Tastes

Copper Pot is my favorite product out of the Forty Creek line up. If law would permit me to have a drip bag of this nectar of the gods I would surely by slapping the wrist every day for a hit. Copper pot has an abv of 43% and scents of toffee, caramel, and brown baking spices. I began drinking this almost 10 years ago mixed with pepsi or coke. A great cocktail for any occasion and a wonderful way to introduce someone into the world of whisky. I believe that starting out with their intro product - barrel select - as it showcases their staple in the industry. Not only that, but it has a wonderful taste of vanilla, ginger and toasted oak. A go to for those seeking the experience at a low cost of $40 approximately. Back to Copper Pot though. This is a product I would say is a 4 out of 5 based on how enjoyable it is although it's not a barrel strength whisky. It's pure fun and is one on the palate that always brings me back to the first time I've had it. A distiller score by the experts of 89...hard to say if that holds true. Is it enjoyable? Yes. Is it something you can compare to a single barrel / cask strength? No! Would I recommend to pick up a bottle ov er the premo bottles in their collection? Yes definitely. Folks, go get yourselves a bottle of this. It's inexpensive, a good bang for it's buck and has wonderful notes to continue revisiting it years after past.

Founders Reserve is scored perfectly at an 88 by the experts. The nose of this whisky packs a punch. For some odd reason I feel that I can smell peat. I will say that it has a watery flow in the mouth. A strong presence of tobacco is one note that sticks out for me personally. I can agree that this would be a 3 out of 5 based on the smoothness, slight complexity, and a 45% abv. In reading different reviews on the net, I came across one that made me simply laugh while trying to put pen to paper (so to speak). Quote "The tonsils are whacked gently by the higher than normal alcohol strength of the whisky". I don't know what this dude is talking about when being whacked in the tonsils; however, going from a 40.5% abv to a 45% abv isn't all that a big deal. If you prefer drinking whisky's above 45% you should don yourself as a Padawan. An office administrator of the Jedi council if you will. A rye below this threshold just doesn't provide enough complexity to bump it up to a 4. Drinking Founder's Reserve deserves some props for a decent tasting whisky, yet, all the flash of a nice bottle that comes in a box doesn't supercede the extra "umph" this could have made if they had something a little stronger in alcohol percentage. A great dram for the die hard fans, but one I will not pick up again. It just doesn't whack the back of my tonsils.

Forty Creek has had a good run over the last 10 years with its popularity catching on and allowing it to expand into the premium bottle territory. This Canadian whisky is smooth, minuscule burn (barely taste it) and a pleasant oak taste, but not over powering. It’s stored in bourbon barrels for four years and then stored in white oak barrels for another two. For a six year old whisky and a price tag of $69.95 CND, i would say that is the only downfall with this dram. Although the abv is only 40.5%, the oak really pushes this through to a “buy me once” and move on to something else in there lineup. An odd thing i noticed was the way the store this product is used in reverse for making another fortey creek whisky called Double Barrel. The price point for that one is $10 cheaper. I guess depending on your preference of enjoying oak vs a bourbon finish may depend on which one you may prefer. All in all, fortey creek makes some wonderful products. For a rye and if you are a collector, i would recommend this as a one time purchase if you enjoy less bite and more flavours.

As a huge fan of whisky, i am a lover of proofs and barrels (some more than others) yet Redemption missed the mark - but then again it did. Let me explain. This whisky has a proof of 84 (42 abv) and isn’t at all that complex. Most whiskeys in my humble opinion should make you sit back and think about whats happening on the tongue, nose, inner cheek and down the hatch. As an entry level whisky i would recommend this solely on the description of “a smooth, well balanced and slightly spicy bourbon...”. The positive of this bourbon is that it is really smooth, theres no bite and slight spice that lingers on the front of the tongue. You really have to swish this around in the mouth and more specifically, under the back of the tongue to really draw out more of this drams profile. When doing so, you don’t get the best bang for your buck as this whisky is $40-$50 and doesn’t have much else to offer besides a hefty price tag. It also has a sour mash profile mix. Most people associate sour mash with the classic , staple of Jack Daniel’s old No. 7. This has a different mash taste in comparison which is nice. Not as in your face (more so, nose in this instance) which is pleasant change. 100% entry level for the kiddies pre drinking for the high school dance, not for the cats who enjoy a good bite after a long day at the office. Cheers,

