The Breakdown

The animated Kevin Brauch hosted the LCBO’s What’s Your Whisky? (WYW) event at Mildred’s Temple Kitchen, while the Matchstick’s The Macallan tasting was hosted by Scotch Whisky Ambassador, Marc Laverdiere. In regards to each event, I wasn’t expecting to prefer one over the other, I was there for the alcohol after all. It’s when you go and judge an event based upon the superfluous peripherals that will let the foodies bite you in the jugular –rule #1: foodies are unforgiving or at least Chowhound is.

…enthusiastic amateurs, on the other hand, eagerly dove their noses into their first glass and inhaled enough vapours to singe the nostrils like ammonia on fire…

What’s Your Whisky?

WYW was a chef’s challenge meets streaming web-cast. The night was chaotic. When whisky cocktails lubricate the evening, good times are guaranteed to deviate from the scheduled program. Although, the night wasn’t entirely sacrificed to distilled to shots of the “amber cowboy”, I did end up in the kitchen. Sure the rising flames nearly relieved me of my eyebrows and a bowl of pigs’ ears nearly ended up in my mouth – ask Lynn Crawford how that happened. I’m not entirely sure how I ended up in there… Truth be told, by that point I was jammin’.

While crooner Matt Dusk sang ¼ of a Gershwin classic, and Tyler Cunningham, chef de cuisine at Mildred’s Temple Kitchen walked away as the victorious chef, the real entertainment was more participatory. At one point, seasoned whisky lovers regally wafted each glass of whisky just below their noses in order to slowly contemplate the complexities of the aromas of Canadian Club, Forty Creek, Crown Royale and Wiser’s. However, it was the enthusiastic amateurs, on the other hand, eagerly dove their noses into their first glass and inhaled enough vapours to singe the nostrils like ammonia on fire. For a brief comical moment there wasn’t a dry eye in the house…