St. Andrew's day Tutored Whisky Tasting
By Dave Johnston
Our selection of whiskies.
The SSO held its very popular - and sold out - St. Andrew’s Day Tutored Whisky Tasting at the Lexington Smokehouse & Bar in Ottawa’s Westboro neighborhood.
Mike Brisebois, Canada’s Whisky Ambassador, and founder of The Whisky Explorer website was our whisky tasting tutor. Before Mike guided us through the tasting of six different whiskies we enjoyed some great piping entertainment by SSO Chair and piper Donald Macdonald. SSO Vice Chair Jen Hill then recited the classic Robert Burns poem John Barleycorn, which was Burns’ take on whisky. In it, he obliquely refers to the process of reaping the barley, then malting and distilling to create the Uisge Beatha (water of life).
Mike guided us through each whisky including a “mystery” whisky, pointing out the smell, the legs, and finally the taste which we enjoyed first neat (undiluted), then with a drop of water to allow the whisky to ‘bloom’, or open the flavour.
The whisky samples were also accompanied by tasty appetizers prepared by the Lexington’s chef, designed to complement the drinks.
The whisky types included:
Inchdairenie release No, 1 46.2% Alcohol By Volume (abv),
Benromach 15 Years Old 43% abv,
Scallywag, The Chocolate Edition, 48% abv,
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) 3 Rare Release 18 Years Old, 56.9% abv
Classic of Islay 56.2% abv, and
Mystery Whisky
The mystery whisky was finally revealed as Côte des Saints single malt 57.8% abv, Distilled in Mirabel Quebec by owner Michel Dubé.
It was a great event and with so much interest we may hold a second one later this winter.
Many thanks are due to Emmett Hossack and his volunteers, the staff at the Lexington, and to Mike Brisebois himself for an informative and fun afternoon.
