I signed up for the last available Distillers Wares tour first thing Sunday morning. However two days before that I found myself driving right past the visitor parking lot and parking right outside of the of the Mash House after the distillery had closed to the public for the day. An acquaintance was able to get my wife and I a private tour of the … Continue reading Laphroaig Distillers Wares
My wife and I rushed through a lunch at a small bar in Port Askaig in order to make it to the 2 pm Cask Strength Experience at Caol Ila. Funny story: Turns out we didn’t need to rush that much and could have had a heartier lunch because we were literally 5 minutes away. Well funny to me at least. I had been drinking. … Continue reading Caol Ila Distillery Tour
All the rumours are true: Bunnahabhain feels like the most remote and difficult to get to of all the distilleries on Islay. The final stretch is spent driving a long way down a nondescript single lane road. What they don’t tell you is that the Bunnahabhain Distillery complex looks like something out of a nuclear fallout movie, with seemingly old and rundown industrial buildings. Any … Continue reading Bunnahabhain Warehouse 9 Tasting
After Lagavulin, we ate a lovely lunch at the Islay Hotel, where we ended up getting seated beside and chatting with an Australian that had made the trip to Islay on his own. Happily full and ready to go, we were off on the 40-minute drive to Bruichladdich. As this was my wife’s first time driving on this trip, I was understandably nervous and sober … Continue reading Bruichladdich Warehouse Experience
My wife was kind enough to indulge my whisky obsession and not veto my idea to make the trip to Islay, aka Whisky Mecca, during our trip to Scotland. She said that I could go to as many distilleries as I could fit into three days on Islay. Well, the joke is on her because the answer to that question is 7 in what turned … Continue reading Lagavulin Warehouse Demonstration
On April 18, we had a tasting event with Matt Jones (@whisky_chef on instagram/twitter), the Beam-Suntory brand ambassador for the company’s Scotch and worldwhisky portfolios. Matt brought us a number of expressions from both of these Islay distilleries and regaled us with tales from that beautiful island, and the people who live and work there. He also brought some great swag for everyone to take … Continue reading Laphroaig / Bowmore Tasting – Event Recap
Bladnoch is a Lowland distillery – one of the few left – that’s over 200 years old. The distillery was sold in 2015, and the new owner, David Prior, is busy making his mark on the distillery and brand. There’s a new line-up of age stated single malts coming out soon, but the initial new release is a blend called Pure Scot. It contains a … Continue reading Bladnoch Pure Scot Blend Group Review
On August 20th the Toronto Whisky Society had one of our most interesting and unique lineups for a tasting. Toronto Whisky Society had picked up a number of independent bottlings from various regions and distilleries, and our tasting was led by Igor, who is a whisky agent with a great deal of knowledge when it comes to whisky. (Igor leading Toronto Whisky Society members through … Continue reading August 20th Vintage Tasting – Toronto Whisky Society
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
I first reviewed Laphroaig 10 way back in my 49th review about 2.5yrs ago while at a company outing and gave it a 91. Granted, this was after a few drinks, so probably not the most reliable of reviews. When I visited Islay last June with my wife, we went to Laphroaig, and claimed the rent for our square foot of land in their peat … Continue reading Reviews: Laphroaig 10 @ 40% & 43% ABV
Five of the big players from Islay. You will notice Bunnahabhain, Bruichladdich, and Kilchoman (among a few others) are absent from this lineup. I wanted to review the entry-level (age statement) offerings from the main distilleries to see how each compare. They are affordable, available, and most of all, these are the ones I currently have. Bowmore 12, 40% ABV, $60 CAD Nose: Very light … Continue reading Islay comparison
Ok , now I’m really stretching for those alliterations. Today I’m going to cover 2 Kilchoman drams. The first I got as a prize in our Toronto Whisky Society high proof bourbon tasting for getting I think 1 right or something? We weren’t very good at guessing. Kilchoman Coull Point – 46% Appearance: gloriously uncoloured with thick, sexy legs Nose: some light peat up front, … Continue reading Two-dram Tuesday: Kilchoman Coull Point & Kilchoman 5 Single Cask Bourbon
Toronto Whisky Society 