Established 2011
Choosing the right entertainment for online, or in-person events can be challenging. Vanek Whiskey Events can help.
Whiskey’s popularity is soaring, and enthusiasts today are part of an incredibly diverse demographic, many of whom view whiskey as a premium indulgence. This makes a tasting event an attractive option for organizers to consider. Vanek Whiskey Events has taken a contemporary approach to reimagine the traditional Scotch tasting. Featuring whiskeys from around the world and unique themes, our focus is on creating tasting experiences that are engaging and fun.
Based out of Toronto, Ontario, Vanek Whiskey Events will travel the globe (virtually, or literally) to help make your event one that guests will be sure to remember.
“In an era of experience based events, your whiskey tasting last night was absolutely incredible. Your ability to tell a compelling story, enriched with your personal experiences made for a memorable night...It truly was an outstading experience.”
Is It “Whisky”, or “Whiskey”?
Many people are unaware that their favorite spirit can be spelled with, or without the letter “e”, as in “whisky” or “whiskey”.
Prior to the late 1800’s, “whisky” was the only spelling used around the world. By the 1870’s, Irish distilleries sought to better differentiate their more popular whisky from Blended Scotch Whisky, and they did so by changing the spelling of their spirit from “whisky” to “whiskey”. American distilleries followed suit.
Our logo is designed with a stylized letter “e” to symbolize this variable inclusion and we use the same spelling throughout this website as a nod to our fondness of all whiskey.
Scotch Tasting vs Whiskey Nosing
Scotch is but one example of many different “whiskey” styles being produced around the world. It is a geographically protected name and can only be used to describe whiskies coming from Scotland.
As for “tasting” vs “nosing”, both are used interchangeably to refer to an event where whiskey is being sampled and discussed. However, with humans able to perceive only five “tastes” (sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami, or savory), compared to our ability to distinguish between an estimated one trillion scents, it’s the nosing or smelling of a whiskey that clearly contributes most to one’s flavour experience when sampling a glass.
What's in a Name?
The word "whisky" comes from “uisge beatha”, which is the Gaelic equivalent of Latin’s “aqua vitae, “the water of life”. Evolving from the original “uisge” (pronounced ooshky), the word was anglicized over time to “uiskie” in 1618, “usky” in 1736, “whisky” in 1746 and “whiskey” - for Irish and American spirits - in the late 1800’s.