Tis the season for sharing the Spirit
Mark your 2025 calendar – Spirit of Toronto returns to Roy Thomson Hall on Saturday May 3.
And with the holidays upon us, we are once again releasing a limited number of Gift Certificates for next year’s show, and with an added bonus for those of you keen on attending our Masterclass Series.
But perhaps you’re looking to share a more tangible spirit with friends and family? Below is our personal wish list, based on the best of the daily drinkers that we’ve tried in 2024. And if you’re reading this, Santa, you know where to find our tree.
Canadian Club 18 Year Old ‘Invitation Series’, 58% (Canada)
This is hands down the best Canadian Club I’ve ever had, easy peasy. And yes, I say that having already tried most of its fortysomething-year-old elders from the Chronicle Series. But at less than half their age, this 18 Year Old is a luscious, butterscotch-heavy cask strength whisky that eclipses much of bourbonia, and for a much more digestible price.
Hard want; so much so that I doubt I’ll wait to see if Santa gets the hint.
Laphroaig Lore, 48% (Scotland)
Rare whiskies, Atlantic warehouses, seven to twenty-one years in European oak, yada yada yada. All I know is that I love everything about this whisky – its heady nose, salted caramel on the palate, chewy finish... Everything except for the price, which I’ve no doubt would be easier to take were an age statement included. That’s when I remember being told that age statements are training wheels for the uninitiated, those neophytes who have yet to grasp the blender’s creativity, or something to that effect. Whatever. Given how much I’ve spent on ordering Lore whenever I go out, it makes sense to grit my teeth and add a bottle to the shelf. Assuming, of course, that no one else is going do it for me…
Maclean’s Nose, 46% (Scotland)
I admit to being late to the party with this one, owing in no small part to initially clocking this as ‘just a blend’. Shame on me as this sleeper hit is what my British mates would call a ‘banger’: a juicy, fulsome sweetheart of a Scotch that knows how to scratch the single malt itch – but can also play Best Supporting Actor when you’re ready to change gears and let the general holiday vibe take over.
I say it again: shame on me for not checking this out sooner. (And double shame on LCBO for not stocking it on store shelves…)
