Caribou Crossing lays claim to being the world’s first single barrel Canadian whiskey. In addition to being a single barrel, its packaging shares many similarities with Sazerac’s Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon in that each bottle is bottled by hand (Caribou at the Old Montreal Distillery), and similar to Blanton’s brown bag, each bottle of Caribou is packaged in a blue pouch. Additionally each bottle is adorned with a caribou topper and sealed with blue wax.

The nose greets with sweet smells of caramel, marshmallow, corn, and light oak. The palate much like the nose is light in intensity. Light vanilla and caramel dominate with the faintest hint of grain in the background. The finish is on the short side, with vanilla, oak, and a hint of melted marshmallow pulling through.

Caribou Crossing surprised me in how light and airy of a sip it delivered. Its low proof allows it to be an easy sipper, albeit one that I wish had more depth to it. While this is one of the more easy to sip Canadian whiskeys I’ve had, I would really like to see what this expression could deliver if it came bottled 10-20 proof points higher.

‍The sample used for this review is from a production bottle and was provided at no cost courtesy of Sazerac. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.