Sipping With Smoth: Blind Luck at a Blind Whiskey Tasting
What happens when a group of friends find themselves with several bottles of whiskey and nothing to do on a Saturday night? Why, a blind whiskey tasting of course. Last year, by sheer coincidence, my close group of friends noticed we were each simultaneously in…
Quality Rings True: The Rich, Delicious Ringbolt Cabernet Sauvignon
There are a few wines that hold a special place in my heart for introducing me to the finest of fluids — wines that transcended my beginner palate, and appealed to me before I could even stand the smell of whiskey. Inevitably, not all of…
Behind the Beer: My Exclusive Interview With Muskoka Brewer Sean Campsall
It’s easy for beer drinkers to sit around and talk about it until they’re red in the face (and frequently they do.) It’s simple — and often fruitless — to try and guess the next big trend or jabber about tasting notes. But for true insight, you have…
A Real Rye: Canadian Club Chairman’s Select 100% Rye Whiskey
It’s a well know fact that most Canadian Whiskey marketed as a “rye whisky” is usually just a facade — there is typically little actual rye grain used in their production. Most whiskeys we think of as “rye” are made with corn, with maybe dash of rye…
Sipping With Smoth: A Fine Wine Tasting at Toronto’s Fine Wine Reserve
When I turned 19 (the legal drinking age in Ontario) I wanted to celebrate like any normal person: by doing my first legal wine tasting. Thankfully, close family friends presented me with this opportunity, by purchasing two tickets for a “global wine tasting” at the…
A Cold Weather Classic: Great Lakes Brewery Winter Ale
With pumpkin beer season fading into a distant memory, it’s time for the rise of the latest seasonal brews, known collectively as “Winter Warmers.” Generally, Winter Warmers are high alcohol, low bitterness and rich with malt character. Some may even be spiced, as is the case with…
Guardians of Good Taste: Glenlivet’s Guardians’ Chapter Single Malt Scotch
What happens when a distillery sends out scotch samples to its loyal followers and have them vote on the best one? A damn fine product, apparently. This is exactly what Glenlivet did with its Guardians’ Chapter Scotch in 2013, and the winner became a limited…
A Worthy Celebration After a Long Absence: The 2010 Chateau Fleur Cardinale
It’s been a while since my last post, an unfortunate product of being in South East Asia for four months. While I did drink lots of extremely cheap (and rather rudimentary) lager, it wasn’t really worth writing about. I missed wine dearly over my absence,…
Sipping With Smoth: Cocktails at the Bangkok Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Backpacking through Southeast Asia hardly conjures images of 5 star hotels. But during my time in Bangkok with my girlfriend Christine, we decided to take a step outside the norm, and imbibe in a cocktail from one of the most famous and luxurious hotels in…
Hard to Pronounce, Easy to Enjoy: Auchentoshan Valinch 2012 Single Malt Scotch
I never in my life thought I’d be describing a whisky with 57.2% alcohol as “easy drinking.” But if ever a scotch deserved to be associated with this cliched phrase, its Auchentoshan Valinch 2012 Single Malt Scotch. I had the pleasure of trying this whisky…