Mark the New Date!

We’re happy to confirm that this year’s Spirit of Toronto has been rescheduled for Thursday October 15 at 6:30pm at Roy Thomson Hall.

Tickets go on sale Thursday September 10th at 10am, and those of you subscribed to this list will get another update post-Labour Day.

And now it’s time to open some special bottles…

Spirit of Toronto Online Masterclass Series

With fifteen years under our belt, it’s fair to say that Spirit of Toronto has accrued a considerable archive and the time has come for us to share this bounty.

These are dusties acquired over our many years of travel and tasting, waiting for the right occasion to be opened. We always knew we’d recognize when the time was right, and if recent events have taught us anything, it’s to cherish our human connections, near and far — and that hoarding really is a bad look…

With this in mind, we’re excited to be presenting an online edition of our ever-popular masterclass series: eight virtual tastings to be held daily 5:30-6:30pm EDT from Friday, May 8 to Friday, May 15, delivered to you in the comfort of your own home.

We’ve dug deep into our cellars for the occasion, and look forward to offering our friends and fans the singular opportunity to enjoy a guided tasting of some truly engrossing, thought-provoking drams. Most of these collectibles are rarely ever opened for tasting, and all promise much to savour and contemplate.

We’re entrusting none other than Regis Lemaitre to present this series of unique and unrepeatable masterclasses. A long time friend and presenter at Spirit of Toronto, Regis’ love of whisky runs deep, having previously curated the whisky bars at both the Gleneagles and Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, Scotland, as well as judging on a variety of awards panels. He is currently an accredited trainer with Scotland’s Whisky Ambassador program, in addition to being an ambassador for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Masterclass registration includes four 20ml samples in an engraved wooden box, tasting mat, pipette, netiquette guide to online participation, and an email link to join the tasting on the scheduled day and time. In the event you register for a class and are unable to join the live tasting, a recording of the session will be archived for your viewing.

These online masterclass sessions will be open for registration as of Friday April 24 at 12pm EDT. There are only 30 spots available per session so don’t delay in booking.

Regrettably, due to shipping restrictions, these masterclasses are only available to Canadian residents.

Click for our Online Masterclass Schedule

Since its closure in 1983, the whiskies from this silent distillery have attained legendary status amongst whisky enthusiasts, their magic and mystique growing with each passing year. Port Ellen single malt is bold, oily, and gloriously coastal with pungent smoke, tar, and fresh citrus. These robust whiskies take well to extended ageing and develop astonishing levels of complexity at 30 or more years of age.

Casks of precious Port Ellen still lie undisturbed in the dark recesses of Diageo’s maturation warehouses. But these will soon be exhausted. New releases are scarce, oversubscribed, and frequently sell out in weeks, if not days. The quality and scarcity of these astonishing single malts make them amongst the most sought after whiskies on earth.

Port Ellen

9 Rogue Casks

1979 · 40 Year Old · 70cl · 50.9% ABV

£6,495

PRE-ORDER NOW

The oldest ever release from Port Ellen! Known around the world as one of the most iconic whisky distilleries, Port Ellen presents “9 Rogue Casks” which has been created by Master Blender Craig Wilson. A unique marriage of nine rare casks of 40 year old whisky that lay hidden in warehouses waiting to be discovered. Nine stories that have come together to create one unique and momentous malt.

The stocks from Port Ellen before closure in 1983 are limited in quantity and highly revered by the whisky experts as they improve with age. Special releases of these stocks offer a unique opportunity to own a part of Port Ellen’s history. There are only 1,380 bottles available of this release, which makes it both the oldest and the most limited public release from the distillery.

Loch Lomond 2006 #18/550-12
The Whisky Shop Exclusive

The latest Whisky Shop Exclusive Single Cask has landed! Carefully selected by us, with you in mind – at £58.95, this is one of our best value offers of all time. Produced at Loch Lomond Distillery with heavily peated barley, this expression was distilled in March 2006 and matured in a single first-fill Tawny port hogshead for almost 14 years. It was then bottled in February 2020 at a natural cask strength of 53.1% VOL. Highly exclusive, just 315 bottles have been filled.

