Unpoured Perspectives

Discover how whiskey awards are decided and who judges them. Alex Hamer joins us to pull back the curtain on the industry. Join hosts Joel, Kevin, and Bobby for a candid industry discussion about the spirits world. We explore the specific criteria used in whisky judging, from scale and entry numbers to the hierarchy of medals versus awards. This is a must-watch for anyone curious about what goes on behind the scenes of major competitions. The conversation also compares the evaluation methods for beer and whiskey, the path to becoming a professional judge, and how the category is growing. We get into the details of media awards and the challenges of evaluating spirits at a professional level. Alex Hamer shares his perspective on these vital topics. Subscribe for weekly whiskey industry insights, and let us know in the comments if you have a favorite spirit you want us to cover next. Alex Hamer www.instagram.com/cdnwhiskyawards/ www.facebook.com/whiskyawards/ www.linkedin.com/company/canadian-whisky-awards www.reddit.com/user/canadawhiskyawards/ https://spiritforus.ca | Kevin Donde | @spiritforus Bobby Laevens | @dramsanddrips Joel Baachus | @scratchnscotch 00:00:00 - Let's Talk Awards 00:08:04 - Favourite Whisky 2002 00:00:32 - Transitioning 00:16:51 - Growing the Whisky Category 00:20:02 - Category Rabbit Holes 00:21:16 - Number of Entries. Scale. 00:23:31 - Canada Corner 00:28:13 - History 00:37:38 - How exactly are the Whiskies selected? 00:43:12 - Number of Judges 00:44:06 - Hierarchy of Awards 00:45:25 - Medals vs Awards 00:54:02 - Refresh our glasses 00:58:07 - Judging in Beer vs Whisky 01:06:08 - Very Easy to Critique 01:09:15 - Bobby needs some Gin 01:12:01 - Waves in Whisky 01:14:40 - How does someone become a judge? 01:19:38 - Answer one leave one 01:21:49 - Media Awards 01:26:07 - Leave a question 01:28:54 - Where can we find you?

Join us at the Gretzky Rick House as we taste a rare eight-year-old toasted rye whiskey. See how this 100% brusetto rye stands up. We are hanging out with Mark and Jason to break down the profile of this unique release. This toasted rye whiskey spent time in used bourbon barrels before undergoing a final finishing process. We examine the nose, palate, and finish to determine if this expression from the Gretzky Estates whiskey lineup lives up to the hype surrounding older Canadian rye offerings. Whether you are a fan of 100% rye whiskey or just curious about what the team at the Rick House is bottling, this whiskey tasting review provides a detailed look at the spirit. We discuss the impact of the wood influence and how the aging process contributes to the overall character of the glass. Subscribe for weekly whiskey reviews and deep dives into Canadian spirits. Let us know in the comments if you have tried any toasted rye whiskey expressions lately. @gretzkyestates | waynegretzkyestates.com @spiritforus | spiritforus.com @scratchnscotch @dramsanddrips

We're happy to have Matthew Carroll from Carroll's Distillery join us to discuss all things rum. Matthew, a skilled distiller from New Brunswick, shares his insights into the world of Rum and Rhum Agricole. This episode explores the nuances of rum and even touches on the idea of a fun cocktail. https://carrollsdistillery.wpcomstaging.com https://www.facebook.com/Carrolls.Distillery @carrolls_distillery | mathieu@carrollsdistillery.com @spiritforus | https://spiritforus.ca @dramsanddrips @scratchnscotch @southernontariosippers 00:00:00 - Start 00:00:51 - Carrolls Distillery Intro 00:05:18 - FIrst Pour : Gannet 00:10:28 - Opportunity to educate 00:13:36 - Side story 00:14:50 - Yeasts & micro-climate 00:17:51 - Rum & rules 00:21:22 - Terroir or Merroir 00:23:06 - Second Pour Cormorant 00:25:22 - Coloured 00:29:09 - Getting barrels 00:35:42 - Cormorant Tasting Notes 00:40:08 - Bird Series 00:51:09 - RHE High Ester Rum 01:08:48 - Advice for young Mathieu 01:10:38 - Rum vs Rhum

