Forty Creek Barrel Select

[Yello to Mello]

I must say it is the best Canadian whiskies that I have ever tasted and I rank it above Teachers as the best tasting inexpensive whisky. It is the only Canadian whisky that I have in my cupboard.

It seems these days its marketing has a tag around the bottles neck displaying Michael jackson's scores of it compared to various other known Canadian whiskies such as crown royal, crown royal special reserve, canadian club. MJ gave it 8.5 while the other top scores are 7.75, 7.5, 7, 7 etc.

The Forty Creek ouble Barrel is out but costs $60 and I am hesitent to spend that much on a Canadian whisky. I dodnt go to WL toronto so I didnt try it. I hope Musky or someone else posts their notes for that one.

[Frodo]

My recommendation would be to try some of the whiskies that are challanging Crown Royal for the $30 (cdn) price point.

- Canadain Club 12yr
- Wiser's Small Batch
- Century Reserve 15yr.

I don't happen to like FC's Barrel Select although I do appretiate what they're trying to do. Given that, perhaps those I listed may not be to your liking as they are different from FC BS.

[Yello to Mello]

I was waiting for the day that I found someone doesnt like the FC BS...wow

I tried 2 out of 3 that you listed (not the small batch) they are indeed better than CR, but I hate that CR stuff with a passion (not really I like it mixed with ginger ale)

[Frodo]

I was waiting for the day that I found someone doesnt like the FC BS...wow

Yeah I found it kinda boring. Did like the Three-Grain and the Small Batch offerings from the same distillery though. And I do consider myself a fan of the distillery. What I would really like to see is John Hall (Master Distiller Forty Creek) come up with an offering to compete at the $30 price point...

[Yello to Mello]

He has one at the $30 mark....its called FC BS. Well.....I could see myself paying at the $30 level for it and consider it a bargain now

I keep thinking to myself its too good to be true at $25 and afraid they are going to jack it to $30 and I will still be a slave to it.

[Jolly Toper]

what about Alberta Premium and their 25yo . Jim Murray seemed to like it but I often don't agree with his opinion.

[Mark C]

what about Alberta Premium and their 25yo . Jim Murray seemed to like it but I often don't agree with his opinion.

I bought the Alberta Premium whilst in Canada in February based on JM's appraisal. I've yet to open it - might take it along to a GWC night.

[Mark C]

I also bought a Crown Royal Limited Edition. Not sure why but the bottle looks nice.

[Frodo]

Alberta Premium has a bit of nail polish in the flavour that turns me off. Quite a lot of it in fact. It is more muted - part of a larger flavour profile - in the 25yr old.

Re: CR LE, I quite liked it for the price point. Nothing that blows me away, but has that CR character down to a tee (silky, innofensive).

[M.R.J.]

Last time I was in Canada in 2005 I was very pleased to have the opportunity to visit Kittling Ridge distillery and have a good long chat with Mr. John Hall, the master distiller. Nice experience, great place, fun sampling the whiskies and wines.

The Barrel Select is a good Canadian whisky, smooth as anything and certainly beats the @¤%~!! out of the mainstream competition like Seagram's. The one I found very interesting was the three grain - more flavourful expression, but Mr. Hall said he was discontinuing this. I wonder if it is still around?

[The icewines were good too, not a big fan of Vidal but made of Riesling, the icewine has more character, not only sweetness IMHO.]

[M.R.J.]

Hmm, for some reason regardless of what browser I use, I am getting double posts here - and can only edit them, not remove them. ?? Any ideas why? Anyone else have that technical problem? I already switched from using Firefox to IE, no help..

[C57]

Hmm, for some reason regardless of what browser I use, I am getting double posts here - and can only edit them, not remove them. ?? Any ideas why? Anyone else have that technical problem? I already switched from using Firefox to IE, no help..

that's odd. I have used both and no double posts. So I don't think it's the browser...

[Yello to Mello]

The one I found very interesting was the three grain - more flavourful expression, but Mr. Hall said he was discontinuing this. I wonder if it is still around?

No more three grain is left. You might find a rare store that has 1 left.

The limited one he has now is double barrel reserve but I have yet to try it since $60 is a big shellout for a Canadian whisky but Ive heard that its worth it.

