Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve

The reviewed sample from batch # 243, bottle # 04388, is courtesy of @paddockjudge. The bottle was opened 7 months ago. This review will be in both sequential (NTFB) and non-sequential format (SQVH)

Nose: strong floral-perfumed maple flavours with a hint of wine grapiness; moderate spice from rye grain is also present. Very nice. Score 23/25 all whiskies; 24/25 Canadian Category

Taste: strong wine flavours with strong flavours from wood, mostly in the bass note range. The maple flavours are not as clear or as refined as they are in the nose. Plenty of nice rye spice flavour is here also, and there is a rich and full mouth feel. Score 21/25 all whiskies; 22/25 Canadian

Finish: quite long, ends on sweet with some bitterness and a touch of sour. Score 20/25; 20/25 Canadian

Balance: I would love this whisky if the palate and the finish were good translations of the nose, which they are not. This is ok, but I'd rather drink the Forty Creek Barrel Select. There is not a lot of harmony here, particularly going into the finish. Score 19/25 all whiskies; 19/25 Canadian

Strength: the flavours are quite strong, but not overpowering, throughout. Score 23/25 all whiskies; 23/25 Canadian Category

Quality: the nose is of very high quality, taken alone. The wood isn't too good on the palate and worse still on the finish. The wine flavours are good, but cannot make up for the not-so-great wood. There is good quality spice from rye identifiable in the mix. Score 20/25 all whiskies; 21/25 Canadian

Variety: there is good variety of flavours among the wine, wood, and grain flavours. Score 22/25 all whiskies; 22/25 Canadian

Harmony: by the time you get to the finish the flavaours are quite out of whack. Score 18/25 all whiskies; 19/25 Canadian

Total NTFB and SQVH Scores 83/100 all whiskies; 85/100 Canadian Category