Last night I was honoured to receive the Canadian Whisky Awards – Best Whisky & Spirits Writer 2026 award!
This past year has been one of the biggest periods of growth of my career in spirits. I finally feel like I’m finding my stride in this industry and building the kind of work I always hoped I would.
→ @FlavorCamp is getting dialed. → @TheFlavourReport is breathing new life into how we talk about flavour, culture, and the people behind the bottle. → @CADwhiskyweek has been such an incredible community building event the last two years
→ Judging International Spirits Competitions around the world has been such a dream and privilege.
→ And getting to tell write about Canadian whisky, in particular, for a number of magazines has been an absolutely wonderful way to spread their stories and my pride in being a Canadian.
Thank you so much for this honour! What a way to kick off 2026.
Here’s to building flavour with intention. 🇨🇦🥃
PS - thanks for the great 📸 @viadifrvn@cdnwhiskyawards #canadianwhisky #whisky #womenwhowhisky #womenwhowhiskey #whiskeywoman #whiskywoman #whiskyaward #ryewhisky #cdnwhiskyawards
WHAT. A. NIGHT. 🏆
And a once in a lifetime opportunity 😭😭😭
It’s been such an honour to be named the @theiwsc Emerging Talent in Spirit Communications this year and to receive the award on stage in London was absolutely phenomenal - this is something I’m never going to forget.
And actually meeting so many people in real life after years of banter online was so special. 🙏
Congratulations to all the other Emerging recipients, I loved sharing the stage with you @jessicasummercheeseandwine and spiritu_ally and it’s so great to see @meatrobot recognized as the IWSC’s Communicator of the Year (truly the finalists this year all deserved the award, I don’t know how they chose!).
I adore this industry and am so proud to be representing @flavorcamp AND Canadians 🇨🇦 in the international sphere. Thank you to everyone who has been a support on this journey and followed along all these years!
#whisky #womenwhowhisky #womenwhowhiskey #bourbonwoman #iwsc #canadianwhisky #drinkstagram #iwscwinner #iwsccanada #iwscrew
Day one judging spirits at the @theiwsc in London was a reminder of just how vast, strange, and wonderful the world of spirits really is.
One of the greatest joys of judging is getting pulled far outside the categories most consumers already know. Today was filled with lesser-known fruit spirits and regional styles that rarely get the spotlight they deserve.
We started with apple brandies, pear brandies, and pommeau, categories traditionally associated with places like France and Germany, but today featured exciting reinterpretations from Asia and beyond.
From there, we moved into plum spirits and aged mulberry spirits, some showing surprisingly bourbon-like notes of vanilla, toasted wood, caramelized fruit, and warm spice.
Before lunch came cherry, sour cherry, strawberry, and what may have been my spirit of the day: a raspberry spirit that tasted uncannily like fresh raspberries straight off the bush.
Which is incredibly difficult to achieve.
Raspberries are naturally low in sugar, and capturing that vivid fresh-fruit aroma without it turning jammy, cooked, or confectionary requires extraordinary precision in production and distillation.
Then the afternoon session got weird, in the best possible way.
Milk spirits from Mongolia likely made from horse or yak milk. Rice spirits from Japan. Tonic wines from China with fernet-like bitterness and curried spice notes. Sugarcane and grain blends from Australia. A baijiu-esque millet spirit from China. Sweet potato spirit from Taiwan.
Days like this remind you spirits are so much bigger than whisky, gin, tequila, or rum. They are agricultural, cultural, historical, and deeply tied to place. Sometimes the most memorable flavours come from categories you never expected. 🥃💛
#iwsc #iwscjudging #iwsc2026 #drinkstagram #spiritscompetition
50 Best Week: Part 1️⃣
A few hours after landing in Vancouver, I jumped behind the bar with (my new running inspo) @alex_sourmpatis at @chickadeeroom for a guest shift built around light, effervescent cocktails featuring @threecents_official 🫧
Coming from a background of 10–12 hour bar shifts, prep, and late-night breakdowns, it felt like a luxury to walk in and just focus on the drinks. The Chickadee team had everything dialled. Shortly after our shift wrapped, I did a quick pop over to L’Abbatoir for an insane industry event then was back at Chickadee to see the crew from @shelter.yyc take over the same bar for their pop-up which felt full circle. We met at the awards last year, and one year later they’ve become one of my go-to spots in Calgary.