Jesus. Stag Jr is a wollop of an abv. 65.5 %. This will make you crip walk like you wouldn’t even believe. I actually enjoy this one as it is quite confusing complex beyond the abv. I have to say that the burnt brown sugar, apricot and any other intoxicant in this dram gets a seal of approval. This is a dram for collectors and not entry or mid level folk. Don’t go too far into the woods with this unless you have a hatchet and survival kit. Beware!

I skipped over any pre single barrels in this line up due to low abv’s. This doesn’t have as much floral taste to it from what I perceived which was a good thing. The subtle hint of it is nice on the nose and the peppery taste makes this a nice whisky to have. I would purchase this one again. The aesthetics of the bottle are nifty. A wide base leading up to a slender neck. The cork on the bottle is inserted into the cap which has a ring (space) that overlaps the cap. A really cool fit and secures the glass and cork with very little effort. Great product!

I ranked this a 4 out of 5. An overall score of 90 by the expert is in my eyes very accurate. Let me divulge. Jim Beam is one of those brands where they have everything from apple flav, fireball cinnamon to the subtle taste of baby seal ass. Catch my drift? I for one explored other whiskeys before coming late to the game with Jim Beam. I knew i would pass on all regular bottles but after a recommendation from a friend, along with a good abv and being Single Barrel i made the $50 plunge (gasp). It’s worth the 50 spankies. I drank through two thirds of this stuff in three days. The aroma of this one is delicious! This whisky has a 47.5 abv and has a wonderful flavour profile. This one tastes great neat but having a small quantity of ice really opens this bitch up. The interesting thing with this whisky is the after smell. Yes, “after smell”. I forgot i had an empty whisky glass in my basement and brought it up to the kitchen for cleaning. My wife noticed an aroma brewing from this glass and was able to nose caramel, vanilla and toffee like flavs. Not too bad for someone who doesn’t drink or like whisky. That tells you the quality thats in the bottle. I rate this 4 out of 5 as it could have a pinch more complexity to it but a judges score of 90 makes sense when comparing this to something of higher calibre like a premo Wild Turkey or Russell’s bottle. Grab this one for your collection!

Ahh MM. This would be ranked between a 3.5 and 3.9. It’s a good whisky but not quite the 4 to put it in the same class as others. Is it worth having on the collection? Hell ya. But if you’re like me and like single barrel products I would simply skip this and go for the good stuff. This has a decent abv and surprisingly enough goes down smoothly. No burn at all. A great option to have neat a then expand into other whiskys with higher abv’s.

How this got an “expert” score of 92 is interesting. This is a good whiskey but not over 89 in my books. I’ve tested this whiskey on three different occasions when starting my binge for the night. Night 1: Started drinking this neat and thought it had a odd nose to it due to the double oak. I drank it nonetheless. Night 2: Started drinking this after half in the bag. I couldn’t notice the nose issue from Night numero uno, yet i did find more appreciation for the other characteristics of the dram. Night 3: Did a repeat of Night 1 and appreciated it better but couldn’t say this would be a top shelf whiskey even though i found different aspects to this drink at the beginning or mid way through two evenings. To make a long story short - I wouldn’t purchase this one again. Worth trying as it is a good Canadian Rye but not something that tickles my fancy.

Elijah Craig barrel strength is the Cecil Fielder of bourbons. Heavy in abv of 65.5%! Proceed with caution with this drink as too much of this stuff will having you running through the forest on the hunt for big foot. I would rate this a 4.5 due to the extremely high abv, wonderful taste and the finish that coats your mouth. Never have i had a bourbon that coats the mouth with a long presence of cinnamon, vanilla and smoke. This is a bourbon to sip neat. Why? Because its a work of art, somewhat complex and a tad pricey. This whisky is not for puny mortals.