I had a terrific time tonight visiting with the Edmonton Pond and joining their Virtual Whiskey Scotch Tasting. Our host was Steve Richmond of Vine Wine Merchants in Edmonton, and many of the 21 Ganders on-line were fortunate to have ordered a tasting kit with a wee nip of five whiskeys to sip, compare and contrast.
Steve was a real pro, and entertained us all night with awesome tidbits about the history of whiskey, aging, legal requirements on ingredients, percentage of alcohol, the different features of barley, corn, millet and rye, casks and barrels, Scotch vs. Bourbon vs. Whiskey vs. Rye vs Peated Whiskey, collectable whiskeys, and Provincial shipping policies. The man was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge.
Seated in front of his store’s impressive “Wall of Whiskey”, he introduced the night’s five drinks – Jack Ryan 12 year old Irish Whiskey, Scotch Tullibardine Whiskey, a Dutch Millstone Rye Whiskey, a Bibb and Tucker Bourbon from the USA, and an Ardberg Single Malt Scotch Whiskey.
The good-natured banter before the presentation began made me nostalgic about all of the good times I’ve enjoyed with my Canadian friends, and how much I miss you all.
As Steve Richmond said when he finished up, someday “we’ll meet up again on the Whiskey Trail.”
I hope that trail brings us together again very soon.
Thank you Cori and everyone who worked so hard to put all of these moving parts together for tonight’s program.
Dan Rich
