Victory is Forty Creek’s 13th annual limited edition whisky released in 2019 – a tribute to the War of 1812 battle known as ‘The Engagement at the Forty’ which was purportedly fought very close to present day location of distillery in Grimsby, Ontario.
Victory features a blend of a base corn whisky with rye whisky. Half the blend receives a wood treatment where two toasted vanilla wood staves are added to the Ex-bourbon barrels for a two-month period.
A small amount of Forty Creek’s 1999 Villard Noir Port wine is added in the finish, which utilizes the Canadian 9.09% rule that allows a blender to add another liquid in as long as it comprises no more than 9.09% of the total volume.
APPEARANCE: Clear. Teakwood.
NOSE: Prominent aromas of toffee, cinnamon and candied orange peel leap forward quickly and are followed by raisins, light roast coffee, nutmeg and a hint of maple syrup.
PALATE: Smooth with a somewhat syrupy viscosity and medium sweetness. The palate is plentiful with vanilla, maple, dry raisin bran cereal and candied orange peel which transitions into some coffee and dark fruits.
FINISH: Fairly long, tannic and slightly drying. Oak, burnt brown sugar and dry raisin bran cereal with a final lasting touch of coffee are present on the finish which is quite dry. It almost feels like you’ve sipped a bit of coffee.
ABV: 43.0%
AGE: 4 Yr
CASK(S): Ex-Bourbon with high wood vanilla staves added for finishing.
PRICE: $79.99 CDN
ENJOY: Neat, with ice or in a cocktail.
RATING:
Victory is delightful on the nose and possesses a syrupy viscosity that makes it a perfect compliment to a nice piece of orange chocolate like Terry’s.”
Conclusions
I think Forty Creek Master Blender Bill Ashburn must have a sweet tooth.
Forty Creek’s Victory stays true to the distillery’s typical ‘special-release’ whisky profile: rich and vanilla bomb-sweet with fruit, spice and wood. On the finish it becomes readily apparent that there has been a pinch of a wine blended in, which parlays into a somewhat tannic, slightly dry finish. To some, this expression may come off as simply too sweet. It’s not for everyone, and if you’re not a lover of whisky with a sweeter profile, you may want to pass this up.
However, if you have a certain soft spot for whiskies that are a pinch on the sweeter side (like myself), then Victory is definitely a Canadian whisky must-try. It’s delightful on the nose and possesses a syrupy viscosity that makes it a perfect compliment to a nice piece of orange flavored chocolate like Terry’s. Though I feel it falls short of 40C’s Confederation Oak, it’s true to the 40C formula and is definitely worth a try.
After trying it on it’s own first, try pairing Forty Creek Victory with an Oliva Melanio Serie V Figurado cigar.
See more Canadian Whisky Reviews
– Kurt Bradley
Kurt Bradley is the founder of The Gentleman’s Flavor, to which he is also a contributing editor, host and curator.
Kurt is a certified Whisky Ambassador accredited by The Scotch Whisky Association and has achieved Level 2 Award in Wine & Spirits Education Trust with distinction.
He loves a good smooth, yet complex Canadian whisky.
