Lot 40 Dark Oak: Dancing in the Dark

When Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was published in 1818, it spawned burial crazes such as safety coffins with feeding tubes, escape hatches and bells in case someone had been buried alive. Mercifully, this dark craze had long disappeared by the late 1990s when the original Lot No. 40 met its demise. But there was no need to tie a bell to this whisky, we thought. It was done.

Nevertheless, a decade later, a team of blenders at the Hiram Walker distillery set out to revive it. And as everyone knows, if you’re going to reanimate something, you need two things – a doctor and some new parts. That’s precisely what happed at the Hiram Walker Distillery. Just as Don Livermore was hanging his doctorate on his office wall, Lot No. 40 began to stir.

Photo Credit: Dave Mitton

Rather than maturing pot distilled rye and rye malt in used bourbon barrels, as in the original, he aged unmalted rye spirit in new number 2 charred American oak barrels. “I had found in the PhD studies that Number 2 char will have slightly more wood extracts such as vanilla, caramel and toffee notes than a Number 4 char,” recalls Livermore. “The thought was to balance the nice spicy rye character with the sweeter notes of a number 2 char barrel.”

The new Lot No. 40 was a Canadian hit and soon more Lot No. 40 expressions arrived, including three, annual limited-edition cask strength versions. But with dark days upon us, plans for a fourth in 2020 were put on hold. Still, Canadian Whisky fans need not mourn. Hiram Walker’s attentive doctor still makes house calls on his ageing whisky. And from those visits comes an exceptional new Lot No. 40 called Dark Oak. He has finished the standard Lot No. 40 in new American Oak Char #4 barrels.

“The first batch was finished for about 11 months, but in reality, the majority of wood extracts will come to equilibrium in about 90 days,” says Livermore. “We also know that diffusion in cask finished whiskies occurs rather quickly, and number 4 casks with a thicker char will pull out or adsorb more sulfur than a cask with thinner char.”

“Dark Oak is a natural progression for a rye style whisky,” thinks Livermore. “We also increased the strength of alcohol to 48% for Dark Oak line. At higher strengths, woody or grain characteristics will dominate. At lower strengths, fruity and floral notes will start to shine through. Even before we started the concept, we could anticipate what would happen.”

Lot No. 40 Dark Oak is alive with aromatic vanilla, juicy apple, layered balsamic notes and enough oak to build a sturdy bench for the other flavours to rest on. Caramel and oak resins are massive on the palate then the rye spices hit you right in the chest with peppermint, cloves and charred wood pulling ahead on the finish without burying the palate.

Dark Oak also makes a wonderful foundation for whisky forward cocktails. “I didn’t reinvent the wheel here,” says Dave Mitton, Global Brand Ambassador for Corby spirits. “I simply took this stunning whisky, which has loads of oak notes, sweet caramel and menthol, and combined it with flavours that paired well with those.”

Dancing In The Dark

(Dave Mitton)

2 oz. Lot No. 40 Dark Oak

¼ oz Alvear Pedro Ximenez de Añada Sherry

¼ oz Spiced Fig Syrup

2 dashes of Dale DeGroff’s Pimento bitters

Orange zest for garnish

For the Spiced Fig Syrup:

1 dozen dried mission figs, quartered

¼ cup cardamom

1 tbsp whole cloves

1 vanilla bean, split

1 cup demerara sugar

1½ cups of water

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar starts to dissolve and figs begin to soften. Mash figs to incorporate. Once the sugar has dissolved and figs are breaking apart, remove from heat and allow to sit, covered, for 30 minutes. Fine strain into a jar, cover and keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

For the Cocktail:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice so mixing glass is ¾ full and stir about 15 to 18 times. Strain over one large cube of ice in a rocks glass. Then squeeze zest across the drink to release the oils, then use for garnish.

“The spiced fig syrup is made from dried mission figs, resulting in a sweet, spicy and fruity mouth explosion. There’s almost a balsamic like flavour to them compared to fresh figs,” explains Mitton. “They pair naturally with the fragrant flavours of cardamom, which is spicy, minty and citrusy. A little clove and vanilla go along for the ride with this gorgeous expression of rye. Sherry is also a natural companion and this Pedro Ximenez is no exception, with notes of pear, ginger and marzipan. Finished off with Dale Degroff’s Pimento bitters, which felt like a natural fit with all the flavours rolling around in the glass.”

You can read more about the Hiram Walker distillery in Spencer Magazine’s Fall/Winter issue and in our book, The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries.