Forty Creek Founder John Hall
When I began to review spirits in general, and Rum and Canada Whisky in particular, some of the most exciting spirits to taste and review were the whiskies from the Forty Creek Distillery. This was because prior to 2007 the major distilleries which produced almost all the whisky bottled in Canada had very little real competition, and innovation was not a high priority (or at least from my point of view it did not appear so).
John Hall was the genesis of change. He opened the Kittling Ridge Winery & Distillery in 1992. The distillery portion (which would become the Forty Creek Distillery) was the first major distillery to be built in Canada since 1974. and once it was producing whisky, John Hall’s impact on the landscape of Canadian Whisky was profound. And, the release in 2007 of Forty Creek’s first Special Release Limited Edition Whisky made this clear.
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These Limited Edition whiskies became an annual affair. Each one gave the Whisky consumer in Canada a new twist on the Canadian spirit, and, since 2008, I have bought a few bottles of each annual release. My growing collection is a source of great enjoyment, and I look forward with anticipation to each year’s Special Release.
Here are some links to a few of my reviews for some of my favourite Forty Creek Limited Edition Special Releases:
- Forty Creek Portwood Reserve (2009)
- Forty Creek Confederation Oak Reserve Lot 1867
- Forty Creek Founder’s Reserve
- Forty Creek Heritage
- Forty Creek Unity
Chimo!
Seven years ago, I encountered Canadian Rockies 21 Year Old Whisky as a random sample which I was assessing as part of my duties when I served on the jury for the 
Caribou Crossing is what is known as a Single Barrel Whisky. From the company’s inventory of over 200,000 barrels of Canadian whisky, Sazerac’s whisky making team selects what they deem to be some of the very finest barrels. Each of these chosen barrels is bottled individually capturing its unique flavour. This means that each individual bottling offers a unique taste experience for the whisky enthusiast.
I struggled with myself as to whether or not I should include Mister Sam on this list of my favourite Canadian Whiskies. There are two good reasons why it doesn’t belong. The first being that it technically is not a Canadian Whisky. It is instead a blend of Canadian and American Whiskies (although it is named for a great Canadian, Sam Bronfman). The second reason is that it is really hard to find, and a whisky which I purport to call one of my favourites, shouldn’t be one that I have so little access to.
The 18 Year Old Canadian Whisky from J.P. Wiser’s has been on my list of favourites for years. In fact, not too many years ago, if someone would ask me what I thought the best whisky in Canada was, without hesitation I would say Wiser’s 18 Year Old. And you know what, that still might be true, because this is one really great whisky, full of fine oak spice. In fact, it is this fine oak spice that defines the whisky. You see, when a whisky ages or matures in oak, the first couple of years the whisky picks up vanillans and caramels from the barrel pretty easily, but once we get beyond those first few years, the major flavour attribute the barrel gives to the whisky is a fine spiciness that continues to grow the longer the whisky rests within.
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