Huge thanks to Alex, David, and Kelsey from Chickadee for making it seamless and genuinely fun, and @yvrzoe , @carma_h@nosmilesmyles@ts_global and Alex for organizing the pop-up!
👉 More from 50 Best Week coming down the pipe this week.
#yvrdrinks #50bestbars #bartender #bartending #drinkstagram
Flavour Report 03: The Colour of Flavour dives into the fascinating connection between what’s in our glass and our perception. From natural botanicals that tint our drinks to the multi-sensory experience of flavour, to how our perception shapes our experience and breaks expectations.
The online edition is out now, and you can order your print copy to add to your Flavour Report collection.
#flavourreport #distillerslife
Agave is where mezcal stops being a category and starts being a rabbit hole.
From Espadín (the backbone) to wild, slow-growing species like Tobalá and Tepeztate, this is a snapshot of how diverse one plant family can be.
Even “the same” agave (like angustifolia) can tell completely different stories depending on where and how it’s grown and made.
This is a starting points, not an exhaustive list, but a way to begin seeing mezcal through a flavor-first lens instead of just names on a label.
🏷️ Save this for your next tasting or shopping trip and send it to someone who still thinks mezcal is just “smoky tequila.”
Extra special thanks once again to our amazing community @vinepyre@heritagemezcal are the two you need to follow if you want to learn more about agave spirits!
#mezcal #tequila #agave #mezcalartesanal #flavorcamp
One post wasn’t enough.
April 21 is the biggest day of @50bestbars week—and there’s more happening across the city than we could fit into a single guide.
Here’s Part 2.
Follow @caneandco.ca for more guides, and save this so you don’t miss anything.
By @caneandco.ca , @explorewithmax , @likeablecocktails , @flavorcamp , and @reecesims .
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#50bestbars #vancouverbc #bartenders
Vancouver locals, save this reel for @50bestbars week!
Keep hearing about 50 Best, but not sure what it is? Kaitlyn Stewart of @likeablecocktails breaks it down.
50 Best is a celebration of the best bars in Vancouver, North America, and around the world. Our city has some incredible spots (as you know), and the spotlight is on them this week. Bars and bartenders from across the globe are in Vancouver—hosting masterclasses, seminars, and guest shifts at venues throughout the city.
There’s so much to see, but Kaitlyn recommends checking out Casa Mexico at @chupitococteleria , and the pop-ups happening in @visitchinatown .
Vancouverites! Make sure you stop by at least one or two events between April 19–24. It’s going to be an amazing week.
And follow @caneandco.ca . We’ll be dropping daily guides and recommendations to help you make the most of 50 Best.
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#50bestbars #vancouverlocal #yvrevents
There’s a version of whisky events where everything feels a little too serious. This wasn’t that.
@drams4fams is an annual charity fundraiser that brings together over 125 people to raise tens of thousands of dollars (each year) for the Edmonton Food Bank, and what stood out this year was the tone. There was an ease to it. A bit of comedy woven into the presentations. High-end whiskies, poured and talked about in a way that felt genuinely approachable.
A lot of that comes down to @traviswatt9 and the Edmonton Scotch Club, who have spent years building this into something that feels equal parts community and celebration. You could feel that in the room.
This year’s lineup brought a great mix of people and pours:
* Jamie Johnson @bourbonthing — Glenfiddich 15 Year
* Reece Sims (me!) — Shinobu Kihei Japanese Single Malt
* Dave Robert @beardeddavewhisky — Aberargie Distillery Inaugural Single Malt
* Igor Kossov @headsandtailsspirits — Decadent Drams Blended Scotch 12 Year
* Caitlin Quinn @caitlinquinn91 — Alberta Premium Rare Batch No. 2
* Matt Widmer @wldmatt — @wldspirits King of the North Rye Whisky
* Andrew Ferguson @thescotch_guy — G&M Glenburgie 2003
* Gurpreet Ranu @gurwhisky — @anohkadistillery Top Secret Single Malt Release (a first taste)
A big congratulations to Pamela Dobbin @pammydobs who received the J Wheelock Memorial Award for her service to the whisky community.
