Caribou Crossing Single Barrel Canadian Whisky Review

By Father John Rayls

Rating: B+

Caribou Crossing Single Barrel
(Credit: John Rayls)

I first ran into Caribou Crossing several years ago, when my son ordered a special bottle for my birthday upon a retailer recommendation. I was exploring Canadian whiskies at the time, and this one definitely caught my attention. Unfortunately, I never saw it with a local retailer in my area, which is odd when one considers how well Crown Royal and other Canadian whiskies sell in Texas.

So, it was a genuine pleasure to cross paths with Caribou Crossing again, and in a Single Barrel expression no less. This 80 proof whisky is described by Sazerac (who own it) as the first Canadian single barrel whisky. The whole single barrel Canadian whisky phenomena is so surprising because it flies in the face of one of it’s own underlying assumptions: Canadian whisky is a blended whisky. It’s no age statement (NAS) and no information is given about a mashbill.

The Whisky
The color of Caribou Crossing in the glass is a golden medium brown. The legs initially appeared to be thin, but suddenly turned and drained slowly and almost thickly. The nose is a little disappointing as it is so subtle as to be almost undetectable. With concentration and extreme focus, some notes of rye, vanilla and light oak are present.  Some very light tingling is also present accompanied with a general faint sweetness.

I was a little surprised at the somewhat thin mouthfeel.  It wasn’t syrupy as I expected, but had a slight buttery feel instead. The whisky provided a whole mouth experience from the tip of the tongue to the upper part at the back of the mouth, filled with sweet caramel and toffee matched against a light rye and cinnamon spice.  The finish is medium to long and continues the gradually warming feeling meeting you in multiple waves filled with caramel, vanilla and light rye.

Overall, the whisky gives a soft and velvety experience and makes for an easy-sipping, somewhat creamy, flavorful whisky. If you already love Canadian whisky, you are going to love Caribou Crossing Single Barrel Whisky.  However, even if you’re not in love with the whole Canadian whisky experience, this is a good whisky to use for your Canadian reboot.

The Price
At a suggested $50.00 retail, it’s well within reach of many consumers, and can be found for under $40.00 online.