Tickets on Sale Monday, April 4th!

After an excellent start to 2011, Spirit of Toronto is excited to announce that tickets for this year’s show go on sale Monday, April 4th at 10:00am. As in years past, tickets will be available from Roy Thomson Hall’s box office online, by phone or in person. Tickets for the show are $129 HST included and a reminder will go out on April 3rd for those of you subscribed to this list.

Planning for this year’s Masterclass Series is well underway and will be published by mid-March. Last year’s scheduling of pre-show masterclasses at 5:30pm was a resounding success and will be repeated again in 2011. Updates will be emailed as new details for both the show and masterclasses are confirmed.

In the meantime, please read on to find out more about two very special guests for 2011.

Special Guest: John Glaser, Compass Box

I’m not sure what’s more incredible: that it’s been 10 years since John Glaser founded Compass Box Delicious Whisky… or that it’s been 4 years since he last graced Spirit of Toronto in person.

To commemmorate ten years of blending small batch Scotch whiskies, it seems only fitting to have John return to Spirit of Toronto and host a retrospective tasting of the Compass Box range from past to present.

John’s visit will also give him a chance to launch his latest magnum opus in person, The Spice Tree, a blended malt whisky being released in Ontario stores this month, not to mention a redux of the controversial whisky that found him at loggerheads with the venerable Scotch Whisky Association in 2005.

For those interested in learning more about John Glaser and how he breaks with convention to create fabulous Scotch whisky, an excellent video interview can be found online at www.connosr.com

Special Guest: Willie Tait from Isle of Jura

Spirit of Toronto is honoured to be welcoming one of Scotland’s most distinguished master distillers to this year’s show, the affable and inimitable Willie Tait from Isle of Jura. Fans of island whisky, distillery lore and devillish charm will not want to miss the opportunity to sample this growing range with one of Scotch whisky’s most respected statesmen.

Like the island itself, Jura’s whisky is singular and one of quiet appeal, “a Highland malt made on an island” according to Willie, and a whisky converting its accolytes one at a time without pomp or fanfare. In addition to the fantastic Jura Superstition, a few cases of the recently launched Jura Prophecy still remain on store shelves and provide an excellent counterpoint for those who enjoy gentle depth and complexity in their peated whisky.

Now I have yet to meet Willie in person, but am told that to know him is to love him. With this in mind, please continue for a brief introduction…

Q&A with Willie Tait

What is the first whisky you remember tasting?

Well, like most young people it was from my dad’s collection, sorry to say it wasn’t Jura!

What is your fondest memory from the distillery? Do you miss the hands on work of making whisky on a daily basis?

Fondest memory is walking home from doing a night shift—that walk along the sea shore was like heaven itself. And yes, I miss the chat from the boys every morning.

Where have your travels with Whyte & Mackay taken you so far and what has been your favourite location?

I have travelled all over Canada, the US and Europe, but my favourite location is where I am at the time.

Islay gets all the attention these days but what sets Jura apart from its Hebridean neighbour?

Well, I tell people the nicest thing about Islay is the view over to Jura—Jura is much more remote and I like it that way.

Have you ever actually climbed the Paps of Jura?

Yes, many times, and not always in the best of weather. Like all mountains they draw you to them.

Best whisky being made outside of Scotland at the moment in your opinion?

I love Bourbon and Forty Creek. I say to people we showed them how to make it and they still got it wrong!

If you had to choose: haggis or black pudding?

I like both but at different times.

New York or New Zealand?

Never been to New Zealand; I do love NY but my heart says New Zealand.

If you were stranded on a desert island and a case of Jura washed up on shore… which expression do you hope it would be?

Oh, I thought you said woman! I would love to find a case of Jura 16 Year Old… and a woman to help me drink it.

www.spiritoftoronto.ca