Yamazaki 18: A World Whisky Worth Exploring (If You Can Find It)
During my trip to Japan, I had a few goals in mind. Japanese Baseball, sushi in the Fish Market, and tasting the Yamazaki 18. Of course, anyone who knows anything about Japanese whisky knows just how hard it is to find a dram of this…
Yamazaki Distillery Tour: A Behind the Scenes Look at Japan’s Premier Distillery
I am a sucker for a good distillery tour. I was like a kid in a candy shop when my partner and I went to Scotland and I had the opportunity to visit Talisker, and I fully intended on visiting a distillery while in Japan….
Behind the Bar: Ray Zwicker Talks Booze and Beer at Boxcar Social
It’s not uncommon to receive a good whisky recommendation from a knowledgeable bartender. It is rare, however, to have that recommendation come from someone with the official title of “Whisky Director.” But if you’re at the Boxcar Social location on Temperance Street in Toronto, it’s…
Nikka Whisky from the Barrel Packs a Kick
I’m an absolute sucker for cask-strength whiskies as anyone who’s followed my blog has probably realized. There’s something about the rich bite of a strong whisky that gets my engines revving. So when I first encountered the demure, petite (at only 500ml) bottle of Nikka…
Chivas Regal 12: Giving Blends a Bad Name
Chivas Regal 12 was one of the very first whiskies I ever tried. My mom (a notorious Glenmorangie 10 drinker) received a bottle for a gift, and turned her nose up at it. “Yuck” I’m certain she scoffed snobishly. “Chivas. A blend for heaven’s sake.” Being young enough…
Virginia Black Whiskey: Drake Gimmick or Great Dram?
If you’re like me, you probably can’t WAIT for the next rapper to release their self-branded spirit. Just kidding. You’re probably like most, and don’t care all that much about Jay Z’s “Champagne” or Nikki Minaj’s wine. But what about a bourbon-style whiskey by Drake?…
Pappy Van Winkle 23: Tasting the Unicorn
I’ve written about Pappy Van Winkle 23 before. Not about tasting it of course — I mean, realistically I never thought I’d get a chance to. The hype surrounding this [in]famous bourbon is such that mere mortals with laughably puny bank balances are rarely afforded…
Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old Scotch Whisky: Win the Scotch Gift Gamble
We’ve all experienced the scotch gift gamble. You want to get a special bottle for the discerning sipper, but perhaps you’re not familiar with their favourites or worse, you don’t know much at all about scotch and are reliant on the ramblings of bloggers for advice…
Sipping With Stogies: What Whisky to Pair With Your Cigars
Whisky and cigars have a long and glamorous history together. You’ll be hard pressed to watch an old movie featuring high society without a scene where dinner jacket-clad men repair to an opulent room to sip scotch and puff on a stogie. It’s something many…
The Cult (and Critics) Behind the Pappy Van Winkle Hype Machine
Is there ever such a thing as too much good publicity? For producers and fans of Pappy Van Winkle, the luxury, premium line produced at Buffalo Trace Distillery, the answer is simply a resounding “yes.” It would be hard to think of a brand in…