Forty Creek Double Barrel vs Confederation

[Yello to Mello]

I have been meaning to compare these 2 for a while. I bought the Confederation reserve upon release and the last time I had the Double Barrel was well over a year ago. I have many small sample bottles of the DB free when I got my usual bottles of the Barrel Select. The Confederation Reserve is prices $10 more than the DB at $70CAD.

Nose: Very big difference here. The Confederation has a soft balanced wood with some mild citrus, pickle juice, as well as a few darker fruits. The Double Barrel is sharper, spicier and bolder. A type of marinating sauce and a sweeter note has lemon tarts and butterscotch.

Palate: Confederation has mild spices and a big oak that is not overwhelming. I cant put my finger on what the sweetness is, some type of fruit. Also potato chips. Double Barrel has a similar vanilla that the Barrel Select has, them comes the rush of bourbony spices. A custard creaminess comes through as well.

Finish. The Double Barrel seems longer with spices. Confederation is medium long, milder with toasted oak.

After I made notes on the nose of the Double Barrel, I was sometimes offended by the sour notes in it. Perhaps having the Confederation after has something to do with it. Its not not a bad thing...sometimes it turns to lemon zest and sometimes oranges.

I barely remember the DB being like this but I trust my nose more that I did 2 years ago. Compared to the Barrel Select the DB seems very unique.

I am favouring the Confederation tonight. I was liking the wood notes. At times its freshly cut lumber, other times its wet campfire, then sometimes its a big soft oak that many older whiskies have dominant.

If you want to know about prices to tastes, yes I am willing to pay $10 more for the Confederation. It really showed me its complexity tonight.

[Megawatt]

Thanks for posting your notes. I am quite familiar with Double Barrel and curious to try Confederation Oak. Maybe I can persuade someone to trade some Cask 16 with me.

[Megawatt]

If you're interested, here are my notes on Double Barrel Reserve from a while back.

Nose

Fruity and brandy-like. Dried fruit. Cigar box. Leather. Toasted walnut. A different sort of whisky. It has some bourbon-like notes but is more reminiscent of brandy. I had attributed the brandy aromas in Barrel Select to the sherry cask finish but apparently it is a characteristic of the spirit.
Nosed from the bottle, it is fruity and chocolatey like a Big Turk bar. Very enticing.

Taste

Buttery and balanced, showing rye and corn in equal proportions. Warm vanilla flavours. Subtle, neither bitter nor sweet. Fruit flavours at the back of the mouth. Takes time to tease out all the flavours.

Body

Medium-light. Exceedingly smooth.

Finish

Lingers on fruit notes but is a tad sour.

Impressions

Very impressive, expressive whisky, for all its subtlety. Sets itself apart immediately with its aroma and charts its own course with the flavour.

[dbk]

Nice comparison, Y2M. I also found it fruitful to sit down and compare the Double Barrel to the Confederation Oak, alongside the Barrel Select and Three Grain expressions. It was interesting to identify aspects of the "house" character—a buttery nose, for instance—as well as each expression's unique features. Initially, I found the Confederation Oak to be slightly more enjoyable than the Double Barrel, and with time I think that gap has grown. The grassy notes on the nose of the Double Barrel, for instance, have become more noticeable over time and, frankly, and less enjoyable whereas I have found little not to love about the Confederation Oak. They're both fantastic whiskies, but for $10 more I'd happily go with the Confederation Oak.

[Yello to Mello]

The grassy notes on the nose of the Double Barrel, for instance, have become more noticeable over time and, frankly, and less enjoyable.

Thats what I noticed about the DB but I thought it was just next to the Confederation that the grassy notes jump out. By itself I wouldnt think it would be a problem.

[dbk]

The grassy notes on the nose of the Double Barrel, for instance, have become more noticeable over time and, frankly, and less enjoyable.

Thats what I noticed about the DB but I thought it was just next to the Confederation that the grassy notes jump out. By itself I wouldnt think it would be a problem.

It's possible my nose has simply become more sensitive over time, and the contrast to the Confederation Oak has had little to do with that, but in any case, the grassiness of the DB is definitely noticeable on its own these days.