Glen Breton 14yo Canadian Single Malt review, +a Stalk & Barrel by fiat

T-Day approaches, so let's try out some whisky from our neighbors up north to see if it's worth buying before a 25% price hike hits the importers (maybe). Today I return to Glen Breton, which was very interesting - which isn't to say "good" - back when I poured the old 10yo for a tasting a good decade and change ago. But now it's the 14 year old, and it's... fine? And then, to keep myself from having to do nothing but search for details that aren't there, I reach into my archives for some competition:
Glen Breton 14 Year Old Canadian Single Malt Whisky (Glenora Distillery, Glenville, Nova Scotia; bottled circa 2019 probably; 43% ABV), 83/100
Stalk & Barrel Handmade Single Malt Whisky, Cask No. 2 (Still Waters Distillery, Concord, Ontario; circa three years old, bottled circa 2016-7; 61.3% ABV), 84/100
The bad news is, either one of these is going to set your heart on fire. The Glen Breton, aside from a weird marker/cardboard note in the texture, is (once again)... fine. It's sort of a Balblair/Glenfiddich kind of thing, honeyed and fruity and porridgey and lightly floral and smooooth. I can't really say that much bad about it but's also not one I'm likely to remember in two weeks. The Stalk & Barrel from Still Waters is kind of raw and herbaceous (and it doesn't like water much) by contrast, but it's also more interesting. I wouldn't pay list pricing for these and I definitely wouldn't pay tariff'd pricing, but if you like malts that are a little grain-driven and different it's worth a look.
Extra special thanks to my Different Spirits on Patreon ( / differentspirits ) -
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[@jasoncoates1835]

What I find most confusing about this particular subject is that the venn diagram of "those who believe corporate taxes are stupid because all taxes are ultimately passed to the consumer" and "those who believe tariffs are good common-sense policy" is basically a bullseye.

[@differentspirits4157]

@@jasoncoates1835 Well, I don't know about that, but I suppose the debate has now been rendered moot because I guess we're going to annex Canada rather than tax its imports. 🤷

[@jasoncoates1835]

@@differentspirits4157 I mean, that's one solution. I expect it will go very smoothly.