That’s the spirit Festival set to pour over 100 new whiskies and liquors from all around the world Uncorked
By: Ben Sigurdson Posted: 3:00 AM CST Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/02/2024 (920 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the Winnipeg Wine Festival receding in the rearview mirror, it’s time to shift focus to something with a little more kick — whisky.

The 12th annual Winnipeg Whisky Festival takes place next Friday and Saturday (March 1-2) at The Fairmont Winnipeg (2 Lombard Place) from 7:30-9:30 p.m. — unless you’re a VIP ticket-holder, in which case you can get in an hour early.

This year’s fest features around 250 whiskies and other spirits being poured, with more than 100 that are either new to the province or exclusive to the festival. Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the U.S. will all be well represented, as always, but the festival will also include drams from producers in India, Australia, Japan and beyond.

Those “other spirits” being poured include rum, tequila, gin and liqueurs; there’s also a cocktail bar for those who want to try their spirits in a margarita, old fashioned, cosmopolitan or similar concoction. Guests can also enjoy the food stations throughout the space, take home a souvenir glencairn glass and catch a ride home using available taxi vouchers.

Those who find a whisky they like at the fest can hit up the on-site store and, for every $200 spent, receive 100 bonus Air Miles on debit/credit card purchases.

Tickets for each of the Friday and Saturday Winnipeg Whisky Festival tastings start at $239 plus taxes and fees. Factor in all of the above info and goodies — plus the fact the average price of bottles of whisky is typically far greater than, say, a bottle of wine — and that’s actually a pretty good deal for what you get. (Plus the event is a fundraiser for the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, so the bulk of proceeds go in their direction.)

A few regular tickets are still available for both Friday and Saturday nights, with limited VIP tickets (which include the additional hour of sampling) also still available for Saturday. For more information, including a list of products being sampled, or to buy tickets, see winnipegwhiskyfestival.com.

And if you can’t make it but want to support the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (and potentially nab some fun whisky-related prizes), the the Winnipeg Whisky Festival online auction will be going live this coming week.

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The whisky festival also tends to draw distillers, product ambassadors, mixologists, export managers and the like to our city — they bring a wealth of information. This year’s festival will see principals from Crown Royal, Johnnie Walker, Ardbeg, Glenmorangie, Maker’s Mark, Macallan, Hiram Walker & Sons and many more on hand.

Some of these whisky-savvy experts end up rolling into town a day or two early, and as such there are plenty of events taking place in the days leading up to the fest where folks can sample a range of products in a more intimate (and less costly) setting.

Thomas Hinds Sampling Room (185 Carlton St.) is hosting a trio of whisky-related events in the coming days. On Monday, Canadian and American brand representatives from the Philippe Dandurand agency will be on hand from 7 to 9 p.m. On Tuesday, Micah Dew of Maker’s Mark will be guest bartending from 7 p.m. onwards, featuring cocktails created using the American whiskey.

Then on Wednesday, Thomas Hinds Sampling Room is hosting a tasting of Macallan whiskies, featuring four of the scotches, as well as a couple of other tasty, top-secret tipples. The latter event is $100; for tickets or information on any of the above, call 204-942-0203, email events@thsamplingroom.com or check out its social media pages.

Thursday sees three more whisky-related events taking place around town. Dew will be popping up at Mona Lisa Ristorante (1697 Corydon Ave.) to prep four different bourbon cocktails that will be served up with four different appetizers. Tickets are $50 and are available by calling Mona Lisa at 204-488-3687 or emailing info@monalisa.rest.

Over at Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club (234 Main St.), a free event featuring Canadian whiskies and music takes place starting at 7 p.m. with the band Eh to Zed, whiskies including Riefel, Alberta Premium and Canadian Club, guided tastings and more. To get on the guest list, touch base with Times by calling 204-957-0982 or emailing info@highandlonesomeclub.ca.

Also on Thursday, the Toad in the Hole (155 Osborne St.) will host Bryan Simpson of Ardbeg and Glenmorangie from 7 to 9 p.m. Simpson will guide guests through a tasting of whiskies from both Islay and the Scottish highlands; tickets are $20 and are available at wfp.to/j9M.

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Drinks of the week

This week’s trio of tipples are all being poured at the Winnipeg Whisky Festival…

Hussong’s Reposado Tequila (Jasilco, Mexico — $69.99, Liquor Marts)

Made of agave plants that are at least five years old, this reposado tequila is aged for four to five months in American white oak barrels before release.

It’s pale straw in colour, and aromatically offers butterscotch and doughy notes that come with the agave and tropical components on the nose. It’s light-plus-bodied, viscous and slightly sweet on the palate, with pronounced agave, banana, tropical fruit, spice and vanilla flavours showing well before the moderate finish (it’s 40 per cent alcohol).

A mellow tequila that will change the mind of anyone put off by drinking cheap swill with salt and lemon or lime in their formative years. 4/5

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Laphroaig Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 10 Years (Islay, Scotland — $85.99, Liquor Marts)

Pale gold in colour, this single malt offers sweet malt, smoke, resin, dried fruit and white pepper notes aromatically.

It’s light-plus-bodied and decidedly smoky/peaty, which works well with the malt and peppery notes and the anise and wood component before the spicy, medium-length finish (it’s 43 per cent alcohol).

Intense flavours but relatively approachable — it doesn’t slay your palate with peat, pepper or heat. 3.5/5

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Ardbeg Single Malt Scotch Whisky Guaranteed 10 Years Old (Islay, Scotland — $124.99, Liquor Marts)

Paler straw in colour than the Laphroaig, the Ardbeg offers black licorice, crisp malt, grassy and smoky notes on the nose.

There’s a touch of sweetness that comes with the tightly wound smoky, herbal, peppery, black licorice, malt and grassy notes before the punchy 46 per cent alcohol finish kicks in — the flavours here last for quite some time.

Lovers of peaty whisky will find it tasty, but it would benefit from a couple drops of water to mellow things out. 4/5

uncorked@mts.net

@bensigurdson