Over the last decade, whisky tastings have changed dramatically. If the crowd is older, you’ll often find pipettes and distilled water as part of the tasting experience. Younger whisky drinkers, though, often prefer cask strength varieties and wouldn’t dream of watering down their lower proof (45% ABV) whiskies.
Read MoreCompetitive drinking is tough. After college, anyway. And, no, I don't mean to drink as much as possible in a short period of time. I mean, when it comes to judging whisky competitions with the purpose of scoring them on a 100 point scale.
Read MoreExpensive single malt scotch isn’t for everyone, but when you’re shopping at a price-point of over $100 Canadian, it’s important to get the right expensive single malt scotch.
Read MorePremium pre-made cocktails have their place in the whisky world. Imagine arriving at a friend’s party, and bringing a bunch of Old Fashioned or Manhattan cocktails that just need to be poured over ice. It’s so sensible.
Read MoreFall is, for many in the whisky industry, known as whisky season. This season accounts for a majority of whisky sales for the year. That also means, the LCBO has plenty of whisky offerings to satisfy gift buying consumers. Let’s have a look at some of the best buys at the LCBO as of today! This is issue 1 of 3 or so, coming to you weekly.
Read MoreThe beginner’s guide to Japanese whisky can be summarized with five big issues, and one big draw:
Issue #1: It’s complicated. The Japanese whisky world is complicated. It’s very complicated. The legal definition of Japanese whisky is a lot more complex than the cultural expectations. But basically, to be called Japanese whisky, the whisky doesn’t need to be made in Japan. Trusting the producer is the first critical step. Buying second-hand single malt scotch whisky blended with Japanese spirit at inflated Japanese whisky prices is possible.
Read MoreSome years ago, Jamie and I went to a whisky festival in Toronto where all the whisky tasted terrible. It all tasted the same. The conspiracist in me suspected the big name brand bottles were refilled with junk whisky. Later, though, I realized it was because of the glassware. The festival organizers used thick rocks glasses intended for cocktails and whisky on ice, but not for whisky poured neat.
Read MoreFellow Torontonian, Rob of Whisky in the 6, has a popular YouTube channel that features guests and whisky reviews. I came on the show. We talked about Poor Man’s Pappy (a mix of Weller’s 12 and 107), age statements on Scotch, and debated whether or not whisky changes in the bottle. Check it out!
Read MoreThe following list are whiskies to buy today, because they will be gone tomorrow. If you have a whisky friend on your gift list, any of these purchases will not only impress them, but they'll soon realize that they're not likely to see them at the LCBO again.
Read MoreKentucky and Scotland hate the B word. Mention it on Twitter, in Instagram, or during a whisky tour and they'll quickly tell you why you're wrong. "We don't blend! We marry the whisky in a vat." Yes, whisky particles are married, not blended. Despite the best-selling scotch in the world being a blend (Johnnie Walker), blended whisky has bad connotations going back to the 1800s.
Read MoreAmerican whisky is the most regulated and classified whisky region in the world. It all started in 1897 when the US Goverment passed the first consumer protection act, the Bottled-in-Bond act. It guaranteed certain standards for the production of American whisky during a time where production quality was low. Laws were updated decades after prohibition to include definitions for bourbon, rye, and wheated whiskies. No other country defines these many sub-categories of whisky.
Read MoreFreddie Johnson is a legend in Kentucky, and a third generation employee of Buffalo Trace. In this video, he shows how to properly pour high-proof, barrel proof, and unfiltered whiskies.
Read MoreIn almost every legal definition of whisky, there are two factors—the first is a strict control on what one can and can’t do to the whisky from fermentation to bottling. Secondly, there’s the soul of what makes whisky: the law simply states “it must taste like the attributes generally associated with whisky.”
Read MoreMost media outlets got it wrong. The Internet, in its outrage, got it right. Jim Murray named Crown Royal North Harvest Rye as the best whisky he’s tasted in 2015. Everyone went: What?
Read MoreYour home bar. A sanctuary tucked away in the corner of your living room, or your kitchen or your bedroom (just me?) where you can perfect the art of cocktails and entertain like a boss. Everyone is cooler when they can mix a mean cocktail.
Read MoreThe biggest flavour change in the whisky world in the last ten years has been a move away from smooth whisky, and a move toward whisky with character.
Read MoreBeing a bourbon person, I often get asked for recommendations - a task I find very tricky because it can be such a personal thing. The last thing I want to do is send someone in the wrong direction in their bourbon consumption (the horror!). But, there are a few that I find myself coming back to as recommendations in certain scenarios. I’ve chosen bourbons that are relatively easy to find.
Read MoreFor some unfathomable reason, Business Insider is covering alcoholic drinks in their finance section these days. Maybe it’s because finance isn’t a great traffic driver, or maybe they’ve run out of things to talk about in the world of finance. This oddity did, however, birth something I found interesting.
Read MoreWhisky additives have always sparked suspicions from whisky consumers. Many want real proper traditional whisky. But what does that mean? Reid Mitenbuler, author of Bourbon Empire, notes: “In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, whiskey was minimally if at all aged. Drinkers often added flavorings to mask any rough edges."
Read MoreMatt Gemmell is a developer, turned writer. I’m a big fan of Matt’s writing. It’s always a pleasure when our direct interests line-up, such as this piece on whisky:
Whisky, like any non-clear spirit, is an acquired taste - and I mean acquired in the same way that we acquire wealth, or possessions: it takes work. You have to actually decide that you’re going to drink it. That’s the first step.
You can support Matt’s writing by checking out his membership page. I’m looking forward to his first novel!
