Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve

About the Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve

Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve is a Canadian whisky made in Grimsby, Ontario, in Canada. The town sits between Hamilton and Niagara Falls, closer to vineyards than to grain fields. This bottling arrived in 2012 and is filled at 43% ABV. Rye, corn and barley each play a part in the blend. The name points straight at the small copper pot stills behind the spirit. John Hall launched the distillery in 1992, buying the plant from Otto Reider. Every grain is fermented, distilled and aged on its own before anything is combined. Those single-grain whiskies rest six to ten years in 40-gallon white oak barrels, toasted to different levels. Only then does the blending begin. Campari bought the company in 2014, and Bill Ashburn still runs the blending. Vanilla arrives first, wrapped in fudge and soft brown sugar. Caramel follows, with a dusting of spice sitting behind it. The palate opens wider: corn sweetness, toasted barley, butterscotch and a clear rye bite. Cinnamon shows up halfway through, and the texture stays slightly oily. Grain and cereal notes keep the sweetness anchored. A peppery finish closes things out, drier than the opening suggests. Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve puts pot distillation front and centre, which is unusual in Canadian whisky. Column stills and lighter spirit shape most of what the country sends out. Pot stills work in smaller batches and leave more oil and grain flavour in the glass. Blending three separately matured whiskies then adds layers instead of sanding them down. That combination is what marks this release out within the wider range.