Whisky et distilleries: Forum

Hormis la présence de JMurray ! Programme intéressant ou non!? La programmation de cette année ( celle de 2014 sera publié en oct 2013) n 'apparait plus sur leur site ... Puisque la dernière édition a eu lieu en Janv.

Quelles sont les différence avec Whisky live ?

Hélas n'y étant jamais allé je ne puis vous donnez un avis pertinent.

Tout ce que je sais c'est que les soirées off sont grandioses avec un superbe line up de vieux embouteillages.

la liste dernières masterclass:
Thursday January 17th, 2013 Evening
Jim Murray 2013 Whisky Bible Winners

Jim Murray, author of the 2013 Whisky Bible, in which over 4,500 whiskies are rated with over 1,200 new entries for 2013 edition, guided the attendees through a selection of the award winning whiskies from the 2013 Whisky Bible. This Grand Tasting was an eye opener for the attendees and featured some of the best whiskies that Jim came across in 2012.

The 3rd Annual Canadian Whisky Awards Presentation and Dinner

The Victoria Whisky Festival was very proud to host the annual Canadian Whisky Awards ceremonies at the Hotel Grand Pacific. Hosted by Davin de Kergommeaux and joined by members of the judging panel to reveal the best Canadian whiskies of 2012 and presenting medals and awards to their producers. Members of the public were welcome at this star-studded evening.

Friday January 18th, 2013 Evening
The Grand Glenrothes & Cutty Sark Dinner

Ambassador Dan Volway led attendees through whiskies from the Glenrothes Distillery, the ‘heart’ of Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whisky and some exceptional & aged blended whiskies from Cutty Sark in conjunction with the wonderful food of the Mark restaurant. Both the whiskies and the meal were complemented by the impeccable service for which the Mark Restaurant is justifiably renowned. Glenrothes at the ‘heart’ of the blend is a key component of Cutty Sark whiskies. Cutty Sark came to life at 3 St James’s Street in London on 23rd March and was named after the world’s fastest ship – a tea clipper named Cutty Sark launched in 1869. The clipper was named after a young witch dressed in a ‘Cutty Sark’ or short shirt, who could run as fast as the wind, from the famous poem Tam O’Shanter by Scotland’s celebrated poet Robert Burns.

The Grand Scotch Malt Whisky Society Tasting with Georgie Bell

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Ambassador Georgie Bell led the attendees through The Society's amazing range of distinctive single cask bottlings while learning about The Society's origins, the mysterious coding system and where those curious tasting notes come from!

The Grand Springbank Distillery Tasting

Springbank's Ranald Watson guided the attendees through the tastes and secrets of the most hands-on distillery in Scotland. Ranald focused on new and forth coming releases while gaining insights into just why this family-owned distillery chooses to retain the history and tradition of its forefathers. Springbank produce three different single malts in Campbeltown - Scotland's smallest whisky region.

The Grand Glenmorangie Distillery Tasting

Master Brand Ambassador David Blackmore and the attendees journeyed through the unseen extra steps that Glenmorangie goes through to create Scotland's favorite single malt whisky.

The Grand Duncan Taylor Tasting

Duncan Taylor & Company has ownership of one of the largest privately-held collections of rare scotch whisky casks. Devotion to the principle of providing only the finest casks to be filled at Scotland’s leading distilleries has been a key feature of the company’s history. Peter Currie of Duncan Taylor led attendees through a selection of some of the finest that Duncan Taylor has to offer including Black Bull Blended Scotch Whisky.

The Gordon & MacPhail Grand Tasting

“The Secrets of Speyside”

Michael Urquhart of Gordon & MacPhail of Elgin led the attendees through his choice of “secrets” from the warehouses of the World’s Leading Malt Whisky Specialist. Gordon and MacPhail are also owners of Benromach Distillery.

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MASTERCLASSES - Whisky School!
The 2013 Victoria Whisky Festival Opportunity Cost; The cost of an alternative Masterclass that must be forgone in order to pursue another Masterclass.

