Forty Creek

Type: Distillery and brand

Forty Creek is a Canadian whisky distillery and brand in Grimsby, Ontario, in the Niagara region. Its defining production approach is to distil and mature its grain whiskies separately before blending them, with corn, rye and barley forming the basis of most Forty Creek whiskies.[1][4][6][7]

What Forty Creek is known for

Forty Creek’s identity rests on the relationship between distilling and blending. Rather than treating corn, rye and barley as one combined recipe throughout production, the distillery makes separate whiskies and brings them together later. The distinction matters: a list of three grains does not, by itself, describe how those grains become the finished whisky.[6][7]

The documented cask programme also treats the components differently. A trade account describes heavily charred casks for corn whisky, medium-charred casks for barley whisky and lightly toasted casks for rye whisky. This is a more useful explanation of the production approach than simply calling Forty Creek a three-grain whisky.[7]

Its name, meanwhile, belongs to its location rather than its recipe. Forty Mile Creek is a tributary of Lake Ontario, and the settlement that became Grimsby was once called “The Forty”. When the business announced its Forty Creek Distillery rebrand in 2012, John Hall described the name as paying “tribute to our local heritage”.[4]

From Reider to Hall and Ashburn

The business behind Forty Creek did not begin with Barrel Select. Its predecessor was Otto Reider’s Canadian Eau-de-vie Distillery, whose early activities included making eau de vie, buying and bottling vodka, and briefly bottling Canadian Mist under licence. Verdict: Disputed. One trade source dates the predecessor’s founding to 1971; another records a plan for Grimsby in 1972. The founding year is not reliably established.[5][7]

Bill Ashburn joined the Reider distillery in 1987 and learned to operate the stills and blend spirits. John K. Hall brought a different background: he had been a winemaker in Ontario since 1970. Trade accounts place Hall’s takeover in 1992, although the chronology is qualified in another account, which also dates production from 1993.[4][5][6][7]

The change was practical as well as personal. Hall and Ashburn made wine under the Kittling Ridge name from 1992 to 1999 to support the business, while the distillery shifted towards laying down whisky. About three-quarters of Reider’s existing whisky stocks were sold, and eau de vie production was reduced.[5]

Barrel Select followed in 2000. The business continued to carry the Kittling Ridge identity until its announcement on 31 July 2012 that it would become Forty Creek Distillery that August. That sequence separates three events sometimes compressed into one founding story: the predecessor operation, Hall’s involvement and the adoption of the distillery’s present name.[4][5]

Production timeline

How Forty Creek makes its whisky

The central production choice is separation by grain. In the trade account, the component whiskies mature for six to ten years before blending. That is a description of the reported production programme, not an age statement to apply automatically to every bottle in the range.[7]

The same account records both column and pot distillation. Corn whisky is made using a column still, alongside a 500-litre pot still and a 5,000-litre main pot still fitted with a rectifier. This equipment description, checked against the supplied record in November 2026, corrects the idea that Forty Creek is exclusively a pot-still operation.[7]

Canadian oak is another documented part of the programme. Casks described as “Confederation Oak” are used for special bottlings, giving that name a production connection rather than making it merely a reference to Canadian history.[6][7]

These details explain the working method without supplying a universal flavour description. The useful distinction is between the separate grain components, their different cask treatments and the later blend, rather than an assumption that every Forty Creek expression follows an identical recipe.[6][7]

A rye side project with a long afterlife

One of the most revealing stories concerns whisky that was not initially received with enthusiasm. According to the trade account, Ashburn filled four barrels with rye in 1989 as a side project. Hall tasted it in 1992 and was unimpressed, yet the spirit later contributed to Three Grain Harmony and the 22 Year Old Rye.[5]

Story box: Four rye barrels, reconsidered

• Founding story: The Forty Creek business developed from the Reider operation through Hall’s involvement and purchase of the facility. The takeover chronology is Disputed: trade accounts place it in 1992, while another qualifies that date and records production from 1993.[5][6][7] Sources: https://www.whiskymag.com/articles/superstition-aint-the-way/; https://www.marketwatchmag.com/forty-creek-julaug-2015/; https://www.whisky.com/whisky-database/distilleries/details/forty-creek-kittling-ridge.html
• Turning point: Barrel Select was released in 2000, giving the developing whisky business its documented first Barrel Select release. Source: https://www.whiskymag.com/articles/superstition-aint-the-way/ [5]
• Key person: Bill Ashburn joined in 1987 and filled the four rye barrels in 1989. Source: https://www.whiskymag.com/articles/superstition-aint-the-way/ [5]
• Documented record: The trade account connects that rye with Three Grain Harmony and the 22 Year Old Rye. Source: https://www.whiskymag.com/articles/superstition-aint-the-way/ [5]
• Claim-source mapping: The founding, release, employment and rye-barrel claims above each come from the linked Whisky Magazine account.[5]
• Last checked: November 2026; the exact day is not recorded.

