Whistler Premium Export Lager is an imported beer from British Columbia in Canada. It has a strong aroma, and a sharp metallic taste. Just as when a country calls itself “Democratic”, it is anything but. Likewise when one labels something as “Premium”, it often is not.

Quite old fashioned bottle and image, the front of the bottle displays a neat mountain scene together with what is presumably the glacier from which the beer is brewed “exclusively with Whistler Glacial Water™”. After tasting it, this is more Peckham Spring than Whistler Glacial.

This lager is very clear and a slight dark colour for most lagers. The head is coarse and dissipates quickly, but the beer is not heavily gassed.

Aroma wise, this is a bit disappointing. There are rather pleasant overtones of honey and citrus, but unfortunately also of wood glue and plastic. It’s as though the brewers have tried too hard to make a premium beer out of inferior ingredients, which may not have been entirely their fault.

Initially when you taste this beer, you get the hints of honey and apple on the front of your tongue. This then quickly is overpowered by a flat metallic taste which quickly turns into a bitter lingering aftertaste. This is not a promising beer, and one which I would not buy again. It has more body than the Bluetongue premium lager but has an equally disappointing aftertaste and flavour.

To me, a premium lager has a crisp, clean body with a dance of subtle flavours and aromas. Sadly, Whistler Premium Export Lager has none of these qualities, and is best left on the shelf.