Whisky Rocks with Forty Creek

Nov 13th, 2012

Last Thursday I made my way to Barrie for the Whisky Rocks concert featuring The Trews. This annual event is a cornerstone of the LCBO’s seasonal whisky promotion.

I received the tickets courtesy of Forty Creek, one of the event’s participating brands. The $25 admission ticket came with five attached drink tickets that could be exchanged for one of the options from the cocktail menu.

One of the options from the five-cocktail list at the Whisky Rocks concert.

The drinks list ran the gamut from the Black Buck that combined whisky, simple syrup, ginger beer, and a lime garnish to the Forty-Seven that was a straight up pairing of the Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve and 7-Up.

I also had the chance to try the Forty Creek Copper Pot on its own. The caramel colour connects smoothly to the butterscotch and toasted sugar aroma (reminder to wine drinkers: sniff whisky delicately) and the flavour that plays on the same theme. The slightly higher alcohol (43%) helps lend a lingering, warming buzz.

The opening act that warmed things up for The Trews was actually a three-band battle of local groups. Kingston’s The Glorious Sons managed to rise above the diverse field to capture the title as crowd favourite.

The view from the balcony at the Whisky Rocks concert.

Happily, I was joined on the floor by Ken, Erin, Caiti, and Brock. Also, John and Beth tweet for Forty Creek. All that twitter-ness may draw the ire of Trews lead-man Colin MacDonald who admonished the crowd to “stop taking photos, stop tweeting, and listen” as his band started into the opening bars of Highway of Heroes. Fitting advice for a concert a few days before Remembrance Day.