Saturday January 19th, 2013 – Morning
The 2013 Masterclass schedule offered diversity with whiskies from Canada, Scotland, Ireland, India, Japan, England and The United States of America. It has been a Festival tradition to schedule another masterclass every time we discovered yet another available room in the Hotel Grand Pacific; however with the 2013 Festival we have reached our maximum. 2013 featured whiskies from around the world, a selection of single malts and blends, independent bottlers and distillers presented their own whiskies offering a unique range of quality whiskies for the attendee.

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11:15 – 12:15
The MCLEANSCOTLAND Masterclass

Paul Mclean of MCLEANSCOTLAND teamed up with a famed Scottish Distillery for his masterclass. Paul guided attendees through his custom tours enjoying a few excellent drams. Paul operates a Scottish based tour company that specializes in organizing distillery whisky tours.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Masterclass with Georgie Bell

Join Scotch Malt Whisky Society Ambassador Georgie Bell led this excellent masterclass. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has finally arrived on Canadian shores; only Society members can purchase its single cask, single malt whiskies, but the lucky attendees found out what makes The Society unique while indulging with a sampling of cask strength gems. Named 2012 Independent Bottler of the Year by Whisky Magazine.

The Tomatin Distillery Masterclass with Stephen Bremner

Stephen Bremner, Sales Director at Tomatin Distillery introduced the award winning single malts from Tomatin Distillery. Tomatin is home to the finest Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky and is located in the Monadhliath Mountains just south of Inverness, capital of the Highlands of Scotland. Established in 1897, Tomatin (to rhyme with satin) is also one of the highest distilleries in Scotland at 315 metres above sea level.

The Laphroaig Distillery Masterclass with Simon Brooking

Simon Brooking, Laphroaig's Master Ambassador, took attendees to "The beautiful hollow by the broad bay." While Exploring the depths and peaks of the most distinctly flavoured single malt Scotch –Laphroaig and learning about the history of the water of life on the island of Islay and sampling the range of the # 1 selling Islay single malt.

Where there's smoke, there's Laphroaig…

The Duncan Taylor Masterclass with Peter Currie

The Festival was very pleased to present the very first Duncan Taylor masterclass. Led by Peter Currie attendees sampled several fine examples of single cask bottlings, Black Bull and Big Smoke.

The Compass Box Masterclass #2 with John Glaser

Compass Box is renowned for its innovation and groundbreaking whiskies. Founder and Whiskymaker John Glaser illuminated the world of craft blending through this masterclass on his range of award-winning whiskies.

The Nikka Masterclass with Lawrence Graham

The Festival was very pleased to hold for the second year in a row a Japanese whisky masterclass. Japanese whisky is renowned for quality, quality, quality and this class was not an exception to this rule. It featured single malts of the famed Yoichi distillery and some other excellent examples including an award winning 17yo and a ‘super’ whisky.

Whisky 101 Masterclass with Davin de Kergommeaux

The Festival was very pleased that Davin de Kergommeaux returned to Victoria to present one of his highly informative masterclasses on the basics of appreciating whisky. Davin is the author of the book Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert, and a founding member of the highly respected Malt Maniacs (one of only 3 in Canada – there are only 34 world wide.) He is a contributing editor for Whisky Magazine and also writes for Whisky Advocate magazine. Davin judges the annual Malt Maniacs Awards, World Whisky Awards (in London) and the Canadian Whisky Awards. He has scored more than 2600 whiskies from around the world.

The Ardbeg #1 Masterclass with David Blackmore

The wild and untamed world of Ardbeg with David Blackmore - Master Brand Ambassador. From its rescue and renaissance in the late 1990s to consecutive World Whisky of the Year awards in 2008 and 2009, attendees discovered the turbulent history of the Ultimate Islay Single Malt. Tim Puett of the Ardbeg Project joined David in the presentation of this masterclass (Ardbeg 1 & 2 are identical in format).

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Saturday January 19th, 2013 – Afternoon
1:00 to 2:00
The BenRiach & GlenDronach Masterclass with J. Wheelock

Ambassador J. Wheelock led attendees through the award winning single malts from BenRiach and GlenDronach distilleries. J. showed attendees the influence that peat can have on Speyside single malts as well as the layers of complexity that can be added by finishing in wine casks.