We have a lot going on in this one. In Canada Corner, we talk about mushroom whisky and Bearface's Elementally Aged. The Canadian Whisky Awards and Wisky Wonderland have also come and gone and Kevin and Joel chat Australia and Portugal. https://www.bearfacewhisky.com/ | @bearfacewhisky https://spiritforus.ca | Kevin Donde | @spiritforus Bobby Laevens | @dramsanddrips Joel Baachus | @scratchnscotch 00:00:00 - Here we go! 00:01:22 - Mushroom Whisky 00:02:43 - Elementally Aged 00:10:32 - Pricing in Australia 00:15:51 - Crazy cocktail 00:20:50 - Vermuth from the Barrell 00:23:19 - Fun stuff from Don 00:25:56 - Ballad of Michael Scorn 00:28:15 - Hip Hop Scotch 00:33:22 - Canadian Whisky Awards 00:33:55 - Last straw awards - whiskies 00:34:52 - Spirit For Us Whisky awards 00:37:49 - Best vs Gold 00:41:58 - Award Surprises 00:46:18 - Best in Category 00:54:17 - Baldurs call out 00:55:49 - Coming up 01:00:11 - Spirit in Niagara Release 01:03:28 - Dillons Rye 01:08:03 - Rum 01:13:00 - Coming up 01:22:21 - Whisky Wonderland

On this very special St. Patricks day episode we hang out with Cooper Sleeman and talk everything Spring Mill distillery, John Sleeman & Sons whisky and the 200 year legacy and all the stories that come with that. We were also the first to try the new Single Cask Aeneas Coffey Whisky released for St Patricks day. https://johnsleemanandsons.com/ | @wardbar1836 | @johnsleemanandsons https://spiritforus.ca | Kevin Donde | @spiritforus Bobby Laevens | @dramsanddrips Joel Baachus | @scratchnscotch

Just a short one for today. We are on a bit of a hiatus until our one, but we felt we had to address our recent success at the Canadian Whisky Awards. 00:00 - Start 00:09 - How do we do this again? 00:23 - Spirit For Us Awards 00:57 - Best Podcast Award 02:19 - UP Album Features 03:21 - Cheque's in the mail 03:49 - Amber Whisky 05:13 - Thanks all round 06:00 - New name?

Unpoured Perspectives : Your mind on whisky! We find out more about the newly redesigned Taste Experience: The London Food and Drink Experience from Stephen Rich. A fresh new chapter celebrating the incredible flavours of Canada with a 250 ft bar, aiming to have 1000 beverage/alcohol products and many other attractions. Even if you can't attend the show directly, we had a wonderful conversation, finding out about the goals and design of the show. I'm looking forward to January 9th & 10th 2026. ‪@definitionale | https://definitionale.com/ @scotchponder | https://www.scotchandponder.com/ @tastewfd | https://www.tastewfd.com/ @spiritforus | https://spiritforus.ca/ @southernontariosippers @scratchnscotch 00:00:00 - Start 00:00:30 - Intro 00:01:02 - London Food & Wine rebranded 00:01:28 - Show guest experience 00:04:42 - Growth 00:06:11 - Spirits & Cocktails guest experience 00:10:20 - What's on the table? 00:13:15 - Gotta get the experts 00:16:40 - Shift in philosophy 00:22:11 - North West Territories beer 00:23:40 - Bar geography 00:28:37 - What else will be there? 00:31:44 - The Stage 00:33:24 - What about future years? 00:37:39 - Keepsake 00:40:01 - Make up of the bar 00:42:16 - Exciting samples 00:43:11 - Tormore Remembered 00:43:43 - Curators 00:44:53 - It's worth it! 00:47:03 - Pushback at first. 00:47:59 - Answer one leave one 00:58:09 - Outro

Your mind on whisky! The guys do a ‘state of the union’ type podcast where we explore past, future and present endeavours from both Spirit for Us, Southern Ontario Sippers and Unpoured Perspectives. Kevin gets hyped up for the evolving London social scene, Joel gets nostalgic and Bobby fends off a whisky thief-live! @shortpours @logans_libations @scotchponder | https://www.scotchandponder.com/ @MsLaurynHill Dram Mor | https://drammorgroup.com/ El Tequileno | https://www.tequileno.com/ London Taste Experience | https://www.tastewfd.com/ Gretzky Estates | https://shop.waynegretzkyestates.com/wayne-gretzky-craftmanship-series-ginger-beer-rye Bridgeland | https://bridgelanddistillery.com/ Denver and Liely | https://us.denverandliely.com/products/whisky-glass-1 L'Encatada | https://lencantada.fr/en/ Denningers | https://denningers.com/ Supply and Demand | https://www.beerlab.com/ https://singlecasknation.com/ | https://singlecasknation.com/pages/podcast @LastCallWhiskyPodcastLast | Call Whisky Podcast 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:30 - What's in our glasses? 00:01:35 - Dram Mor event 00:04:16 - El Tequileno 00:09:34 - What's happening with SFU? 00:16:53 - Next episode 00:20:34 - Revisiting our last episode 00:24:53 - Canada Corner 00:35:03 - Innisfail 00:40:51 - Glenbow Single Blend 00:48:33 - Disclaimer 00:50:55 - L'Encatada 00:56:06 - Next SOS event 00:58:57 - Next podcast 01:03:33 - Joel's address. 01:03:59 - Denver's leave one 01:09:17 - Lauryn Hill 01:13:01 - Last Call Whisky Podcast 01:13:45 - Outro

