Today, Kittling Ridge Estate Wines & Spirits announced that it would rebrand as Forty Creek Distillery, effective August 2012.

“We believe our new name better reflects our growth over the past 20 years, and our vision to produce handcrafted, Canadian–made spirits,” says John Hall, owner and CEO.  “We decided on Forty Creek Distillery because we wanted our new name to pay tribute to our local heritage.”

Forty Creek Distillery is name for Forty Nile Creek, a tributary of Lake Ontario. Early in its history, the town now called Grimsby was a small settlement known as The Forty. The settlement developed around Forty Mile Creek, so-named because it was believed to be 40 miles from Niagara Falls.

Forty Creek Distillery is divesting of its wine brands and wine stores. The move will allow Forty Creek Distillery to concentrate exclusively on driving their spirit brands forward, and make room for the growth of its spirits portfolio, which includes three new products launching this fall: Forty Creek Copper Pot reserve, a bold and rich Canadian Whisky bottled at 43 per cent alcohol by volume, Forty Creek Creak Liquor, the first Canadian made cream whisky, and Forty Creek Port Wood Reserve, a limited edition whisky that is being re-released due to popular demand.

Forty Creek Distillery will continue to operate at its current location in Grimsby. Hall stated “Our workforce and our business have grown considerably and our employee’s passion and commitment will continue to drive our on-going success. We’ll continue to build our brands and develop new offerings by working in close partnership with our retail customers.”

About Forty Creek Distillery:

Located in Grimsby, Ontario, Forty Creek Distillery is the largest independently Canadian-owned craft distillery in Canada. Its portfolio of brands include; Forty Creek Whisky, Prince Igor Vodka, Canada Gold Whisky, Bolivar Liqueur, Small Cask Brandy and Alpenbitter No. 7. Forty Creek Distillery is known internationally for its quality spirits and has won numerous awards at prestigious tasting competitions around the world.

About John K. Hall:

John K. Hall has been a successful winemaker in Ontario since 1970, and distiller since 1992. “When I began making wines in Ontario over 40 years ago, there were about 7 wineries in the province. Today, there are more than 100. I’m proud of the contribution we pioneers made in the early days,” says Hall. Over the past ten years, Hall has become world renown as a distiller due in large part to his Forty Creek Whisky. “I would like to think that we’re helping to revive the craft distillery business here in Canada.”

Contact:
Beth Warner
Vice President, Marketing
905-945-9225
bwarner@kittlingridge.com