Tap 357 Canadian Maple Rye Whisky Review

Jim Knudsen -

BOTTLE DETAILS

  • DISTILLER: Sourced from “The oldest distillery in Western Canada”, which implies Alberta Distillers Limited, part of the Beam Suntory portfolio.
  • MASH BILL: Canadian rye whisky, mix in a proprietary processs with “Canada 1 Light” maple syrup
  • AGE: Blended 3-, 5-, and 7-year old rye whisky.
  • YEAR: 2017
  • PROOF: 98.6 (49.3% ABV)
  • MSRP: $29.99
  • BUY ONLINE: Total Wine

JIM'S NOTES

NOSE: Sweet Maple (of course)  |  Cherry/Dried fruit  |  Slight Oak  |  Faint spice

TASTE: Old Maple  |  Dark Fruit  |  Rye spice  |  More Maple

FINISH: The entry, mid-plate, and finish are dominated with the sweet buy not unpleasant maple flavor. Despite being a very light rye, the mouthfeel is not overly thin.   I find it earthy but would appreciate a stronger participation of the rye whisky. Little or no burn.

SHARE WITH: If you run with sophisticated whisky aficionados, hide this bottle. If you have some newbie friends or people who are working their way into whisky, it will be fun to try. Very approachable is a good description.

WORTH THE PRICE: At $29.99, it seems a little dear for a “fun” diversion. You can get some pretty fair bourbon for $30. Compared to other maple whiskies it is right in the pocket.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: If you hate flavored whisky, stay away, this is a flavored whisky. Try at a bar if your curious, or get a bottle for fun.

OVERALL: At Bourbon and Banter we have some the most sophisticated and developed whiskey palates in the world as contributors. So, when the opportunity to review a maple flavored rye whisky came in, those contributors gave it to me, the “Mikey” (if you don’t know what this means, check out this link).

For a flavored whisky, TAP 357 Maple Rye Whisky is very much as expected and not bad (yes, I have tried several flavored whiskies). To their credit TAP 357 is as advertised, a decent rye whisky flavored with maple syrup. The flavor is strong although not overwhelming.   The rye does tend to be a bit thin and does not benefit from water, which merely enhances the syrupy sweetness of the maple flavor and muting the rye. It is best on the rocks or as a mixer. I would not recommend it in a Manhattan; the sweet Vermouth does it no credit. The recommended Maple Snow Cap cocktail is a nice, if a little fancy, drink. It recommends to add maple syrup to taste; I would say the correct amount is none.

POPS' NOTES

NOSE: Maple Syrup  |  Crisp Rye  |  Toasted Nuts

TASTE: Maple  |  Brown Sugar  |  Spiced Nuts

FINISH: Candied nuts with a warm coating maple syrup with just the right amount of sweetness. Nutty sweetness lingers with a light touch that brings you back for another sip – over and over again.

SHARE WITH: My wife. She loves this whisky. And to be honest, even though it’s a flavored whiskey, I enjoyed it too. Just sweet enough to satisfy my sweet tooth without making me worry about consuming liquid candy. It’s easy to drink with a well-balanced sweetness that enjoyable neat and even better when chilled.

WORTH THE PRICE: I’d prefer a price tag closer to $20 on this one but considering it’s something I wouldn’t’ mind sharing with some of my friends who love sweeter whiskies, I can stomach the MSRP on occasion.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Buy a bottle if you’re looking for something a little sweeter that you can enjoy on occasion and want to share with non-whisky drinkers when they come over for dinner. Makes a great accompaniment for a variety of desserts.

OVERALL: Maybe I’m getting old or just a little bored with this year’s bourbon releases, but I’m starting to appreciate a select number of flavor whiskies. Tap 357 Maple Rye Whiskey is a nice distraction when I’m in the mood for something different. But keep this in mind, it’s the balanced addition of maple syrup that makes this one work. There’s not much whisky backbone present to take credit for the finished product.

BRAND NOTES

TAP INTO FLAVOR…TAP 357 CANADIAN MAPLE RYE WHISKEY

This small-batch whisky is a marriage of two purely Canadian flavors: rye and maple, produced in the province of Quebec-where syrup tapping was born and perfected centuries ago.

PRODUCING TAP 357: The cask-aged 3-, 5-, and 7-year old blended rye whiskey used in TAP357 is produced at the oldest distillery in Western Canada, where it is distilled four times then matured in a combination of new, second- and third-use bourbon barrels. Once aged, Master Blender Michel Marcil expertly blends the selected whiskies. Next, Marcil combines the blended rye whisky in Quebec with pure “Canada 1 Light” maple syrup for the region. In a proprietary finishing process the maple-flavored rye whisky is then left to rest for an additional period until deemed ready to release.

TASTING NOTES: Lush notes of maple complement the rustic, authentic character of rye. Combined, the selection is smooth and approachable. Because no chill-filtering takes place, TAP 357 has a rich, layered flavor with depth. The rye emerges on the palate followed by a subtle taste of the maple on the finish. The aromatics and taste of the maple enhances rather than overwhelms the whisky flavors.

ALCOHOL CONTENT: 40.5% by volume / 81 proof

SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $29.99/750ml

ENJOY: TAP 357 has a refined character that can be enjoyed simply on the rocks or mixed in a cocktail.

This small-batch whisky is a marriage of two purely Canadian flavors: rye and maple, produced in the province of Quebec-where syrup tapping was born and perfected centuries ago.
Tap 357

MAPLE SNOW CAP

  • 1-1/4 oz. Tap 357 Maple Rye Whisky
  • ¼ oz. Van Gogh Vanilla Vodka
  • ¼ oz. Amaretto
  • ¼ oz. Frangelico
  • 1 oz. cream
  • Maple Syrup to taste

Shake ingredients well with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass or strain into rocks glass with ice. Garnish with mint.

Disclaimer: A sample of TAP 357 Canadian Maple Rye Whisky was provided to us by TAP 357 for this review. We appreciate their willingness to allow Bourbon & Banter to review their product with no strings attached. Thank you.hank you.