It’s time to take a brief break from all the Speyside whisky I’ve been writing about. The pioneering Canadian distiller, John Hall, at Kittling Ridge, will be releasing a new whisky this September called Forty Creek John K. Hall Double Barrel Reserve. I could tell you about it, but let’s get it straight from John:

I decided to Double Barrel my aged Forty Creek Whisky stocks. Instead of blending the rye, the barley & the corn whiskies, rounding in sherry casks, and finally bottling, as we do Forty Creek Barrel Select, I blended the three aged whiskies and then re-barreled them in “First Run” bourbon barrels.

Since my whiskies had already been aged, I didn’t want to distract from the taste I had already achieved. My intent was to complement the existing taste and therefore I needed barrels without fresh harsh oak tannins. The characteristics of the “First Run” bourbon barrels were just what I was looking for. These barrels would enhance the existing tastes of Forty Creek and take the whisky to another level. The added bonus would be allowing all three whiskies time to mellow, and get to know each other in the same barrel.

The whisky won’t be bottled until June. When it is, he’s going to send me a sample. I’ll give you my thoughts on the whisky at that time. This is a limited edition run of 10,200 bottles worldwide.