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Forty Creek Victory

Christmas Eve Forty Creek

5 881

@talexanderReview by @talexander

24th Dec 2019

1

  • Nose
    21
  • Taste
    20
  • Finish
    19
  • Balance
    21
  • Overall
    81

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

This year's Limited Release is named for the victory of Canadian forces against the Americans at a battle near the distillery, during the war of 1812. 2019 is the 205th Anniversary of the battle (too bad they didn't think of this five years ago). It is a blend of corn and rye whiskies, with the legally-permitted dollop of Villard Noir Starbord wine (no idea why they picked a Chilean wine to help commemorate something so historically Canadian). Then toasted oak staves were inserted into half of the fully matured whisky for two months. I'd credit the Master Distiller for all of this, but besides an illegible signature on the bottle, there is no mention of his name on either the label nor the website! I know @paddockjudge knows but I just can't remember...

The colour is a very dark amber. Somewhat herbal on the nose with typical Forty Creek notes of candied peel, cotton candy, heaps of vanilla and light maple syrup. Fruity with baked apples, cinnamon bark and Mackintosh toffee. Paprika and a hint of wood smoke show up with water. A bit sweet for me, but you are a Forty Creek fan, it ticks all the boxes.

On the palate you can really taste the corn (buttered, roasted, BBQd, caramelled), with a thick syrupy mouthfeel (again with the maple). Nice oak influence but the winey notes are a bit too enveloping, though water evens it out a bit. Too smooth and syrupy to my liking, even for Forty Creek.

The medium length finish is peppery and oaky but a bit rough with the wine tannins, which contrasts with the otherwise smooth nature of the whisky. Last year I scored 2018's Limited Release Unity an 84; this one doesn't get that high. Davin de Kergommeaux scored this a 91, which I think is being extremely generous (as is often the case...)

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8 comments

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

91/100 is a pretty bad score from Davin. I feel as though no Canadian whisky scores lower than 95/100 with him. stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

“ too bad they didn't think of this five years ago”

Maybe it’s a good thing. Evolution wasn’t that bad.....

4 years ago 0

@BlueNote
BlueNote commented

@talexander it seems to me that Davin and Jim have a similar credibility problem. I would take your score as a buying guide as opposed to Davin’s.

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

@BlueNote Davin is a great ressource for history, by his scoring can be all but ignored. If a whisky scores lower than 4/5 stars on his website, it’s usually a bottom shelf mixer or something most of us wouldn’t touch. That’s not to say some “bottom shelf mixers” aren’t worth a closer look.....

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@talexander
talexander commented

@BlueNote Despite how much I disagree with his reviews (and how much of a dickwad he is in real life), I actually think Jim has a lot of credibility as a whisky writer.

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@talexander
talexander commented

@Nozinan 205th seems a weird anniversary to celebrate.... and back in the day I scored Evolution a 70!

4 years ago 0

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge commented

@talexander, @Nozinan, I recall an extremely entertaining Whisky Weekend at Kittling Ridge/Forty Creek in 2013. I may have been slightly ahead of those marketeering types (half a decade ahead) when I requested the proclamation of the 200th Anniversary of the Battle at Forty.. Here is a pic of a bottle of Heart of Gold endorsed in September of 2013 by none other than Mr Forty Creek himself, pronouncing what was actually the Skirmish at Forty ....I may have put a spin on that.

Nonetheless, further proof that Connosrs can detect the marketing bullshit even when half-in-the bag and drinking the kool-aid while inside the distillery.

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

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