Forty Creek Confederation Oak Reserve

This is one whisky not in need of gas. I had a bottle of FC Confed Oak (one of many) on the go for almost five years. The last pour from this particular bottle was enjoyed and reviewed by a trusted and respected whisky authority...and was scored at 95 points. n.b. it takes almost five years to give a bottle of whisky nearly five years of air time.

@paddockjudge I don’t doubt it. I feel it was quite diminished by the addition of water, though even neat there was a discrepancy between the beautiful promise of the nose and what I perceived on the palate and finish. That said, a review from one sample, at one moment in time can only go so far, which is why I fully disclose all the pertinent information.

My first taste of this, as essentially a whisky amateur, was at the distillery shop (picking up my numbered bottles), in a mini Glencairn. It was delicious. I searched far and wide for those mini glencairns for years, and when I finally found them, I was able to repeat the experience at home.

@OdysseusUnbound - ha ha love the title Will most likely never try this but enjoyed the review all the same! Gonna have to break my Canadian cherry soon. Lot 40 looking the most likely suspect but this sounds very appealing.

@OdysseusUnbound, you are spot on with your comment " I kind of wish I could have removed the water after I added it."

More than once I asked John Hall, the founder of Kitting Ridge/Forty Creek, about higher proof offerings. On one particular occasion, I can't recall if I asked or if @Nozinan asked the question about higher proof Forty Creek releases, but JK Hall was rather perturbed by this query and even more annoyed when his answer of "no" was countered with "why not"? (this was definitely @Nozinan) Hall proceeded to explain that his whisky was designed to be consumed at the abv at which it was offered in the bottles. He went on to say that he would have no control over the product if a cask strength Forty Creek had water added to it and was not consumed at the precise abv at which he had determined it should be made available...he also said there is no wrong way to drink your whisky and then told a cute story about his wife and how she enjoys her whisky with diet coke. Always a showman and a gentleman, not easy to pull off.

@paddockjudge Yes, it was at the same tasting that he said that because Canadian whisky has caramel flavour it goes with the caramel in coke...

Indeed I asked about CS. I was upset because the masterclass promised the component whiskies as they were right from the cask, but they were diluted, nothing approached CS.

@paddockjudge did aska follow-up question, and he replied that to increase the ABV it would be about $1.75 per percentage point per bottle in tax. I may have said "I'd pay that".

The more I think about that day, the more I think that's when the shine started coming off forty creek. At least for me.

He also had the look of someone whose liver might have seen better days...

@Nozinan, Yep, I'd pay that too...he said "$1.45" per degree of alcohol, without skipping a beat.

@paddockjudge So that's probably $1.75 in today's dollars..

That's what I was thinking!

@Nozinan His liver has definitely seen better days....maybe that's why he never wanted to increase the ABV!