The Springbank Distillery Masterclass with Ranald Watson

The Festival was very pleased to welcome Ranald Watson, who represented Springbank Distillery which is located in Campbeltown, to the Victoria Whisky Festival. Attendees had the opportunity to examine the unique Campbeltown style evident in Springbank whiskies and the effects of aging on the Springbank single malts.

The Bruichladdich Masterclass with Ted Latimer

2013 has been an exciting year of change for Bruichladdich Distillery in more ways than one…. This class featured a detailed exploration of the newly defined Bruichladdich range including some of the limited, sought after releases and gaining an insightful view to what the future holds for this ever evolving Islay distillery.

The Kilbeggan & Cooley Masterclass with Jennifer Graham

Jennifer Graham, Brand Ambassador for Kilbeggan & Cooley Distilleries led attendees through Irelands best kept secret. Jennifer talked about the history of Irish Whiskey, the history of the distilleries themselves & what makes their whiskeys different to all other Irish.

The Tullibardine Distillery Masterclass with James Robertson

James Robertson of Tullibardine Distillery in Blackford, Perthshire, Scotland took those lucky enough to be in Victoria through the various steps that have been taken to revitalise and redesign Tullibardine for 2013 with 6 brand new products and a chance to see first-hand the new designs.

The Classic Malts Distillers Edition Masterclass with Mike Nicolson

The famed Classic Malts tour has opened the eyes of many, from the newest whisky adventurist to the well versed aficionado. The Classic Malts Distiller’s Editions are a variation of the originals. They are a limited release range of malts in which the whisky is transferred from its original cask to another for a further period of maturation. In this class guided by 36 year veteran of scotch whisky distillation Michael Nicolson, attendees ventured into the world of finishes and explored the marriage between whisky and barrel and then determine if this marriage is meant to be or should consider an annulment. As David Broom of Whisky Magazine puts it, “whether these alter egos float your boat or not, they are an essential part of understanding the flavours given by maturation and how, when successful, using finishes can put a spin on a whisky you already know and appreciate.”

The Highwood Distillery Masterclass with Jarrod Grant
Highwood Distillers, an independently owned Canadian Distiller founded in 1974, was proud to have Master Blender, Jarrod Grant, lead the attendees through several of their blended and single batch Canadian Whiskies.

The Old Pulteney Distillery Masterclass with Jim Murray

Jim Murray, author of the 2013 Whisky Bible (in which over 4,500 whiskies are rated) guided attendees through a selection of the award winning Old Pulteney whiskies.

The Ardbeg #2 Masterclass with David Blackmore

The wild and untamed world of Ardbeg with David Blackmore - Master Brand Ambassador. From its rescue and renaissance in the late 1990s to consecutive World Whisky of the Year awards in 2008 and 2009, attendees discovered the turbulent history of the Ultimate Islay Single Malt. Tim Puett of the Ardbeg Project joined David in the presentation of this masterclass (Ardbeg 1 & 2 are identical in format).

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2:40 to 3:40
The Bourbon Masterclass with Jeff Meyers

This Bourbon Masterclass will delved into the origins of Bourbon and its Kentucky roots. Jeff discussed pre-prohibition styles of Bourbon, and the era itself. He also discussed the repeal time and how Bourbon was crafted immediately following Prohibition and the steps that were taken to breath quality life back into this spirit we love so much! From Booker, and Fred Noe to Bill Samuels Jr. and Rob Samuels Jeff chatted about all things Kentucky and Bourbon!!

The Gordon & MacPhail Masterclass with Michael Urquhart

“Share the secret …of Benromach”

Michael Urquhart of Benromach Distillery talked about this traditional whisky from Speyside’s smallest working distillery”

The Whisky & Chocolate Masterclass with Marcus von Albrecht

In this very special Master Class, guests had the opportunity to indulge in two of life's greatest pleasures: scotch and chocolate! Cardamom, Crème Brule or triple smoked maple bacon and dark Bergamot chocolate accompanied by 19 yr Bunnahabhain or a 25 yr Littlemill are but two examples of the four selections served.

