Tag Archive: whisky


Whisky Live 2010 comes to Toronto

Filed Under: News by Japhet — 4 Comments
October 7, 2010

whisky live 2010

After spending most of the year with gin, rum and tequila; it’s time to give whisk(e)y a little love. The nights are getting longer, it’s getting a little colder outside and I want whatever I’m drinking to give me the warm fuzzies in my gut. No more tall cocktails filled with ice; give it to me straight and preferably in a flask!

Whether you’re an enthusiast who always has a couple of their favorite bottles handy or someone who’s partner just got them into scotch, Whisky Live is a outstanding event to explore that interest. Currently in its fifth year, this celebration of the “water of life” truly has something for everyone with guided tastings by the distillers themselves, plenty of tasting booths, food, live music and exclusive bottles prepared specifically for the show.

With over 40 exhibitors, including Jura, Compass Box and Auchentoshan; this is an excellent opportunity to sample many bottles you might not have seen at your LCBO, especially when it comes to cask-strength bottlings. Last year, I remember being guided through both the Macallan and Glenrothes portfolios and it was interesting to see how the different ages and casks they were aged contributed to the tasting experience.

Whisky Live 2010 is held on Friday, October 22nd, at the Metro Convention Centre from 7pm to 10pm. Tickets are $60 ($70 at the door) which includes your tasting glass (I still have mine from last year; it’s really nice), 5 drink tickets and all the food you can eat to soak up that booze.

If you’re feeling flush, you can get a VIP ticket for $95 ($110 at the door) which ups your tickets to 10 and gets you in at 4pm. This is also the only way you’ll be able to attend some of the Masterclasses held by distillers from the likes of Johnny Walker, Bulleit and Highland Park. Those cost $20 each and six of ‘em are already sold out so if that’s your thing, you better register soon.

Even if you don’t register for a Masterclass, take the time to talk with some of the brand ambassadors if you both have the time. These guys are passionate about their product and you can learn a lot of you’re willing. I’ve always thought that it could be one of the best jobs in the world and listening to them, I pretty damn sure I’m right.

For those of you who might be moved by such an incentive, I’m pleased to be able to offer a 10% discount for readers of The Jolly Inebriate. Just add this code (to436) to your shopping basket when you’re purchasing your tickets online.

Last year was a lot of fun and I hope to see you there!

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Heavy drinkers live longer than teetotalers + 12 other links

Filed Under: Links by Japhet — 1 Comment
September 6, 2010

michael davidson - tequilaIn news that is sure to please college students and horrify parents everywhere, a study that’s currently making the rounds online suggests that boozers live longer than nondrinkers. Those who currently abstain but used to drink also suffered high mortality rates. Perhaps the best news is that moderate drinkers (one to three drinks per day and the category I fall into) live the longest. The most interesting thing about the study is the attention made to the sociable aspects of drinking and the impact this interaction has on mental and physical health.

So next time someone says you’re drinking too much, knock back the spirit pictured above (tequila) and tell ‘em you’re doing it to live better and longer. |Time|

For those of us already comfortable with our levels of alcoholic consumption comes Toronto Beer Week, from September 20th to the 26th. With a home-brewing contest and a series of talks and tastings at a variety of good, local bars (including Bar Volo and C’est What?), it should prove to be the latest in a series of successful events this year celebrating Ontario craft beer.

The week  culminates in a urban treasure hunt of sorts called Toronto Beer Quest. where teams will race around the city solving clues that teach them about the history of beer around them. While I think they’re missing a great opportunity by not involving any actual drinking during the game, it should be fun.

With beer and champagne being found at the bottom of the ocean and whisky being found in Antarctica, it’s only a matter of time before we see new products that are crafted from approximations of their recipes. Whether they’ll taste any good is another thing altogether.|Yahoo, CNN, The Daily Telegraph|

Pabst, in an effort to diversify from its iconic brand beloved by hipsters and other cheap beer-drinkers alike, has released a new beer imaginatively titled Blue Ribbon 1844 in China. No word on whether it’s ever going to be sold over here but I think it’s safe to say we’re probably not missing out on much. |The Baltimore Sun|