So, what does it taste like? Sweet peat and salted caramel come to the fore, with cinnamon and baked apple emerging amongst raisins and golden syrup. A hint of nutmeg and clove-studded orange mellow to reveal melted brown sugar and vanilla oak spice in the finish. Delicious. Receive a free pair of Loch Lomond Whisky Glasses when you order this bottle – while stocks last!

£58.95

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Smokehead TV is back for episode 3 this Sunday 24^th April at 5pm – The Smokehead film awards night featuring our resident film geek, and friend of Smokehead Mr Pickles. This week we’re paying tribute to the definitive Smokehead film performance. We asked Smokeheads what film or actor captures the bold, upbeat and distinctly individual character of our Smokehead whisky. And the winner was… a Bruce Willis/Sin City/Pulp Fiction/Tarantino mash up. There will be Smokehead cocktails to celebrate, Mr Pickles geeking out on all things cinema and merch to be won by answering some of our trivia. Grab a bottle and join us again on Sunday. We’re offering free delivery on UK orders over £29.99.

Stay safe, stay indoors, Smokeheads.

SHOP NOW

During this challenging time, £1 from the sale of each bottle purchased from www.smokehead.com will be donated to the Drinks Trust and The Ben to support their mission of providing care and support to our hospitality colleagues.

Worlds northernmost Whisky to be released

After 3 years of production, Aurora Spirit Distillery, launches their first ever Whisky in May 2020. This will be the northernmost Whisky in the world and is named “Bivrost® Niflheim – Arctic Single Malt Whisky”.

Bivrost® Niflheim Single Malt Whisky is made from Nordic barley, pilsner malt and brewer’s yeast. The water is sourced from the local spring, which receives melted glacier water from the Lyngen alpine range. The Whisky was stored in carefully selected sherry casks, virgin oak and bourbon casks. It has been allowed to mature for the required three years in underground storage vaults, which were previously part of a network of tunnels in a Cold War NATO base.

The Whisky is made by Aurora Spirit Distillery, which has established a unique distillery that attracts international attention with its spectacular location. The distillery is the world’s northernmost, situated far beyond the Arctic Circle in Norway. Bivrost products are based on local herbs, berries and melted glacier water. Aurora Spirit has an award winning visitor centre which offers guided tours for visitors.

Until Aurora Spirit scale up Whisky sales with their “standard” Bivrost Whisky (Estimated release 2025) they will be releasing 2 limited editions each year as a “collectable series”, related to “the nine worlds of Norse mythology”. First one out is Niflheim (“world of fog”). This world is the homeland of darkness, cold, mist, and ice by ancient Viking beliefs. The brand name Bivrost® is more than 1000 years old. The producers’ Viking ancestors named the northern light “biv rost” (shaking path) – they thought it was a magical bridge between the worlds.

The different Whisky releases will have different taste impressions. Niflheim is fruity and sweet on the nose. On the palate it has a nice balance of sweetness, wood and spiciness, with a long and sweet finish. The use of small casks has enabled this whisky to mature beyond its youth. (Also see Whisky Author Blair Bowman’s opinions below).

The first 20 Whiskies will go on auction late April (www.whiskyauctioneer.com). The producer will arrange an online streaming event on the 23. Of April, with digital tasting, presentations and live music. Find out more on their Facebook page.

Whisky Author Blair Bowman’s words:

I feel incredibly lucky to have visited Aurora Spirits two times in the last few years. My first visit was in January 2018 and I was blown away by the whole experience. It was my first time in Norway and I felt an instant and very strong connection to the distillery and the team. The generosity and warmth from the Northern Norwegians was genuine and heartfelt. Their passion for their distillery is truly palpable. 

The distillery is unlike anything I’ve seen before. The Lyngenfjord area is truly breathtaking and the fact that they are in the Arctic Circle, on a former NATO base and using the old tunnels to mature their whisky is completely unique. Their use of a wide variety of interesting casks and the various casks experiments they are running is exciting to see too. 

I first got to taste their spirit when it was just over one year old and it was already showing great promise at that very early stage. I also then tried the spirit again at around two years of maturation and it had developed very well and was clearly well on its way to being an excellent whisky when it reached its 3rd birthday and legally became whisky. 