[Jolly Toper]

The ice wine cask finished 10yo 57% Glen Ora was well received the other night, much better response than I expected. £70 a bottle though.

[Jolly Toper]

We tried the Barrel Select at a tasting I've posted the feedback over at Bladnoch. It faired well. A bit young and spirity but fruity and pleasant all the same. Someone put it well when they compared it to a good Spanish sherry.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

I think the Forty Creek might have fared even better had it not been nestled amongst a bunch of Scotches. It's a unique beast, but compares more to bourbon than to single malt.

I still have a bit of my bottle of icewine-finished Glenora. Probably the best I've had from them, but that's not saying a lot.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Just saw Forty Creek here in Massachusetts for the first time in a couple of years. Price: $22.99, a good chunk more than the $13 I used to get it for, but still a very good price for a fine whisky.

[portwood]

After staring at these on store shelves several times I finally broke down and bought a small bottle (375ml) to try it.

Maybe my palete was off last night but there was something about it that put me off - a sort of dry-wood-dust note. Also tried the Canadian Club 12yo for comparison. I'll try it again for sipping, but my initial impression is that the FC BS will be joining the CC on the "mixer shelf".

[bobcain8856]

I was wondering how Crown Royal Limited Edition does in cooking. I have been trying out various whiskeys for cooking and have had mixed results. Have you guys tried Crown Royal Limited Edition? Let me know what you guys think. Some brands are available through distribution systems, others are only available in stores.

[Pudge72]

I think the Forty Creek might have fared even better had it not been nestled amongst a bunch of Scotches. It's a unique beast, but compares more to bourbon than to single malt.

I still have a bit of my bottle of icewine-finished Glenora. Probably the best I've had from them, but that's not saying a lot.

Agree on the FC BS (in my very limited experience with it).

Which Glenora's have you had MTH? I have the 10 yo and have found it has too much of the alcohol note present...I liked other elements of it though, so I am curious if you have had the 15 yo 'Battle of the Glen'. My hope is that the alcohol that I found overly prominent in the 10 yo would be gone, or at least significantly subdued, with more aging. The 15 yo is not in Ontario, though if it was, I get the sense that it would get priced around $150...seriously...

[Mr Tattie Heid]

I haven't seen the 15. I had an early bottle of the 10, which was pretty much jet fuel; a later bottle, which was better but still not very good; an egregiously overpriced third-bottle filled from a cask at the distillery, which had some promise; and the icewine finish, one of those cases, unfortunately, when a heavy finish masking the spirit is a good thing. I do so want Glenora to do well, but they just don't seem to get it. Get good casks. It's as simple as that.

[Yello to Mello]

I was wondering how Crown Royal Limited Edition does in cooking. I have been trying out various whiskeys for cooking and have had mixed results. Have you guys tried Crown Royal Limited Edition? Let me know what you guys think.

On the rap album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx by Raekwon, There is a photo in the insert of him cooking with CR but don't know if it was the LE. You don't like the LE? PS welcome to the forums!

[Pudge72]

I haven't seen the 15. I had an early bottle of the 10, which was pretty much jet fuel; a later bottle, which was better but still not very good; an egregiously overpriced third-bottle filled from a cask at the distillery, which had some promise; and the icewine finish, one of those cases, unfortunately, when a heavy finish masking the spirit is a good thing. I do so want Glenora to do well, but they just don't seem to get it. Get good casks. It's as simple as that.

So you're not holding out hope for the 15. It is at the distillery and at the Nova Scotia liquor stores for...$149.99...I just looked on the NSLC website. I'm cheering for Glenora as well (my wife and I visited the distillery last summer as part of a week in NS) for a bunch of reasons, but they've got to do something about their prices ($88 for the 10 @ LCBO...$2 cheaper than when originally released) at some point.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Agree the price/quality ratio is insupportable. Frankly, I'm surprised at this point that they're still in business.

[MaltyRay]

I had bought a bottle of the FC double barrel and it had white particales floating all through it,,called the # on it and the very next day a rep for FC stopped by my house and exchanged it & also gave me a bottle of FC barrel select for my inconveince.wonderful service on their part,I`am a crown royal drinker but FC whiskies are a step up from them,,John Hall is on to something with his line of whiskies..Was told the particales were the wax that coats the cork.