November 10th
Members of the The Academy of Single Malt Whisky Explorers continued on their whiskey journey, to discover American Whiskey and sampled brands from two iconic distilleries! Woodford Reserve & Old Forester
Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Straight Rye, Straight Wheat and Straight Malt. Four intriguing whiskies accompanied by Old Forester 1870, from the first distillery to market whiskey in glass bottles.
All this topped off with a wee dram of Woodford Reserve Double Oaked!
Liberty North Banquet Hall - Bourbon Dinner - commenced with a complimentary welcome cocktail, offered by Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon.
The Master Class, hosted by David Hudyma, Reserve Sales Manager, PMA Canada, featured the influence of four different grains that are key components to whiskey making. (Corn, Wheat, Rye and Barley)
Liberty North and Chef Mark served up a spectacular Bourbon Dinner Menu!
- Complimentary Cocktail - Kentucky Kiss, served with BBQ Short Rib Sliders with kettle cooked chips.
- Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo
- Buttermilk fried Chicken with a whiskey bacon cream sauce over chef’s garlic mashed potatoes and chef’s vegetables of the day.
- Flourless Chocolate Torte with whiskey marinated berries, Coffee/Tea and Aunt Beth Bourbon Cookies!
Entertainment
Supporting Local
Supporting Local
The Bourbon Dinner feature Cuisine from Kentucky accompanied by a Blue Grass live music performance by local artist Sean Patrick!
Supporting Local
Supporting Local
Supporting Local
In the spirit of supporting local entrepreneurs, we featured "Aunt Beth Bakes" whisky Bar-B-Que Sauce within the Kentucky cuisine, and bourbon whisky cookies!
Donating
WHISKY MAGAZINE
WHISKY MAGAZINE
A portion of this evenings proceeds have been donated to the BARRIE FOOD BANK
WHISKY MAGAZINE
WHISKY MAGAZINE
WHISKY MAGAZINE
WHISKY MAGAZINE is the perfect complement to the dram in your glass.
Click picture to get your FREE September issue!
October 6th
An epic Glenmorangie tasting of three iconic expressions Ealanta, Cellar 13 and The Duthac, plus:
- The Palo Cortado
- Quinta Ruban 14 yo
- And a very exclusive surprize!
Thank you to Bry Simpson, National Brand Ambassador, for guiding us through this exclusive Glenmorangie tasting .
This event took place at The SpeakCheasy
June 28th, 2023
The Academy of Single Malt Whisky Explorers welcomed Trevor Burnett, Brand Ambassador - Woodman Wines and Spirits, who guided us on this TASTE OF TOMINTOUL. Built in 1964 this distillery uses traditional techniques that stretch back hundreds of years to make award-winning single malt whisky!
A Taste of Tomintoul
Four course banquet style
Four course banquet style
Four course banquet style
A delicious four course banquet style menu from Liberty North Banquet Hall paired with five drams!
- Lobster and Roasted corn chowder
- Green goddess salad
- Tomahawk Pork Chop
- Double chocolate mini mousse cake
Our Very special guest!
Four course banquet style
Four course banquet style
Brand Ambassador - Woodman Wines and Spirits; Trevor Burnett
An informative and entertaining master class...thank you Trevor!!
Speyside's Gentle Drams
Four course banquet style
Speyside's Gentle Drams
TOMINTOUL SEIRIDH
TOMINTOUL 14 YEAR OLD
TOMINTOUL 16 YEAR OLD
TOMINTOUL CIGAR MALT
TOMINTOUL PEATY TANG
May 5th, 2023
The Academy of Single Malt Whisky Explorers welcomed Richard Urquhart, fourth generation owner of Gordon & MacPhail, to the SpeakCheasy. Richard presented a unique and exclusive whisky tasting experience showcasing the legacy of the Urquhart family.
John Urquhart’s Great grandson, Richard Urquhart
Richard brought with him 128 years of whisky making expertise, that has provided award winning, unique and rare cask whiskies to the world.
