Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve… what are you all about? Looking at this bottle and thinking about all the other Canadian whiskies I’ve had, including all of the other Forty Creeks I’ve had, I’m not too excited. It’s not that Canadian whisky is bad whisky, it’s just not my style of whisky. For me it’s not a style of whisky that can smooth out the wrinkles after a long day… but you never know.
The world of whisky is filled with surprises and things you don’t expect to like you end up loving and things you think you should enjoy you end up hating. It’s a topsy turvy world of flavors, aromas and sensory receptors and this bottle of Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve has entered the fray. To make this offering Forty Creek Whisky maker John Hall took is traditional “Meritage” (mixed aged corn, rye and malt whiskies) and further aged the mixture in first-fill bourbon barrels. Sounds interesting, lets dig in.
Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve Info
Distiller: Forty Creek
Mashbill: Rye Whisky + Barley Whisky + Corn Whisky
Cask: ex-Bourbon Barrels & Canadian Oak Barrels
Age: NAS
ABV: 40%
Lot: 255
Bottle: 00675
Price: $60
Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve Review
EYE
Dark honey
NOSE
Butterscotch, toffee, chocolate, rice crisps, toasted grains, brown sugar and a light malty sweetness. It’s not bad at all, it’s just quite sweet. The grain notes help pull it back from the brink a bit, but doesn’t fully balance it out.
PALATE
Toasted grains, butterscotch, light caramel, touch of spice and light notes of licorice, raw grain, citrus peels and nutmeg. Like the nose it’s heavily sweet with just enough grain and citrus to keep it from being one-noted.
FINISH
Short caramel, butterscotch, maple syrup and grain.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not fully balanced due to the sweetness, medium body with a light feel.
OVERALL
Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve is among the better Canadian whiskies I’ve tried. It still has that intense butterscotch note across the nose and palate that I often find overwhelming, but here it’s tempered a bit on the palate by the grain, spice and citrus notes.
If it were’n’t for those notes it would be a lot harder to get through. Thanks to them the Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve has joined the Copper Pot Reserve as a Canadian Whisky I can sip on every now and then. Though no where near being a daily drinker.
SCORE: 84/100 (B)
*Disclosure: This sample of Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
