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Forty Creek Barrel Select Whisky
There are very few independent Canadian whisky distillers left, but Forty Creek is one of them, and a good one at that. The Forty Creek distillery is located between Toronto and Niagara Falls, Ontario. It is operated by John Hall who has been a wine producer for over 20 years, and to scratch an itch, he began making whisky in the early 1990's. When he started to think about making a whisky, he looked at it from the knowledge he already had and that was making wine. Mr. Hall likes to state that he follows tradition, but is not bound to it, which is great because it makes for a quality product.
Forty Creek Barrel Select whisky is unique because of the way it is produced. First, there is no mash bill for the grains. The whisky is made by fermenting and distilling each grain (rye, barley and corn) individually. So basically there are three single grain whiskies that are barrelled and aged. The distillation step takes place in copper pot stills, which retains more flavour than the common column still. This is very unique in the Canadian whisky world since the column still pretty much domiantes. After distillation, the spirit is placed in oak barrels to age. John Hall best describes his method for aging the distinct distillates:
"For the rye, I use a light toasted American White oak barrel in order to preserve the fruitiness and spiciness of the rye. For the barley, a slightly more aggressive spirit, I use a medium toasted barrel to provide smoothness and to bring out the nuttiness of the spirit. Lastly, the corn, although it is an aggressive spirit, can bring a great deal of weight to a whisky. Corn needs to be aged in a heavy charred barrel to smooth the whisky (that's why all vodka is charcoal filtered to smooth the vodka out)."
After aging, each individual whisky barrel is tasted and noted. The whiskies are then blended to create the proper taste profile and then the blended whisky is aged another six months in used sherry casks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Quiet to start with subtle floral hints and a slight sweetness. After a few minutes this whisky really opens up. Nose of dark fruits like plums and a sweetness that's hard to place. Very nice though. Very smooth.
Palette: Smooth start, with a fruitiness and a subtle attack from the wood and spice. Nice clean finish with a slight bite. Great balance between sweetness.
With Water: A splash of water opens up the nose and showcases the Canadian vanilla and toffee nose. The floral hints are still present, but only in the background. The addition of water makes for an exceptionally smooth drink. The attack from the wood and spicy notes disappears, but the finish is still present and lingers gently for a few minutes.
Compared to Crown Royal:
Forty Creek is sweeter than Crown, and that is probably from the aging of some of the whiskies in used Port / Sherry barrels. Barrel Select is very smooth and easily competes with Crown Royal on the flavour side of things, and in some cases surpasses Crown Royal.
At the new restaurant / bar, Mint, I have selected Forty Creek Barrel Select as our house Canadian whisky. The reason for this is that when you think how a whisky should be made Mr. Hall gets it right. He takes the time to do it properly, he doesn't use the cheapest methods or the fastest to market methods. These little things impress me, but most of all this is a great whisky. If you get an opportunity to pick up a bottle I highly recommend you do, you won't be disappointed.
I look forward to the time when new products are released by Forty Creek. In the rumor mill the is word that a whisky aged in used Port barrels is in the works, and I've also heard that there is a possibility of a 100% rye whisky being released. The rye rumor is the least reliable, so take it with a grain of salt.
513 Comments on Forty Creek Barrel Select Whisky
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Thanks for the continuing whisky reviews, Darcy! I've been looking forward to hearing your review of this whisky for a while.
I'll have to see if I can't fit it into the budget in the near future.
Nice to see some recognition for this whisky. It, and it's former brother, 3 Grain, have been my favourite ryes for a few years now, although I don't know if 3 Grain is still in production.
Kudos to Mint for stocking Barrel Select.
I just returned from vacation in my little cabin I own on the Canadian side of Rainy Lake in Minnesota just out of Fort Frances, Ont. Do you know if Forty Creek is distributed in the States? I live in Connecticut and loved this whiskey...in a Manhattan or just to sip on.
Thank! Heidi Anderson
How would you compare Forty Creek to Wisers? I've always found Wisers to be the best Canadian whisky available in the US. (Far better than Crown or CC...)
I notice Wisers mentioned on this year old product website. I bought a bottle of their 18 year old variety recently, and am puzzled by it. Frankly, it's lousy. No whiskey smell, tastes strongly similar to raw alcohol. Just plain bad in my opinion. Is this normal or did I just get a bad bottle? I'm a bit of a whiskey / bourbon fan, so I'm familiar with quite a few brands.
These days, this whisky is the best in Canada. And right now you can pre-order a special selected 1oth anniverary bottling.
(I tried it at the Spirit of Toronto, and it was outstanding, It's he closest N.American whisky to Scotch yet.
http://www.fortycreekwhisky.com/whatsnew/fcsbr_intro.asp
the absolute best wisky i have ever tasted!recommend tasting the small batch that john released.
Hi: I watched a Sleeman's TV Show on Sunday Feb 17/08. John Hall was on with some great recipes for the barbeque with Forty Creek Whiskey in them and also talked about fruit in a jar with vodka. I would like to have all the recipes from that show if possible. Thank-you
100% rye whisky from Forty Creek is not a rumor. I drink nothing but Barrel Select and when I visited my Candian inlaws, they thought they would surprise me and buy some. To their surpise (and mine) it was NOT barrel select but 100% rye whiskey from Forty Creek. I enjoyed every ounce!
Purchased in a Western Spirits liquor store in The Village on Pigeon Lake, AB, Canada. http://www.villageatpigeonlake.com/Western-Spirits--
Im havin a drink of forty creek whiskey right now, it goes down so smooth, definetely one of the best whiskeys out there...
This is a nice little drink ans superior to any of the Canadian 'rye' whiskeys. Whisky without barley is not whisky at all, its bourbon.
Since my first taste of Forty Creek, I have purchased nothing else... Honestly there is nothing else that comes close , NOTHING !! Everyone that I have told about Forty Creek, have changed their brand.... There are far to many times one size or the other are sold out at the liqour stores around town.... Mr. John Hall , and your employees , I Thank You ALL..... Mister HALL and Forty Creek Distillery's will go down as bringing about the most phenominal change in Canadian Whiskey making History.... You are keeping Sudbury WARM on COLD WINTER NIGHT's ........ Seriously, This is the smoothest whiskey I have ever tasted in my 61 yrs. ........... BRAVO , my new found friend's..........
Darcy, I'm not sure if you've had a chance to taste it yet, but Forty Creek just released their "Port Wood Reserve" and it's nothing short of fantastic. I tasted it this weekend at Whisky Live, and had to grab a bottle for home. Did a brief writeup about it at:
http://cocktailsandcordials.com/2009/10/25/spotlight-forty-creek-whisky-port-wood-reserve/