Established in 2004, Spirit of Toronto is Canada’s premier whisky show for connoisseurs by connoisseurs, set in the iconic surrounds of Roy Thomson Hall, a Canadian architectural landmark.
For one evening each year, we transform this space into a haven of whisky and fine spirits, working with participating brands to curate a selection of 100 plus whiskies and premium spirits, tutored tastings, live jazz, a gourmet table d’hôte, cocktails, and food pairings.
For guests, it’s an opportunity to taste and learn with distillers, blenders, brand ambassadors and industry professionals.
For ourselves, it’s an opportunity to share our latest finds and hidden gems with likeminded connoisseurs, and an occasion to open bottles that are rarely available for public tasting.
About Us
Johanna Ngoh is a whisky aficionada who first journeyed across Scotland on her motorcycle in 2000, returning home with an enviable clutch of whisky that formed the beginnings of a modest cellar.
She founded Spirit of Toronto four years later with her husband and partner, Charles Anderson, and they have since explored whisky on three continents with visits to more than a hundred distilleries.
Their most prized bottle? A Bowmore 1972 from the ‘Flowers’ series of Italian bottler Samaroli – acquired from the estate of the late wine critic Luigi Veronelli, a personal friend of the legendary Silvan Samaroli. Close behind is a Very Old Fitzgerald 8 Year Old, bottled in 1969 and gifted by a Wisconsin museum; and a Rittenhouse Rye 23 Year Old found in a dusty Vienna liquor store.
Johanna has written about whisky for a variety of publications, and she is the author of ‘Single Minded, A Modest Guide to Really Good Whisky’. She was also the founder and publisher of Distilled, a print magazine devoted to the craft and culture of fine spirits.
Her writings on whisky and spirited travel are now published on her popular Substack by the same name.
“The proper drinking of whisky is more than indulgence: it is a toast to civilization, a tribute to the continuity of culture, a manifesto of humanity’s determination to use the resources of nature to refresh mind and body, and enjoy to the full the senses with which we have been endowed.”
David Daiches, ‘Scotch Whisky: Its Past and Present’