It is that time of year again (you know, that Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus time of year), and whatever you celebrate, you’re probably buying gifts for the important people in your life. Got a whisky/whiskey lover on your list? Here are some helpful suggestions of what to get for them! General Gifts for the whisky fan: Do not get them whisky stones. We’ve mentioned this each of the last … Continue reading 2019 TWS Holiday Whisky Gift Guide
TWS did something different for our first event of the year, and invited members to bring along some bourbon from their own collections to share with the group. We tend to be more scotch-oriented in the club and this was a great way to try some juice from south of the border! We failed to take many pictures, but tried many great bottles! Continue reading Bring Your Own Bourbon 2019
Have you ever gone indoor rock climbing, and in between free climbs of the big wall, wished you could take a break and sip a few drams? Well lucky for you, the team at North of 7 Distillery has you covered! Greg Lipin and Jody Miall started the Coyote Rock Gym in 1992 with great success, often celebrated with their spirit of choice – Bourbon. In … Continue reading Distillery Spotlight: North of 7 Distillery
2018 was a fantastic year for the Toronto Whisky Society (TWS), between hosting a number of wonderful tastings, visiting distilleries, reviewing whiskies, and of course all the great social events with members. It would be a waste to have all these great whisky lovers and not ask them for their whiskies of the year! Read below to see what whiskies were the highlights for a … Continue reading Toronto Whisky Society’s Whiskies of the Year 2018
In November, we held our TWS Annual General Meeting of the membership, and heels party of all the whiskies we had received from distilleries throughout the year. A number of folks also brought their own heels from home to share with the group. Much fun was had, many drinks were drunk, all the food was eaten, the leftover bottles given away and transit was used … Continue reading 2017 Year-end Social and AGM
This single barrel Ex-Bourbon Solist was exclusively bottled for members of KavaFan. (142 total bottles). It was barreled on August 28, 2008, and bottled on October 5, 2017. 9 years, 1 month, 8 days old. Kavalan Solist Ex-Bourbon (KavaFan Bottling) B080828075, bottle 26/142, 55.6% ABV Nose: Creamy vanilla off the top, pineapple, piña colada, melon, bourbon-like caramel, short-bread, and a nice spicy oakiness. Taste: Vanilla … Continue reading Kavalan Solist Ex-Bourbon (KavaFan bottling)
This weekend, I had the opportunity to try Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year at the LCBO Popup on King and Bathurst with Sazerac distiller Allisa Henley. For those of you familiar with whiskey, you’ll know that Pappy is considered a unicorn. This is because it is affordable (at MSRP) and delicious – an unheard of combination! Because of this, these bottles are extremely hard to … Continue reading LCBO Popup Event: Tasting Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 23 Year
Elmer T. Lee Bourbon, 45% ABV, $45 USD Nose: Black cherry, cinnamon, brown sugar, caramel, whipped cream, and a big cream corn note. Taste: Cherry, corn, and brown sugar again, with honey, vanilla, pepper, and tobacco. Finish: Medium/long, cherry and corn notes linger. Thoughts: Not the most complex bourbon, but it’s very well balanced. Its got a unique profile. Really enjoying it! Hard to find … Continue reading Elmer T. Lee
Orphan Barrel – Barterhouse 20 year old Bourbon, 45.1% ABV, $100 CAD Nose: Black and Maraschino cherries. Big oak, toasted bread, almonds, and some vanilla. Taste: Heavy oak, very rich cherry (cherry pie filling), caramel, and an almond/marzipan thing going on. Finish: Medium to long, oak and cherry notes linger. Thoughts: 20 years of oak dominate the whisky, but it works here. I really like the cask influence. … Continue reading Orphan Barrel – Barterhouse 20 year old Bourbon
Baseball and Bottled-in-bond Bourbons… doesn’t get much more American than that! Except I’m in Canada, and I’m watching the Blue Jays. I’ve had these two bottles for a while, and the Henry McKenna came in a swap with /u/lecheconcarnie nearly two years ago. Realized I could do a three-way BiB multi-review, so let’s see how they fare! (both the bourbons and the Blue Jays… I’ll give updates … Continue reading Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon & Blue Jays Baseball Bonanza
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 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
Toronto Whisky Society 