Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve was launched in the fall of 2008. The whisky was a more premium version of the companies flagship Forty Creek Whisky except that for the Double Barrel Reserve one more step was taken in the maturation process with the final blend set down in first run bourbon barrels for a final period of aging. The release was very successful, and Forty Creek soon made this whisky part of their permanent family.
When the Double Barrel Reserve was first launched I bought a half case and I still have three of those original bottles from the first batch intact as well as one which is opened. I have had occasion to sample bottles from later batches, and to be honest, usually they are a little better than the whisky from the original batch. However, there is something about that first batch which always feels special. It is a treat I enjoy when I indulge myself in a small glass of my diminishing supply.
Here is a link to my most recent review of the Double Barrel:
Review: Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve Canadian Whisky (Lot 263)
Chimo!
Hiram Walker Special Old is one of those whiskies which I have enjoyed for decades. The first time I purchased a bottle was when my family and I had just bought a small rustic cabin at Alberta Beach on Lac St. Anne. The place had no running water or indoor plumbing, just fours with on old cook stove in the kitchen, a fire pit in the back.
Crown Royal Northern Rye took the world by storm when it was introduced in released in 2015. The main reason for this was that World renowned whisky guru, Jim Murray (in one of his most controversial selections) declared the Northen Rye to be thebest whisky in the entire world that year.
Earlier this year, I was hosting a bit of a house warming party as my family and I had finally completed our move to our new home. The move was precipitated by my son’s need for a more wheelchair accessible home and although we hated to leave the original home we built 20 years ago, we were glad to be in our new digs.
The Rum Howler Blog 