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No matter what holiday you celebrate, there is no denying the fact that we are now in the middle of the gift buying season once again. So whether it be for a friend, family member, co-worker, or yourself, if you are anything like me then you could probably use a helping hand in selecting a couple gifts. Well, if you are looking at giving whisky as a gift, then let us help you with that task. 

With all due respect to baseball fans for this analogy, Whisky Live is fast becoming the only "Fall Classic" on the Toronto whisky aficionado's mind. With a host of exhibitors, whiskies from around the world, and a sea of devotees to the dram, this year's edition and its new confines in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre's North building certainly topped years past. Armed with a notebook, a press pass, and a Glencairn glass, Jeff and I had at it for your reading pleasure. 

Matchmaking has long been a skill that mankind has sought to perfect. But pairing a tasting of a Scotch whisky with a cult following with arguably Toronto's most venerated steakhouse may just be the pinnacle of such quests to occur in Toronto this year. 

So it came to this. Two expertly crafted blended Scotch whiskies dueling head to head.

The top seed, J&B, crashes out in the semi's to Grant's Sherry Cask while the Black Grouse makes another open and shut case, dropping the gavel on Grant's Family Reserve.

See the bracket here

So you would like to give your dad a bottle of whisky for Father's Day but don't know what to get him? Well, we've got just the thing for you. 

Over the past several months I have been asked many times why we don't use a ratings system here at ScotchBlog. I have thought about that long and hard. I've raised it at meetings. Hell, Scott and I even devised a carefully constructed mathematical formula whereby a perfect rating would be 12.7. But that's just as absurd as anything else because it is only built on the tastes and predisposition of the writer, thereby rendering the rating entirely useless to anyone but themselves. 

See the bracket here

In the first chapter of Round 2, J&B and Grand Macnish get to jostling in a stinky affair and Te Bheag makes an valiant attempt to knock off one of three strong entries from Grant's.

See the bracket here

In the final matchups of Round One, Grant's Ale Cask takes on Cutty Sark and two Grouses battle for supremacy.

Well, here we are.  There are 4 days to go until Christmas and, if you're anything like me, you have barely started your shopping.  With that in mind, here is this year's short list of whiskies that fit the bill to be given as gifts based on any combination of price, uniqueness, rarity, and above all great flavour.  Three price categories with two whiskies per category.  So let's get to it.

Middle-ranked Johnnie Walker Red and Dewar's skirmish while Grant's Family Reserve looks to have a cakewalk match versus Teacher's Highland Cream.

On my final day in Boston last week I had the great fortune to stumble upon a place at least equally worth a visit as any of the historical sites the city has to offer. Especially if you are a fan of whisky or wine.

Located at 29 State Street (near the corner of State and Congress Street), and tucked into a corner of the building,  Federal Wine and Spirits is a tiny shop that most would dismiss when just looking through the window. Aisles that at first glance appear too tight, shelves that look ready to give way due to the sheer volume on them, and a nearly hidden staircase to the wine cellar in the back give the impression that you might want to keep walking. Do not give in to this impulse in any way!

Once inside I had further luck in meeting manager Joe Howell (a man even more unassuming than the fantastic vault he curates) and begin a near 90 minute discussion of all that Federal had to offer. After a brief chat about what we all must suffer through here in Ontario with regard to the LCBO's monopoly on the market and big-box store view to overall customer service, Joe proceeded to offer up a quick 3 dram tasting flight to aid me in my decision making.

Beginning with a Springbank 14 year old, it's peaty-citrus smoothness was just about the perfect warm up dram given that we'd just gone past noon. After mentioning that I was on the hunt for something from a closed distillery and a little more on the upper side of 15 years old, Joe treated me to a 21 year old Mortlach from Gordon & MacPhail. Beginning with the faintest sherry nose, a couple minutes of hand warming spurred the whisky to explode into cereal, honey, and leather with a spectacularly long finish. Although delicious, this Mortlach was not quite what I was looking for.

While sipping my way through these first two, I began to realise that any solo attempt to navigate the selection on offer would be nothing short of daunting. Carrying well over 200 different single malts, most of which are precariously perched on the upper shelves thoroughout the store, it is without hyperbole that I can assert that this is Boston's single malt Mecca. With that in mind, I strongly encourage anyone planning to take the time to dig through the selection in house to first call ahead and chat with Joe and to plan your visit in advance during off-peak hours. For, as much as I wish it would be, this is not the place where one can go "crate digging" the way we used to when hunting for a rare record.

After finishing off the Mortlach, and still pondering my next move, Joe presented me with the option I would ultimately settle on: a 1991 Gordon & MacPhail 17 year old cask strength Rosebank. Sipping on it now while writing this, I can say that I am thoroughly pleased with my decsion to make the purchase without sampling it and, fear not, the review will be up in the not too distant future.

Now just because I'd settled on a purchase, one might assume that my time in the store would end. But no. For while discussing the wine selection, the mechanics of operations, and all of the different tasting events offered, Joe completed the trifecta by offering up a sample of Laphroaig's astonishing 30 year old expression. Now I'm a big fan of the peaty, smokey Islay malts, and I'm obviously prone to being overly verbose at times, but this was just ... wow. Stunning. Find it. Buy it. Enjoy it. I cannot wait to have it again and if it were not for Canada's customs limits on bringing back spirits, this bottle would have come with me.

After finishing off this idol of Islay, I took a few more minutes to discuss and explore. Some other elements of note at Federal Wine and Spirits:

• Pre-ordering whiskies prior to their arrival is not only an option, but encouraged.
• Wednesday nights feature regular free wine tastings. Be sure to call ahead.
• The wine selection is both hidden downstairs and astonishing

In closing, I must say that Boston was already one of my favourite cities in the United States due to its fantastic food, incredible history, and the delightfully friendly demeanor of its denizens. But now, I've got one more reason to return as soon as possible.

 

Match 3

 

   

Vote 7-0: Winner Te Bhaeg