Verdict: Documented

Claim: Ashburn’s 1989 rye side project later contributed to Three Grain Harmony and Forty Creek 22 Year Old Rye.[5]

What the record shows: Whisky Magazine reports the four barrels, Hall’s initial reaction and their later use. The 22 Year Old Rye was named Whisky of the Year at the 2019 Canadian Whisky Awards.[5]

Evidence against or gap: None found in the supplied record. Earliest known source in that record: Whisky Magazine, Superstition ain't the way, publication date not supplied. Source: https://www.whiskymag.com/articles/superstition-aint-the-way/. Last checked: November 2026; the exact day is not recorded.

Ownership and the meaning of independent

Forty Creek’s independent period is part of its history, not its present ownership. At the 2012 rebrand, the business called itself “the largest independently Canadian-owned craft distillery in Canada”. That was the company’s description at that date.[4]

Campari agreed to acquire Forty Creek in March 2014. Its annual report records completion of the acquisition of 100 per cent of Forty Creek Distillery Ltd. on 2 June 2014, while its acquisitions page gives 3 June 2014. The month and completed acquisition are established; the two company sources disagree on the precise day.[2][3][6][7]

The transaction included the brand portfolio, stocks, distilleries, manufacturing facilities and Grimsby hospitality centre. Campari described it as the group’s “first move into the important Canadian whisky segment”. Hall stayed on as chairman and whisky maker after the sale, while Ashburn later became responsible for Forty Creek whisky production.[3][5][6][7]

Reading the range

The 2015 core range comprised Barrel Select, Copper Pot Reserve, Double Barrel Reserve and Confederation Oak Reserve. The producer’s range checked in November 2026 includes Barrel Select, Copper Bold (Copper Pot), Double Barrel, Confederation Oak, Niagara Triple Reserve, XX Legacy and Honey Spiced, alongside cream and maple liqueurs.[1][6]

The historical and current names should be read in their respective contexts. A reference to Copper Pot Reserve in an older article and Copper Bold on the producer’s range list reflects the names those sources use, rather than establishing that every detail of the products is unchanged.[1][6]

Limited releases form a separate thread. The documented sequence includes Small Batch in 2007, Double Barrel Reserve in 2008, Port Wood Reserve in 2009, Three Grain Harmony in 2015, Unity in 2018 and Victory in 2019. Those dated releases help trace the brand’s development without implying that past editions remain available.[5]

Before visiting

The producer advertises a tasting bar and guided tasting flights at the Grimsby distillery. Before travelling, consult the official website for booking arrangements, accessibility information and age rules for the experience you intend to attend.[1]

Where to go next

• Canadian Club: continue with another Canadian whisky brand profile.
• Hiram Walker: Lot No. 40, Pike Creek and Gooderham & Worts: explore the separate identities covered by this related guide.
• Shelter Point: follow another Canadian distillery profile.

Sources

1. Campari Group. Forty Creek Whisky, The Award Winning Canadian Whisky. Producer’s account, website edition checked November 2026. https://www.fortycreekwhisky.com/
2. Campari Group. Forty Creek Distillery Ltd. Acquisition record, 2014, checked November 2026. https://www.camparigroup.com/en/acquisition/forty-creek-distillery-ltd
3. Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. Annual Report 2014. 2014 edition. https://www.camparigroup.com/sites/default/files/downloads/relazione_annuale_2014_en_0.pdf
4. Canadian Whisky. Forty Creek Distillery: Kittling Ridge Estate Wines & Spirits to Re-brand as Forty Creek Distillery. Reproduced company announcement, 31 July 2012. https://canadianwhisky.org/blog/news-views/forty-creek-distillery.html
5. Whisky Magazine. Superstition ain't the way. Undated in the supplied record, checked November 2026. https://www.whiskymag.com/articles/superstition-aint-the-way/
6. Market Watch. Forty Creek Changes The Canadian Story. July/August 2015. https://www.marketwatchmag.com/forty-creek-julaug-2015/
7. Whisky.com. Forty Creek (Kittling Ridge) Distillery. Undated trade profile, checked November 2026. https://www.whisky.com/whisky-database/distilleries/details/forty-creek-kittling-ridge.html

This desk-researched article uses the supplied verified fact sheet, distinguishing company records, producer statements and trade reporting.

Last checked: November 2026