Forty Creek Bargain Or Bust?

[MJL]

I was coming home from work the other day and making my rounds of liquor stores on the way home. I passed another little out of the way place and it was closed at 15:00. Well, there is the mañana work ethic of Miami at work for ya. I drove by it again on Monday and it was open so I stepped in. Not much to see in regards to whiskies but on the way out I noted some closeouts on Forty Creek Barrel Select Canadian Whisky. I read up on this around the net, including here and decided to go back to re-check the price. They are closing out this brand for $21.99 for the 1.75 bottle and $11.99 for the 750 bottle. From what I can tell that is a bargain. So, I took home four of the 1.75 bottles for mixer use. I haven't tasted it yet, but from what I have read this makes a great mixer, but like many Canadian Whiskys may not be a great sipping liquor. What should I expect from this stuff? I reckon they have another 6 of the big bottles left. Is that price worthy of another effort to go retrieve the remainder?

[smokinjoe]

It's all opinion, of course, but I purchased a mini of this a year or so ago, and could not finish the small pour I took from it. I thought it was dreadful. Maybe, it's better as a mixer, but the only thing it mixed with for me was the trash at the bottom of my wastebasket, when I threw the rest of the bottle away.

Boy, that sounded harsh.

[MJL]

Well, I just poured some over ice to make a sour. I tried a few blasts before I added the lemon and got some strong vanilla, butterscotch and some sort of citrus in the aftertaste. I like it. It does not have too much nose and is not too complex but I think this was a nice bargain for the price paid. It makes a nice sour too! I wonder how old these bottles are as I see different labels on newer bottles.

[bluesbassdad]

If you care to do an Advanced search for posts with the word "forty" and user "bluesbassdad", six hits will turn up, four of which relate to this bottling.

I hope I was telling the truth; I have no recollection as to how it tasted.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[Megawatt]

If you're accustomed to Scotch and/or bourbon, Canadian whisky will seem very mild by comparison. Just as one accumstomed to Canadian whisky might find bourbon harsh. Give yourself some time to adjust and you should start to get more out of the whisky than is first apparent.

I personally find Barrel Select slightly overrated. It is good, but there are many other Canadian whiskies I prefer.

[MJL]

You just about pegged it. I would not consider this overly complex liquor but it is certainly not gut rot by any standard. I can enjoy spicey, hot whiskeys and I can enjoy sedate laid back drinks like this. I have eclectic tastes and can the see the joy in lots of things.

[MJL]

Here they are. My $21.99 bargains. In the end this is not a bad drink. It is not overly complex but has some nice vanilla flavors and produces a very nice mixed drink. For the price I could not help loading up on these bottles!

[Megawatt]

I'm having a glass of it right now, and I'm taking quite a liking to it. It has quite a different flavour profile than your average Canadian whisky, that's for sure.

Are those 1.75l bottles? In Ontario you get a 750ml for $23.99.

[MJL]

Yes, those are 1.75l bottles. Not bad for $21.99, huh? If I were not pursuing other things I would go back to clear out the remainder.

[Gillman]

I think it is an excellent product and seem to dissent from some in finding complexity. Its flavors IMO derive from the aging of largely unmalted grains, distilled at a not-overly high proof, in reused barrels or barrels that are not heavily charred. It reminds me in this respect of some Irish pure pot stills. Good whisky, good value, but it cuts a swath that is atypical of most North American whiskies.

Gary

[cowdery]

You have to take Canadian Whisky for what it is and it's not bourbon, but as Canadian Whisky goes I think the Forty Creek products are quite good and that was a terrific bargain. I've never even seen it in the 1.75L.

[fishnbowljoe]

I bought a bottle last year. I like it. I started out on Canadian whiskies many years ago, before finally "graduating" to bourbon. My favorites were Canadian Club and Crown Royal. I liked sweet and smooth. Now after getting into bourbon, my old favorites are almost too sweet for me. I still keep a bottle of Crown on hand though. IMHO Forty Creek is not as sweet, and has a lot more flavor. A decent whiskey, at a decent price. It usually goes for $17-$18 for a 750 ml around here. Joe

[Megawatt]

I'm having another glass of Barrel Select now. Though I like it, I think I agree with Jim Murray when he said that greater balance is needed by reducing the sherry input. The reason it has more flavour than Crown is that it tastes so heavily of wine. Maybe it loses some of its more subtle elements because of this, but bourbon drinkers aren't really looking for subtlety, after all. Overall I think I prefer Crown Royal but Barrel Select is nice for something different.

