A dram good time

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/01/2018 (3000 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For whisky lovers out there, I’ve got good news and bad news.

The bad news first: the main tasting of the sixth annual Winnipeg Whisky Festival, which takes place on March 2 at the Fairmont Winnipeg, is sold-out.

The event, a fundraiser for the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, carries a hefty price tag — around $200 per person for the regular tasting, or an extra $100 for the VIP seminars featuring master distillers beforehand — but so do the 150-plus bottles of bourbon, Scotch, Canadian whisky and much more.

Plus, it sells out every year, so there’s clearly a market for such an event.

Now, the good news: there are plenty of other ways you can enjoy whisky outside of the sold-out festival.

Take a master class: the Winnipeg Whisky Festival often runs ancillary events before the main tasting, and this year is no exception.

On Feb. 15, the festival is presenting a master class featuring Diageo brand ambassador Stuart Brown, who learned a wee thing or two about whisky at the Cardhu distillery (for Johnnie Walker).

The event, which will feature whiskies from the aforementioned two distilleries as well as Dalwhinnie and Lagavulin, is being held at the Grant Park Liquor Mart and runs from 7-9 p.m.

Tickets are $35, and are available by going to winnipegwhiskyfestival.com and clicking on “ancillary events.”

Put together your own whisky tasting: if you and, say, eight pals each pitch in $20, you’ll have enough of a kitty to buy at least a couple of decent bottles of whisky.

Decide on a theme — you could focus on bourbon, peaty versus non-peaty whiskies, do a Canada-versus-the-world tasting, celebrate Robbie Burns Day (celebrated every Jan. 25) or whatever.

Get some glassware and snacks together (haggis, anyone?), and you’ve got yourself your own mini whisky fest, or maybe even the beginning of your own Scotch/whisky club.

A Canadian whisky tasting would be quite timely, as the Canadian Whisky Awards were doled out in Victoria on Jan. 19.

The top drop at the fest was the Wiser’s 35-year-old, which is available in very limited quantities in Manitoba for a mere $164.99.

Too pricey for you? (It is for me.) You could check out some of the more reasonably priced award winners, such as the Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye (awarded best value whisky — multimarket), the Forty Creek Heritage Edition (winner of the award of excellence — best new whisky) or the gold medal-winning (and reasonably priced) Wiser’s Triple Barrel Rye.

For a complete list of all the winning whiskies, visit wfp.to/whiskyawards.

Grab a bite and a dram: the restaurants at both Club Regent and McPhillips Street Station are running a “2018 Whiskey Fest” promotion, featuring a number of dishes infused with whiskies from various corners of the world as well as a menu of whisky-based cocktails.

VG Restaurant & Lounge at the Fairmont Winnipeg, meanwhile, has a set of whisky-and-food flights — current offerings include a trio of bourbons, a mini tasting tour of Scotland and a set of three Macallan whiskies, with each dram paired with a dish to complement the flavours.

There are also a number of bars, lounges and restaurants with decent (or better) selections of whiskies — the whisky bar adjacent to the Toad in the Hole in Osborne Village, the Sky Lounge at Prairie 360 downtown and Bailey’s in the Exchange District all come to mind as spots with solid selection of whiskies and knowledgeable folks pouring them for you.

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Want to learn a bit more about Canadian whiskies?

I’ve got a copy of the new edition of Davin de Kergommeaux’s excellent book, Canadian Whisky: The New Portable Expert.

Send me an email and you’re entered to win.

uncorked@mts.net

Twitter: @bensigurdson

Whiskies of the week

As per usual, no scores to go with these whisky reviews.

While I’m a fan of all manners of whisky, I’m not nearly knowledgeable enough to assign a numerical/star rating.

Auchentoshan American Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Glasgow, Scotland — $52.99, Liquor Mart)

Triple-distilled and aged in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, this single malt whisky is medium-gold in colour.

Aromatically, there’s plenty of vanilla, toasted-nut and spice notes from the wood as well as some more modest malt and dried-fruit notes.

The wood influence comes through nicely on the palate as well, with the nutty and vanilla notes dominating.

While experienced Scotch drinkers might find this a bit on the simple side, this is a really approachable dram that’s ideal for those making their first forays into whisky.

The Glendronach Original Aged 12 Years Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Aberdeenshire, Scotland — $72.20, Liquor Mart)

Whereas the Auchentoshan was aged in bourbon casks for an undetermined amount of time — but at least three years for it to be called Scotch whisky — the Glendronach has spent at least 12 years in wood, specifically casks formerly used to make Oloroso and Pedro Ximinez sherry in Spain.

As such, it brings more pronounced dried-fruit/raisin notes and less of a vanilla component both aromatically and on the palate.

There’s some spice and some heat on the finish of this whisky that works nicely with the subtle sweetness that persists.

Another candidate for those just beginning their Scotch adventure.