Forty Creek Barrel Select Whisky

The bottle is nearly done, and I quickly need to capture the tasting notes for this Forty Creek Barrel Select Canadian whisky. I bought it in Canada during my July trip, and there is barely enough left for a tasting.

I was amazed while strolling through liquor stores in Vancouver that they had bottle sized up to 1.5 L readily available. Not something you find easily in SA. Also smaller sizes, such as the one I managed to bring home at 375 ml.<

Before I left for my trip, I asked the Twitterverse for some recommendations on Canadian whiskey to try. Forty Creek whisky was one of them. I love looking for unique bottles of whisky when we travel.

An unknown brand in SA, Forty Creek is part of the Campari Stable together with Glen Grant and Wild Turkey. In 1992,  John Hall, a winemaker, decided to follow his dreams of becoming a world-class whisky-maker and laid down the first stocks of Forty Creek in Grimsby, Ontario.

They started with Forty Creek barrel select and Forty Creek Three Grain and in 2007 released the first of the limited Edition Forty Creek Special Reserves. The Forty Creek Barrel Select is the entry level whisky in the stable and was not too expensive (for this South African converting from ZAR).

Forty Creek Barrel Select is a blended Canadian whisky; made with rye, barley and corn. Each grain is fermented, distilled, and aged separately. The various grain whiskies are aged independently in seasoned ex-Bourbon barrels and new American white oak barrels. Vintage sherry casks are used to finish off the whisky after it is blended.

Also Read: Crown Royal Deluxe whisky

Forty Creek Barrel Select WhiskyReview

COUNTRY: Canada

ABV: 40%

COLOUR: Rich Gold

NOSE: Rich sherry, honey, slightly sweet and fruity balanced with oaky spices, cinnamon, bits of wood and hints of florals.

PALATE: Ripe summer fruits, cinnamon, vanilla, pepper, honey, a malty richness with hints of bitter orange and ginger. Light and medium-bodied. I added only a drop of water to release more spicy notes. Easy drinking

FINISH: Medium length, warm and rewarding with lemon pepper.

RATING: EXCELLENT<

What a great dram. It was my favourite (affordable) whisky in Vancouver, and I wish we could get it here in SA. I enjoyed it more than the JP Wiser Deluxe.

The Forty Creek Barrel Select was smoother and richer compared the Deluxe. Have you tried anything else from the Forty Creek stable?

Also Read: Dewars White Label Whisky