“I’ve dedicated my life to mastering two passions: blending best in class whisky and breeding best in class dogs. For that reason, Foxheart holds a special place in my heart,” says Forty Creek’s Bill Ashburn, Master Blender and 2020 Canada Master Whiskey Blender of the Year. “When blending Foxheart, I wanted to utilize the unique, premium liquid that’s already well-loved by Canadians and infuse it with a hint of aged Caribbean rum, leaning into its spice and flavour to further enhance the whisky. I’ve been in pursuit of the perfect heart to the whisky for decades—and in Foxheart, we’ve found just that. I’m extremely proud of this innovative liquid and cannot wait to share it with the world.”
Grimsby, Ontario Canada’s Forty Creek Distillery have carved out a name for themselves through blending consistent, characteristically smooth whiskies – and their latest effort in Foxheart is no different. Foxheart takes the traditional 40C liquid and marries it with a pinch of 12 year old Caribbean rum that, although undisclosed by the distillery, is widely believed to be Appleton Estate 12 Year.
Of course, putting a unique twist on the whisky making process is nothing new for 40C, who awhile back introduced The Forager, which married gin-style botanicals with a lighter whisky to create something quite different and new in the whisky category.
Whether Foxheart will appeal to rum fans is yet to be determined…
APPEARANCE: Amber.
NOSE: Vanilla and sweet almond oil. Red licorice and Demerara sugar meet oak, a touch of wet earth and some fully ripe banana
PALATE: Smooth with a medium sweetness. The palate is met with oak, vanilla, maple and a slight bit of peat. Dried fruit and rye spice follow up shortly behind alongside nutmeg and clove.
FINISH: Medium and warming. Rye and clove linger for a bit with a final taste on the exhale that reminds me of cognac.
ABV: 40.0%
AGE: 3 & 4 year-old whiskies, 12 year old rum
CASK(S): Ex-bourbon and new toasted oak
PRICE: $44.99 CDN
ENJOY: Preferably neat or with ice, but in cocktails is also possible.
RATING:
The palate is met with oak, vanilla, maple and an ever-so-slight bit of peat. Dried fruit and rye spice follow up shortly behind alongside nutmeg and clove.”
Conclusions
Despite the slight presence of notes such as banana and brown sugar, the rum fingerprint to Foxheart comes off as quite small, and may not cause rum lovers to come running at any given moment. There is however, an earthy, slightly peated element on both nose and palate that I think may appeal a bit to a scotch drinkers. This adds a very small damp note to the traditional vanilla, fruit and spice recipe that permeates much of Forty Creek’s limited edition expressions.
Bill Ashburn has said publicly that he’s not a fan of age expressions, and Foxheart definitely shows some youth on the palate. Though it’s not the most complex 40C expression I’ve tried, at $45 CDN (roughly $37 USD), Foxheart is a solid bargain, and sips like something that would be priced somewhat higher.
It’s smooth throughout, and stays mostly true to the 40C formula – but with a few little added twists along the way. Rum lover or not, It’s definitely worth a try.
For a pleasurable pairing, cigar lovers can enjoy Forty Creek Foxheart alongside the medium-to-full bodied Placencia Reserva 1898 cigar.
– 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.
