Sneak Preview: Special Releases and Signature Selections

With tickets selling steadily we anticipate a full house this Saturday, but have no plans to expand capacity: we were serious when we said we wanted to provide guests with a more intimate, relaxed experience, and our goal is to deliver on that promise with an edition of Spirit of Toronto that spoils, pampers and indulges you.

The event program is back from the printer, a moment we look forward to every year: it feels good to hold something tangible that encompasses the months of effort that go into organizing an event such as this.

While I can appreciate that many will grab their tasting glass and rush straight into the Hall, we’re welcoming you into a large space over two levels so I highly encourage the Type-A’s coming to take a moment and review our guidelines for making the most of your evening, browse the list and location of participating brands, and plot your course through some of the Easter eggs on offer, including one or two of the liquid gems being poured as part of this year’s inaugural Signature Selections.

More previews after the signature; see you this Saturday!

Slainte,

Johanna Ngoh
Founder and Executive Producer

Pouring this Saturday: Diageo’s Special Releases Collection

Like any card-carrying whisky stan I sit up straight and pay attention when Diageo’s annual Special Releases are announced. Much like Christmas for 9-year-olds, it’s become a yearly ritual for whisky lovers with all the hype, anticipation and disappointment that surrounds any once-a-year event, not to mention a sought-after, limited edition product.

For the uninitiated these Special Releases are hot takes on regularly available single malts, but bottled at cask strength, different ages and most often with a bespoke finish, and finding them at retail can be hit and miss. I’ve lobbied in the past to feature these baubles at Spirit of Toronto so it’s gratifying that six of the most recent releases will be poured on our main floor this coming Saturday, especially having recently visited three of the featured distilleries.

There’s little doubt that heavy hitters such as Lagavulin 12yo and Talisker 11yo will be quickly drained; these are two of Scotland’s Grand Cru distilleries that shine no matter the age or cask (pro tip: make haste if this is your jam). But as my first whisky love, the siren call of an Oban 10yo at cask strength is strong, even more so given the amontillado finish being touted, followed by the Clynelish 12yo, also decked out in sherry.

I have high hopes for the Singleton of Glen Ord 15yo finished in ‘wine casks’: they’ve just done a bang up renovation of the distillery’s visitor centre, which now easily serves the best cappuccino and tea cake to be found north of Edinburgh – truth! But that said I’m most curious about Cardhu 16yo, a whisky whose stock in trade is easy drinking honey, but finished this time around in “Jamaican Pot Still Rum casks” – yum.

So. Many. Choices! Unfortunately I won’t be imbibing, but I always look forward to living vicariously through our guests and hearing all about their faves.

Signature Selections

Speaking of a natter with guests, it never ceases to amaze how one person can gush about the untold riches they’ve tasted, while another bemoans the lack of selection, or that the bottle of their choice was empty by the time they reached the table.

As with life timing is everything, but to level the playing field we’ve dedicated a section of the program to Signature Selections – a catalog showcasing the ‘crème de la crème’ of brands who have gone the extra mile to pour something special for guests visiting their table. (Which bodes well for those of you who missed the Michter’s masterclass but still hope to taste their 20 Year Old.)

It’s important to note that bottles are being poured on a first come first served basis. Also note that some stands are being creative with the timing, such as the Drop Collective who will be opening the Redbreast 27 Year Old at 7:27:27pm (see what they did there? And yes, it’s worth the queue for a taste.)

To the victor go the spoils! Not entirely certain how this applies to Saturday, but it seems like a clever way to sign off…

Tickets to Spirit of Toronto can be purchased as follows —

• Web at roythomsonhall.com
• By telephone at 416-872-4255
• In person at 60 Simcoe Street but note that Roy Thomson Hall’s Box Office is only open three hours before any given performance, so call ahead to make sure staff is on hand to assist.

See you on May 6!

What’s New?

Happy Monday!

I cannot believe how long it has been since our last note, I am sorry! We have been busy organising events and planning for the future, with our 2024 calendar almost confirmed, it is now time to show you, our wonderful Whisky Loungers some love…

With a packed year of Whisky Festivals, Whisky Schools, Tasting Kits, and new collaborations, it is well worth watching this space. This time, however, we’re focussing on festivals, and particularly our return to the capital in a couple of weeks time. Read on!

Friday/Saturday, 12th/13th May 2023
The Jardine Stand (Alec Stewart Gate)
KIA Oval
SE11 5SS

It is just over two weeks until our London event and we want to see you there!

If you haven’t been before (or even if you have!), you will be delighted with the range of whiskies on show and tasting. We pride ourselves on being the ‘personable’ whisky festival, and everyone who comes along is made to feel part of our ‘whisky family’. Our lovely exhibitors feel it too – just ask them!

We have made some more ridiculously good value available, from just £50 for a pair of tickets!

