Forty Creek
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Forty Creek Barrel Select is a blended Canadian whisky, 40% alcohol (ethanol) by volume, 80 proof. It is made with rye, barley and Indian corn (maize). Each grain is fermented, distilled, and aged separately to produce a "méritage" of single grain whiskies. After distillation using a small-batch, copper pot still, the whiskies are aged separately 6-10 years in small cask 40-gallon white oak barrels of varying toasting levels. Vintage sherry casks round off some of the aged whiskies after they are blended, for an additional six months.
Forty Creek is produced in Grimsby, Ontario (between Toronto and Niagara Falls) by John K. Hall, first generation whisky maker, and owner of Kittling Ridge Wines & Spirits. Malt Advocate magazine named John Hall “Pioneer of the Year” in 2007 because of his contribution to new lines of thought and new methods in the world of whisky. Forty Creek is made by the only 100% Canadian distillery remaining in Ontario, Canada.
[edit] Awards and accolades
In the 2008 Icons of Whisky Canada competition held by London England's Whisky Magazine, John K. Hall was awarded Ambassador of the Year while Kittling Ridge was deemed Best Distiller.
• One of the Top 5 best tasting whiskies in North America - Beverage Testing Institute, Chicago
• Double Gold Medal - San Francisco World Spirits Competition
• Gold Medal – World Selection, Brussels, Belgium
• Highest Award - International Spirits Challenge, London, England
• Best Canadian Whisky - New England International Whisky Festival, Connecticut
• Editor's Choice Gold Award - Whisky Magazine, London, England
• First Canadian whisky to be articled in Whisky Magazine, London, England
• Highest score for a Canadian Whisky – Whisky Magazine, London, England
