2019 TWS Whisky Awards: Canadian Blended Whisky

This year, Toronto Whisky Society received 12 Canadian blended whiskies from 8 different distilleries ranging from large to small and from east to west. We tasted all of them blind in the randomized order below, and our rankings were anonymous. In the end, our #1 ranked whisky was unanimous. You’ll have to read through to the bottom to find out what it was! The Lineup: … Continue reading 2019 TWS Whisky Awards: Canadian Blended Whisky

2019 TWS Whisky Awards

Two years ago we set out to try whiskies from across Canada to celebrate our great country’s 150th birthday. Interest grew in the second year and now in our third annual kick at this particular can, we’ve decided to re-brand the Great Canadian Whisky Tasting to the annual TWS Whisky Awards! We find it more befitting of what we’re doing here, and yet despite the … Continue reading 2019 TWS Whisky Awards

2018 TWS Whisky Awards: Canadian Whiskies

We were surprised last year when we only got a few bottles that qualified for this category, (and even some of those could have been put in multiple), and then this year we were overwhelmed with the sheer number of entrants! We split this category randomly into two sessions, took our top 3 from each group of 8 and then put those head to head … Continue reading 2018 TWS Whisky Awards: Canadian Whiskies

2018 TWS Whisky Awards: Single Malts

Our inaugural tasting’s single malt category was a highlight, and as primarily Scotch drinkers, we’re always excited to see the progress Canada is making in this category. We have a few repeats and a few new entrants in the category this year and were very excited to see how they stacked up. As always, these were tasted blind and are presented in the order in … Continue reading 2018 TWS Whisky Awards: Single Malts

2018 TWS Whisky Awards: Under-aged Whiskies

Last year, one of the highlights of the TWS Whisky Awards was the opportunity to try some under-aged spirits from Canadian distilleries across the country. We decided to continue this category so our followers could follow the progress of young distilleries as their barrels age! The bottles are listed in the order we tasted them. We tasted them all blind, and our notes and the … Continue reading 2018 TWS Whisky Awards: Under-aged Whiskies

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

TWS Whisky Awards 2017: Canadian Single Malts

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

TWS Whisky Awards 2017: Non-Whiskies & Whiskies in Progress

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

TWS’s Inaugural Whisky Awards Intro

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