Incredibly knowledgeable and personable ambassador walked us through the process of not only just…read morewhisky, but vodka, moonshine, and the other spirits available. Incredible choice of pairings from local cheese producers rounded off the tour. Highly recommended for any whisky lover.

Received order in 3 days, Delivered by the most Curtious Gentleman. Being currently imobile, he…read morewas kind enough to bring to door and would not except tip. Very well packaged for complete protection. I love Cherries, so when I saw this; had to try. Also rec'd a cute little gift of two Buttertarts in with Pkg., nice surprise. Very impressed. I have not tried yet, but have company coming from Toronto this weekend and I hope it's the talk of the town :) oops, have no shot glasses, may have to have a look. Warning: my Sister Loves Blueberries :) Great Christmas Gift. Not sure if you would consider this a Cherry/Sherry?

This is fun: we have been enjoying trying a variety of the new microbreweries around town. This is…read morethe second time we've been here. I like their dark beer - it's nice without biting you back, not bitter or hoppy, or sour. Service was good, especially considering how the pandemic has changed everything. Bravo to these guys for staying in business when it's so challenging!! We'll be back.

Went back for their Halloween beer (Candy NEIPA) - which the brew master called "Sktilbrau" (a nod…read moreto The Simpsons). Still such a great atmosphere. Staff are wonderful, as always.

All of the team at Whiprsnapr love what they do! They are always supporting their local community…read moreand their beer is fantastic! A great place to visit in all seasons!

I just discovered this place, sort of by accident - and they've been at this location for over a…read moreyear! In my defense, I can justify my mistake by explaining that it is INSIDE the Tweed and Hickory store, although it's a separate entity. Tweed & Hickory is an upscale clothing and home decor store, which used to have a very decent kitchen supplies section that went by the wayside when The Unrefined Olive came into the space. Tasting bars for other foods have been around for a while; beer tastings come to mind; bakeries might offer a similar event. I have also been to another tasting bar for olive oil and balsamic vinaigrettes - but that was in BC. I didn't realize that there were such a thing here in Ottawa. Although your grocery stores offer a variety of oils and flavoured vinegars, I don't think they are quite at par with these... (Farm Boy has their own line of finer oils). It being summer right now, The Unrefined Olive has berry-flavoured olive oils - strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, and maybe others. I tried a clear one which was very pungent. I've started putting these on salads at home, as a dressing. And if you've ever been to finer Italian restaurants, they might offer bread dipping bowls with this type of flavoured oil and vinegar. The Unrefined Olive also offers a package of 4 small samples which would be ideal to give as a gift. While I was at it, I found humongous olives stuffed with feta and pickled in vermouth! There was also Canadian honey for sale. This is a great place to find hostess gifts. I will definitely be back.

This is a great place if you are looking for a really specialized, unique olive oil OR balsamic…read morevinegar. The owner is really friendly, and helps you decide on what is best, based on the taste profile you are seeking. There are little steel cups that you can use to sample everything (except for the premium oils such as the truffle oils). I left with a Harissa olive oil, as the taste of the spicy peppers was prominent in the oil, but also had a delicious smoky taste. It would be amazing in pasta salads or drizzled on top of pizza; however, prices are quite steep, so I would use the oils sparingly! (For example, a 200ml of basil infused olive oil is $5.99 at La Bottega/Nicastro, whereas here it is $14.99...so definitely a splurge)! Overall, I would come here if feeling splurgy (or was more baller, haha), otherwise I would probably stick with olive oils from regular stores.

I live in Kanata and highly recommend this place for wine…read more They have such a variety it should appeal to almost anyones tastes. For example here are my experiences: 1) I regularily purchase boxs of their table wine. It is so much easier then bottling and the box can sit on the kitchen counter for up to 6 weeks. The taste of their table wine is better then I have had from a number of Italian winery shops across the city. 2) I have purchased a batch of their 9 month wine that sat in oak casks. As good as expensive LCBO wine at less than half the price. 3) we used their wine for my daughters wedding. It was very very acceptable and much less costly. Just paid corking fees to the venue. Also was able to provide as giveaways at the wedding a 375ml bottle with special labels to remember the occaision. A unique idea for us. My point is give them a try and go in with what you really want from a wine shop and likely they will satisfy your needs.

The Wine Garden is truly a joy in the making of wine for home. Matt and Kevin are wonderful hosts…read moreto the entire experience, with gatherings that walk new members through the entire process and wines that range from third press "world blend" (cheapest but delicious bistro style wines) to first-rate quality grape wines from the Maipo valley in Chile, that can easily compete with great wines from the liquor store. Our favorites: Malbec, Carmenere, Cabernet. Highly recommended!

This LCBO was completely ok! I came in looking for Irish Cream for Christmas Coffee, and found it…read more As it happens there are sooo many flavours of it now, and the biggest one is about $55.00!!! I don't need that much. I chose salted caramel flavour, and started towards the cash. Before I got there, I got side tracked by the wine section... Specifically the one in a cat-shaped bottle. Every year it's a different colour,; this year it's a peachy shade. $12.95. Almost at the cash, waiting in line, and what do I see? Irish Cream with a Lindt treat attached to it... but the beverage is Red Velvet flavoured. THAT one came home with me instead!! Oh yeah!! Bring it on!! The staff was pleasant and helpful. Checkout wasn't too long in spite of the lineup and Christmas and COVID... And oh yeah, there seems to be more alcohol in the program with the pandemic!!

We had rubbish luck trying to find the specific Rum that I like, although I know they used to sell…read moreit at the LCBO. It's a little pricier than some of the other rums, so it doesn't sell as fast as the cheaper brands (but this one tastes so much better!) Anyhoo, we did not find it here. Well, ok, but they did have that really good wine in the cat shaped bottles - two colours of bottles, and it's still not expensive. Surely we will find time to drink this, hopefully over the holidays. When done, I like to stick a candle in the bottle and let it drip down all over the place. What the heck; beats having a cat and aggravating the allergies! And the bonus is you get good wine. And yes, I did pick up two bottles!! Onward ho to another LCBO to find that rum!!

Found this cool spot on the way between Ottawa and Prescott. It is definitely worth a stop in. The…read morelocation is a bit odd, but easy to get to. The building is really cool, beautiful barn style with tons of exposed wood, great big patio outside. Service was quick to greet us and get us started despite setting up for a couple large (~8 people) parties. Server knew her stuff and was quick to help sort out a few beers to try. We ordered the nachos as a snack to pair with our flight. That was the only disappointment about the stop. The edges around the entire edge were burnt badly, cheese wasn't layered evenly so there were a lot of chips on the bottom that had nothing on them. Each of the beers we tried were quite good though. I would definitely come back here and probably share a pizza instead or some other food.