| Q: |
What is the correct way to spell whisky
- with or without an “e”? |
| A: |
The Canadians and the Scots spell it Whisky. The Irish
these days spell it Whiskey. And in the United States,
Kentucky Bourbon & Rye are spelled Whiskey. |
| |
|
| Q: |
I enjoy your wonderful Forty Creek... but why don’t
you use a cork to seal it? A twist off cap just doesn’t
seem to be good enough for this great tasting whisky. |
| A: |
The reason why I use a twist off cap is because I want
to deliver to you the best tasting whisky I can make.
I have been a winemaker for over 30 years and cork is
a winemaker’s worst nightmare. At least 15% of all
wine bottles are tainted with bad corks due to poor quality
of the cork. A great wine can be spoiled by a bad cork
and so can a great whisky. Whisky does not age in the
bottle, therefore unlike wine it does not need a cork
to enhance its’ character. The cap may not enhance
the romance of the whisky but it does provide confidence
that you are getting the taste the whisky maker intended. |
| |
|
| Q: |
I know you use corn as one of the grains for making
Forty Creek, but what kind of corn do you use & why? |
| A: |
The choice of corn is an important one. I use Indian
Corn, also called maize. This kind of corn is not the
same as the “Peaches and Cream” variety you
eat as corn-on-the-cob. The kind we normally eat is high
in sugar, and low in starch. Indian corn, on the other
hand, is very high in starch, which means that more alcohol
can be produced during the fermentation process. |
| |
|
| Q: |
Where did the name Forty Creek come from... is it real
or is it because it contains 40% alcohol? |
| A: |
Since I am a first generation whisky maker I did not
have an extensive heritage to fall back on, so I decided
to dedicate my whisky to the area in which it is made.
Sort of like a Terroir in wine terms, where famous wines
are named after the regions they come from, such as Bordeaux
or Chianti. My whisky is named after Forty Mile Creek
in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. Forty Mile Creek is 40 miles
from Niagara Falls. The grain fields, and the 2 grist
mills in the area provided the means to make whisky and
the Grimsby harbour provided the transportion. I proudly
call my whisky Forty Creek to celebrate the people and
heritage of the area. |
| |
|
| Q: |
I like your Forty Creek Whisky but you don’t state
how old it is... why not? |
| A: |
While age is important to some degree, a fine whisky
is not created by age alone. My approach to whisky making
is similar to making a fine wine. Paying particular attention
to the choice of varietal grains, the copper pot distillation
and the barrel selection, captures nuances and subtleties
of flavour that result in a whisky of distinction. In
addition, each barrel is unique and ages at varying rates,
so it is important to taste and track each barrel to determine
when it is time to remove the whisky from the barrel.
It’s a tough job but someone has to do it! |
| |
|
| Q: |
Does it matter whether you store whisky barrels upright
or on their sides? |
| |
The barrel doesn’t know which way is up! Actually,
barrels were once stored on their sides, because it made
for easier transportation. Before forklifts, and mechanized
equipment, cellar masters could roll the barrels on their
side to move them. Today, it is easier & more space
efficient to store the barrels upright. |
| |
Back to top  |
