Whisky

Why not get a taste of some of our award-winning and most applauded whisky expressions? We deliver our full range of whiskies direct to your door. *Ontario only.

Canadian Whisky has been around since before the prohibition era. However, up until three decades ago, they were rarely considered a 'contender' by the international market.

That wasn't until 1992 when Bill Ashburn and John Hall joined forces to open the Forty Creek Whisky Distillery.

The founder and master blender were familiar with Canadian whisky on the market at the time. Unlike other national whiskies, Canadian whisky had relatively few rules regulating the whisky-making process or ingredients that could be used. Unfortunately, this lack of regulation gave Canadian Whisky a negative reputation. This was because many producers blended for high alcohol content and cheap production rather than creating a quality spirit.

Bill knew he wanted to change that. He saw relaxed rules around Canadian whisky as an opportunity for experimentation and innovation. He developed a whisky blend recipe that treated each grain whisky with reverence to highlight their individual tasting notes.

Instead of mashing all his grain whiskies together and then ageing, he aged each grain separately. This gave him the control to treat each grain in the best way to bring out individual characteristics.

This process resulted in the Barrel Select, Forty Creek's flagship whisky. After its release, it was applauded nationally and made the world take notice of Canadian whisky.

Since our distillery's first release, our Master Blender has not stopped experimenting since. From whisky aged in beer barrels or blended with hand-harvested botanicals, no two of our whisky expressions are the same.

To further foster this culture of experimentation, our Master Blender frequently creates limited releases - our short-run and very experimental expressions. Keep an eye on this space as they come fast and sell out very quickly!

Big moves garner big awards. Since Forty Creek's inception, our innovative approach to whisky has made waves and gained international acclaim.

In 2020, our Master Blender Bill Ashburn was named Whisky Maker of the Decade by the International Spirits Competition. In that same year, we also won Canadian Whiskey Distillery of the Year.

On top of that, our whisky expressions have consistently been awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals at the Canadian Whisky Awards, the Beverage Tasting Institute and the Fifty Best Competition.

When it comes to Canadian whisky, you'll often hear experts refer to it as "spicy'. This is because Canadian whisky traditionally favours rye whisky, a grain whisky derived from rye. It is this grain that is often responsible for the 'spicy' taste that Canadian whisky is well known for.

Within different blends, our Master Blender has experimented with different percentages of rye, corn, and barley whisky. This has resulted in entirely different flavour profiles based on the ratios.

For instance, Copper Bold still proudly highlights the beautiful spiciness of rye grains. While other expressions, like our Confederation Oak are aged in Canadian Oak barrels and result in a smooth and sweet finish. It also has notes of fig and raisin.

Unlike the Canadian whiskies of the past, our Master Blended creates all of his whiskies to be as equally good on their own as they are in a cocktail.

To get the full flavour of your favourite Forty Creek whisky, Bill recommends starting with drinking whisky neat If you are just starting your whisky- journey, there’s no shame in having a glass of ice on the side. This way, you can see the effect that ice and dilution have on the tasting notes and nose of it.

Not quite ready for straight whisky? Have a browse through our cocktail recipe library to find your new favourite way to drink Forty Creek.