Whisky Live Toronto 2007

[old rarity]

I attended the Toronto event yesterday, my first Whisky Live, and thought it was great.

I tried many interesting malts although only a small fraction of what was available: I liked all the ones I tried and especially Highland Park 18 years old, Talisker 18 and Arran finished in an Amarone wine cask. In blends, I liked White and MacKay 13 years old and Ballantine 17 and 30 (at the Ballantine masterclass).

I wanted to try the Glenmorangie whiskies but just didn't get to them, ditto many others. But better a quality experience than trying too many and dulling the palate.

It was great to see the Forty Creek Small Batch Reserve and new Wiser's Red Letter available at the regular booths, not to mention the superb Crown Royal Cask No. 16. While all Crown Royals to date are good, they have seemed not that different really (IMO) but this one strikes out in a different direction with good complex whisky notes overlaid by a fine cognac finish.

The Red letter was a big spicy dram and the Forty Creek Small Batch was well-integrated on a base clearly of older whiskies (John Hall said aged up to 15 years).

The food was excellent and I found the written materials distributed (program, etc.) accurate and informative.

A great day indeed and I will definitely go again.

Gary

[K-Mile]

Good to hear you liked it! I am going to my first Whisky Live in Leiden as well in a couple of weeks, can't wait!

Your experience sounds like a very varied and high quality one, I can only hope I'll have the same broad but good experience.

[MGillespie]

A great improvement on last year! The hall was full all evening along, and there was an energy in the room that was sadly missing last year. I'm glad I made the trip...even if I did have to wait for two hours at the border coming home on Sunday...(and no, I did NOT get strip-searched).

Mark

[jruddy]

I attended Whisky Live Toronto, it was great.

I showed up around 3:45, sampled until 5:00 ate a bit, samples until 6:00, attended Ballentines MC at 6:15, sampled a bit more, went walking and had a 2nd supper and took the Go Train home.

Highlights:
Meeting Steve from Ardbeg - a friendly Scotsman who was over for the show and a bit of a vacation.
The Ballentines Master Class
Sampling a huge variety of whiskies including some new ones on my to-buy list:
- Ardbeg 10
- Jura Superstition
- Ballantines 21
- Glenrothes 1985
- Arran ?
- Balvenie 1993 (I picked up a bottle at the show)
- The selection from Premium Bottlers Inc. ("Canada's Independent Bottler")

Plus during a fresh air break, we met Walter Gretzky who was on his way to the hockey game.

All in all a very memorable day!

[Pipe and dram]

Great evening and nice to see some friends again. My highlights were Richard Patterson's and Ian Millar's masterclasses. Richard was in fine form and kept the audience on their toes. Ian did a stellar job as usual with tons of information and lots of questions and interest from the audience. Some fine whiskies as well...

[Elagabalus]

Tried to post image and it failed.

[Elagabalus]

I really enjoyed this event. This was my first whisky tasting event and I decided had better bring along a trusty designated driver and knew I could count on my sister lol.

I was able to sample: Ballantine's 17yo
Balvenie 1993 Portwood
Glenrothes 1994
Lagavulin 16y0
Highland Park 18yo
Bowmore 18yo
Macallan Cask Strength


My sister and I before we left for the event.

[Wendy]

Toronto 2007 Whisky Live
October 20, Toronto, Ontario Canada

After already spending the earlier part of my day over at the Gooderham and Worts Distillery District, it was rather fitting to continue this whisky theme by ending my day attending the 2nd Annual Toronto 2007 Whisky Live. For out-of-town visitors and Toronto city dwellers, this festival had an unmistakable Canadian stamp on it which I believe would have made G&W quite proud. With the opportunity to sample a variety of new and exciting Canadian releases, and to meet others in the businesses who are promoting whisky on the home front, indeed, the Canadian Whisky scene is more than alive and well. The organizers of the event provided a welcoming gathering place at the downtown Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Attendees could easily make the acquaintances of some of the distinguished industry leaders, innovators and Ambassadors. And, it was so much fun to discuss familiar and new to the palate drams with like-minded whisky enthusiasts.

