The Wild North

For perhaps the first time, this blog gets to blaze a trail as the first to review a new release. Which is great, but also means your humble correspondent must do all the digging on his own. No matter, there's a glass of whisky to help with that. 

That whisky, it turns out, is a bottle that's recently hit Québec shelves called The Wild North. Suffused with lumberjack iconography and an attractive bottle, this prominently-labelled rye carries an age statement of 5 years. The description on the back states that the liquid is actually a blend of 5 and 7 year whiskies. An educated guess is that the whiskies are corn - probably from Valleyfield Distillery - and rye. The label mentions these whiskies are aged onsite in "our own cellars."

Determining where exactly these cellars are requires a little digging and, as is usual with whisky, more educated guesstimations. If I find out more information, I'll be sure to update the review, but for now, let's trace back the origins of The Wild North through its distributor to its producer. According to the SAQ website, Wild North is produced by Mondia Alliance, which actually doesn't exist as a brand anymore. That's because, as part of a merger, it is now called Station 22.  Who, it turns out, are behind some well known labels including Spicebox spiced whiskies and the iconic Sortilège whisky liqueurs. 

Right then. We can assume Wild North is aged alongside the component whiskies in those blended products. Where exactly is it distilled and in which barrels is it aged? I have a pretty good guess based on taste but I'll have to get back to you on that. 

Either way, this whisky was released in Québec's SAQ a couple weeks ago, in mid-August. So as possibly the first Ontarian get his hands on this bottle, I'm keen to pour myself a dram or two and see what comes out.

The Wild North Rye 5 Years Old

43% alc./vol.

$39 at SAQ

The nose brings fruit and sweetness quite prominently. Actually, this reminds a lot of another Montréal product, Seagram's VO Gold. There's a citrus-y florality and linalool (Fruit Loops), with the overall sweet profile of corn whisky distillate. There's also a musty note that comes through early on. 

The palate brings much of the sweetness with a pronounced citrus character. Some butterscotch continues the dessert whisky taste until it's met by a rising, warm rye. Throughout, a full mouthfeel is the result of the elevated bottling strength. That 43% also gives a warming heft which nicely offsets the light citrus notes.

The finish is where the rye component really comes into its own. The whisky turns warming here, with white pepper and bitter grapefruit pith. There is some drying and oak, and the effect is sort of like Tabasco sauce. But it all wraps up on lingering maple.

Well, I was intrigued by the lumberjack branding and the reasonable midrange price point (as well as the forbidden fruit of a bottle you can't get in Ontario). And I wasn't disappointed, with a solid rye that runs to sweet and then spicy. It initially follows VO Gold, but takes the turn toward spice into the finish, and brings the warming 43% body. 

A solid all-rounder, let's say, and a whisky that should do quite well with consumers and mixologists. Simplistic but enjoyable, the sweet moves easily into the spicy and on a wintry Montréal day, one dram could quickly move into a lengthy session. I'm glad I find myself with a bottle of this and would certainly keep one on hand as a crowdpleasing warmer.

Heatseeker Score: 85

Category Score: 88

Characteristic: Sweet and Warming

Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve

Forty Creek holds a special place in the history of Canadian whisky. Founded in 1992, at a global low point for whisky, the plucky startup had to take on the big Canadian players and the crushing LCBO monopoly without any support from today's craft spirits industry. Being located on the wine producing Niagara Peninsula, the distillery originally focused on grape spirits. Kittling Ridge, as it was exclusively known then, undertook a rebranding and pivoted to whisky, and the rest became history. Forty Creek can rightly claim to be something of a pioneer in small-batch whisky not only in Canada but in the world. 

Today, the distillery is owned by Campari, largely as a North American production facility for global spirits brands. Led by founder John Hall and blender Bill Ashburn, a range of whiskies from everyday to rare releases have come from Forty Creek in recent years earning them the plaudits they well deserve. They produce a number of non-whisky spirits including Kingsgate fortified wines; a super cheap guilty pleasure. 

Forty Creek's whisky lineup steps up nicely from base level Barrel Select to intermediate whiskies like Double Barrel, then up to the high end bottlings like Confederation Oak, Unity, and Victory. At this intermediate level, Double Barrel Reserve takes the standard three grain whiskies (rye, corn, and barley) and gives them a second aging period in ex-Bourbon barrels. These barrels are specifically selected for the taste profile required and John Hall apparently spends time in Kentucky every year picking out barrels just for this whisky.

Appropriately for a distillery in wine country,  blender John Hall refers to those three grains as his 'meritage' when he blends them in these barrels and allows them to spend time picking up subtle oak influences and marrying their grain flavours.  With the differing barrels for each batch of this whisky, there can be some subtle variation in flavour, so if you're interested, the lot number I sampled is 240. Either way the taste profile should be relatively similar year to year. 

Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve

40% alc./vol.

$40 at LCBO

The nose immediately presents rich and oily with strong oak and dark fruit. I detect prune alongside a subtle caramel and dry baking spices that crescendo with the briefest hit of tinglingly spicy rye. 

The oily viscosity continues on the palate with an initial impression of creaminess and a grainy character. Restrained rye comes across with notes of dill and caraway. There's a nice caramel that doesn't feel like the cheap butterscotch note you can sometimes get. In comes a pronounced vegetal note that reminds me of fresh corn on the cob. It's met with quite tannic oak and warming rye, all quite smooth without any rough edges.

The finish continues to be warming and is long with a few subtleties; bitter citrus, a red apple note, some cinnamon, and caramel. Mainly it's the warming oakiness present on the tail though. 

I'm really a fan of the interplay between cask and grain influences. There are some reviews online which deride this bottle as a one-trick pony of Bourbon-y sweetness, but I'm not finding that at all, at least in this batch. It's flavourful but extremely smooth.

The extra time spent marrying in the Bourbon casks went a long way to providing balance. There's not too much spice, grain, or oak but there are good amounts of each. I'm a fan. At its slightly elevated price, Double Barrel begins to compete with some very good whiskies and, while it's not the most complex bottle at this price point, it's a definite crowd pleaser for its lush creaminess and smoothly integrated flavours. I can't find anything wrong with this dram and would describe it in a word as pleasant. This is a definite daily sipper that will wow novice rye drinkers but still keep experience whisky fans interested. 

Heatseeker Score: 86

Category Score: 86

Characteristic: Creamy