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 gorgeous space and the gift shop should be your first stop for all your hard to buy friends. If you haven’t been, they just opened their current exhibit “Reflective Natures and Transparent Landscapes” which is a stunner. Sadly the Gallery lost a great opportunity to really showcase the current exhibit. When we held the scotch tasting at the KW Art Gallery, Kate from the Gallery was on hand to explain the current exhibit and open our eyes to some of it’s more subtle nuances. At the Clay and Glass we were waved over to a wall panel. A shame especially considering that one of the featured artists is local native Catherine Paleczny whose organic looking ceramics are just incredible. (I’m proud to say I own an earlier piece of hers.)

As to the booze, Gord Tanner couldn’t wait to lead our group through four incredible Canadian whiskeys. On hand was the reliable 40 Creek Confederation Oak. We spent Canada Day introducing it to the family and destroyed three bottles over the course of the weekend. It’s incredible stuff. The perfect sipping whiskey. For a full set of tasting notes for each of the whiskey’s just head over to the Straight Up website.

A late addition to the line up was the stellar Alberta Premium 30 year old. The world’s oldest 100% rye-grain whiskey it’s in a limited run confined to Ontario and the 4 provinces west of it. And what are we charging for this exemplary spirit? $50 (there’s that whiskey value I was talking about) There’s still a few bottles left in town and at least one has my name on it.

We finished the evening off with some Crown Royal Cask No. 16. An incredible finish that paired beautifully with Little Mushroom Catering’s desert pastry. Once again an incredible line up of food. The cheeses alone were absolutely stellar. Asparagus spears wrapped in mango and prosciutto, aged cheddar filled meatballs in 40 Creek BBQ sauce and Hickory Sticks FTW!

What could be finer than finishing off the evening in their tiny courtyard enjoying some Amish cigars and great company. We’ve already got a possible Straight Up 3 in the works with a focus on the world of bourbon. Can’t wait!