Sanders County Sippers: Canadian Blend Night

Last night was "Canadian Blend Night" for Sanders County Sippers.  Eleven of us gathered in the Shorthorse bar to sample  great,  good, and  not-so-hot whisky blends from across the border.  We came up with some surprising results.

Here they are, in the order we tasted them over ice:

First, Crown Royal.  We wanted everyone to taste the "good" stuff first.  There was no one who didn't enjoy this smooth, sweet beauty, thick and heavy on the palate.

Second, Canadian Mist.  A huge seller in the U.S.  Very nice, but without the body and character of the Crown Royal.  It was almost watery in comparison, but not objectionable.

Third, Canadian Club.  Oh my.  We saw lots of bad faces when they tasted this.  Harsh, bodiless, with a terrific afterburn.  This got a nearly unanimous and hearty hands-down.

Fourth, Rich and Rare (RandR).  What a pleasant surprise!  I call this a scaled-down version of Crown Royal.  The taste was similar--sweet and smooth, but with less "mouth feel."  A slight burn at the very finish.

Fifth, Black Velvet.  Apparently this is the No. 1 seller in this part of Montana.  My expectations were low, but I found it exceedingly sippable (even though most of its fans mix it with something).  It was terrifically sweet and smooth; it may have lacked depth, but it went down nicely, with no harshness.  A good "beginner blend."

Sixth, Potters.  This one comes in a plastic jug and is bottom-shelf, but don't let that fool you.  It's perfectly respectable.  Mildly raw at the end, but with substance throughout.  Lots of different flavors going on.  You may not want to request it in a good cocktail lounge, but if you're looking for something versatile (and cheap) for your home bar, stock up. Great for mixed drinks, and no apologies necessary whatsoever.

Seventh, Pendleton.  You'll find it on the top shelf, right next to the Crown Royal.  Almost to a person, we chose this over the Crown Royal when we did a side-by-side.  We even had a couple die-hard Crown Royal fans who switched last night.  Pricewise, it's about the same.  Unfortunately they don't package Pendleton in a cute little blue bag like they do the C.R., but that was the only drawback we could find to it.

The rankings were:

1. Pendleton

2. Crown Royal

3. R and R

4. Canadian Mist

5. Black Velvet

6. Potters

7. Canadian Club