Ever wanted to own a pub (and who hasn’t)? One of the most out-of-the-way spots in Britain is being sold. Accessible only by boat or a lengthy hike, it’s strangely quite popular with everyone from the locals to travelers and would continue to be quite the draw I would imagine. It just goes to show you that if you serve good food and drink and have a great vibe, folks will quite literally make the trek to stop in. |Herald Scotland|

Speaking as someone who doesn’t generally order cocktails in an unfamiliar bar, this list of the top ten ways to screw up an Old Fashioned is dead-on. |Bogost|

Some may find it incredibly pretentious but I laughed at a couple of these “cocktails” on the Atlantic’s drinks list. Located at 159 Dundas West, it’s basically the successor to The Boat and follows the same idea of a seafood restaurant becoming a dance club at night… except with less room. Still, they do serve bottles of Duggan’s No. 9.

Toronto’s always been a bit stiff and the new bylaws prohibiting patios on quite a few streets in our fair city ram that rod just little further. |The Globe and Mail|

Predictably, the cocktails designed for the Toronto International Film Festival sound pretty shitty so Adam McDowell asks four local bartenders to come up with something better (not a difficult task). |National Post|

Whisky made from the piss of diabetics? Why not? |James Gilpin|

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(Photo by Michael Davidson, courtesy of Time)

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Important cocktails of the past decade + eighteen other links

Filed Under: Links, Recipes by Japhet — Leave a comment
January 11, 2010

Robert Simonson of the New York Times looks back at a decade of innovation (and reinvention) when it comes to cocktails. St. Germain is indeed one of the most interesting liqueurs to hit the market lately and I really dig the idea of “bartender’s choice” as an option on a drink menu.

Dana Rourke of  the Live Organic Food Bar (located at Spadina and Dupont) shares her recipe for The London, a drink that you can feel good about imbibing, with The Toronto Star. To no one’s surprise, moderation is still the key.

Matthew Biancaniello’s an inspiration for anyone who’s gotten sick of the grind and taken up bartending because they’re an enthusiast (I can’t be the only one). His concoctions sound pretty interesting too…

For those of you who want to take a harder edge to your drinking, CAMH has released an online test that may help you get a handle on your drinking. Apparently, I drink more than 96% of males, aged 25-34, in Canada. I also spent over 1,700 hours under the influence of alcohol in 2009. Moving on!

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Indiana University have found a molecule that may repair the enzyme mutation that causes people of Asian descent to get flushed faces when they drink. It does other stuff too (like cause cancer and neurodegenerative diseases) so this seems pretty important.

Jason Wilson of The Washington Post looks at rare cognacs. If it’s all about the bottle, how is this different from collecting any other kind of antique? I’m not sure what the deal is with spirits this expensive but an “indescribable” taste sure sounds interesting.

If you’re tired of creamy chocolate liqueurs, this Austrian spirit looks like just the thing to reverse that trend.

In need of some wintery cocktails? Cocktail Virgin Slut offers up some Boston Grog, Drink Snob has Writer’s Block while White On Rice Couple is all about the Sidecar Fizz.

Over at SLOSHED! they have a list of the ten most popular posts on their site for 2009. There are some really good recipes to be found so have a look.

For those of us who drink beer, here’s a handy flow-chart for determining which brand to go for (and yes, no one should ever be caught drinking lime-flavored beer). Once you figure that out, you can play Beer Battleship.

According to The Guardian, bigger whisky makers are feeling the pinch and have been shutting down plants in Scotland. With all the great new whiskies around, I can’t say I really care. If anything, this is a warning against getting too big and being bought out by a company like Diageo.

Beer companies aren’t really paying attention. Heineken now owns the Tecate, Dos Equis and Sol brands which it must hope will give it a leg up on Grupo Modelo (Parent company of Corona. Interesting sidenote: Anheuser-Busch owns half of GM.).

This follows an incredibly-sad statement in The Globe And Mail by Richard Musson, the vice-president of marketing for Labatt, who said that “in the end, what pays the bills is Budweiser.” Truer words were never spoken. Fuck innovation, let’s acquire someone else’s credibility.

Gothic Epicures VinCuisine has put together a handy list of all the best-value red and white wines for under $20 in the 2010 LCBO Vintages release.

While this cellar is presented as an “awesome” idea for storing beer, it would work so much better for wine. Still, it looks good.

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Holiday gluttony with beer and whisky!

