Forty Creek Heart of Gold

This is a review of a sample graciously provided by @Nozinan on Nov 13/17. The bottle was opened Oct 1/17, was 4/5 full when the sample was poured and the bottle has been gassed. If I got any of that wrong, I will correct it later. Or the good doctor will.

I’m drinking this from a Glencairn and will not be adding water. I should note that unlike other reviews I have done, I know almost nothing about this whisky. I’m truly tasting blind, having done no research on this offering.

• Nose: Butterscotch, caramel popcorn with some oak spices peeking through, mostly cinnamon. After awhile in the glass (about 30 minutes), the butterscotch is much more like dark brown sugar and the oak is a bit more present, but not overwhelming.
• Palate: rich and full arrival, this feels almost like an Irish single pot still whiskey in my mouth, albeit less spicy. More caramel popcorn, Werther’s Original hard candies, and a wonderful (though subtle) brown sugar/rum and raisin note develops after awhile in the glass.
• Finish: medium length, a tad shorter than I hoped it would be, there’s a bit of salt on the finish, salted caramel perhaps, developping to toasted and buttered cinnamon raisin bread. At the tail end of the finish, there’s a bit of a mildly bitter, tannic note, but it isn’t unpleasant; it almost feels cleansing.

This is a very good whisky. I really like it and if it were widely available, I’d probably keep it on hand more often than not. I can’t imagine having more than one or two drams in a sitting though. It isn’t cloyingly sweet (like the “new” Black Bottle is) but a little goes a long way, like crème brûlée or tiramisu. I would recommend this to anyone who likes the Forty Creek style, as this is a great example of that style. It honestly reminded me of a great batch of the Copper Pot Reserve, with everything turned up to eleven.