Lot 40 Canadian Rye Whiskey 2012 Release

Lot 40 Canadian Rye Whiskey 2012 Release is a 750mL Canadian whisky bottled at 43% ABV (86 proof) — and one of the rare North American whiskies made entirely from rye. The mash is 100% rye (90% unmalted, 10% malted), distilled in small batches in a single 12,000-litre copper pot still at the Hiram Walker distillery in Windsor, Ontario, then aged in new charred oak. This 2012 bottling is the revival release of a recipe handed down seven generations. Order it online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.

• ABV: 43% (86 proof)
• Size: 750mL
• Mash bill: 100% rye — 90% unmalted rye, 10% malted rye
• Distillation: Small-batch, single copper pot still (12,000 L)
• Aging: New charred oak barrels
• Distillery: Hiram Walker & Sons, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
• Release: 2012 revival bottling

A Seven-Generation Rye Recipe

Lot 40 takes its name from the farm lot near Millhaven, Ontario, where Joshua Booth distilled at the end of the 18th century. His recipe passed down seven generations until his descendant D. Michael Booth re-created the whisky in the 1990s as a tribute; after a discontinuation, Corby revived it again with this 2012 release, made at Hiram Walker in Windsor. Almost everything about it runs against modern Canadian practice: an all-rye mash where most Canadian whisky uses rye as a minority flavouring grain, and a single pass through a traditional copper pot still — a method closer to Scotch than to the column stills of North America — which keeps the rye's oils and weight in the spirit. Browse the brand on the Lot 40 vendor page.

Tasting Notes

Rye bread and pepper open the nose, with soft spice, vanilla, citrus and ripe orchard fruit. The palate is generous and mouth-coating — rye spice and dark fruit over vanilla and toffee, with floral notes — and the finish is long and warming, peppery rye softening into vanilla sweetness and citrus zest.

How to Enjoy

Pour it neat first — the 2012 release's aroma is the headline — then try it over a large cube or in a Manhattan, where a 100% rye backbone is exactly what the cocktail was built on. More rye and Canadian whiskies are in our whiskey collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Lot 40 really 100% rye?
Yes — the mash is entirely rye: 90% unmalted rye and 10% malted rye, which is rare for any North American whisky and almost unheard of in Canadian whisky.

What is the 2012 Release?
The bottling that revived Lot 40 in 2012 after an earlier discontinuation, made to the Booth family recipe at Hiram Walker in Windsor, Ontario. Later releases are bottled under the same name but are separate editions.

How is Lot 40 distilled?
In small batches in a single 12,000-litre copper pot still — pot distillation rather than the column stills typical of Canadian whisky — then aged in new charred oak.

The all-rye Canadian that drinks like a pot-still classic — order Lot 40 2012 Release online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.