Canadian Classic 12 Year and Sherry Cask

I compare two blended whiskeys in the Canadian Club line tonight:  Classic 12 Year and Sherry Cask.

The Classic 12 Year is 80 proof and, guess what, aged 12 years.  The bottle label says it's "made from our finest aged stock of carefully selected barrel blended whiskeys" with notes of vanilla and spice.

I didn't care for it.  The whiskey tasted astringent and mediciney.  One reviewer could detect rye notes in it, and another one agreed with me on the medicinal flavors, but he liked it.  I could maybe get the spice notes.  This might work as a mixer, but I wouldn't reach for it as a sipping whiskey.

I liked the Sherry Cask better, which Canadian Club bills as their top of the line.  This is 82.6 proof (I've never seen a fractional proof before) and "double matured": first in white oak for at least 8 years, and then in Spanish wood sherry casks.  Each bottle has the batch number written on it, apparently by a kindergartener.

Some sherry notes came through from this, but they weren't overwhelming.  One review says it's too sweet for the reviewer.  He obviously hasn't tried Pendleton.  This isn't a bad sipping Canadian, but I'd reach for the Pendleton first.