Review of Forthwest Whiskey Co.: Flagship and Spice of Life Canadian Whiskies

 

When you think of Canadian whisky, you generally think of, well, Canada. It would be abnormal for Oregon to come into the equation.

 

Hood River Distillers labels itself as The Northwest’s Largest and Oldest Distillery. It was founded in 1934 and assigned DSP-OR-1. That would solidify its claim of being the oldest in Oregon. It started with pear and apple brandies and, from there, into other whiskeys and liqueurs.

 

Hood River has several brands under its umbrella, one of which is called Forthwest Whisky Co., which handles its Canadian whiskies.

 

“When we started, our mission was to create the best tasting flavored whiskies. But we also realized that some prefer the flavor of their whisky to be... whisky. With our dedication to the quality of spirit that goes into every bottle, our Master Distiller worked meticulously in partnership with our Canadian whisky supplier to achieve the traditional smoothness that you’d expect, while also providing you with notes of wheat and red fruits to keep the category moving forward. We’re happy to offer this to you as a five-year blended Canadian whisky.” – Forthwest Whisky Co.

 

Proofing is done with glacier-fed spring water from Mt. Hood in Oregon.

 

Today, we’ll explore two of its expressions: the aforementioned flagship five-year blended Canadian whisky and Spice of Life, a naturally flavored Canadian whisky.

 

Forthwest Whisky Co. was kind enough to provide me with samples of each in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest reviews. For the record, I’ll #DrinkCurious utilizing a fresh Glencairn glass and sipping each neat.

 

Flagship Canadian Whisky

 

• Type: Blended Canadian whisky
• Age: 5 years
• Mashbill: undisclosed
• Distiller: undisclosed
• Alcohol Content: 40% ABV (80°)
• Price per 700mL: $26.99

 

Appearance: Inside my glass, the whisky looked like liquid gold. It produced a medium rim, which generated a wavy curtain of tears.

 

Nose: As I brought the glass beneath my nostrils and inhaled, I discerned corn, vanilla, brown sugar, and cedar. The air tasted of maple and oak.

 

Palate: Forthwest Whisky had a soft, creamy texture. There was a punch of vanilla and caramel on the front. Corn and nutmeg were at the mid-palate, while the back had rye spice, butterscotch, and oak flavors.

 

Finish: The level, warming finish included rye spice, white pepper, nutmeg, oak, and butterscotch. The white pepper hung around the longest. I timed it at 2:03, which I found impressive considering the proof.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Forthwest Whisky’s flagship expression is affordable and an easy sipper. It won’t blow your socks off, but it stands independently and would likely make a good cocktail base. I could picture myself enjoying this on a warm summer’s night on my back deck. It earns my Bottle rating.

 

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Spice of Life

 

• Type: Flavored Canadian whisky
• Age: NAS
• Mashbill: undisclosed
• Distiller: undisclosed
• Alcohol Content: 40% ABV (80°)
• Price per 700mL: $26.99

 

Appearance: This whisky had a classic orange amber color. The thicker rim discharged widely-spaced, creepy-crawly, husky tears.

 

Nose: I noticed my right eyebrow raised as I sniffed what was inside my glass. There was a blast of oranges – fruit, rind, and peel. As I continued exploring the aroma, there were cherries, cola, and butterscotch discs. I drew the vapor inside my mouth and encountered rich, intense butterscotch.  

 

Palate: Spice of Life’s texture was creamy, and with the initial sip, I was lost in an ocean of flavors. There wasn’t really a front, middle, or back; it was a tidal wave of butterscotch, brown sugar, orange zest, cherries, and cinnamon spice.

 

Finish: The longer finish included butterscotch, orange zest, cherries, vanilla, and cinnamon spice. The duration ran 1:57.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Spice of Life is more of a high-proof cocktail than anything else. Please don’t take that as knocking it; the whisky grabbed my face with both hands and stared into my eyes. While I’ve tried to describe what I smelled and tasted, so much was happening, making concentrating challenging.

 

One of my favorite cocktails is a Bourbon Old Fashioned. If I saw Spice of Life on the menu (or on the back of the bar), I’d order it instead. For the money, this is a stupid-easy Bottle rating.

 

Final Thoughts: My brain had me psyched out before this adventure started. Seeing an 80° Canadian whisky always reminds me of mass-produced, undrinkable garbage. I was pleasantly surprised with how well Forthwest Whiskey Co. did with these whiskies. You will be, too. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.