Review: Diageo Orphan Barrel Project Night Sage Canadian Whisky 25 Years Old
I’ll hand it to Diageo and its Orphan Barrel Project: “Night Sage” is one of the most non-traditional and creative product names to date. Sure, it sounds more like a Twilight character than a 25 year old Canadian whisky — and even features an owl on the label — but whimsy like that has never stopped us from taking a product seriously.
Inside the bottle is a blended Canadian whisky with no clear provenance noted aside from being drawn from “the vast Diageo whisky inventory.” Distilled in Ontario and Manitoba, the whisky was matured in two different barrel types: “first-fill oak barrels, used only once prior, and multi-use barrels, both of which previously held other Canadian whisky.”
Let’s taste.
Diageo Orphan Barrel Project Night Sage Canadian Whisky 25 Years Old Review
Racier on the nose than its 45% abv would suggest, this pops with a surprising punch of pepper, both black and white, along with a perhaps telegraphed aroma of dried sage. An oxidized wine along the lines of oloroso sherry quickly makes an appearance, increasing in intensity as it develops in glass.
On the palate, again a boldly winey character quickly arrives, offering some of the doughy and buttery notes that are endemic to Canadian whisky. While a bit vegetal, a significant spice builds the longer you sit with it, resulting in a moderately floral, incense-laden midsection. The longer I sipped on this, the more it evoked perfume.
The finish finds the whisky leaning more into a vermouth character, the florals becoming quite dried and especially perfumy, even a little soapy at times. While it’s a bit much for my taste, that’s all par for the course for what is typically grain-heavy Canadian whisky, of course — and a sign that you are in fact getting what you paid for.
90 proof.
B+ / $225 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
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