My first steps past the admission table lead me to a lounge-like exhibit situated adjacent to the entrance way of the Main Exhibit Hall. The lounge was hosted by Joseph Cassidy, the affable Manager of Via Allegro Ristorante, recipient of the 2008 Restaurant of the Year award in the Icons of Whisky Canada, WM competition. This award has been well appointed as the restaurant boasts a collection of 800 plus whiskies and a mouthwatering menu. Perusing their hefty Whisky menu is like meeting the "whose-who" of the malt world. Via Allegro's friendly staff helped kick-off the event by pouring my first two drams of the night. From the complement of the Rare Malts collection, I sampled: Inchgower 27 yo, 55.6%abv, and, Rosebank 22, 61.1%abv. The Rosebank was my favourite. The Nose was so fresh and grassy. And, the mouthfeel was unbelievably rich and creamy with tasting notes of citrus and light apple-spice to liven things up. It spoke of why I enjoy the taste of whisky so much. The third whisky that was offered was Talisker 25 plus an assortment of cheeses to be paired to the malts. Passing on the Talisker, I said my goodbyes and headed into the Exhibit Hall looking for more adventure.

It was a welcoming sight to see so many booths in the room. The exhibitors names were written on banners that hung from the ceiling and the banners were representative of something special for everyone be it Irish, Canadian, Bourbon, Scottish and/or blends. The first booth that caught my eye was Forty Creek whisky (Kittling Ridge) and the Canadian Distiller, John Hall who was busily manning the fort. Recently, John was awarded by WM in the Icons of Whisky Canada, the "Ambassador of the Year" and "Distiller of the Year - Kittling Ridge." And, this past September, he released, to a resounding success, the John K. Hall, Small Batch Reserve, 40% abv. Having picked up my personalized and autographed bottle of the Small Batch Reserve from the distillery, and not quite ready to crack it open, I welcomed the chance to sample this dram again. In John's own words, "...this is a meritage of rye, corn and barley." And, "the whisky is a blend of ages between 6 to 15 years old." My notes: Colour: light copper; Nose: rye, menthol, spicy, pepper, bold; Taste: rye, buttery, salty, warm spice; Finish: lingering warmth that beckons the next sip. This is a very flavourful and enjoyable whisky.

We then headed over to the Independent Canadian bottlers, Premium Bottlers to check things out. Partners, Barry Bernstein and Barry Stein, were busily pouring samples. One of their bottles, the Linkwood, 10 yo, 46% abv was recently added to the LCBO inventory. The festival was a great opportunity for enthusiasts to sample their collection. I am a big fan of Linkwood, and I welcomed the chance to sample their bottling. The tasting notes from Premium Bottlers are: Nose: Liquorice, mixed fruit and butter pecan; Taste: Toffee, caramel and sherry undertones; Body: Medium with full mouth feel; Finish: Short, smooth but reappears with liquorice. I look forward to picking up a bottle soon. Other private order bottlings are Royal Lochnagar Distillery, 11 yo, 46% abv; Blair Athol Distillery, 11 yo, 46 % abv; and, Benrinnes, 12 yo, 46 % abv.

Other new releases on the Canadian frontier that I was fortunate to sample were: Wiser's Red Letter bottling, 45% abv, un-chillfiltered. Michael Booth, the distiller was attending and poured our samples. The Red Letter whisky was launched in commemoration of Wiser's 150 year anniversary. Mr. Booth explained that it is modeled after J.P.'s Red Letter Rye. He noted that it was the closest product to a 19th Century whisky. It was nice to meet him. My tasting notes: Nose: crispy, light spice, vanilla, salty; Taste: malty, bread wisp o' spice, subtle fruit; Finish: clean and crisp, like biting into a freshly picked red apple. The bottle is also very beautiful and elegant looking. Another new Canadian that will be soon hitting the shelves is the Crown Royal Batch No. 16. It is a blend of 50 whiskies finished in a Cognac cask. Brian Gencher, from Diageo, who I had a good discussion with poured my dram. I walked around with this gentle Canadian beauty for quite awhile. It was one to savour. I had the good intentions of jotting my notes down, but my plans quickly changed when my path crossed with the Master Blender-Extraordinaire, Mr. Richard Paterson.

