Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve

Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve 40% ABV. Bottled in Canada. No age listed, minimum is 3 years. Forty Creek brand owned by Campari group. Aged in white oak and finished in ex-bourbon barrels. Aroma: maple/vanilla sweetness, minor oak/char Taste: light to medium maple/vanilla/caramel sweetness, minor to some barrel in back end. Minor astringency, some odd/indiscernible notes. Cost: 47.99 + tax for a 750ml bottle, it is not bad but definitely not worth the price. Grade: C+

I tasted this Canadian whisky neat at 40%abv in the evening. It is chill-filtered with artificial colour. Vanilla, caramel brulée, dark cherry, and honey scents from the barrel aging. The taste matches it with a little bit of walnut that appears in the near absence of ETOH burn. It's a very easy sipper in exchange for having very little in the way of complexity. Short finish with a faint caramel and spice.

Slightly fruity, sugary nose with hints of maple and vanilla. The palate is well balanced with a tart caramel apple, late spice kick and an herbal backbone. Other notes of sweet vanilla birthday cake, anise, and baking spice rounds out the palate. The finish is the draw of this bottle lingering on the the tongue and in the gums and cheeks with a sweet heat and mellow campfire undertone.

I was looking for a Canadian whisky that is mellow and smooth that can be enjoyed neat. I think that this Double Barrel Reserve fits the bill. With the price of Single Malt Scotch starting in the $100 range here in Ontario, I was desperate to find a substitute that I enjoy. This is a great value at under $40.

Aromas of pecan, toffee, vanilla, hazelnut, and barrel char. Silky and lightly oily in the mouth. Palate shows more pecan, vanilla, and hazelnut – plus salted caramel, and on the finish, some rye character (pepper, dry grass). Smooth finish with very nice length. 3.50/5.00 – Impressive (neat)

This was actually drinkable, not terrible neat but not particularly impressive either. The quality-price ratio is not so bad, specially if you can drink it neat or on ice. For mixing, it would be a waste of money. It wasn’t interesting enough for me to sip it so, I’d pass next time.