A new direction for Forty Creek’s 8^th annual release, which was aged 3 years, redistilled, then aged another 9 years. Quintessentially Canadian, it begins with Caramac candy bar, finishing in white pepper and bitter grapefruit pith. Not as lush as past releases, although the flavors remain a tightly woven panoply of fruit, spices, vegetal notes, and citrus zest. Gooseberries and lime on the nose become black currants on the palate as increasing hints of red wine come to dominate.

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Winter 2014)

Consisting of whiskies aged between 6 to 10 years, with a similar grain component as a bourbon (but distilled differently) and finished in sherry casks for six months. Barrel Select is a soft, silky, somewhat feminine whiskey when compared to bourbon, with gently sweet notes of creamy vanilla, honeyed apricot, toasted nuts, and gentle background tropical fruit and spice. A whisky that really transcends category and definition.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Winter 2007)

John Hall’s tenth annual release blends 4 to 9 year old single grain barley, corn, and rye whiskies from a mix of barrels. Sweet and sour fruits, prunes, and grassy green grapes, all inside a barrel warehouse, yield a complex nose. Pears, violets, barley sugar, vanilla fudge, and hot pepper fade slowly into barrel tones and gentle bitter pith. A slightly slippery palate grows hot and spicy in the middle. Not as lush as past releases, but equally as complex. $75 CAD

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Winter 2016)

This “amped-up” version of John K. Hall’s signature Barrel Select is not so much better as it is bigger and bolder. Cloves, ginger, and cinnamon burst over creamy rich butterscotch and searing red pepper, restrained only by dry rye grain and bitter orange. The initial fireworks complete, figgy dark fruit and nutty milk chocolate swirl capriciously over fragrant spring flowers, soft vanilla, and delicate herbal maple syrup. Dramatic and delightful.

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Summer 2013)

Burnt sugar, wet raisins, oakspice, and a deep, underlying grain character. Flavors are wonderfully integrated: corn, malt, mellow syrup, hints of ripe plum and grape, wrapped in a light confection. Finish is light, warm, and lingering. Forty Creek releases a limited edition whisky every fall; this one focuses on grains rather than wood, according to distiller John Hall. Canadian distribution only.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2011)

Quite a bit darker than most other whisky creams. Chocolate and caramel—on the burnt side, an interesting difference—in the nose, with a sly hint of whisky behind it. Sweet and creamy, a bit clingy, with just a sting of whisky. Somewhat generic, though, because that interesting dark caramel is in the nose only, and I’d like this to be a bit more distinctive; more Forty Creek. Still pleasant enough for booze candy! C$29

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2012)

Whisky maker John Hall says value whiskies save used barrels from being wasted. Study the label and you’ll find this lush mixer hails from Hall’s Forty Creek distillery. Sweet voluptuous butterscotch and corn syrup slather peppery heat and the mildest tannins. The pepper turns ticklish on the roof of your mouth until charred wood, burned toffee, and vanilla custard flow over it. Simple but very sippable, it’s a bit luxurious for a mixing whisky. (Canada only) C$24

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Spring 2014)