Great whisky, great people, and a reminder that the best events don’t just showcase what’s in the glass, they shape how it’s experienced.
Also… has anyone else been thinking about Donairs ever since? Hold the tzatziki. 🙃
#whisky #whiskycommunity #womenwhowhiskey #whiskey #drams4fams
Six of North America’s best bars… all within the span of four and a half blocks.
Right here in Chinatown.
With @50bestbars in Vancouver next week, this is the place to be. @explorewithmax and @likeablecocktails mapped out a walkable route through one of the city’s most stacked neighbourhoods for cocktails, drinks, and everything in between. No rideshares, no public transit, just a short walk between each stop.
We start at @thekeeferbar , a Chinatown legend and No. 28 on North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025. From there: @chickadeeroom , the Hi-Five wine bar @bar.gobo , then over to @whereislaowai (No. 72), @whereisbagheera (No. 59), and @meochinatown (No. 64).
Whether you’re in town for 50 Best or just wanting to experience another side of the city, we recommend exploring Chinatown.
Many of these spots also have something extra special going on next week… so they’re worth checking out. ;)
Don’t forget to save. More insider tips on the way.
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#50bestbars #chinatownvancouver #explorevancouver
This past weekend @dramfinepodcast hosted a Women’s Whisky Panel where we had very productive conversations, in a filled room, about the past, present, and future of the industry.
Alongside myself, technical Expert @caitlinquinn91 (former Master Distiller, now Distillery Manager at Alberta Distillers Limited), and Icons of Whisky Brand Ambassador of the Year 2025 (Rest of World) recipient Jamie Johnson aka @bourbonthing we covered everything from how far the industry has come to where it still has work to do.
And the throughline was clear:
Women aren’t new to whisky. The industry is just late to them. 🙃
We talked about representation, language, access, and the subtle (and not-so-subtle) signals that shape who feels like they belong in whisky spaces. Not as a complaint, but as a reality check.
Because this isn’t just about inclusion. It’s about opportunity. 🔮✨
Swipe through 👉 for 6 actions whisky brands can take to grow… because working with women is ultimately good business.
What else can brands be doing? Let’s start a conversation in the comments below. ⬇️
#womenwhowhiskey #whiskeywomen #whiskylover #whiskey #womenwhowhisky
Introducing the 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 — Class of 2026. 🟡 32 bartenders and home bartenders from across Canada 🇨🇦 Selected not for how busy they are or how many awards they’ve won, but for how they think about flavour.
‼️ Psssst brands, pay attention 👉 These are the people shaping what ends up in the glass next.
Over the next year, you’ll see them developing original cocktail concepts, taking part in structured tastings, and contributing to conversations that go deeper than the glass.
These are the people with a point of view about flavo(u)r. 🍸
👉 Swipe through to learn more about them 👀 And give them a follow
In alphabetical order (by last name):
Zoe Bates — Vancouver, BC
Harley Bird — Toronto, ON
Laureen Braley — Calgary, AB
Jorden (JT) Cameron — Calgary, AB Mike Dojcsak — Hamilton, ON
Justin Draper — Edmonton, AB
Chris Enns — Vancouver, BC
Felipe Felix II — Calgary, AB
Glaizem Garcia — Edmonton, AB
Bradley Horseman — Calgary, AB
Jennifer Husereault — Montréal, QC
Sheldon Jackson — Ottawa, ON
Angela Lai — Surrey, BC
Tyler Laitinen — Port Moody, BC
Dimitri Nikoletsos — Toronto, ON
Dylan Nowo — Toronto, ON
Emma Osmond — Kitchener, ON
Nick Park — Vancouver, BC
Michael Ranger — Toronto, ON
Lacey-Jane Roberts — Vancouver, BC
Adam Rucker — Vancouver, BC
Matt Sinagoga — Toronto, ON
Jessica Toews — Vancouver, BC
Dani Tolentino — Calgary, AB
Tabytha Towe — Vancouver, BC
Ben Townsend — Toronto, ON
Melissa Van Londersele — Victoria, BC
David Wade — Halifax, NS
Randy Walker — Abbotsford, BC Rob Walker — Victoria, BC Jeffrey Wong — Calgary, AB Kim Xie — Calgary, AB
#FlavorCamp #bartender #bartending #bartenderlife #drinkstagram
