Designed in all ways — from the name to the bottle to what’s inside — Snake River Stampede Canadian Whisky is a frontier-styled cowboy whiskey through and through. Aged eight years, though, this ain’t saloon rotgut but rather a surprisingly erudite whiskey that would be at home in a high-class bar as it would on the range.

A brassy gold color, this 80-proof spirit hails from Indio Spirits in Oregon (another Canadian whisky that’s primarily produced in the U.S. but named, oddly enough, after a real event that takes place not across the border but in Idaho) — stay tuned later this week for reviews of Indio’s artisan vodka line. As mentioned, it’s aged eight years, which puts a nice mellow caramel and honey touch atop the traditional rye notes in the bottle. The expected, racy rye spice, however, is considerably muted, which is a touch of a letdown.

The lightish flavors of Snake River ultimately give way to an alcoholic finish that feels a lot tougher than the 80 proof in the bottle. It fades quickly, but it’s a midly disappointing way to finish off what is otherwise a pretty solid whiskey at a very good price.

80 proof.

B+ / $27

Snake River Stampede Canadian Whisky

$27

8.5

Rating

8.5/10