Website now fully updated

With tickets going on sale this coming Monday March 24 at 10am, the Spirit of Toronto website has now been fully updated including the schedule for our 2014 Masterclass Series. For those of you attending the show for the first time, these are seated tutored tastings presented by a variety of guest speakers on the lower level of Roy Thomson Hall.

Masterclass seats may be reserved when tickets for this year’s show go on sale. Early admission at 5:30pm is **$35 HST included and reserves seating in any one of the pre-show masterclasses starting at 5:30pm, with priority entry into the main tasting hall when the class is over. The remainder of the classes are scheduled for 7:00pm and 8:30pm and may be reserved at a cost of $15 HST included per person per class.
(** Please note that Early Admission for the 5pm session is $75 HST included.)

Liquid Time Travel: “A remarkable drinking experience…”

The word rare is bandied about easily these days. Too easily in most cases, so I’ll skip the hyperbole and simply state that this year’s headline masterclass is not one that you’re likely to attend anywhere else as whisky specialist and writer Angus MacRaild joins us to present a time capsule of Scottish whisky and history entitled “Liquid Time Travel”:

“With these bygone whiskies you taste so much more character derived from a much slower, more careful and hands-on production process. You get a far more authentic sense of their origins and location, and a real sense that they were actually made by people.”

Angus is one of Scotland’s leading luminaries in the valuation and sourcing of old whisky bottles, and together we’ve curated a special collection to celebrate Spirit of Toronto’s 10th anniversary.

I personally love themes so Angus has agreed to begin this journey in the 1930s with a taste of pre-War distillation, offering a glimpse into an extinct style of whisky making. Carrying forward through the decades, guests can look forward to gaining an appreciation of the labour intensive methods that were once used to make whisky over a much longer period of time. All of this will be further illustrated with samples of whisky made in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

A collector since age fifteen, Angus’ knowledge and passion for whisky rival his contagious enthusiasm, and I look forward to having him treat our guests to what can only be described as an education in the glass.

2014 Masterclass Series

The schedule for our 2014 Masterclass Series is now online and we’re happy with the variety it offers, be it something that appeals to seasoned connoisseurs, novice tasters or those simply looking for an adventure on the palate.

Without a doubt you can’t go wrong with the classics and Speyside’s most iconic and best regarded distilleries are well represented this year, offering guests an in-depth taste of The Balvenie, The Glenrothes, Aberlour, The Glenlivet and Glenfiddich.

Those looking to do more than just taste will not want to miss the chance to try their hand at blending with Wiser’s Master Blender Don Livermore as he samples 6 component whiskies and invites you to blend your own version of the fabulous and award-winning Wiser’s Legacy.

India, Ireland and Italy: three countries that are not usually featured in our line-up but variety is the spice of life and we’re confident that none of these will disappoint. The charismatic Ashok Chokaligam is back and this time with single cask offerings from Amrut, the darling of new world whisky and rightfully so.

Also to be noted is that Irish whiskey is experiencing its own renaissance at the moment and there is no better place to learn about its DNA than through the whiskeys made at the Midleton Distillery, to be presented by Jameson brand ambassador Sibeal Bird.

On the continent another renaissance is taking place in Italy with grappa, courtesy of the Marzadro Distillery. Forget what you may already know about grappa: from what I have tasted Marzadro produces a spirit of character and finesse, distilled in copper alembic stills and then further aged in a variety of woods including cherry, ash and acacia. Those who appreciate having their preconceptions challenged will be pleasantly surprised.

Speaking of preconceptions, Compass Box Whisky looks forward to debunking what they term the ‘single malt myth’. I know for a fact that this class concludes with a taste of The General, a veritable tour de force if only for its great antiquity. If this doesn’t convince you of the merits of blending, then I’m afraid nothing will.

Dry Fly Distilling is another whiskymaker known for charting new frontiers, having fired up their stills in 2007 which put them at the forefront of American craft distilling. Those of you with an open mind and palate have much to look forward to as Kent Fleischmann samples their whiskeys made from 100% wheat and triticale, a rye/wheat hybrid developed in Scotland in the 19th century.

Last but not least I look forward to presenting a ‘Love Letter to Islay’ with Gordon and Melanie Homer, a tasting born out of passion and terroir as Islay’s unofficial ambassadors give us their own guided tour of Scotland’s most iconic whisky making region.

Automatic ticket notification

Those of you subscribed to this list will receive an automatic notification the night before tickets go on sale next week. We’re often asked about the best way to purchase tickets in order to secure your first choices but regrettably we can offer no guarantees as tickets will be available online, by telephone and in person, and all three purchase methods are certain to experience a queue.