Your brain on whisky! Unpoured Perspectives was lucky enough to visit Gretzky Estates for the release of their new Ginger Beer Cask Rye. We were lucky enough to get a tour of the facilities from Mark Evangelista (Blending & Maturation Lead), and then, we got to interview Mark and the new head of both Spirits and Wine, Jason Roller. The tour will be part 2, even though we technically did the tour first. And of course for Canada Corner we have the Ginger Beer Cask Rye. There are lots of exciting things planned at Gretzky Estates, including a couple that we got to try on the tour. @gretzkyestates | https://waynegretzkyestates.com Bobby Laevons | @dramsanddrips Joel Bacchus | @scratchnscotch Kevin Donde | @spiritforus | https://spiritforus.ca 00:00 - Intro 00:12 - Recooping barrels 03:16 - Blending Room 04:25 - Blending in progress 05:22 - 8 year-old Rye Toasted Barrel 09:04 - 7 year old Barley Virgin Oak 13:31 - Outro

Your brain on whisky! Unpoured Perspectives was lucky enough to visit Gretzky Estates for the release of their new Ginger Beer Cask Rye. We were lucky enough to get a tour of the facilities from Mark Evangelista (Blending & Maturation Lead), and then, we got to interview Mark and the new head of both Spirits and Wine, Jason Roller. The tour will be part 2, even though we technically did the tour first. And of course for Canada Corner we have the Ginger Beer Cask Rye. There are lots of exciting things planned at Gretzky Estates, including a couple that we got to try on the tour. @gretzkyestates | https://waynegretzkyestates.com | Bobby Laevons | @dramsanddrips Joel Bacchus | @scratchnscotch Kevin Donde | @spiritforus | https://spiritforus.ca 00:00 - Your mind on whisky 00:27 - What are we drinking 00:49 - How have things changed for you? 01:34 - Sweet/Fire water 02:20 - Easter Eggs 03:06 - Good whisky? 03:47 - Signature/Craftsmanship series continuation 04:27 - Canada Corner 06:15 - From wine to whisky 08:13 - Favourite child? 10:07 - What are you drinking at home? 11:32 - Ian Buxton quote 14:09 - Craft or Commercial? 16:37 - Recipe 17:51 - One question each? 21:04 - Favourite Beverage 22:04 - Beer Program? 22:49 - Answer one, leave one 28:04 - Where can we find you?

Welcome to Unpoured Perspectives. In this episode, we interview Denver Cramer from Denver and Liely. "For Love Not Money" does have a bit of a James Bond ring to it. Intentional, I promise. Glassware is a favourite topic for spirits enthusiasts, and talking to Denver about his whisky/bourbon/mezcal/beer and wine glasses was a real treat. It was also fun to see everyone one-up each other with the whisky, rum, and tequila they were drinking. We get into his history, current easter eggs and future plans that spirit enthusiasts have to look forward to, as well as a sort of surprise announcement for one lucky contractor. https://denverandliely.com | Denver & Liely | @denverandliely Denver Cramer: @denvercramer Joel: @scratchnscotch Bobby: @dramsanddrips Kevin: @spriritforus http://spiritforus.ca https://eauclairedistillery.ca/ | Eauclaire Cask Series Moscatel Music credit to BoDleasons for Alone The fate of all glass is to one day break. 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:15 - What's in the glass? 00:04:37 - Whisky Glass 00:05:34 - Denver & Liely 00:13:21 - Performance over aesthetics & style 00:17:33 - Easter Eggs 00:20:55 - Then vs Now 00:25:54 - The Gospel 00:29:34 - Time for a little one up-manship 00:32:50 - High ABV? 00:36:00 - Los Frontieres 00:39:12 - Next dram 00:47:27 - Wine Glass 00:53:04 - Quench Journal 00:57:42 - Drinking environment 01:00:58 - Quote of the Day 01:02:36 - Closing questions 01:14:11 - Canada Corner

