Fans of great whisky, great music and a great time should mark the September 21st weekend on their calendars. Forty Creek Distillery, in Grimsby, Ontario, is once again staging its Whisky Weekend.

This year’s Whisky Weekend follows a similar format as the previous year, with a distillery tour, seminars, and tastings. But this year there’s an added attraction: three live musical acts including Terra Lightfoot, Hollerado, and Kris Barclay (who just won the Boots & Hearts Emerging Artist award). Check out the Forty Creek site for more details.

This year’s Whisky Weekend will also see the launching of Victory, a limited-release distillation that commemorates the 205th anniversary of the Engagement at the Forty, a battle between American forces and combination of local militants, indigenous peoples and the British Navy during the War of 1812. The battle took place near where today stands the Forty Creek Distillery and was critical in preventing the further advancement of American troops.

With Victory, Forty Creek continues the tradition of experimentation in aging with unique types of wood. Master Blender, Bill Ashburn selected only his best Canadian Whisky to further age with the addition of vanilla wood staves. The resulting whisky was then artfully blended, resulting in a product that is signature Forty Creek.

I had the good fortune of being one of the first (maybe even the first) in the “general public” to dip into this dram.

Victory “2019 Limited Edition” Lot #013, Bottle #04935

A big, rich, bold whisky. Polished and smooth, with aromas suggesting baking spice, toffee, nougat/marzipan/almond/vanilla with just a dollop of something – maple syrup, maybe? Viscous and warm in the mouth, with a touch of cayenne pepper spice along with caramel/sultana nuances as well as toasted/buttered hazelnut and a dash of marmalade. The pepperiness persist on the long, clean finish.

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Photo credits: Forty Creek Whisky Facebook page