The 2023 Program
Keynote Q&A
Innovation in Canadian Whisky: Past, Present and Future
One of Canada’s most celebrated whisky icons, Forty Creek Master Blender Bill Ashburn, recounted some of the highlights in his 35-year career as a visionary helping to put modern Canadian whisky on the global map. In conversation with renowned author and Canadian Whisky Awards founder Davin de Kergommeaux (Canadian Whisky: The New Portable Expert, The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries), Ashburn shared stories of innovative and award-winning bottlings over the years, and the novel techniques and inventive thinking behind them. The pair also discussed the evolution of whisky in Canada, and some of its possible directions.
Presentation
Category-Defying Spirits: Creating a Regional Single Malt Identity
As the co-founder of the American Single Malt Whisky Commission, Matt Hofmann was a key visionary in the development of an entirely new Standard of Identity for the spirit. It was created for American distillers to protect, educate, promote and grow their audience, there are lessons in the journey with global applications. Participants found out how the new ASMW category can boost distillers’ commercial growth, how it may help distillers develop greater awareness in regional and export markets and explored whether it can inject innovation and creativity into modern whisky making.
Presentation
Cask Chemistry and Management
Slang terms like angel’s share and devil’s cut emphasize the mysterious, almost mystical aura surrounding wood-aged spirits. While casks are one of the most important factors in producing high-quality matured spirits, the chemistry underlying wood maturation process is often poorly understood. Master distiller Matt Strickland demystified some of the most important factors, including processes happening in the cask throughout maturation, and how distillers can influence them to create desired outcomes. Topics from type and size of cask to fill strength, warehouse environment and spirit composition were covered, giving distillers increased confidence in the warehouse and blending room.
Panel
Grain and Malt in Canada: A Whisky-Focused Discussion
A panel of experts in grain-growing, malting and agricultural research gave artisan distillers the knowledge and information they need to encourage successful collaboration with the farming, grain and malt worlds. From the potential to grow low- and no-GN barley varieties that are better to distillers, to the opportunity to work with micro-maltsters on custom batches, these experts spoke to current projects and research to inspire whisky makers everywhere. Moderated by Red Shed Malting’s Matt Hamill, the panel also included Tyler Shoales from Country Malt Group and Sherwin Santiano from the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre.
Presentation
Rye: The Good, the Difficult, the Delicious
Rye whiskies are near and dear to Canadian customers and known around the world as a Canadian staple. What consumers do not know though, is how much love and effort goes into processing this small grain. During this session, Haley Churchill of Lallemand Distilling offered solutions to the challenges rye grains can cause during mashing, fermentation and distillation particularities. The session also addressed foaming and viscosity issues, while also advising how to maintain the sought-after spice character of rye.
Workshop
Congeners in Whisky: Nosing for Faults
The YouTube star and online content creator Kristine Hui (aka Miss Brewbird) presented an overview of common congeners that form in fermentation and distillation of new-make spirit destined to mature into whisky—the good, the bad and the ugly. Her discussion of the most common congeners and how they’re formed included a sensory session to identify them at different concentrations, and also expert advice on how to prevent and correct them in your distillery.
Presentation & Tasting
Terroir: An Irish Whisky Case Study
Waterford Whisky launched the landmark Whisky Terroir Project in 2016, to understand the influence of terroir (the location, soil, climate and other environmental factors) on barley-derived whisky. Oregon State University’s Dr. Dustin Herb, who has since published scientific papers definitively proving the influence of terroir on barley grown on two Irish sites, recounted his role in the project and the implications of its results for the future of global whisky.
Presentation
“Stranger in a Strange Land”: The Adventures of a Whisky Consultant in Canada
Scottish distiller Mike Nicolson may have thought he was retiring on Vancouver Island, but in this session he recounted his time as a whisky consultant in Canada over the last two decades. Through his own narrative and the stories of his clients, Nicolson provided a lens to compare and contrast Canadian and Scotch whisky production and the vision, goals, planning and process of his clients. With both wisdom and humour, Nicolson recounted experience that holds valuable learnings for whisky makers everywhere.