The Highland Park Distillery Masterclass with Dan Volway

Highland Park - Made where no one else would - like no one else could. Brand Ambassador Dan Volway led a Master Class and tasting featuring Highland Park the most respected single malt in the world.

Jonathan’s Excellent Eclectic Whisky Tour with Jonathan Bray

Our friends at Purple Valley Imports represent an impressive and veritable cornucopia of whiskies, independent bottlers and distilleries from all parts of the world. In this class they pulled out all the stops pouring the best and newest of the stable. Jonathan Bray led this popular masterclass.

The Johnnie Walker Masterclass with Mike Nicolson

From a small grocery store in the town of Kilmarnock, Scotland came a 15 year old boy with a gift of blending tea. John Walker's passion spread to blending whiskies for the townsfolk of Kilmarnock and he soon became known for his expert whisky blending skills in all of West Scotland. Since then, the Johnnie Walker name is celebrated globally for quality and consistency while the iconic square bottle with the slanted label is seen on shelves everywhere. Join a 36 year veteran of distilling, Michael Nicolson took attendees through the Johnnie Walker Labels, including Red, Black, Green, Gold and Blue while combining his experiences with Johnnie Walker and explained the nuisances that make each Johnnie Walker label so unique and special.

The Wemyss Masterclass with Paul Watkin

The Wemyss family have had a longstanding passion for malt whisky and their relationships with the industry date back to the turn of the 19th century when John Haig (founder of Haig's) built his first distillery on Wemyss land. Their range of hand crafted malts was conceived with the aim of making them more accessible and understandable and they use the taste and aromas of the individual whiskies to identify each bottling, rather than the distillery. Paul Watkin led this informative and enjoyable masterclass.

The Aberfeldy & Dewar’s Masterclass with Marc Gibeau & Lawrence Graham

Aberfeldy distillery, founded by John Alexander and Tommy Dewar in 1898, produces the excellent single malt at the heart of the world famous blended whisky Dewar’s. Dewar’s WHITE LABEL blend was first created in 1899. In this masterclass the relationship between the two very famous whiskies was examined and savoured. Dewar’s has been supporting the Victoria Whisky Festival since the early days of the Festival and the Festival was very pleased to present this Aberfeldy & Dewar’s masterclass.

The Bowmore Masterclass #1 with Iain McCallum

Whisky Magazine Icons of Whisky Scotland, Whisky Ambassador of the Year 2013, Iain McCallum, led a tasting of Single Malts from famed Islay distillery, Bowmore. Along with the well-known Bowmore 12, 15 and 18 Years Old Single Malts, Iain also showed some Bowmore expressions that have not previously been available in BC. Founded in 1779, Bowmore is the first recorded distillery on Islay, and one of the oldest in the whole of Scotland. Islay malts are renowned for their peaty smokiness and Bowmore is no exception. (The Bowmore Distillery Masterclasses 1 & 2 were identical in format)

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4:20 to 5:20
The Kilchoman Distillery Masterclass with Anthony Wills

Anthony Wills, Founder and Managing Director of Kilchoman, Islay's Farm Distillery, took the attendees through some exciting new releases including the 2nd Edition 100% Islay and a 5 year old single sherry cask at cask strength.

The Compass Box Whisky Company Masterclass with Andrew Ferguson

Compass Box is renowned for its innovation and ground breaking whiskies. Andrew Ferguson illuminated the world of craft blending through this masterclass on their range of award-winning whiskies.

The Canadian Club Masterclass with Tish Harcus

Tish Harcus Brand Ambassador representing the famed Canadian Club Whisky as she led attendees through a few of the C.C. Classics, and a new marque to the portfolio, C.C. Dock 57. Canadian Club is the only Canadian whisky that pre barrels their distillate whiskies. The brands 155 years old and Tish both enlightened and entertained.

The Amrut Distillery with Roberto Roberti

The irrepressible Roberto Roberti led the lucky participants through the excellent whiskies of Amrut Distillery of Bangalore, India. Amrut single malt is made from Indian barley which is mashed and distilled in small batches and matured in oak barrels in a unique tropical environment at an altitude of 3,000 feet above sea level at. Jim Murray and many others rate the Amrut single malts very highly.

