Three new releases for whisky fans from Forty Creek
Commemorative edition of original Three Grain whisky on the market
Using a foundation of barrelaged corn, barley and rye whiskies, further aged with a highspice wood stave, Canada’s master whisky blender of the year Bill Ashburn has crafted Grimsby-based Forty Creek’s 14th annual limited release — Resolve.
The South Service Road distillery has limited whisky releases during its annual Whisky Weekend events in September, when fans can sample spirits, tour the facility and take part in seminars on whisky making, tasting and crafting cocktails.
But with the COVID-19 pandemic, Whisky Weekend was held virtually this year, with Resolve available in the distillery retail store and at LCBO stores.
A release from Forty Creek, owned by the Campari Group, said Resolve is the grand finale in the trilogy of specialty wood treatment whiskies from Ashburn. Only 6,500 bottles were produced.
“Experimenting with wood
aging has expanded our capabilities and allowed us to share a unique whisky trilogy, each with its extraordinary taste palate,” Ashburn, awarded the title of master whisky blender at the New York International Spirits Competition, said in the release.
Forty Creek was named Canada Whisky Distillery of the Year at the same competition.
Ashburn said Resolve remains faithful to Forty Creek’s history.
“Starting small in 1992, to being one of Canada’s top whisky brands today, our unshakable commitment to the whiskymaking craft is our primary tenet. With the many challenges and changes we’ve seen in 2020, that’s more evident than ever before.”
With the launch of Resolve, Forty Creek released a commemorative edition of its original Three Grain whisky. It launched in 2000, along with small lots released throughout the years. The company said the final iteration is available exclusively in Ontario.
“Three Grain has been a fan favourite since its first launch. We were constantly fielding questions about its availability, so we’re fortunate to share this release with our fans — especially since it’s our final batch,” said Campari Group’s David Allard, vice-president of marketing.
“We’ve put a lot of heart into this release and hope Forty Creek fans will find love at first sip,” he said in the release.
In September, Forty Creek also released a new liqueur, Nanaimo Bar Cream, inspired by the iconic West Coast dessert.
“Expanding our cream spirit lineup has been one of our top priorities, so it was a happy and much-anticipated milestone to release the Nanaimo bar-inspired cream liqueur,” said Ashburn.
“We knew fans would fall in love with the combination of Nanaimo bar flavour notes and our cream liqueur taste. We wanted to offer an exciting new taste, blended with a familiar favourite,” he said.