Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Single Malt is as Robust as it is Refined
If my two trips to Japan have taught me anything, it’s that minimalistic refinement is easy to come by there. Simple fish and rice combine to make luxuriant sushi. Michelin star restaurants simply festooned with light wood. Light and pleasent muzak playing on the public…
José Zuccardi Malbec is a Malbec for Malbec-Heads
An archetype means “a very typical example of a certain person or thing.” In the case of the José Zuccardi Malbec, 2019 I think it’s safe to call it a hyper-archetypical Malbec — in that it provides all the fun fruity flavours you’ve come to…
Sky-high Drinking and Dining: ANA vs Japan Airlines Business Class
Remember that time we flew first class on Emirates? I’ll never forget it, in spite of how much alcohol at altitude they pumped into me. While that may have been a once in a lifetime experience, as any points-obsessed weirdo (like Christine and I) knows,…
Nikka Distillery Tour: Behind the Scenes at Hokkaido’s Most Famous Whisky Producer
If I’m in a country famous for its whisky production, I’m gonna make it a point to visit a distillery. This took me to Talisker in Scotland and Yamazaki last time I was in Japan. For this trip, we were heading to the Northern part…
Beer Stats: What I’ve Learned From Rating 1500 Different Beers on Untappd
In 2015, I downloaded one of my favourite apps — Untappd (add me!). This cheerful little beer-rating platform acts as an easy way to collect the beers you’ve tried, give them a “check in,” a rating and even a review, if you’re so inclined. It…
Tasting the Talisker 11 Year Special Release 2022
ANOTHER gimmick whisky review?! Hell yes homeys. But this time it’s from Talisker, one of my all time favourite distilleries (which I had the chance to tour), which produces one of my all time favourite whiskies (the Talisker 57 North). The Talisker 11 Year Old…
Cathedral Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Continues to Impress
To call me precocious about wine as a teenager would be more than accurate. At 17 I was already bragging to my (surely uninterested) peers about my growing wine journal, where I recorded tasting notes of the relatively infrequent glasses I was afforded the opportunity…
Head to Head: Three of West Toronto’s Best IPAs
It would be an understatement to say Toronto’s best end brews some damn good IPAs. Far too many to include in this piddly little blog post. So I chose based on, well, vibes. These vibes being “does the brewery specialize in IPAs” (this would exclude…
Suntory World Whisky AO: World Tour in a Bottle
I’ve got a dirty little secret: I might be drawn to gimmick whisky. I was simply at the mercy of Talisker 57° North, which is distilled to 57% ABV because it’s distilled at latitude 57° North — and it absolutely slaps. So when my extremely…
Nicolas Feuillatte Brut is a Great Gateway Champagne
Who doesn’t love Champagne? I mean, I can imagine balking at the reputation-driven price, set to limit itself to very special occasions or the ultra-wealthy, but strip away cost-conciousness and you’re left with a fine beverage. Oh, that’s right — my very own wife is…