In episode 8 we talk with Two-sips Romano the Consigliere of spirits at Baytowne Wine and all the fun they get up to at Baytowne Wine and how they serve Canadians from Rochester New York and more. Baytowne Skits https://www.instagram.com/baytownewine/reel/DJ7xhVBuXN4/ https://www.instagram.com/baytownewine/reel/C1heI6SuEhM/ https://www.instagram.com/baytownewine/reel/DFgRg1UhU7n/ Baytowne Skits https://www.instagram.com/baytownewine/reel/DJ7xhVBuXN4/ https://www.instagram.com/baytownewine/reel/C1heI6SuEhM/ https://www.instagram.com/baytownewine/reel/DFgRg1UhU7n/ Lucas : @lstasting | @baytownewine | https://baytownewine.com/ White Water Distilling Co : @whitewaterdistillingco | https://www.whitewaterspirits.ca/ Joel : @scratchnscotch Bobby : @dramsanddrips Kevin : @spriritforus 00:00:00 - Start 00:07:34 - History 00:10:41 - Cocktails 00:14:49 - Ravens vs Bills 00:16:16 - Canadian Connections 00:20:37 - What's a Tom Collins Seminar? 00:25:00 - Tea-na-colada 00:27:14 - American market structure 00:38:32 - Raising Glasses 00:40:02 - Renaissance Rum 00:42:41 - New & Exciting 00:48:35 - Balancing popularity vs personal preference 00:57:23 - Label Game 01:05:27 - Last Question 01:09:52 - Canada Corner 01:18:43 - Recent SOS / SFU goings on

This episode of Unpoured Perspectives was recorded on July 23rd 2025. Today, we talk with the man, the myth, the legend... Don Dimonte from Last Straw Distillery. We've spoken about Don and Last Straw many times over our inaugural season so far. In that way, he is somewhat of a legend. Don has helped numerous other distillers and distilleries get started. This week, he released his Southern Ontario Sippers barrel pick of Amber Whisky ($75 - great value for money). While you're there, consider his Stout whisky as another incredible alternative. In a few weeks, for those who have been paying attention, we'll be releasing 4 new products. Head to spiritforus.ca and sign up to stay informed. We also sample his Blended Rye ($32.95) and others. While we meander along the palates of several whiskies, we also talk through the excellent news for Ontario distillers. Great outlook for the future of distilling in Ontario! https://laststrawdistillery.com | Last Straw Distillery Last Straw Distillery: @laststrawdistill Joel: @scratchnscotch Bobby: @dramsanddrips Kevin: @spriritforus http://spiritforus.ca

Welcome to Unpoured Perspectives. We have "The Instructor of Alcohol", "The Teacher of Tipples", "The Professor of Canadian Liquid Courage" ... Andrea Fujarczuk. We had so much to talk about that we had to break it up into two episodes. In part two, we start with Canada Corner and talk John Sleeman & Sons/Springmill distillery and so much more ... https://www.niagaracollege.ca/winebeerspirits/program/artisan-distilling/ | @niagaracollege Andrea: @cdnwhiskyprof Joel: @scratchnscotch Bobby: @dramsanddrips Kevin: @spriritforus http://spiritforus.ca

Welcome to Unpoured Perspectives. We have "The Instructor of Alcohol", "The Teacher of Tipples", "The Professor of Canadian Liquid Courage" ... Andrea Fujarczuk. I think this is definitely one of our best episodes. We had so much to talk about we had to break it up into two episodes. In part two we start with Canada Corner and talk John Sleeman & Sons/Springmill distillery and so much more, part two will be up soon ... https://www.niagaracollege.ca/winebeerspirits/program/artisan-distilling/ | @niagaracollege Andrea: @cdnwhiskyprof Joel: @scratchnscotch Bobby: @dramsanddrips Kevin: @spriritforus http://spiritforus.ca

Welcome to Unpoured Perspectives. We have Evan Eckersley from Kensington Wine Market. We have a really great conversation about the state of Canadian Whisky, including how the different Canadian markets work. And in particular, we get into a couple of essential pricing examples. In Canada Corner, we talk about Eau Claire distillery. https://eauclairedistillery.ca/ | @eauclairecraft https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/ | @bedfordparkspirits Evan: @sagelikefool Joel: @scratchnscotch Bobby: @dramsanddrips Kevin: @spriritforus http://spiritforus.ca https://laststrawdistillery.com | Get your Spooneys and more.

Welcome to Unpoured Perspectives. Episode 4 is less about perfection and more about Funky and talking whisky. We get into the breadth of the first Bedford Park release. And in Canada Corner we talk Hansen distillery Roughstock. https://hansendistillery.com | @hansendistillery https://www.bedfordparkspirits.com | @bedfordparkspirits Joel: @scratchnscotch Bobby: @dramsanddrips Kevin: @spriritforus http://spiritforus.ca https://laststrawdistillery.com | Get your Spooneys and more.

