Forty Creek Barrel Select

Nose: Sweet and peppery oak wood steeped in table syrup and a medley of spices (Paprika, cinnamon, ginger, a healthy dose of black pepper and some chilli flakes), a hint of maple, some deep and slightly sweet nuttiness (chestnuts), a hint of candied apricot as well as apricot marmalade, some sweet tea with a touch of lemon, fresh caramel, some molasses and slight cola notes, a hint of a sherry/red vermouth note (sweet fortified wine), vanilla, some floral eau de cologne, some nice sweet Canadian rye with subtle mint overtones, some earthiness and tobacco, cherry green apple and strawberry hard candies Palate: Brown sugar, some nuttiness (chestnut), sweet tea, sweet rye grain, an apricot and peach medley, plenty of fresh grain, subtle toffee, some dark cocoa in the background, a ripe plum note, raisin bread, oak sweetness and wood sugar with corn graininess, a hint of candied lemon peel Finish: Underripe red apple/red apple skins, peach, oak spice, oak bitterness, oak sweetness, a hint of candied apricot, some rye grain, a little hoppiness, a hint of caramel

Here goes another “Christmas of 2017 50ml Plastic Bottle Stocking Stuffer.” Rolls off the tongue. Unfortunately this whisky does not. It coats the tongue like a shrunken turtleneck of undesirable flavor. The nose smells like something you’d cook with, but not want to taste alone. Corn starch. Possibly a scented bath wash. Only whisky scent I get here would be sugar, but a syrupy version. Like pure simple syrup. Body is what the nose suggests. I genuinely feel like I’m previewing a step in making whisky, not the finished product. So thick, so buttery, so syrupy sweet. It’s terrible. I’ve genuinely had better white dog. Finish carries off a melted butter flavor. This is so bad. Why is the average rating so high? Not speaking rhetorically here, I really want someone to educate me. I don’t know a ton about Canadian Whisky, so I may just be ignorantly dumping on the holy beaver of whiskies right now. Best in show. You do you, Canada. Not for this guy.

I've heard a lot about this one from a few friends that this is their go-to, cheap rye. We think their name may have come from some poor chap who drank a forty of this juice and then passed out in a creek. But i digress... Nose is classic Canadian profiles. Maple, grain, vanilla, and a touch of acetone. Reminds me a lot of CC. Palate is quite pleasant if a little unbalanced. Surprisingly less watery mouthfeel than would indicate in the glass. Maple, grain, vanilla and oak. Very much telegraphed by the nose. A definite step up from CC here though. Finish is a brief burst of oak and fruits, but disappears faster than an Irishman's paycheck at happy hour. That's fine though as this is really just made for cocktails or on the rocks.

To start with I like Forty Creek Barrel Select it is an easy-drinking and smooth Canadian whiskey. It is affordable at around $20 a bottle and it mixes well with coke and such. The in the glass I like the darker color. On the nose however it has too much ethanol for my liking. The body is a very typical Canadian whiskey in that it is fairly thin but I do taste some wood notes and a little vanilla sweetness. The finish is somewhat dry but not bad. This mixes well with most things but it is thin. Overall I believe this is a good value but it is not good for me as Rich and Rare Reserve and it is more expensive in my area. While not bad it is not a game-changer. Enjoy.

I like the look of the bottle, but that’s about it. The nose wasn’t desirable. I felt like I couldn’t get off a vanilla extract note. When I gave it time I could pick-up other sweet notes but it was tough beyond the Vanilla Extract. I got some caramel sweetness on the palette, but it was thin and vanished quickly. The finish was smooth, but I did get a longer aftertaste that wasn’t enjoyable. The kind of aftertaste that you need to get rid of because you don’t want it to stay. Overall, it isn’t for me. But if someone is just entering into Whiskey drinking this is a mellow pour that is more welcoming than most. 2/10

Forty Creek Barrel Select, 40% abv. Bottled in Canada, no age statement, minimum 3 years. Aroma is indiscernible sweetness yet complex. Taste: strong maple sweetness, vanilla, minor spice and astringency. Typical Canadian taste that passes as it breaths and gets less sweet. As it breaths it improves with sherry notes and some very minor oak shows up. This was an older bottle that had been sitting on the shelf for some years, willing to revisit this one. Cost me 19.99 plus tax for a 750 ml. Grade: C+/B-