or Chita distilleries, or all three. 

For the media tasting of this, we were provided with not only the AO, but also five versions of it each with a component country lacking, so ‘without Irish,’ ‘without Canadian,’ and so on. Tasting each one side-by-side the AO was illuminating, as there was a distinct sense of something lacking in the every one of the ‘without’ samples, not just in the way the missing whisky helped further the blend, but also in the fashion that one whisky might activate the flavours of the others. Of particular note was the ‘without Scotch’ sample, which rendered the blend rather flabby and uninteresting. 

As for the finished AO, on the nose this bright gold spirit offers the expected complexity, with soft and mellow fruitiness – mostly melon and pear, but also a hint of fresh peach – quiet notes of black pepper and nutmeg, some vanilla as it opens up, and just a whiff of peat. On the palate, it begins with a rose-like sweetness combined with a touch of peach nectar, leading to a fruity and caramelly mid-palate, with baked pear, vanilla, overripe cantaloupe, and soft white pepper. On the finish, it is dry, lightly smoky, and peppery. All in all, this is a whisky that ventures well beyond novelty status to prospective classic, with impressive character and the proverbial ‘a lot going on.’ Definitely recommended for anyone interested in the whisky world as a whole, and a value at its price.

92 CRITIC’S CHOICE ($100 - $105)