At ScotchBlog we often focus on the higher priced whiskies that move us to write about them for good or ill. In so doing we often seem to pass by what one can call "daily drams" because they fail to give us pause to think since we comparatively spend so much less of our money on them. Encountering Three Ships for the first time I was intrigued by its origins in South Africa and its use of Scotch whiskies blended with its own to yield a finished product. Upon opening it, that intrigue morphed into genuine interest in how a $35 whisky could deliver all that it does. 

Have you ever wanted to explore whisky but didn't know where to start? 

On October 31st, 2013 ScotchBlog.ca along with The Balvenie distillery and PMA Canada, hosted a tasting at The Spoke Club.

Guests were treated to seven whiskies from the distillery, delicious food pairings with each one, as well as a discussion on cask production and restoration by Ian Macdonald, William Grant and Sons' Master Cooper.

Whiskies sampled were The Balvenie 12 year old DoubleWood with warm dates stuffed with walnuts, the 14 year old Caribbean Cask with wild mushroom strudel & truffle oil, the 17 year old DoubleWood with a grilled cheese sandwich made  5 year old aged cheddar, the 15 year old Single Cask (arguably the belle of the ball) w/ prosciutto wrapped scallops and a roasted apple chutney, the 21 year old PortWood w/ lamb chops, and finally two cask strength barrel samples (1 sherry, 1 bourbon) w/ 85% dark chocolate wrapped cheese cake.

Ian was kind enough to bring a set of cask-making tools to the tasting to aid in describing the processes necessary to keep casks at The Balvenie and Glenfiddich in Dufftown in top whisky-making condition.

A very special thanks to the distillery, Beth at PMA for guiding the tasting, Ian for showing us how casks are kept up, and finally The Spoke Club for providing a beautiful venue and truly fantastic food pairings.

Please enjoy this photo gallery of the evening.

Once known as "the other distillery in Craigellachie" due to the prominence of its neighbour Macallan, the town's namesake distillery has been around since 1891 and producing primarily for blended whisky throughout much of its existence. A component of Dewar's blends, the malt whisky produced here has rarely seen the light of day as a single malt without the aid of an independent bottler. So it comes as little surprise that independent impresarios Gordon & MacPhail have been the ones to bring this distillery out of the shadows and onto Ontario shelves, doing so as always by maturing it in their own bespoke sherry casks, bottling it at its zenith. 

The Middleton distillery in Cork, Ireland is well known for producing classic and popular Irish whiskies such as Jameson, Tullamore Dew, and Greenspot. For whisky lovers however, it is often what they are not famous for that draws us to them. Writers Tears is just one of those - an Irish whiskey, blended together from pot-distilled whiskies and single malts, bottled at 40% ABV and is said to have been a favourite style of whisky for Irish writers of the 18th century.

As the leaves start to turn colour and the days get shorter, I find myself pushing past the sweet stuff on the shelf in favour of something peated.  On this occasion, I'm quite content to warm my soul on this 18 year old prize from Laphroaig.  As always, the bottle sports the distillery's not in the least bit humble tagline, "The most richly flavoured of all Scotch whiskies."  And like the best Laphroaigs, this one has both smoke and fire, clocking in at 48% abv.

Nose:  As inviting as any nose for someone of the peat persuasion, crackling with fumes of salt and ripe citrus fruits.  An undercurrent trails with vanilla, fresh sourdough bread and of course, smoke.

Palate:  The fiery high-proof liquid delivers a jolt before its oily non-chill filtered character develops.  Viscous sweetness evokes thoughts of breakfast syrup slathered on charred wood, later enveloped by Laphroaig's signature deep peat smoke.

It happened unexpectedly and was over before I could fully comprehend what had occurred. In the waning afterglow of Spirit of Toronto 2013, Canada's premier whisky maker John Hall handed me a small sample of a yet-to-be-released whisky. "It won't be available until September, but I'm calling it Heart of Gold" he said, going on to describe it as "rye forward" and something he had been working on for years. Following the show I set it aside, save for one quick nosing during the pre-order period that has since closed, waiting for the day before the release to take you inside the glass.

The conference room at the main office of Speciality Drinks in London, England is an awesome sight that would make any whisky-geek weak at the knees. Lining the walls of this room are glass covered cabinets containing the most impressive collection of whisky I have ever seen. Arranged by distillery, the 4000 or so bottles represent a sizeable part of the vast and carefully curated collection that Sukhinder Singh has meticulously acquired over the course of his remarkable 25 year career. Every bottle here has a story and a special significance to Sukhinder whose genuine interest and passion for spirits, particularly whisky, is truly inspiring.

Over the past 14 years, he and his brother Rajbir have built The Whisky Exchange (TWE) from a small online retail business in the early days of the web to the world's largest and most respected online retailer of wine and spirits. 

A luminary in the drinks industry, Mr.Singh is approachable, professional and refreshingly candid about his career in the drinks business. Over the course of the interview we discuss his path to success, the challenges of bottle collecting, his views on trends in the sector and the upcoming prestigious Whisky Show being held this October 5-7 in London.

Decades ago it was common to encounter a standard expression from a Speyside distillery that had a noticeable smoky trace of peat to it. But with the passage of time and the evolution of technology, peat was eschewed in the malting process for most of the area's distillers, with almost all opting for newer, more cost effective ways to obtain their roasted malts.

Although the name "Buffalo Trace" is relatively new, the distillery site in Frankfort, Kentucky has a heritage that reaches back to the late 1700s. Known for most of the last century as George T. Stagg Distillery, Buffalo Trace currently produces 17 different whiskey product lines including Blanton's, Eagle Rare and Van Winkle among others. Launched to coincide with the re-christening of the distillery site in 1999, Buffalo Trace is the company's flagship Bourbon. Bottled at 45% A.B.V., this whiskey has been praised by both critics and consumers alike for it's smoothness and complexity. 

Nose: Sweet, spicy and inviting aromas like cherries and creme brulee dusted with nutmeg.