Forty Creek Distillery — Local services in Grimsby

Forty Crack, because that’s what they sell here.

As a Bourbon man I once thought that all Canadian whiskey’s were either Rye or blended and that kinda held true for a while because most of what we were getting was mediocre at best (club, mist, seagrams) they were all well or worse. We were doing it all wrong, then comes Highwood, Pendleton, Forty Creek and you realize hey we were just judging them on the wrong stuff. Blending was never a bad thing we just chose to look down our noses at non single malts or single barrels thinking purity was key, but a master blender really does just that, seamlessly makes many things one cohesive offering and places like this really teach you that.

I went in the slow season, so tours were only on weekends, but the tastings were free. I doubt they thought I was really going to try everything they had, but after chopping it up about sports, whiskey and life I decided to buy the rare stuff, the stuff sold out everywhere, the stuff major US markets CA, TX, FL didn’t even get. That copper still mixed like a rye and would easily pass in a split base cocktail. The alpen bitter is very citrus7, the fire water vodka would do better as a brandy, and their other spirits just lacked the gusto that goes into the whiskey and all seemed a little flat and unrefined. They sell plenty of trinkets and some very cool quality stuff, not just souvaniers. I'm not going to review each offering, but let you do that on your own, this is really more about the distillery.

The staff is great (that guy Dan is legit), the tasting room is more of a souvenir shop looking room with a pseudo bar in the back corner. The tasting tours start across the hall where you are surrounded by the history of their recently retired 1st master distiller/blender/owner/founder John Hall. He sold to Campari, but stayed on a bit to blend the limited editions and only recently retired leaving the blending to his friend and business partner. The 2016 Founders is his last iteration, glad I got some. They go over the grains used, the barrels used, char levels, and all the major milestones.

I first tried them a few years ago, the barrel select, then confederation, then harmony, all amazing and better than the last. I’m excited to crack my founders bottles in the coming years.

Parking seems inadequate and the facility seems kinda of small, but I guess it was never designed to compete with the big boys in that regard. The heart and soul of John lives in every bottle from the cream to...

Nanaimo bar cream is what I went for and have always enjoyed all the 40 creek products purchased from the LCBO plus I’m a bit of a collector of unique interesting alcohol , first time I’ve ever been to 40 creek distillery but have meant to go for a long time. When I entered the shop at 4pm on Oct 1 2020 I was greeted with what I would call an anything but warm reception, I was in a happy mood and wanted to spend some money beyond trying the Nanaimo cream so I could add to my collection but within about 5 seconds of being in that store I told her what I was interested in and she grabbed it and rung it up ( she never asked if that was everything) even though I told her I was interested in something else and she said “there they are”... are you kidding me?! I don’t even know what I want and your making no effort at all to show me or present me with options for a further purchase?! I actually felt very uncomfortable and just ended it, paid for my $30 bottle of Nanaimo cream and left. This entire experience took 3 minutes so you can just imagine about how fast this woman was completely rude.

I was about to drop at least 300 to add to my collection but unfortunately I don’t even have a clue as to what I could have bought that was unique for my collection because I ask what do you have and she says it’s all there and points to a wall 🤷‍♀️ Well I have no idea about what I want (this is where she should be selling me stuff)

At the end of the 3 minute experience I got the Nanaimo cream and my friends and I reviewed it on FB...we all loved the product but the service seriously needs to be looked at. 😒 I actually don’t really wanna go there again because...

Forty Creek is an awesome spot to stop if you are looking to purchase, or sample some pretty nice Canadian whiskeys. Brewed right on premises, they have a nice selection from their popular Double Barrel Reserve to their Confederation Oak, and many unique varieties in between. There is something for any whiskey connoisseur. There were specialty items such as their maple flavored whiskey that reminded me of liquid pancakes. Their cream was smooth and delicious as well. Samples were at no charge, but we would have been remiss not not leave a nice tip as the staff was warm, friendly and knowledgeable.

The tasting space has gone though some recent renovations and is clean and relaxing. There is a special tasting room available if you book in advance (best for larger groups). There was outdoor seating and a gift shop as well. Restrooms are also on premises.

The location is conveniently located just off the QEW in Grimsby, We were in town for a hockey tournament right around the corner and this made for a great stop with the team, in between games. Quite a few bottles left with us to enjoy at home as their products and selections were worth of their purchase price!

RECOMMENDATION:. We did not have time, but heard the tour of the facility is well worth it and very informative. We will definitely do this the next time we...