Arran-mageddon: 12 reviews of Arran single casks, LEs and crazy finishes

So I’m at the precipice of hitting both 300 scotch reviews and 500 total whisky reviews on reddit and plotted out my path to those milestones. Inspired by /u/tomodera‘s recent Arran-pocalypse posts (Part 1, Part 2), I decided to do a smaller multi of the Arran drams I haven’t posted here in the past. It’s kind of like the B-movie version of his post… it’s Piranha … Continue reading Arran-mageddon: 12 reviews of Arran single casks, LEs and crazy finishes

TWS Whisky Awards 2017: Cask Strength Canadian Whiskies & Wrap-up

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

Some NDP Bourbon Reviews

My wife and I recently had a great weekend in Windsor visiting the Hiram Walker Distillery, Canadian Club Brand Centre, Wolfhead Distillery and just hanging out with good company! We spent the weekend with some friends and he has a fantastic, growing collection of whiskies that he picks up in his business travels. Our weekend also involved a lot of great food including  flaming cheese at Santorini’s … Continue reading Some NDP Bourbon Reviews

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

#FroaigFriday review: Laphroaig 25 Cask Strength 2011 edition

Earlier this month I posted a review of a 23yr Laphroaig from SMWS, which had been my 199th scotch review on Reddit. Today I’m posting the review I wrote for my 200th: Laphroaig 25 CS 2011, which clocks in at 48.6% ABV, finished in oloroso casks. I received this sample from Devoz. Laphroaig 25 Cask Strength 2011 – 48.6% ABV Appearance: same light uncoloured yellow. Don’t … Continue reading #FroaigFriday review: Laphroaig 25 Cask Strength 2011 edition

Aberlour A’bunadh Three-Way Review: Batches 6, 46 & 53

As many of you know, I live in the Great White Land-of-Provincial-Liquor-Regulation, and our prices for whisky suck. See, the government had this whole prohibition idea, and then when it ended, they decided they still needed to babysit us and ensure we didn’t drink too much. Thus was born the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, which today has morphed into a retailing giant that spends … Continue reading Aberlour A’bunadh Three-Way Review: Batches 6, 46 & 53

Reviews: Toronto Distillery Co Hickory Cask, bottled and cask strength

Jesse and Chuck invited us back to the Toronto Distillery Co. before they shut down January 31st to try their recent Hickory cask release at bottled and cask strength. Only a few of us from TWS were able to make it, but it was a fantastic afternoon. The Hickory Cask release is 100% toasted soft winter wheat grain, aged in a hickory wood cask (with … Continue reading Reviews: Toronto Distillery Co Hickory Cask, bottled and cask strength

Toronto Whisky Society’s Whiskies of the Year 2016

2016 was a fantastic year for the members of the Toronto Whisky Society, for many reasons: We launched our website and social media presence after existing primarily on Reddit for the past few years We held a number of highly successful events in homes, at pubs and at distilleries We made connections with a ton of distilleries to set up future events, AMAs and tastings … Continue reading Toronto Whisky Society’s Whiskies of the Year 2016

#FroaigFriday review: Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength Batch 4

I received this sample in a reddit swap with TWS member /u/kinohead when we met up for a pint in Toronto. I’m a big fan of the Quarter Cask, enjoyed the 10 thoroughly and love the Cairdeas Origin from 2012, so I have high hopes for this dram! Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength batch 004 – 58.6% ABV Appearance: quite a deep orange, and appears thick and … Continue reading #FroaigFriday review: Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength Batch 4

Review: Macallan Cask Strength Sherry

This is an old review from a few years ago… before I cared about photo quality apparently! I was at the Manx Pub in Ottawa which has a wide selection but mostly entry level scotches. Busy place, lots of hipsters. Was one pint deep when I got the scotch list and saw this for a reasonablly priced pour. Macallan Sherry Cask Strength 60.1% ABV Appearance: Served in … Continue reading Review: Macallan Cask Strength Sherry