More whisky for Ontario! Getting to know Whisky Quarterly

Spirits drinkers in Ontario are all-too-well acquainted with the perils of the LCBO; the near monopoly operated by the government on spirits sales in the province. Although it is one of the world's largest alcohol buyers, the LCBO frequently lacks rare bottlings from abroad, favouring larger corporate brands.

Though they've made some effort to improve the small-batch selection, it is their quasi-monopoly that really imperils drinkers, pushing out independent brands who can't afford to deal with the bureaucracy. As a particularly frustrating example, whisky fans in Alberta and BC can access the limited releases of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society through private alcohol retailers. At the same time, shops like Calgary's Kensington Wine Market routinely unveil private bottlings from Canadian distilleries. No such luck for Ontario, though at least one group are trying to change that. 

Heatseeker recently had the chance to chat with Brendan Waller, who is launching Whisky Quarterly Ontario. More than just a whisky club, Brendan has recently secured agency status with the LCBO, allowing him to import spirits from around the world. We asked him about his journey and what Ontario whisky fans can look forward to.

How did the idea for Whisky Quarterly come about?

Whisky Quarterly Ontario was born out of was a tasting for a “diaper party” for me prior to my first son’s birth. A group of about 20-25 all piled into my basement, Kris lead us through five expressions that included Scotch, Canadian whisky, Japanese whisky and bourbon. Similar to my own experience, everyone loved trying different bottles and seeing, well, tasting, the difference. It was that night that Whisky Quarterly Ontario was truly founded.

Since then, we’ve been doing “quarterly” rotations with Mike, one of the Product Managers of brown spirits at the LCBO. More than two years later, here we are on the cusp of something far larger and ambitious with our own membership.

How would you describe Whisky Quarterly?

Whisky Quarterly Ontario is literally a community for lovers of brown, and all spirits. As mentioned, we started off with quarterly selections of various whiskies, have done some events, but what I am most excited about is what is coming shortly – our membership.

Our membership walks the line between a wine club and a micro-expression whisky club. We couldn’t go the wine club route, as spirits cost much more than wine so the membership would have been astronomical. I didn’t want to do micro-expressions, as I don’t want to ever try something myself and realise I can never get it, or afford it again.

We struck out to ensure the upcoming membership was priced within the range of an “average bottle” of whisky at the LCBO. This membership fee then gains you access as a consumer to craft whiskies and spirits such as gin, vodka, rum and more that are not regularly available on the LCBO shelves. The benefit is, as we are licensed by the AGCO and work within the LCBO’s systems, that we get to utilise the processes laid out by the governing bodies. As the LCBO is the largest importer of spirits in the world, nice to know they have things figured out for a venture like us!

What's the startup process been like?

Loooooooong to say the least. The model we are putting forth is the result of about 1-year of phone calls and emails with various departments within the LCBO. We knew from the get-go we were going to need to be within regulations of the province. 

Following that was the licencing process with the AGCO, distillery recruitment, and paperwork for them to be able to sell in Ontario ... it goes on and on. Even recently, agent training with the LCBO, getting accustomed to their systems and their processes to get ordering and products setup. Then of course COVID-19 hit, which is slowing things down. But my background is Scottish-Irish, so I have a lot of stubbornness. I just keep pushing forward.

What's in it for members of the club?

Events and purchasing spirits will be the core ways that members will be able to participate. We also have a number of Facebook groups setup for various areas we’re setup in like Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton, Durham Region and a new one starting up in Ottawa. They’re great ways for whisky/spirit lovers to come together and enjoy. It’s also how I coordinate the quarterly recommendations.

There are a number of other ideas we have floating around, but those will be revealed as time goes on.

What are your next steps toward launch?

There are a few steps we’re working on which I am excited about.

1) The membership, obviously, this allows us to fulfill our aspirations of getting unique, quality craft spirits into Ontario for people to enjoy. This also is the jumping point for really turning WQO into a far larger venture.

2) Restaurants and bars is another area of focus for us. We’re looking for and discussing options with unique restaurants and venues who want to be able to distinguish themselves further by acting as a location for events, as well as carrying our exclusive products for their customers to enjoy –– and hopefully then become future members.

3) Events, events, events! One of our early validations of our model came from Spencer Gooderham, a legend himself within the world of Canadian whisky. I got to know Spencer through runnings some tastings and have been so ecstatic for his insights on the industry and his willingness to work with us on events in the future and assist in promoting our exclusive distilleries within the Province.

4) Delivery API, this is coming hopefully shortly after the membership launch. We are working with an AGCO delivery service that has an API. This will allow, at the outset, visitors to our site to be able to come and order their favourite LCBO whiskies and have it coordinated to be delivered through their service. It gets us around having to become a delivery service ourselves, and I have always believed that partnerships are critical for any business to flourish.

5) Well, wait and see. But I have some other ideas rumbling around in my head ;)

How can people get involved?

There are a number of things people could do to get involved:

1) Dram ambassadors/Chapter leaders who act as our champions to help promote WQO in their immediate area: https://www.whiskyquarterlyontario.com/dram-ambassadors/

2) Membership, of course, so this will become sustainable and we can focus more and more on delivering spirits from more distilleries, from more countries around the world to Ontario: https://www.whiskyquarterlyontario.com/membership/

3) We would like to start building a section on our site for third-party reviews of products, recipes, etc –– anyone who is interested in that, we’re open to discussing what that may look like and how to get it up on the site in a timely manner.

4) Help us spread the word! We’re on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. Support our channels, tell your spirit-loving friends and family about us. To date, the awareness and progress we have is primarily through word of mouth, always exciting to see that organic awareness to continue to grow!

5) Have a distillery you’d like to see in Ontario, or an idea of how to help us craft Whisky Quarterly Ontario into something bigger, better? Ping us on our contact form on our website and I will be in touch.

What I love about this industry is how passionate everyone is. It’s what has taken a very simple tasting, towards where we are today. I am incredibly humbled and grateful for the support of my team, the community and people in the business itself.

Last question; what have you been drinking lately and why?

If you had asked me this even 3 years ago, I would have said flat-out: Lagavulin 16. I love peated scotch. However, now, it’s so hard to choose. I love the sweetness of bourbon, the subtlety of Japanese and other international whiskies that I have in my collection. Like so many, I am coming to really appreciate the Canadian whiskies out there. We were a whisky nation and we’re again on the rise in Canada which is amazing to see and appreciate.

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There you have it. I know I'm going to be keeping a close eye on the progress at Whisky Quarterly here and would encourage any Ontario spirits fans to do the same. Here's hoping they bring us some of the fantastic ryes being made out West! If you're interested, check out their website; www.whiskyquarterlyontario.com/ 

They're also on Instagram @whiskyquarterlyontario

Best of luck Brendan, hope see you soon for a (previously unavailable) dram!