ottawa foodies

Hi folks, Ottawa Foodies contributor Johanna (www.singleminded.ca) is holding a whisky tasting and book launch at Union: Local 613 on February 10th.

From www.eventbrite.ca : "This is a tutored tasting that includes 3 whiskies, hors d'oeuvres and a signed copy of Single Minded 2014."

Tickets are ~$27 and can be purchased from www.eventbrite.ca

I got 2 tickets already!

I'm booked too!

Ahh! Why does this have to be on the first day of my new job! Hope someone takes pictures.

I'll be there.

This was a really interesting time. An intimate encounter with 20 people, blind tasting 3 nice whiskies. I realized that I need to broaden my search in some fields as there are some real finds out there. The problem is that it is hard to tell the good from the bad sometimes. If our selections last night are any indication, I'm going to keep one copy of this little pocket book in the car so I can have a ready reference at the LCBO.

Thanks a bunch Johanna and Bruce!

I was only intimate with 10 people or so. I think Rizak's kilt gave him the edge. :P

This was a really fun time! Comparing similar yet different beverages is one of the best possible ways to spend an evening. The Union: Local 613 nibbles were delicious too.

We sampled Oak Cross Scotch, Jack Daniels Single Barrel bourbon, and Lot No. 40 rye.

I enjoyed the rye the most out of the three, which is good because I have a cherished bottle of Lot No. 40 at home. That doesn't mean I recognized it when I tasted it last night though. ;-) Oak Cross is a nice smooth Scotch, and the Single Barrel JD is certainly more striking than its somewhat anemic No. 7 blended cousin.

If you didn't make it to the event last night and are interested in Johanna's book, it's available at www.amazon.ca -- you can easily save the price of this book with one smart, modest whisky purchase!

Man I am sorry I missed that and should have gone even though I cant stomach whisky. Maybe next even there will be an anonymous donation of Bourbon from the local hills for commentary. Thanks for posting pics!

It was really a great way to spend an evening and I agree with all the kudos offered so far. Nice to see so many people from Ottawa Foodies supporting the event. I also learned to broaden my horizons, as my tastes lean towards Bourbon and not Scotch or Rye, but really got a new appreciation for them from the offerings on Monday night. And we did stretch the evening out quite a bit with some perfect Union Local 613 hog jowl and bacon infused bourbon to follow. Thanks to Johanna and to all who helped to set up this fun evening.

Enjoyed the intimate evening as well and it was nice to put faces to some of the names on Ottawa Foodies. I most enjoyed the Bourbon (a Jack Daniels I probably wouldn't have thought of purchasing). We enjoyed a dinner afterwards with blubarry (who has raved about Union and was accurate with the praise) and a few bourbon cocktails. Great evening, perfect little book that I will bring on my future bourbon shopping adventures and some tasty nibbles. Still not sure what was in the buffalo sauce with the green onions - I think they might have been chicken parson's noses - they were tasty nonetheless!

Thanks to all the Ottawa Foodies who came out Monday night -- it was great to put faces to some of the names and great to finally share some good cheer and libation with you. Blubarry don't be shy, post that photo of your tea cart turned bourbon bar on here, it's inspirational :)

Thanks as well to Union 613 for graciously allowing us to use their space... it was the perfect locale for this kind of intimate tasting and I look forward to doing it again this year, hopefully with more people from the forum. (Krusty you were missed but I have a feeling that with a few samples I'll be able to get you past your aversion to whisky:))

@Jojo: I did ask and you're right, those were chicken parson's noses (aka tails) in the buffalo sauce. Also glad you stayed a bit longer to enjoy the food and cocktails, like Blubarry I'm a big fan of the kitchen and bar here.

By request, here's the bourbon cart, but I think now we will need to expand it to include other whiskies. Thanks Johanna.

Very nice, blubarry! Can we get an inventory? Woodford Reserve Four Wood, Jefferson's Very Small Batch, Elmer T. Lee (my new favorite), Larceny, 1792 Ridgemont? Forty Creek Copper Pot? Can't tell what the rest are... very nice collection, indeed.

Wow, nice collection!! The front 3 would have me, maybe several times.

Also Willette's Pot Still Reserve, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Forty Creek John's Private Cask, Evan Williams Single Barrel, Old Weller Antique 107, Pike Creek Double Barrelled, McCallan Single Malt Thirties. I think there's a Maker's Mark somewhere too...but the Larceny is really one of the best values in my opinion.

I really like Forty Creek and would like to try the private cask...I'd also love to try the MacCallan's. Now that you mention it, I must try the Larceny as well! haha.