Quick mention about letting whisky sit, oxidize, and open up before you drink it: You’ve heard about allowing whisky to breathe one minute in the glass for every year in the cask? (18 year old whisky; let it sit for 18 minutes). I HATE this rule! It simply just doesn’t apply to the majority of whisky. Especially when it’s peated, especially when it’s cask strength, … Continue reading Bruichladdich Octomore 6.1, 6.3, 7.1, & 7.3
Back in June, TWS held a tasting event with Brown-Forman at JOEY in the Eaton Centre. This was a joint event with @MaltCollective on Instagram, and was a great evening, enjoyed greatly by the 20+ attendees who were there! The team at JOEY brought out some amazing food and the service was second to none! A huge thank you to the animated and knowledgeable John Breckon … Continue reading Brown-Forman Tasting Event at JOEY
The “true” age of the GlenDronach line You may have read the Words of Whisky article about the GlenDronach core-range being a lot older than the age statement on the label… “The distillery was closed from 1996 until 2001, and that gap of six years forces GlenDronach to use older whisky than necessary. The 12yo Original was released in 2009, so should’ve been at least … Continue reading GlenDronach Core-Range Review (12, 15, 18, 21)
The Old Fashioned has been my go-to cocktail for as long as I’ve been into whisky. I love the sweetness and easy drinking flavour it delivers. I make all my old fashioned’s right in the glass, no need for special mixing shakers. Pre-made simple syrup also makes the process easy and convenient (1 cup of water, 1&1/4 cup of brown sugar. Heat in small pot … Continue reading 5 Old Fashioned Recipes and Reviews
Talisker 25, 2017 Release, 45.8% ABV, £168 with shipping (UK auction) Nose: Prune juice, apple juice, apricot, honey, vanilla, sweet smoke, leather, old dusty books, sea air, and salt water. Taste: Salt and brine, more peat heavy on the palate vs the nose. There’s a musty oak-smoke element, and a really nice cherry chocolate liqueur/dark chocolate note. Finish: Long. Decent complexity. Chocolate and peat notes … Continue reading Talisker 25
My 2 cents on Non Age-statement (NAS) Scotch Whisky. I feel like this review is an appropriate time to weigh-in on the discussion. There is a lot of hate in the whisky community towards distilleries for not disclosing the age of their product. Some even flat out boycott purchasing a bottle without a number on the front. Being relatively new to the game, I just … Continue reading The great debate: Corryvreckan or Uigeadail?
Macallan 10 Years Old (Sherry), 40% ABV, £66 including shipping, (Review: Drinks by the Dram 3cl sample) Nose: Classic Macallan-like sherry, cherries, strawberry jam, raisins, plums, fudge, and chocolate. Taste: Everything I got from the nose was on the palate, with a little more chocolate, added oak, and spice. Finish: Medium length. Thoughts: I would be hard pressed to distinguish this from the current 12 … Continue reading Macallan 10 Years Old (Sherry)
This is the fourth and final category in our TWS Whisky Awards: Cask Strength Canadian Whiskies. In our previous three parts, we covered 1. under aged & non-whiskies; 2. Canadian Single Malts; and 3. Canadian Whiskies. There were only two bottles in this category, and you’ll find the notes and rankings below, along with a wrap-up of the series. Black Fox Spirits Wheat Spirit Cask Strength … Continue reading TWS Whisky Awards 2017: Cask Strength Canadian Whiskies & Wrap-up
In this, the third part of our TWS Whisky Awards, we look at some whiskies that fall within the more classical Canadian Whisky category. In Part 1, we looked at some under-aged spirits and non-whiskies, and in Part 2 we evaluated some Canadian Single Malts. Here are the bottles, descriptions, tasting notes and rankings of the five Canadian Whiskies we evaluated: Last Mountain 100% Wheat … Continue reading TWS Whisky Awards 2017: Canadian Whiskies
In the first annual TWS Whisky Awards, we evaluated four categories of Canadian whiskies and spirits. In Part 1, we looked at under-aged spirits and non-whiskies. In Part 2, we’re evaluating four Canadian Single Malts. Maison Sivó L’Essence du Single Malt – Franklin, QC This bottle from Sivó is an in-progress single malt made from Quebec malted barley, which undergoes a 4 day fermentation before … Continue reading TWS Whisky Awards 2017: Canadian Single Malts
As mentioned in the intro to the TWS Whisky Awards, we wanted to give new distilleries and those with under-aged spirits a chance to participate in a group evaluation, as they don’t typically participate in whisky awards. We received bottles from a number of young distilleries, and you’ll find the descriptions, collective notes and the winners of those bottles below. Park Distillery Glacier Rye – … Continue reading TWS Whisky Awards 2017: Non-Whiskies & Whiskies in Progress
A few months ago, the founding members of the Toronto Whisky Society were discussing what we should do to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, and eventually the discussion came around to whisky awards. When we looked at these awards, we found that they don’t always reveal the full list of whiskies evaluated, and generally don’t evaluate up-and-coming distilleries with product under 3 years old. Canada has … Continue reading TWS’s Inaugural Whisky Awards Intro
Toronto Whisky Society 