Scotch is produced in Scotland and there are five primary scotch whisky production regions. These regions are: Highland, Lowland, Speyside, Campbeltown and Islay. Although each scotch is unique, the whisky produced in each region have some common characteristics that separate them from other regions. Our scotch tasting experience explores whisky from these various regions including their unique production methods and flavours. We can also do a virtual scotch tasting!
Our scotch classes are great to increase your knowledge and improve your tasting abilities. Also makes for a great scotch gift! We service the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Ontario, Canada.
We offer whisky tasting events for groups or individuals, in a either self directed or live expert facilitated format. Our mobile tasting experience can come to your venue or you can come to the 180 Drinks tasting room.
There are many interrelationships between various types of liquor. For example some scotch whisky is aged first in ex-bourbon casks and then finishes its aging journey in sherry or port wine casks. We help to demystify whisky tasting by enabling participants to understand these interrelationships and learn transferable tasting skills that span various spirits.
A private tasting is great if you are looking for a fun experience to build connection, spark conversation, and learn the fundamental knowledge and skills to taste whisky. We look forward to providing an immersive, unique, and memorable tasting experience.
Tasting scotch is a multi-sensory experience. Below is an overview of how we incorporate the senses in the scotch whisky experience and the knowledge we aim to impart.
What Is Peat? Peat is decomposed organic matter that is mainly derived from plant material that has matured over hundreds, or even thousands of years. For early Scottish whisky distillers, the barley was dried on peat fires. When burned, peat produces a thick, rich smoke that is absorbed into the skin of the still-damp barley. It’s this process that gives the spirit the smoky and medicinal characteristics that you can both smell and taste.
What are the different types of scotch whisky? There are four different types of scotch whisky.
How is Scotch Whisky Made? There are six major steps to make scotch whisky.
First the barley is steeped in cold water for several days to hydrate the grain endosperm (the part of the grain that has the starches needed for fermentation). This process is called “malting”. The barley is germinated for up to a week on a malting floor or in a germination box. The seeds’ cell walls begin breaking down. Enzymes and starches develop for conversion into fermentable sugars.
The barley’s germination is halted by air-drying or kilning it. Once dried, all grains—barley, rye, corn, and wheat—are ground into “grist” to make their starches accessible.
Increasingly hot water is flushed through the grist, normally three times, to extract its sugars. Water allows the enzymes to complete the conversion of starch into fermentable sugars. The warm, sweet liquid produced is called “wort.”
Yeast is then added to the wort to convert its fermentable sugars into heat, carbon dioxide (CO2), and alcohol. Fermentation takes place from 48–100+ hours, depending on the distillery. The resultant beer, or “wash,” is normally 7–9% alcohol by volume (ABV).
The wash is pumped into the pot still and heated until it boils. Alcohol vaporizes from the liquid, rising into a condenser to become liquid “low wines” at around 25% ABV. The low wines go into a second still to repeat the process. The “middle cut” of this distillate becomes the final spirit.
Scotch whiskey will go through a maturation process in used oak wood casks. These used casks include ex-bourbon, ex-wine, ex-Sherry, and ex-port.
Get in touch today for your next scotch tasting Toronto event!
Do You Do Your In Person or Virtual Scotch Tastings At The LCBO? Sorry to disappoint you if this is what you are looking for! At this time we don’t offer an LCBO scotch tasting in Toronto or Ontario.
Which Areas Do You Serve For Your Scotch Tasting Toronto And Ontario Events? For virtual scotch tasting experiences we serve all of Ontario.
For in-person private whisky tasting Toronto and Ontario experiences at your location we serve the the following cities:
Get in touch today for your next virtual scotch tasting Toronto event!
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