The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Richard Thomas
Rating: D
Cabin Fever Maple Whisky
(Credit: Diageo)
According to the marketing story, Cabin Fever Maple Whisky started when Rob Robillard was taught a bit about distilling in Eastern Europe in the late 1990s. Undeterred by the law or the possibility of poisoning himself or burning the house down, he built a still when he got home and began experimenting, ultimately creating a whiskey infused with Grade B Vermont maple syrup.
What you get in an actual bottle of Cabin Fever, however, is not Robillard’s garage make, but imported 3 year old Canadian blended whisky. It’s still infused with the maple syrup, and bottled at 80 proof. The company was bought by Diageo in 2012.
The Whiskey
In the glass, the liquid has a coloring right on the line between deep gold and dull amber. Thinking about it now, that is exactly what I would expect from a youngish whiskey infused with a hefty portion of maple syrup, so the appearance is actually very revealing.
The nose was quite aromatic, with a buttery maple scent akin to the top of a properly fixed up stack of flapjacks wafting up out of my snifter. A closer whiff morphed that into full-on thick butterscotch.
The flavor is very much in the vein of butterscotch and maple syrup, and I might have thought I was drinking a liquid candy of some kind rather than whiskey were it not for the small mineralized bite that was in there too. The finish was faint, with a trace of that maple and butterscotch again.
As flavored whiskeys go, this one was so candy-like as to be slightly sickening. The mineral spirits bite, although small, doesn’t help. Neither did putting Cabin Fever on ice. Frankly, I can’t imagine a use for this stuff except in cocktails or as a mixer.
Price
Depending on where you live in the United States, expect to pay between $20 and $25 a bottle for a fifth of Cabin Fever. If you are abroad, the prices are much steeper, so much so that I can’t possibly recommend giving it a second look.
I completely disagree with the so called “whisky expert” on their review Cabin Fever. This is a fine spirit that has very nice finish with a hint of smoke and maple. Cabin Fever has a taste that will appeal to most, as you can actually drink this spirit without feeling as though you have just chugged down a glass of gasoline.
In closing , I give Cabin Fever a 10 out of a possible 10 stars!!
My cabin fever whiskey has brown particles floating in it is that normal
No, it shouldn’t. How old is it and has it been exposed to extreme temperatures? That could be the maple syrup coming out of infusion.