Whisky heaven (if you can get in)

Photo courtesy of Victoria Whisky Festival

One of the world’s best whisky festivals is just a short ferry ride away from Vancouver, but you’ll have to act fast if you plan to get tickets. The Victoria Whisky Festival returns for its 19th year January 16 through 19 at the Hotel Grand Pacific. These four days of all things whisky kick off with the Canadian Whisky Awards and continue with masterclasses, whisky dinners and consumer tastings, featuring more than 200 whiskies from 50 distilleries.

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Luxe and limited

If it’s fall it must be whisky, and if it’s whisky, it must be time for some exciting new releases. Here are three decadent drams we’re dreaming of this fall.

The Dalmore is releasing its Cask Curation Series II: The Port Edition. It features three single cask single malts celebrating The Dalmore’s long-standing partnership with the Grahams Port: a 27-year-old, 30-year-old and 43-year-old, each finished in a single harvest tawny port cask. The release is limited to 150 sets worldwide; as for the price, well, if you have to ask … thedalmore.com

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A tipsy take on tea at The Empress

Photo courtesy of Fairmont Empress

Afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress is one of Victoria’s bucket-list experiences, served in one of the city’s most iconic spaces, the hotel’s soaring and ornate tea lobby. But now, says Maeve Fogarty, “We’re twisting afternoon tea on its head.”

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Hot spots: Compton Ave.

Facebook.com/Compton Ave. photo

When one of the city’s best known and most highly acclaimed bartenders opens a new joint, everyone sits up and takes notice. In Toronto, that bartender is Frankie Solarik, famously of Bar Chef, Prequel & Co. Apothecary and the Netflix show Drink Masters; the bar is Compton Ave., an ode to all things London, a city that just happens to have one of the best cocktail scenes in the world.

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New sips to savour

Here are some exciting new products to check out this summer

Instagram.com/okanaganspirits photo

Cabin Gin 2024 Green Label: Okanagan Spirits has just released the first in a new lineup of seasonal small-batch gins inspired by time spent at the family cabin and escapes to other places. It features hints of lemongrass, fresh ginger and Thai lime leaf, reminiscent of trips through Southeast Asia. It retails for $35 (for a 500 mL bottle), with at least two more in the series expected by the end of the year. okanaganspirits.com

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Shaking up the awards world

Bar Raval’s Elise Hanson has been crowned the world’s Most Imaginative Bartender. Photo courtesy of Bombay Most Imaginative Bartender

If it’s spring it must be competition season and Canada’s best bars and bartenders are winning awards all over the place. Here are just a few that have made news the past few months.

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Hot Spots: Prophecy

The gleaming bar at Prophecy, the highly anticipated new lounge at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia. Jonathan Thompson photo

We’ve been waiting impatiently to see what’s going into the grand space under the Rosewood Hotel Georgia where Prohibition used to be. We’ve been waiting just as impatiently to learn where Jeff Savage would land after leaving Botanist Bar last year.

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New look for legacy brand

Photo courtesy of Corby Spirit and Wine

For 165 years, J.P. Wiser’s has been synonymous with Canadian whisky. But who says an old brand can’t learn new tricks? It’s just launched a bold new look across its entire portfolio, one that captures its heritage while looking ahead to the future.

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