Another great evening at Ignite Waterloo. Thanks to Stephen Heron – an Igniter since the beginning and my talented co-MC. The event, as it exists today, would not have been possible without his involvement since the beginning. Once again had the good fortune of interacting with our varied speakers. Whether it’s discussing the vagaries of [...]

The text message said to meet at the parking lot of Mill and Parliament for 6pm. So here I am in my car, dressed completely in white, feeling like Mr. Roarke making his morning commute to Fantasy Island. The weather had glowered all day and the forecast was nothing but rain making me more than [...]

The smell! We had just entered the barrel room where 40 Creek sits and mellows. The place was infused with what they refer to as the angel’s share, the scant bit of every barrel that evaporates during aging. Instead of the tight, high smell of alcohol the air hung with the rich, warm notes that [...]

Canadian whiskey doesn’t have so much of a bad rap as it’s disregarded altogether. It’s the stuff that gets thrown in the bottom of a rye and coke and barely considered. Turns out we’re missing out on some great whiskey value. The Clay and Glass Gallery was kind enough to host our event. It’s a [...]

I just want to tell you just how awesome this was. I was flying in blind. There was no videos of past events, it was an ecosystem foreign to me, in a city I’ve only had cause to be in a handful of times. So what am I to expect when I hustle myself downstairs [...]

Cate Huston had me a bit worried. Kicking off our event and minutes to launch with no signs of her. Apparently car troubles had her running late but she made it in, gave a slam dunk of a presentation, and then quickly retired to the bar for a tall glass of vodka. As predicted Kevin [...]

Wednesday is Ignite Waterloo 6 at Whistle Bear Golf Club. We keep bumping up capacity and still we’re looking at another sold out event. Our budget per event has grown and this time out we’ve had to turn away as many speakers as we accepted. Nice problems to have. It’s a stellar line-up of speakers [...]

I joke about moving back to Kitchener and living in the hood. The shiny, hi-tech minions of Waterloo have typically had a less than stellar opinion of it’s sister city. I know people who won’t venture downtown after 9pm. Then there’s Cambridge which gets lumped together with no regard for the distinct identities of Preston, [...]

Here’s the shot that started it all. It was my second scotch tasting at the Waterloo Men’s Club. Matt Howell was on hand with a diverse selection for our enjoyment and I had just tweeted the photo. @scotchneat – needed details immediately. Next thing I know we’re pulling the venue, acquiring food, throwing up a [...]

For me Scotch invokes the image of a tweedy gadabout nestled in a burnished leather wingback, framed by an expansive collection of first edition hardcovers with a cigar smouldering in an ashtray. That is to say it’s always struck me as a drink of refinement and privilege. Those aren’t exactly adjectives I normally associate with. [...]