Your tickets include a commemorative Glencairn whisky tasting glass plus all of your whisky samples.
We will also have rare and special drams available, via Whisky.Auction, plus cocktails made by our in-house expert bartenders. These are not part of the ticket price, but are very reasonable indeed. We defy you to have more fun for your money on a Friday or Saturday in London!

Click the link below to view the latest list of exhibitors and to buy tickets – but be quick if you want the best price!

LONDON WHISKY WEEKENDER Dets & Tickets!

Saturday 17th June 2023
The Assembly Rooms
54 George Street
Edinburgh
EH2 2LR

Next up we’re in beautiful Edinburgh and the gorgeous Assembly Rooms. As you might tell, we love Edinburgh and what better city to present whiskies from all over the world to you? Our venue, the Assembly Rooms, is absolutely cracking and provides exactly the right backdrop and atmosphere for this event.

Once again, there are still some fantastic ticket offers, so you should definitely get booking before they’re gone!

EDINBURGH WHISKY FESTIVAL – Buy Now!

LATER IN THE YEAR…

There are still special offers available on tickets for all of these, but they won’t last! Just click on the banner of the festival you’d like to attend!

Why not check out news on the whisky world’s latest and greatest, from our very own Gateshead correspondent, Connas? He’s been doing his usual research into the good stuff, so you don’t have to! Follow the link below for this week’s edition.

READ HERE

That’s it for now, more soon, I promise, but I hope to see you at one of our events very soon!

Slàinte!

Eddie & Amanda
The Whisky Lounge Team

Celebrate Peat this May

May in the whisky calendar means one thing: Fèis Ìle, the Islay Festival, celebrating all things Islay, and in particular the island’s whisky.

For those of us who cannot make it up to the Hebrides, we are hosting a duo of peaty whisky tasting this month in The Whisky Exchange’s London stores. Then later in the year we will be welcoming some of your favourite Islay distilleries to the show.

Our first tasting this May is hosted by friend of the show Billy Abbott, and covers The Whisky Exchange’s peaty exclusives. Later in the month we will be welcoming Islay favourite Kilchoman for a tasting across their range and latest releases.

WHISKY SHOW DETAILS
29 Sept – 1 Oct 2023
Friday: 4:00pm-9:00pm
Saturday: 11:30am – 6:30pm
Sunday: 11:30am – 6:30pmVenue: Old Billingsgate, London EC3R 6DX

Tickets from £80

BOOK TICKETS NOW

WIN 1 of 4 sets of Noble Rebel!

To celebrate Spring, we have a wonderful prize up for grabs. Noble Rebel is fabulous new range of blended malts from Loch Lomond, each highlighting a key flavour profile in whisky. We will select four lucky winners to each take home a set of 3 bottles, when purchasing a bottle from our selected Spring Drams range from now until the 1st of May. Best of luck!

Full ‘Spring Drams’ Range →

Spring Drams

Win with Noble Rebel

We have selected the very best sweet and floral whiskies for you to peruse for, after all, spring has definitely sprung! Indulge in a delightful dram to complement all of those daffodils, tulips and daisies sprouting across the land.

To celebrate, we have a wonderful prize up for grabs. Noble Rebel is fabulous new range of blended malts from Loch Lomond Distillery, each highlighting a key flavour profile in Scotch whisky. We will select four lucky winners to take home all three, when purchasing a sweet and floral whisky from this selection by the 1st of May.

Golden Dram:
WIN Loch Lomond 21 Year Old

Purchase either of the delicious new Single Grain expressions from Loch Lomond –  Distiller’s Choice or Cooper’s Collection – up until Sunday 30th April for a chance to win the stunning Loch Lomond 21 Year Old. We will take all the entries and select one winner who will be sent the the prize. Win or not, you’ll still add a fantastic new dram to your collection!

Loch Lomond Golden Dram →

Master new skills this spring 

As the days get lighter for longer, it can feel like there’s more time to explore the things you love. Martijn van Opstal tagged us on Instagram this week, sharing his completion certificate from our entry-level online Irish whiskey course. The caption read: “It was an absolute joy to follow these courses and I’m very proud and happy to be certified, which gives me a nice confidence boost for my tastings.” (You can read more from Martijn below.)

Whether you’re new here or have been with us a while, we invite you to take the next step and sign up for that course you’ve been considering. Save 15% when you enter the code SPRINGINTOSTUDY at checkout – but hurry, you only have until Sunday 30 April.

Browse Courses

R U ready to relax?

A lot of you definitely are, judging by our ticket sales. We have never sold this many tickets this early in the year. Amazing. And very relaxed 😉 We’re obviously not the only ones that are so happy we can finally have a normal relaxed Maltstock again, at our regular venue.

The good news is, we’re not sold out, yet. So you can join the relaxed fun by getting your tickets here: https://www.maltstock.com/shop

Bob, Klaas, Stan, Teun

Camping

We only had very limited camping space at Maltstock and those spots are all gone now. If you really feel camping is the only thing that will make you relaxed, please check scouting campground directly opposite of the Maltstock venue: https://www.maltstock.com/shop . Or camping de Ekelaar, just 2,3 kilometers from Maltstock.