[callmeox]

My boss and the motorcycle guys that he runs with were all Crown drinkers for years. I passed along a flask of Forty Creek last Spring on a whim for him to try and he's gone totally nuts over it. He's burned through a number of cases of it since then by either giving it away after taking a bottle to a shindig or gifting it outright. He's converting a bunch of Crown drinkers one by one.

I can count 3 others at work who were Crown drinkers and now are all over Forty Creek even though it is tough to come by here in Ohio.

They are all happy that Binny's ships here. :cool:

[Martian]

Murray gives Forty Creek Barrel Select 84 points. A big surprise for him was Windsor. He gives it 91 points. I tend to agree with Murray. Windsor is my favorite inexpensive Canadian, and I think it's better than Forty Creek and less expensive.

[Megawatt]

Murray also gives 94 points to Special Old, which I thought was fairly horrible. But then he has an admiration for uncompromising rye flavour, which also explains his infatuation with Alberta Premium. Like I said, I agree with him about Barrel Select; tone down the sherry flavour to achieve better balance. Having said that, I'm going to pour myself some Barrel Select

[smokinjoe]

It's all opinion, of course, but I purchased a mini of this a year or so ago, and could not finish the small pour I took from it. I thought it was dreadful. Maybe, it's better as a mixer, but the only thing it mixed with for me was the trash at the bottom of my wastebasket, when I threw the rest of the bottle away.

Boy, that sounded harsh.

OK...OK...I can admit when I'm wrong. But, I really didn't like my first shot at this one. But, I have a 1L bottle that was gifted to me, that I've been tippin' into over the last couple of weeks. I admit, I pulled a pretty good "fake smile" when my neighbor gave it to me. I was thinking about my experience I detailed in my previous post. Sooooo, I keep waiting for it to disappoint me, like the mini did. But, I have actually been enjoying it. Believe me, I've been trying not to like it. I just can't help myself. Tonight, it's very nice buttered popcorn and caramel. I can dig it. This is damn fine whisky. Forty Creek is welcome in my bar at any time, and I would proudly pour it to anyone. So, I humbly retract my previous, and sour, opinion. :blush:

[gordymohr]

As Ive stated on another thread, I couldnt recommend this to anyone. So its cheap in price, Id rather save up for a nicer whiskey. Its got its share of hype and so I was obliged to give it a try. Now I know, its not for me. I recommend Gibsons.

nasdrovya

Gord

[MikeK]

A had a small pour of this at a tasting years ago and quite liked it. So I bought a bottle. For me, it turned out to be one of those things that is nice in small quantities, but I cannot drink a glass of it. It is very sweet and syrupy to me, I am dying to know what in the process resulted in that.

I did however find an outstanding use for the rest of my bottle. It is truely amazing at pulling the wood out of a too-old whiskey. I mixed it with several vintage bourbons that I thought had far too much age on them. It knocked down the excess wood and gave them some youth.

[chperry]

Forty Creek is one of my favorite Canadian Whiskeys. At the price you found, I would definitely buy a few of the 1.75 bottles. I think it is a good whiskey for what it is, a Canadian Whiskey. It is not a Bourbon, it is not a Scotch. I enjoy all of those styles (along with Irish and Tennessee). Basically I like whiskey. I prefer Forty Creek to Crown Royal but everyone has different tastes.

[Megawatt]

Forty Creek is one of my favorite Canadian Whiskeys. At the price you found, I would definitely buy a few of the 1.75 bottles. I think it is a good whiskey for what it is, a Canadian Whiskey. It is not a Bourbon, it is not a Scotch. I enjoy all of those styles (along with Irish and Tennessee). Basically I like whiskey. I prefer Forty Creek to Crown Royal but everyone has different tastes.

This stuff makes an interesting rye-and-ginger, as I'm just finding out. The flavour of the whisky really stands out.