We challenged, we innovated, and we connected with whisky drinkers and our fans.
Our relentless pursuit of a better whisky continues to this day, as we continue to push the bounds of what Canadian whisky can be.
Otto Rieder concluded that Niagara with its abundance of tender fruits would be the perfect place to establish a Distillery focusing on eau de vie, carry on the tradition of his Grandfather’s Distillery in Switzerland.
Eau de vie meaning water of life is made by fermenting and distilling tender fruit which is in abundance in the Niagara area.
With the help of a multitude of private investors and two venture capitalists, Mr. Rieder was able to realize his dream, and in 1971 obtained a Distillery license and opened the doors on the original Grimsby facility in 1972, which is still the core building today.
In addition to eau d vies Mr. Rieder produced Alpenbitter from an original recipe of his Grandfather, Alpenbitter is still produced to this day.
Under the vision of our Founder John Hall, and working closely with Bill Ashburn our Master Blender, we carved out a bold new path for Canadian whisky, challenging the status quo of what it could be.
It would become a relentless challenge that took eight years to plan, perfect and produce.
Barrel Select is born
Our most awarded whisky, Barrel Select was first tasted in Canada. A blend of grain whiskies aged in a mix of seasoned ex-Bourbon barrels and new American White Oak. This bold and flavourful whisky changed the game of Canadian whisky.
Our most awarded whisky, Barrel Select was first tasted in Canada. A blend of grain whiskies aged in a mix of seasoned ex-Bourbon barrels and new American white oak. This bold and flavourful whisky changed the game of Canadian whisky.
Copper Pot's release in 2007 marked the next step in our journey of pushing the boundaries of Canadian whisky.
This technique of blending three types of grain whiskies, all individually aged, resulted in an intense spirit with flavour and depth unmatched in the market.
Copper Pot was originally crafted to be a bigger and bolder Canadian whisky - something more in line with a bourbon or scotch, but still with the characteristic smoothness of Forty Creek.
In 2022, we updated the name to Copper Bold to better reflect this bold whisky.
As the fastest growing player in Canadian whisky, Forty Creek was acquired by Campari Group, the world's 6th largest spirit holding group. With the acquisition, came a new path for innovation and excellence.
Forty Creek is named Whisky Maker of the Decade at the 2020 Canadian Whisky Awards solidifing its reputation for changing the game in Canadian whisky.
Our relentless pursuit of better, led us to re-launch the Forty Creek brand in 2022, honoring our rich heritage while looking to the future.
We re-imagined all our packs, paying homage to our Niagara roots and letting our award winning whiskies take center-stage in our new transparent bottles.
While the whiskies remain unchanged, the new packaging is a testament to our commitment to innovation.
Respecting the past.
Shaping the future.