Although we have sold a record number of tickets for this time of year, we still have tickets available at the moment. Want to enjoy Maltstock? Simply get your ticket here: https://www.maltstock.com/shop

Program

Just like the past few years we’ll be running a few “regular” masterclasses on the Friday. And we’ll definitely continue our “Drinks with…” session on the Saturday. And of course there’s no extra charge for attending any of these. How relaxed is that! We’re currently busy with putting the program together. We’ll keep you updated on our Facebook page and in the newsletters.

Chichibu!

Remember those strange days when we did tastings through zoom? When we even had a campfire tasting with people from the UK, USA and Japan all together in one tasting. And although it was great fun and a brilliant tasting, it is with very great pleasure we can announce that Yumi will join us live at Maltstock this year!. There’s a lot of catching up to do. It has been a few years since she was able to join us.  Of course she will be hosting Chichibu tastings. We’re very much looking forward to seeing how Chichibu is currently doing. But what makes us really relaxed is the fact we get to welcome Yumi again!

Maltstock on tour

Last weekend the always relaxed festival in Groningen was held. Henk and Miranda, both long serving Maltstock volunteers, are also part of the WFNN organization. to add to those relaxed vibes, Maltstock was present with a small stand and lot’s of relaxed whiskies. And in full relaxed colors!

Spring is here!

Greetings from Shelter Point,

Spring is fully here and we are loving seeing the sunshine and the longer evenings. Here at the distillery we are looking forward to this years barley being planted in the next few weeks. This is always a landmark point for us as the we are able to see the next generation of whisky growing around us.

The first delivery of malted barley from last years harvest arrived a couple of weeks ago and that has allowed us to get going with this years distilling schedule. The familiar smells of warm malt and fermentations have been coming from the still room and sight of the new make spirit coming from the still has been great to see.

Thinking of barley makes me think of Montfort, our whisky that is made entirely from barley grown on the farm. A single grain whisky made from 100% unmalted barley this is a real gem of a dram. If you haven’t tried it yet, you are missing out. Find it here

We are also very pleased to confirm that we are now able to sell to customers in the US, which is a great step forward. We can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to deliver to all locations but we think that major locations are covered. Head here to our online store, initially we have our Single Malt, Ripple Rock and Smoke Point single malts available, with more to come soon hopefully.

We are open as usual for tours and tastings, 10am – 5pm from Wednesday to Saturday, so come and join us for a dram. We’ve had a great start to the year so far and we’ve loved being able to welcome people to the distillery throughout the year.  We are hoping to be able to open on Sundays soon too, so keep an eye out here and on our social media for when we are able to offer that.
 
Upcoming events:

April 21^st – we will be pouring at the Whisky and Words event at the Vancouver Writers Festival at Granville Island in Vancouver. If you are in the area please stop by and say hello. Madison our new Brand Ambassador will be there pouring some of our best selling whiskies.

May 2^nd Shelter Point will be hosting a masterclass at 40 Knots Winery. More information can be found here – it’s a chance to enjoy some of our whiskies in the fabulous surroundings of the 40 Knots winery.

May 13^th – Shelter Point will be among the exhibitors at BC Distilled. This event is a great way to see the results of the skill passion and creativity shown by BC’s craft distillers.

May 13^th – We will be hosting a Mothers Day event at the distillery. Rewarding all deserving mothers with a free tasting, discounts and we’ll even have a food truck onsite to add a little extra reason to hang out at our beautiful spot.

May 20^th  12:45 pm-  Shelter Point will be hosting a masterclass at the Victoria Highland Games Whisky School, tickets can be found here

May 20^th 6:00pm – Shelter Point will be at Artemis Whisky bar in Victoria for some featured cocktails and a chance to learn about our whiskies and the process that goes into making them.

Stay well and we hope to greet you here at the distillery soon,

Cheers
Chris

Prize draw

THE SINGLETON OF GLEN ORD

Shop any of The Singleton single malt range this April and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a bottle of the rich and succulent The Singleton of Glen Ord 39 Year Old, which was matured in a combination of port, Pedro Ximénez and oloroso sherry, before a finish in Bordeaux red wine casks.

LEARN MORE

The Singleton is a family of Scotch whiskies – it’s not a single distillery, but rather a selection of whiskies made at three of Diageo’s distilleries: Glendullan, Glen Ord and Dufftown. Each distillery is denoted as the ‘The Singleton of….’ on the bottle, with the range showcasing the individual characters of Dufftown, Glen Ord and Glendullan, embracing the history and legacy of each. The Singleton line-up includes a variety of styles, from the spicy, nutty single malts of Dufftown, to Glendullan’s fruity and grassy whisky, and the vibrant freshness of Glen Ord.