Our last in-person tasting before Covid hit…. the before times. Crazy that it would be a full 2.33yrs before we would be in person again – could almost age a whisky to legal maturity in that time! This tasting was pulled together over time through a combination of members bringing in bottles and the brand ambassador providing a bunch as well. The writer was travelling … Continue reading Tomintoul Tasting – Mar 2020
The writer was travelling in Japan at the time, but long-time TWS member, frequent website contributor and former exec Mike O’Leary travelled to Scotland and brought back some real treats from his distillery visits and tours. He was kind enough to host an event and pour some of these for members! which would you want to drink first? Continue reading Distillery Exclusives Tasting with Mike
Over the past few years, we’ve tried to include one non-whisky event in our annual line-up, to help introduce folks to different spirits, and to keep things interesting! In 2021, the event was Rum & Cachaça. While we could have done a full rum event, the opportunity to get some cachaça direct from Brazil presented itself via a co-worker who was going back to visit … Continue reading Rum & Cachaça Tasting – March 2021
What are you drinking January 25th? Some readers may think that this is a strange question. Why this date you may ask? Those who celebrate January 25th annually with cock-a-leekie soup, neeps, tatties and haggis know that January 25th is Robbie Burns Day. Many may be surprised to learn that they have already raised a glass, indirectly, to Robbie Burns when they rang in the … Continue reading What are you drinking January 25th?
The Toronto Whisky Society has curated some amazing custom bottlings over the years. Here are some pics and descriptions of them! Our inaugural bottling in 2017, This Tobermory 21 yr single cask is aged in ex-bourbon and very lightly peated. Bottled in partnership with Heads & Tails and The Whisky Agency. A gorgeous dram for our first barrel pick! This Orkney (Highland Park) 17yr single … Continue reading TWS Custom Bottlings
In feb 2021 we held a tasting with Waterford Whiskey from Ireland, virtually connecting with the team at the distillery while tasting some of their wares. Waterford’s raison d’etre is to evaluate and demonstrate the effect of terroir on whiskey, much like with the wine industry. They closely monitor the climate and soil conditions at their various farms, creating single farm whiskeys and blends thereof. … Continue reading Waterford Whiskey tasting – Feb 2021
This year has been quite a challenging one for many distillers, but potentially even more so for Ontario distillers. It’s been a hard 18 months of pandemic restrictions with not a lot of payback on the governmental side of things. Yet, whisky keeps flowing to the mouths of Canadians willing to support their domestic industry. Among those distillers are one of the big players in … Continue reading An Interview with Master Blender, Bill Ashburn | Forty Creek Distillery (Grimsby, Ontario, Canada)
Travel – something we haven’t been able to do a lot of in the past 18 months or so, but when restrictions within Canada were eased, jumping at the first opportunity to visit a new place was a priority and thus a trip to Newfoundland was planned. Of course, no trip is complete without visiting whatever distilleries exist in the location, so a call to … Continue reading Distillery Spotlight: The Newfoundland Distillery Co.
Happy 2021 everyone! While this post should’ve come after the conclusion of the planned 4th annual Wonderful World of Whisky Show in Cornwall, Ontario back on March 26-28th in the year 2020, unfortunately it became one of the first things to be cancelled during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that the whisky world has moved even further online, I had the absolute … Continue reading An Interview with Head Distiller, Ned Gahan | Waterford Distillery (Waterford, Ireland)
The best time of year has come once again! While some of us wish we could say that 2020 was, yet again, a fantastic year for Toronto Whisky Society, 2020 was far from ideal. The COVID-19 pandemic brought a lot of challenges to whisky drinkers around the world and has severely impacted the drinks and hospitality industry from the distilleries who make your favourite spirits, … Continue reading Toronto Whisky Society’s Whiskies of the Year 2020
Our AGM looked a little different this year, but we still had a good time online drinking for the last time together in 2020, and did a blind tasting of two Carn More Strictly Limited Bottlings and had people guess their identity and specs. The closest to the mark got to keep the leftovers! Here’s to a better 2021! Continue reading Virtual AGM & Social 2020
2020 has been quite the year, and your Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus celebrations are likely to look a little different than normal, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be buying whisky for your friends and family! We’ve put together an updated 2020 Gift Guide to help you find the best options at the LCBO! WHISKY $61 AND UNDER Wild Turkey 101 – a great bourbon for $38 currently … Continue reading 2020 Holiday Whisky Gift Guide
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