Guests of this exciting Whisky Tasting were treated to;
BENROMACH 10 YEARS OLD
BENROMACH 15 YEARS OLD
BENROMACH 21 YEARS OLD
BENROMACH POLISH OAK 2011 59.4% BENROMACH 40 YEARS OLD 2022 RELEASE
BATCH 1 57.6%
A little G&M history lesson
A unique story about unique whisky.
For over 125 years, Gordon & MacPhail has been driven by a simple mission; to create single malt whisky of exceptional quality.
Established as a grocery business in 1895 in the heart of Scotland’s Speyside region, they originally curated all manner of groceries from around the world such as teas, coffees, wines and whisky. Their appreciation of the rich tapestry of flavours they encountered led the founders, James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail, to seek out and complement this varied stock with equally fine product in the form of Speyside’s many and varied single malt Scotch whiskies.
Early Years
It was in these early years that a young John Urquhart joined the business to serve as an apprentice under the two founding partners. Urquhart quickly established himself as a valuable associate for James Gordon in selecting, purchasing, and maturing whiskies from local distilleries. John also assisted with the creation of house blends for the shop’s customers across the Speyside area. Over his long career dedicated to sourcing flavour both from home and abroad, John Urquhart developed his skills as a master of malt whisky maturation, building an impressive portfolio of maturing whisky casks. He was able to pass on this deep knowledge and passion for single malt Scotch whisky to his family.
Mr George
‘Mr George’, as he was fondly known by those who knew him best, was Mr George Urquhart, second generation of the family that owns Gordon & MacPhail.
A true pioneer, Mr George was instrumental to the success of Scotch whisky, particularly single malts. He started working in the business in 1933 and in 1968 created the iconic Connoisseurs Choice range featuring single malts at a time when most were used for blending.
Renowned whisky writer Charles MacLean remarked: ‘It is no exaggeration to say that George Urquhart was responsible for the current success and appreciation of Scotch malt whiskies.’
A Dream Fullfilled
Alongside an unrivalled knowledge of Scottish single malts and passion for matching spirit with oak, the Urquhart family held a long-standing ambition to own a distillery. This desire became a reality in 1993 with the purchase of the Benromach Distillery on the outskirts of Forres, just twelve miles from the steps of the shop in Elgin. Following five years of careful and deliberate re-equipping, Benromach Distillery was officially reopened by HRH Prince Charles in 1998.
February 3rd, 2023
The Academy of Single Malt Whisky Explorers presented a Salute to Scotland's Favorite Son, at the Liberty North Banquet Hall, with all the pageantry of a Gala Scottish celebration!
A procession of the haggis was led by Piper Juhan Puhm and the address to the Haggis was performed by Stephen Milne of Stevenson Inn & SPA.
Robbie Burns Celebration
Four course banquet style
Four course banquet style
Four course banquet style
A delicious four course banquet style menu from Liberty North Banquet Hall paired with five drams!
accompanied by a side plate of Cheese and Traditional Scottish Fudge from J'adore Fine Cheese.
Our Very special guest!
Four course banquet style
Four course banquet style
Canadian National Luxury Brand Ambassador for Beam Suntory, Mr James Neil
Always an informative and entertaining master class...thank you James!!
Premium Brands
Four course banquet style
Robbie Burns Chocolate Whisky Glass Toppers
Bowmore Vault Edition
Bowmore 15 Year Old
Laphroaig 10 YO Sherry Oak Finish
Glen Garioch Special Reserve
Ardmore Legacy
Robbie Burns Chocolate Whisky Glass Toppers
Robbie Burns Chocolate Whisky Glass Toppers
Robbie Burns Chocolate Whisky Glass Toppers
The Bard, chocolate whisky glass toppers, hand made by chocolatier Lachlan McGurk of Belfry Chocolate
Traditional Haggis
Robbie Burns Chocolate Whisky Glass Toppers
Traditional Haggis
Delicious traditional haggis made locally at Sanagan's Meat Locker, in Toronto
Giving Back
