The Forager The Botanical Whisky

Some Indigenous people used to repel mosquitos by rubbing their skin with sweet fern. They ate spruce tips for a cough and juniper to alleviate gas. Labrador tea cured the common headache just as mugwort provided an energy-boosting tonic. And centuries ago, Roman soldiers warded off fatigue my stuffing it into their sandals. To dream of having all this goodness in a whisky?

At Forty Creek’s 2019 whisky weekend, North American Brand Ambassador Chris Thompson ushered me mysteriously toward a giant curtain. The Let’s Make a Deal reflex kicked in: do you take what’s inside the box or choose what’s behind the curtain? Since we already knew the box contained a bottle of Forty Creek Victory, Thompson drew back the curtain to reveal something alien: a prototype bottle labelled The Forager.

He poured a drop into a glass and I pressed against my nose, revealing a surging twister of whisky and botanical flavours. Was Forty Creek madly going against the grain, or were they cunningly redefining it? Thompson calmly revealed that whisky maker Bill Ashburn had infused each of those magical botanicals into Forty Creek whisky. As their subtle ancient flavours contrasted with the distillery’s trademark fruity whisky, they underscored hints of citrus, subtle medicinal pine resin and a refreshing, slightly bitter, herbaceous top dressing. Dubbed “The Forager,” this whisky challenges the status quo.

Bill Ashburn has decades of experience working with botanicals. “My first introduction was at Jordan & Ste Michelle Cellars back in 1980,” says Ashburn. “Not only were we heavy into Canadian Ports and Sherries, but we also had three Vermouths where we were constantly playing around with spices and herbs.” Ashburn has also worked with infusions to make the wildly popular Alpenbitter No. 7 that dates back to Forty Creek’s Kittling Ridge days.

We can’t attest to  the botanicals’ therapeutic benefits in Forager, but it’s Spring, and we’ve yet to scratch a mosquito bite.