The Glenmorangie Masterclass with David Blackmore

Glenmorangie, the making of a legend, Scotland's favorite single malt. Master Brand Ambassador David Blackmore led attendees in a journey through the unseen extra steps that Glenmorangie goes through to create Scotland's favorite single malt whisky.

The Forty Creek Distillery Masterclass with John Hall

Forty Creek Whisky Maker John K. Hall led attendees though a rare opportunity tasting the single grain whiskies that make Forty Creek unique. Rye, Indian corn and malted barley whiskies are distilled and aged separately before they are blended together to create Forty Creek Barrel Select. John’s passion for whisky making and unique approach has garnered Forty Creek whiskies with highly coveted double gold and gold medals from the world’s most respected competitions. He has been recognized by Whisky Advocate Magazine as Pioneer of the Year, his distillery has been awarded Distillery of the Year by Whisky Magazine, and his Limited Editions have been chosen as Canadian Whisky of the Year in both 2010 and 2011. John Hall’s approach to whisky making is unlike any other. As a first generation whisky maker with a background in winemaking, and as sole owner of his distillery, he can operate in an environment that allows for a sense of discovery and experimentation. John has been credited with “waking-up” the sleeping giants of the Canadian distilling industry. The opportunity to meet with John, listen to his engaging, humorous, and informative perspective on whisky making was akin to having a firsthand conversation with icons like Johnnie Walker or Jack Daniels.

The Mike Nicolson Masterclass

Veteran Distiller Mike Nicolson led attendees through a light hearted look at the idea of becoming a distilling entrepreneur. Do you have the "stuff "to become a trail blazing flavour magician and the fortitude to deal with the regulators to get it done? How big a Distillery? Does size matter? What kind of spirit and how to make it?

The Bowmore Masterclass #2 with Iain McCallum.

Whisky Magazine Icons of Whisky Scotland, Whisky Ambassador of the Year 2013, Iain McCallum, led a tasting of Single Malts from famed Islay distillery, Bowmore. Along with the well-known Bowmore 12, 15 and 18 Years Old Single Malts, Iain also showed some Bowmore expressions that have not previously been available in BC. Founded in 1779, Bowmore is the first recorded distillery on Islay, and one of the oldest in the whole of Scotland. Islay malts are renowned for their peaty smokiness and Bowmore is no exception. (The Bowmore Distillery Masterclasses 1 & 2 were identical in format)

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Saturday January 19th, 2013 – Evening
6:00 to 10:00
The VIP Tasting
6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.
The VIP Tasting was open to special guests of the 2013 Victoria Whisky Festival and VIP Ticket holders. It was be held in the Vancouver & Pender Island Ballrooms prior to the Consumer Tasting and featured the full line of whiskies as with the Consumer Tasting. VIP Ticket holders were able to explore the range of whiskies presented for a full hour prior to the Consumer Tasting (Ticket price included VIP Tasting & Consumer Tasting).

The Consumer Tasting
7:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M.
The heart of the Festival was the Consumer Tasting held in the Hotel Grand Pacific’s Pender Island and Vancouver Island Ballrooms which featured a myriad of distilleries and whiskies including Canadian whisky, Scottish single malts and blended whiskies, Irish whiskey and a variety of whisky & whiskey styles from the United States of America.

Each attendee was provided with an engraved Glencairn whisky nosing & tasting glass and a Whisky Advocate magazine.

The Hotel Grand Pacific provided the best Hors d’Oeuvres from their award winning kitchen and Chefs using local ingredients including the very popular & elusive haggis tarts created especially for the Victoria Whisky Festival!

Sunday January 20th, 2013 – Evening
The Lost Distillery Dinner
In 2013 the Festival changed tack on the traditional dinner held to close out the festival by teaming with a distiller as with past years but alas this particular distillery is closed and will remain anonymous! The Hotel Grand Pacific's Executive Chef Rick Choy paired exceptional local ingredients with the exceptional single malts.

Please see Program & Tickets Page for full details on times, ticket prices, ticket availability and event rooms.