Welcome to Unpoured Perspectives. Episode 3 is titled Funk Soul Brothers because we have the incredible high energy Steve and Les from Tabletop Tastings. Unpoured Perspectives is just a few guys following their passion, talking about whisky and other spirits. With our guests we talk whisky, board games and Whisky Wonderland. We also have a new section on the podcast called Canada Corner highlighting some Canadian Distilleries and whiskies. https://www.youtube.com/@TabletopTastings TT on Instagram: / @tabletoptastings Les on Instagram: / @les.tabletoptastings Steve on Instagram: / @slicedicedrams https://www.whiskywonderland.ca/ https://thewhiskyexplorer.ca/pages/the-winners-the-whisky-explorer-awards https://menaud.ca/ | @menaud.chx https://waynegretzkyestates.com | @gretzkyestates https://www.northof7distillery.ca | @n7distillery Joel: @scratchnscotch Bobby: @dramsanddrips Kevin: @spriritforus http://spiritforus.ca Get our new whisky dropping on March 21st at http://laststrawdistillery.com or visit https://www.spiritforus.ca/spooneys for more information.

Part 2 of Episode 1 "Just Enough Funk". Local Artist Jacub Gagnon https://jacubgagnonart.com/shop/ Please check out Tabletop Tasting for SOS kit run-downs. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT6hMjSQ9DQTIm507BDQYZA Whiskys we drank on the podcast. Peat Project Sugar Kelp Infused https://macaloneydistillers.com/shop/... Two Brewers Release #10 https://www.twobrewerswhisky.com/bott... Holmes Cay Jamaica ITP 2007 https://www.holmescay.com/single-cask... Canadian Whisky Awards https://canadianwhiskyawards.com/ https://canadianwhiskyawards.com/subm... https://canadianwhiskyawards.com/news... Our Amateur Data Analysis - Please don't cringe too badly. :) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... Local brands to check out. Paradigm, Last Straw, Still Waters Distillery, Two Brewers, Sons of Vancouver, Shelter Point, Macaloneys Distillery, Still Head Distillery, Hansen Distillery, Grain Henge, Lucky Bastard Distillery, North of 7, Gretzky, Wiser's, Lot 40, Forty Creek, Compass, Wild Life Spirits, Silver Fox Distillery, Sleeman & Sons (Springmill), Dixon's Distilled Spirits, Okanagan Spirits, Carrols Distillery, Romero Distilling Co. Probably coming up in our next episode ... will be a wrap up and maybe a comparison with https://www.whiskywonderland.ca/ Awards to be announced in the new issue of https://thewhiskyexplorer.ca/pages/tw... on Monday.

Welcome to Unpoured Perspectives. Episode 1 is titled Just Enough Funk. We are just a few guys following their passion, talking about whisky and other spirits. We talk about whisky groups, tariffs, the Canadian Whisky Awards, and new releases. After a few minutes, my video disappeared because it was distracting me. I did think that Zoom would still record it, but I was wrong. Local Artist Jacub Gagnon https://jacubgagnonart.com/shop/ Please check out Tabletop Tasting for SOS kit run-downs. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT6hMjSQ9DQTIm507BDQYZA Whiskys we drank on the podcast. Peat Project Sugar Kelp Infused https://macaloneydistillers.com/shop/... Two Brewers Release #10 https://www.twobrewerswhisky.com/bott... Holmes Cay Jamaica ITP 2007 https://www.holmescay.com/single-cask... Canadian Whisky Awards https://canadianwhiskyawards.com/ https://canadianwhiskyawards.com/subm... https://canadianwhiskyawards.com/news... Our Amateur Data Analysis - Please don't cringe too badly. :) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... Local brands to check out. Paradigm, Last Straw, Still Waters Distillery, Two Brewers, Sons of Vancouver, Shelter Point, Macaloneys Distillery, Still Head Distillery, Hansen Distillery, Grain Henge, Lucky Bastard Distillery, North of 7, Gretzky, Wiser's, Lot 40, Forty Creek, Compass, Wild Life Spirits, Silver Fox Distillery, Sleeman & Sons (Springmill), Dixon's Distilled Spirits, Okanagan Spirits, Carrols Distillery, Romero Distilling Co. Probably coming up in our next episode ... will be a wrap up and maybe a comparison with https://www.whiskywonderland.ca/ Awards to be announced in the new issue of https://thewhiskyexplorer.ca/pages/tw... on Monday.