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December 29, 2009

Although I spent Christmas Eve and Day at my apartment, my mum picked me up on Boxing Day to spend the next four days at their house in Bowmanville with the rest of the family.

Most of our get-togethers revolve around food and drink but I can’t remember one where we got so into it. I arrived to find a fridge full of beer; pretty much anything you could think of. There was Duchy Organic Ale, Westephaner HefeWieiss, Rogue Yellow Snow, Lowenbrau, Warsteiner, La Fin du Monde, Beau’s Lug Tread (which is now available at the LCBO!) and Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2009. The latter two were particularly good with Beau’s being a dry, crisp lager and the Vintage Ale surprising me with it’s almost-sweet alcohol taste reminiscent of cognac.

We made our way through most of that on the first day and went out to resupply on day two. I picked up a bottle of Century Reserve 15 Year Old Rye (discontinued and unavailable in Toronto) and a six-pack of assorted tallboys. Thus suitably supplied, we settled down for some serious drinking, punctuated by some terrific meals and snacks.

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How to open a bottle of wine with your shoe + six other links + four more links

Filed Under: Links, Videos by Japhet — Leave a comment
November 8, 2009

For those of you stuck on a street with no corkscrew and a crowd of friends eagerly awaiting to imbibe.

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Do you know the difference between whiskey and whisky? The Kitchn fills us in.

The Pegu Blog reveals just how close we came to losing Angostura Bitters in the latest economic crisis.

In case you can’t find enough uses for apples this fall, SLOSHED! gives us the Bum’s Rush. I think I like apple juice with tequila even more than with Zubrowka…

In more serious news, we’re now being told that mixing cocaine and alcohol is bad for you ‘cos it forms a whole new chemical in your liver. There’s a definite British vibe, seeing as this is the Guardian and all, but I can’t say Canada’s on the level with our neighbors across the pond, seeing as our coke’s really quite shitty at the moment (hearsay, I swear!).

In Spain, there’s a bit of a debate going on regarding teenagers and their right to throw public parties called “botellons”. Neighbors talk of noise and vandalism, teens say they’re being scape-goated. Regardless, it sure beats that period of my youth where I hung out in this public park in Whitby, furtively smoking joints and wishing I had some kind of booze.

And proving yet again that Canada’s one of the most efficient squelchers of fun ever, the City of Richmond, the B.C. liquor board and even Ottawa are burying the Dutch in red tape when all they want to do is bring their beloved Holland House tradition to the 2010 Olympics.

God forbid we should let people have a good time. I’m sure these policy-Nazis are afraid that if Canadians realize how much fun the rest of the world is having, they’ll stop putting up with some of the most draconian alcohol laws around.

One day, I’d like to walk around town with a beer in my hand. One day, I’d like to be able to bring my favorite bottle of wine with me to a restaurant for a reasonable corking fee without having the owner jump through bureaucratic hoops. One day, I’d like to be able to decide for myself which liquor store to patronize (and that will be the one that offers stuff I can’t find anywhere else). Hell, I want to be able to buy it at the corner store and then walk back up to my apartment and share it with my friends! One day, I’d like to be able to drink past 2 in the morning because I had work till last call and maybe I’m not quite done yet.

One day…

It seems like it’s been a busy day for booze and I have some more links. Instead of putting up another post, I’m going to add ‘em to this one.

If you’re a construction worker, you probably drink a lot. Top three professions are: construction, agriculture and general labour which is not much of a surprise. The report by the group appropriately titled Ensuring Solutions to Alcoholic Problems also found that male-dominated industries had more incidences with excessive-drinking and job absenteeism.

As far as I’m concerned, the only really interesting bit of information was that service and sales (my area if you will) ranked a solid fourth and fifth, respectively. (I knew we were all drunks but I didn’t know we ranked that high.)

The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, based out of Oregon, had not 1 but 12 themed cocktails for their latest event. When not drowning your sorrows in The Yog-Sothoth, you could order everything from a Twisted Tentacle to the Pamakazi of Ibn-Ghazi. While some of them look fairly derivative, I still dig the idea.

Fancy a taste of the world’s strongest beer? Utopia, produced by Samuel Adams, reigns in at a hefty 27% ABV and is a veritable stew of yeasts, malts and hops with a bit of Triple Bock. It’ll cost ya $150 but at that strength and price range, it’s more like a spirit than anything.

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