Back in 2013 I took place in the Canadian whisky tweet tasting with Davin D.K and Johanne, and i am pretty sure we tasted this whisky too. unfortunately I did not keep notes when I originally tasted it, but was sent another sample by those two Canadian stars (not sure which, as its all a mess, and I did not keep the bottle). So just in time for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot , here’s my take on this whisky.
Basically you’d have a hard time getting this whisky outside Canada, as is the situation with other CA whiskies. As it seems, the Port itself used to mature the whisky is made locally from grapes grown in the Niagara area, aged for 10 years, and then after being decanted, the barrels are used to age the whisky itself or rather its components which are aged independently and then married together after two years in the port casks to create one harmonious whisky (or so we hope).
Forty Creek Port Wood Reserve 45%, OB 2012, 6600 btl, 
Nose: Red berries, dried fruit (fig,date and sultana) creamy vanilla and toffee as well as ripe oranges.
Palate: Creamier and sweeter than the nose, with a lot of butterscotch spices and dough. Berries and a lot of wine influence relics. Tannins. Port wine. Bitter chocolate filed with strawberry jam.
Finish: pepper. Bitter wood. Grape peel. Spice
A very nice whisky, with a brilliant nose, and lovely mouth feel. if you’ve got a sweet tooth you are going to like this one. A nice sipping whisky after a good meal methinks, quite a lot of wine influence going on.
Score: 83/100
Happy Holidays!
This one is long gone. There have been 2 more special releases since then, both, in my opinion more complex and interesting. This year’s Evolution is partly matured in wine casks (and there is some redistillation after 3 years), and has a heavy wine influence. Last year’s Heart of Gold is phenomenal. For a bold flavour lover, this one is light but complex.
I wonder if it’s permitted to bring samples when I come to Israel…
Of course you can 😉