Having met before, I was very happy to see Richard again. After at least 10 seconds rolling by, and with cobra-like precision, Richard had my glass in his hand and with a quick flick of the wrist had emptied the content onto the carpet...good-bye Batch No. 16! And, with the same speed, had refilled it from a bottling that appeared out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly. In his formidable voice and eagle-eye stare, said, "Now try that, Wendy!" And, I did. And, I still don't know what I tasted, but it was damn-good. In my defense, when close to Richard, the room just naturally starts to spin. It was all in good fun.

Another blend that I was pleased to sample was the King George V Ltd. Edition, Diageo. In Diageo's own words, "...a brand new ultra-deluxe scotch created to celebrate the first Royal Warrant awarded to JW and Sons Limited using the world's rarest and most valuable whiskies." Jonathon Driver, International Whisky Ambassador, was giving a master class to showcase the King George and JW Blue. I really regretted that I couldn't sample this whisky the following day when my taste buds were "fresh". By this time, I had reached my saturation point and my notes dramatically began to take a nose dive.

The one master class that I attended was titled, Ballantine's Super Premium Range - a timeless classic with Bill Bergius, Heritage Director, Chivas Brothers. He showcased the new LCBO release of the Ballantine's 17, 21 and 31 (all bottled at 43%abv). Indeed, the 30 yo was sublime; it didn't have any of the heady oak that sometimes (or mostly from what I hear) punches through with some of the older bottlings. I believe Mr. Bergius said that the LCBO will be releasing the 30 yo in January 2008, and that only 30 bottles will be released in Ontario at $413 Canadian, each. In Ballantine's 180 year history, there have only been 5 master blenders. Mr. Sandy Hyslop is the 5th Master Blender to continue on in this prestigious position.

The food was very tasty. And, the pipe band and Scottish dancers added to the festive atmosphere. The dancers certainly put smiles on a number of attendee's faces!

One of the personal highlights was meeting up with friends from this forum like "Pipe and Dram" and a very special treat was to hang out with Mark while he taped a few of his interviews for the upcoming Whisky Cast show. He is quite a professional who is able to put those he interviews at ease. The quality of his shows reflects what he brings to the table.

Last but not least, a special thank you to the organizers. It certainly was a job well done and I look forward to attending next year.

Kind regards,
Wendy

[les taylor]

Wow Wendy that was a detailed report thanks for sharing that with us.

[K-Mile]

Great detailed report Wendy! Thanks for sharing. Sounds really fun and interesting.

[Muskrat Portage]

Wendy always presents an excellent and well detailed report. So well presented, I wonder how she was able to fit any drams in and stay so erudite.

Makes me wish I really could have made the run down, Wendy. If I ever get to a Whisky Live and you're there I think I'll tag along because you seem to know exactly where to be.

Muskrat

[Elagabalus]

The only issue of contention I have with Wendy's post is her assertion that the food was good. Thankfully I wasn't there for the food.

[Wendy]

Thank you for your kind comments. I do worry about leaving in too much detail, but it just doesn't feel right to leave anything out!

Peter, it would be a great pleasure to hang out with you at a whisky festival. Let's plan for 2008!

Elagabalus, that is the charm about festival's, there tends to be a little something for everyone to enjoy!

Cheers,
Wendy

[MGillespie]

Well written, Wendy! Thanks for all of your help and hospitality!

Mark

[Wendy]

Hi Mark,
Glad to be of any help!!

I just listened to WhiskyCast Episode #114. It is terriffic. If anyone wants to hear from some of the people that made the event so enjoyable, don't miss out on listening to this episode.

Wendy

[Peter Alcamo]

Sadly , I did not attend this year due to a higher commitment. Looks like I missed a great show - I wish I could have attended. Wendy, your account as usual is always a joy to read. Would have liked to meet up with Joseph Cassidy but I'll cath-up with Joe and Wendy at the next Companions meeting.

I ended up not going due to a Saturday and Sunday seminar that I had to attend.