A Glencairn glass and a thirst

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This article was published 25/02/2025 (398 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In its new larger home at the RBC Convention Centre and with around 300 products being poured, this weekend’s Winnipeg Whisky Festival will look different than previous years.

But this year’s fest was almost much smaller, at least selection-wise; in late January, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced tariffs slated to begin in February, organizers briefly decided to pull American whiskies from the event in response.

With those tariffs delayed until next month, American whiskey is back on the menu and it’s all systems go.

Which, for organizers, is a relief — American whiskies make up about one-third of the products being poured at this year’s festival, whose proceeds benefit the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

The new venue for the event, now in its 13th year, will once again see all producers and attendees in one room — last year the ever-expanding festival was split into two rooms on different floors at the Fairmont Winnipeg, making navigating all the booths more of a challenge.

Peter Wilk, liquor experience co-ordinator at Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries and one of the organizers of the fest, is looking forward to having everyone back in one larger room — with more booths and spirits being sampled and without added congestion.

“There are about 117 new products this year, many of which are exclusive to the festival,” says Wilk, adding that this year’s Winnipeg Whisky Festival features seven more booths and 80 more products than last year.

That bump in numbers includes non-whisky spirits such as gin, rum, liqueurs and tequila — the agave-based spirit alone accounts for 40 of the products being poured and around half of which are exclusive to the fest.

Whisky lovers who prefer to pass on American spirits will still have plenty to sample, with loads of products from countries such as Ireland, Scotland, India, Japan and Canada — including local distilleries Capital K and Patent 5, both of which will be sampling new and forthcoming products alongside their core pours.

“Each of them released one new whisky for us to be able to sell at the on-site store, stuff that wouldn’t be available anywhere else,” Wilk says.

“I think whisky lovers are generally curious about any trying products from around the world, whether it’s American or Scotch or Irish or Canadian,” says Don Livermore, master blender for Hiram Walker & Sons out of Windsor, Ont., who oversees production of J.P. Wiser’s, Pike Creek and Lot 40 whiskies.

The always-popular Livermore is one of many distillers and brand ambassadors returning to the festival to talk about and pour his whiskies. He was recently named master blender/distiller of the year in the “rest of the world” (read: everyone but Scotland and the U.S.) category of the 2025 World Whisky Awards.

“Winning the award is a testament to the men and women that work here,” he says. “I know I end up being the face of the brand as the master blender and maybe ultimately making some decisions, but I can only make whisky as good as the weakest link in the chain. It really proves to me that we have such a strong talent pool of Canadian whisky producers here.”

Livermore will be pouring and talking about several aged whiskies he’s helped make, in particular under the J.P. Wiser’s brand, over the years.

“We released the 28-year-old just over the Christmas holidays — it was from 1996, which pulls at my heartstrings — it’s from the year I started at the distillery,” he says.

The whisky, aged in French and Hungarian oak barrels before bottling, won best Canadian Whisky in Canada at the most recent Whisky Explorer Awards and is one of the many festival exclusives.

Other notables making an appearance at the festival include John Sleeman of Spring Mill Distillery, who will sign bottles available in the on-site store on Friday and on Saturday afternoon at the Madison Square Liquor Mart.

The newly rejigged festival has a couple of other additions sure to please whisky lovers.

“Canadian Club’s got a speakeasy-type thing happening in the foyer area,” says Wilk, adding other features beyond the booths include a DrinkSense display, an On the Rocks cocktail bar and an exhibit of memorabilia from the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

Tickets for the event start at $247 plus taxes and include a Glencairn glass and, new this year, a lanyard to hold the glass, which leaves guests’ hands free to take bottle shots or load up at one of the many food stations throughout the venue. Friday’s VIP tickets (which allow admission an hour earlier to the event) are sold out, while a handful remain for Saturday.

For tickets and a complete lineup of products being sampled, see winnipegwhiskyfestival.com.

ben.sigurdson@freepress.mb.ca

@bensigurdson