Drinking in Emirates First Class: What to expect
Two years. 14 credit cards. Hundreds of thousands of Alaskan Airlines points. That’s what it takes to fly from Toronto to Dubai in first class on Emirates, if you’re not amongst the “what could a loaf of bread possibly cost? $50?” crowd. But with Covid…
Krug Grand Cuvée Champagne: Joining the Cult of Krug
The first time I ever heard of Krug Champagne was in novelist and wine writer Jay McInerney’s collection of wine essays Bacchus and Me. In an essay on Krug, McInerney shares an account of a man at an open champagne bar asking for another glass…
Ice Cold Beer — What More Needs to be Said?
Ice! Cold! Beeeeeeeer! Long time Jays fans will fondly remember these words being bellowed out by The Beer Guy (Wayne McMahon) at the Skydome up until 2008, signaling to them that a frothy pint of remarkably flavourless and REMARKABLY expensive beer was nearby. But the…
Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Is More of the Knob You Love
My love of Knob Creek 9 is deep. It’s a high(er) proof bourbon, with an age statement, at an affordable price. All that and it tastes great — what’s not to love? Well if your main problem with Knob Creek 9 was that at 50%…
Cave Spring Pinot Gris is a More than an Alright White
Quietly, without a great deal of fanfare, inexpensive Ontario wines have been getting really quite good. The majority of them are still only available from the vineyards directly (which is why I make routine pilgrimages to Prince Edward County) but more than a few are…
Octopus Wants to Fight IPA: An Overdue Ode to the Octopus
Sometimes it occurs to me that there’s been a drink I’ve been recommending for years, consume regularly, am always thrilled to find on a menu (you remember, when you could order things in bars) but haven’t officially sung its praises on Sublime Imbibing. Octopus Wants to Fight…
Aberlour A’Bunadh is a Superb, Strong Scotch
I’ve got a new gimmick — collecting cask-strength (barrel proof, if you will) whiskies from around the world. I want to keep at least an outstanding Rye, Bourbon, Scotch and Japanese (which I tapped Nikka Whisky from the Barrel for) on hands at all times…
Taittinger is a Tasty, Entry-Level Champagne
When I picked Taittinger (pronounced “Tay-ton-zshay”) to be my New Year’s Eve champagne, it was for simple reasons — it cost under $70, was on sale, and wasn’t Veuve Clicquot, a bubbly I have mixed feelings about. While a non-vintage champagne (not a bad thing…
Stellar Void Stout: A Great Way to Say Hello to Halo Brewery
I just moved to a new neighbourhood in the Junction Triangle area of Toronto. There’s lots of perks — more room in the house, great view of a highly aesthetic water tower, and one of my favourite breweries in the city (Halo) is two minutes…
Hibiki Harmony and a Story of Heroic Hospitality
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — the best part of writing about alcohol is how eager people seem to be to share it with you. This is especially true when they’re sharing a whisky as good as Suntory’s Hibiki Harmony. This summer (after months…