Group Review: Talisker 10

Here’s the next in our series of TWS group reviews. Six of our members have posted reviews of this popular island dram and it was great to see what the consolidated group’s thoughts on it were. Talisker 10 Group Review Summary Top 5 Tasting Notes: Peat, Smoke, Brine, Sugar, Pepper (see word cloud for full breakdown of flavour notes we recorded) Max Score: 90 Min Score: 82 Average Score: 85.3 … Continue reading Group Review: Talisker 10

Exclusive Pre-Release Group Review: J.P. Wiser’s Dissertation

As you’ll have seen from past group reviews and our trip to Hiram Walker last month (Pt1, Pt2, Pt3), we’re pretty big fans of what Dr. Don Livermore and the team at Corby/Pernod-Ricard are doing in the Canadian whisky category. From their Union 52 blend that includes some 52yr old Highland Scotch, to Last Barrels – a sour mash bourbon-style whisky, – to the use of virgin … Continue reading Exclusive Pre-Release Group Review: J.P. Wiser’s Dissertation

Collingwood Distillery Luncheon / Whisky Tasting

I’d like to start by thanking Brown-Foreman for inviting me to a recent Collingwood Whisky tasting and lunch. This was hosted by them, and I was invited as part of my inclusion of the Toronto Whisky Society. As part of the lunch, Alexis Green, the brand ambassador, walked through this distillery with us, had an introductory tasting, shared some great cocktail recipes, and overall gave … Continue reading Collingwood Distillery Luncheon / Whisky Tasting

Group Review: Glenlivet 16 Nàdurra

The Toronto Whisky Society sometimes conducts group reviews, where we split a bottle and all review it, then consolidate into a single post, a recent example being J.P Wiser’s Union 52. However, as a group, we have 2500 reviews online, mostly posted on the Reddit Whisky Network, which we’re slowly moving over to our website. We decided where more than 4 of us have reviewed a … Continue reading Group Review: Glenlivet 16 Nàdurra

Victoria Caledonian Distillery – TWS Event

On April 23rd the Toronto Whisky Society hosted our most recent event, a tasting by the Victoria Caledonian Brewery & Distillery. Andrew Campbell Walls, the incredibly delightful brand ambassador of Victoria Caledonian Distillery, was gracious to lead is through a tasting of the TWA Blended malts available from the distillery, along with a sample of the currently maturing single malt spirit (Mac Na Braiche). Below … Continue reading Victoria Caledonian Distillery – TWS Event

Toronto Whisky Society Do Good Distillery Reviews

Toronto Whisky Society were privileged enough to be sent bottles and samples of Do Good distilleries offerings. We’d like to start out by thanking Do Good for these samples, and for being patient while we waited for someone to legally bring them back from the US. Do Good Distillery is built upon the ideal of making unique, wonderful craft spirits. Their emphasis is on whisky. They use … Continue reading Toronto Whisky Society Do Good Distillery Reviews

Best Scotch Whiskies Under $100 At LCBO

2023 UPDATES UNDER EACH ENTRY BELOW Sadly very few solid buys under $100 anymore in 2023. Some new replacement suggestions below. After seeing a wonderful post by the Scotch Club YEG  a couple of the members of TWS started debating what the best scotch options were at the LCBO (the options available at $80 sadly could not justify a list here). Click here to see … Continue reading Best Scotch Whiskies Under $100 At LCBO

TWS visits Hiram Walker Distillery – Part 3

In Part 1, we covered grain, mashing and fermenting. In Part 2, we covered distillation, QA, barrelling and aging. Now we’re going to look at the final few steps in the whisky making process, our own attempt to do Don’s job of blending, and a trip into the Whisky Archives. Blending This step is where Don’s creative muscles are exercised. Unlike a single malt scotch, … Continue reading TWS visits Hiram Walker Distillery – Part 3

TWS visits Hiram Walker Distillery – Part 2

In Part 1 of the Toronto Whisky Society’s visit to the Hiram Walker Distillery we covered how they handle their grain, the mashing process and fermenting process. Next we move on to: Distillation Distillation is essentially selective evaporation to concentrate a substance and remove unwanted portions. In the spirits world, there are two types of stills: Continuous or column stills, and pot stills. At Hiram … Continue reading TWS visits Hiram Walker Distillery – Part 2

TWS visits Hiram Walker Distillery – Part 1

On March 24th, a few founding members of the Toronto Whisky Society were given the opportunity to tour the Hiram Walker Distillery and we want to share that experience with you in a few posts over the next few days. For any of you who don’t know, the distillery was built in 1858 by Hiram Walker, an American businessman who helped grow Canadian whisky to … Continue reading TWS visits Hiram Walker Distillery – Part 1

Rabbit Hole Distillery Spotlight and Reviews

Rabbit Hole Distillery was founded in 2012 by Kaveh Zamanian and his wife, after 20 years in academia, with a goal of making unique whiskeys and experimenting with unique recipes. He’s collaborated with a number of former head distillers for the largest spirit companies in the world to develop his recipes. We received these samples from the distillery, as they wanted some reviews on the … Continue reading Rabbit Hole Distillery Spotlight and Reviews

TWS attends Jim Beam Black & Double Oaked pre-launch party + reviews!

A few weeks ago we received an email from PraxisPR, inviting us to attend the pre-launch party and tasting of the new Jim Beam Double Oaked and Black extra aged. So we, Bryan and Kyle, dutifully went to the Village Cigar Company & Barbershop for cocktails, old timey vaudevillian music, and in Bryan’s case, a free haircut won in a draw!  This place was peak hipster, and … Continue reading TWS attends Jim Beam Black & Double Oaked pre-launch party + reviews!