A Shot with a Beer Back: Sheep Dip Malt Whisky & Brasseur De Montréal Coeur Brisé

Each weekday this week, I’ll be posting a pair of mini-reviews covering selections from the latest additions to the LCBO’s Whisky Shop premium whisky program, and the products in the LCBO’s Summer 2011 Specialty Beer promotion. Today, it’s a pair that pleasantly surprised me…

Sheep Dip Malt Whisky
(LCBO 231688 – $44.95/750 mL)

While most of the Scottish selections in the Whisky Shop rotation are higher end single malts, they do keep a blend or two in there as well, and some of them – like the Famous Grouse Gold Reserve – are deserving of their spot. But something about the name Sheep Dip had me not expecting much from this one. Thankfully, I was wrong, as this blend of 16 single malts from a variety of distilleries and reasons is a not a bad little whisky. Notes of grass and hay are at the forefront, with some marzipan and orange marmalade sweetness, and threads of cinnamon and clove. Yeah, it’s not especially complex, the flavour is a bit muddled, and the palate a little softer that I’d like, but it’s a big step up from many blended whiskies. (Still not as good as that Grouse, though.)

Brasseurs De Montréal Coeur Brisé
(LCBO 224212 – $2.95/341 mL)

Like the whisky above, I went into this beer with low expectations, although not because of the name (which translates to “broken heart”), but because of the style. While I always enjoy a proper Belgian-style framboise, I find that most other raspberry-flavoured beers tend to be sickly sweet and/or artificial tasting, and are often made using a base beer that is pretty mediocre to start with. Coeur Brisé, however, seems to be based on a well made golden ale, and both the aroma and flavour have a very natural and fairly tart raspberry character, with a bit of toasted malt sweetness and a hint of citric hops. The body is full enough to be noticeable, and crisp enough to be refreshing. It’s still not my favourite style, but as far as pale raspberry ales go, this is a pretty damn good one.