Now that the Bivrost Nifilheim Whisky is ready to be released I’m incredibly excited for others to get a chance to taste whisky from the most northerly whisky distillery in the world!

Tasting Notes: 

Nose: Initially lots of deliciously juicy dried fruits and sweet toasted nuts. Dried cherries, sultanas, raisins, figs. Then sweet caramelised peanuts, almonds and hazelnuts with a hint of black pepper.  A rich spiced malt note comes later like toasted malt bread with Nutella. 

Palate: A lovely balance of sweet and woody spice with hints of dried fruit. Like balsa wood shavings on a woodburner in a sauna that has maple syrup on the wooden benches and then a few black peppercorns and dried fruits are thrown into the burner. 

Finish: Long and sweet with hints of spice. 

Overall: A deliciously drinkable whisky with a very chewy and juicy mouthfeel and finish that makes you come back for more. 

An incredible achievement for a group of friends who were inspired to build their own distillery in the Arctic Circle after a trip to Islay in Scotland. This whisky really shows their dedication to the quality of the ingredients, the distillation and maturation. 

Blair Bowman, March 2020

http://www.blairbowman.com/

Osaka, JAPAN, 4th April 2020– Yoshino Spirits Co. has launched “World’s First Sakura & Yoshino Sugi Cask Finish Whisky Brand’ under Kamiki Whisky portfolio firstly in U.K. market and now available for global export this month.

 Following on from the acclaimed Kamiki and Kamiki Intense expressions – the first whiskies matured in Japanese Cedar wood – this exciting new expression takes the brand an innovative step further, this time with a finish in Sakura wood, or Japanese Cherry Blossom as it is more commonly known.

 This new expression is finished in Japanese Cedar wood, just like the two before it, before being transferred to casks made from the famous Sakura tree for further finishing.

 Kamiki Sakura Wood already picked up awards, winning a Gold Award at the China Wine & Spirits Awards 2019, a Double Gold at the Women’s Wine & Spirits Awards 2019, a Platinum Award at SIP Awards 2019, a Double Gold from Las Vegas Spirit 2019 Awards, Double Gold at Cigar & Spirits Magazine 2019, Innovation and Consumer Choice Awards at SIP Awards 2019.

 About Yoshino Spirits Co. Yoshino is a private company based in Osaka, exporting finest Japanese whisky, wine and spirits to the world. For more information please visit www.yoshinospirits.com

Father’s day release
AVAILABLE NOW FOR
PRE-ORDER!

If you’re looking for something special this Fathers Day, look no further: this new Wolfburn limited release is an absolute treat. Matured in Oloroso sherry hogsheads it’s a beautifully sweet, creamy dram, rich and balanced – ideal for any discerning dad!

ON THE NOSE – There’s a beautiful mix of sherry aromas, overlaid with hints of golden syrup and caramel. No burn at all, just warmth and sweetness.

ON THE PALATE – The flavours are rich, creamy and full-bodied: butterscotch meets heather honey, with just a trace of dates and raisins. A truly sumptuous dram!

“A wonderfully smooth, rich and enjoyable dram.”
Iain Kerr, Distillery Manager.

Limited edition of 720 bottles

Available to buy now on our online store for £64.00

Buy now

Slàinte!
The Wolfburn Team

The Isle of Jura distillery was founded in 1810 by Archibald Campbell. Originally, known as the Small Isles Distillery, it was renamed in 1831, and rebuilt in the early 1960’s on the original site. The name derives from the Norse for ‘deer island’, a reference to the herds of local deer that greatly outnumber the island’s tiny population of residents.

Jura single malt can offer power and complexity, but without the bold, heady smoke of whiskies their Hebridean neighbour, Islay. The whiskies are typically sweet, fruity and approachable, with a slightly coastal character. Since 2018, they have been imbued with a subtle smokiness, due to the inclusion of a small amount of peated whisky in each bottling.

BROWSE OUR FULL JURA RANGE HERE

Continuing our series which introduces you to the people behind the Cotswolds Distillery, meet Angus, one of our Senior Distillers.

Have a read on our latest blog to learn more about Angus’ role at the distillery and his tuba-playing skills!

READ MORE…

. . . all about an Oban !

https://youtu.be/67MC7-SSQzs