Review: J.P. Wiser’s Canadian Whisky Cask Strength Blend 24 and 27 Years Old

By David Tao | January 27, 2025 |

Produced at the Hiram Walker & Sons Limited in Windsor, Ontario, J.P. Wiser’s is one of the oldest extant Canadian whisky brands and has a history dating back to 1857. Now owned by Pernod-Ricard, the brand sells some of the oldest blended Canadian whisky on the market.

Today, we’re looking at two releases well over America’s legal drinking age: J.P. Wiser’s 24 and 27 year cask strength blends. We recently reviewed a 42 year old release from the same producer.

Each whisky is a blend of both corn and rye distillate. (As with many Canadian whiskies, the grains are mashed, fermented, and distilled individually.) The whisky is matured across a wide variety of casks, ranging from new American oak and used bourbon to multi-use “Canadian” refill and ex-wine barrels.

That aging environment is also one of North America’s most noteworthy. The Hiram Walker & Sons distillery has 16 non-climate controlled warehouses near the southernmost point in Canada, where annual temperatures can hit as high as 95 degrees Fahrenheit and as low as negative 40.

Let’s see how they taste!

J.P. Wiser’s Canadian Whisky Cask Strength Blend 24 Years Old — The nose starts off with equal parts rye spice and ethanol heat. That hefty dose of spicy rye quickly morphs into an amalgam that is sweeter, fruitier, and lightly floral. Confectioners sugar is up first, followed by Cosmic Crisp apple, pear gummy candy, and both jasmine and dark sweet teas. Burnt nougat brings up the rear, a quick turn toward tannic (perhaps preempted by that tea) and oaky notes as if the pour finally decided to act its age. Though the whisky tempers with additional time in the glass, it never quite loses its alcohol-forward nature on the nose. Still, it’s not so overpowering as to numb the nostrils to other (quite sweet) aromas.

A first sip is spot-on to hard almond cookies coated in granulated sugar. (The nut extract and sweetness are that pronounced.) It takes another sip or two to really settle in, and as with the nose, fruit blossoms in a big way. Blackberry jam, blood orange, and pears in syrup sit thickly across the palate. Spicy cinnamon chewing gum builds further back on the tongue along with orange blossom and clove. The back palate and finish meld spicy and sweet into heavily reduced fruit preserves, pretty close to apple butter mixed with marmalade.

It’s a pour I had to wrestle with just a bit. A little water accentuates the nutty spices while pleasantly allaying the slightly too sweet phases. To be fair, some of the brand’s marketing content shows this whisky being served over a rock, so it seems some dilution is even encouraged. Ultimately, I’m glad I gave it the time I did. Just keep a dropper — or a big piece of ice — handy to find your ideal abv. Mine was significantly lower than the bottled cask strength. 115 proof. B / $199

J.P. Wiser’s Canadian Whisky Cask Strength Blend 27 Years Old — Compared to the 24 year old expression, there’s a noticeable diversion on this nose. It’s less sweet, far spicier, and more wood-forward; that said, the proof shows its full strength, so sniff slowly and deliberately. Cured wood staves lead just ahead of white mocha and cinnamon-spiced barbecue rub. There’s fruit here as well, but it’s deeply cooked and ensconced in dark caramel and buttered pastry. Apple pie à la mode with praline ice cream, dusted cinnamon, and a hint of wood smoke is a pretty close approximation.

The early palate is similarly big on cooked fruit, in this instance a Dutch oven peach cobbler. You can taste the canned, syrup-preserved peaches amidst gooey crust and just the faintest hint of campfire. It’s overall very sweet, but with more structure and depth than its younger sibling. A thread of sweet sparkling wine lingers between sips, reminiscent of a white Moscato. Likewise, some of that familiar almond extract accumulates on the midpalate and sides of the tongue, always detectable but never taking center stage. And while this 27 year old J.P. Wiser’s is higher proof, it also drinks far softer than the 24 year old expression.

A vanilla ice cream-meets-grape finish caps off this extra-old Canadian whisky that rewards patience and a little at-home dilution. Compared to the 24 year old version, the payoff for that effort is significantly higher. 119.8 proof. A- / $229