“Expensive Taste KW” is a private-member Whisky tasting club based in Kitchener, Ontario. The club was established in 2008 by a small group of long-time friends looking to explore the world of Single Malt Whisky. The groups original concept was to pool money to treat themselves to a bottle of Whisky once a month, which they otherwise would be unlikely to have the good fortune to sample on their own.

Expensive Taste has since expanded and now includes 19 members. We continue to honour the club’s original concept and maintain our tradition of a monthly meeting and social gathering which takes place on the last Friday of every month. Although we have since learned that “expensive” is not necessarily the most important element of a fine Whisky, the name continues to reflect our respect for the spirit of a drink we love – and the people we love to drink it with.

With the growth of the club over the last 17 years, maintaining its original goal of bringing the finest Whisky to all who appreciate a good dram has become more important than ever. This responsibility is placed in the trust of an elected Executive Board of 5 dedicated members. Colloquially known to members as “the Eboard” this group of 5 organizes all club events and monthly meetings. Structure is added to the club by entrusting its operations and finances to elected delegates, which also supports the continued growth of Expensive Taste and ensures that the pillars on which the club was founded are respected and maintained: friendship and a love of Whisky.

Our ongoing club goal is to taste, discuss, critique, and most importantly enjoy a variety of what the world of Whisky has to offer: Single Malt Scotch, Blended Scotch, Canadian Rye and Irish Whiskey, among others. Each month, one or more of our members is charged with the task of writing a review of the club’s featured Whisky(s), which are all available for your perusal on our website, Facebook page and Twitter. We also offer a complete Archive of all Whisky that has been sampled by the club over the years.

Over the past 17 years, the members of Expensive Taste have been privileged to sample over 275+ unique and varied bottles of Whisky from some of the world’s finest distillers. In addition, we have been honoured to host guided tastings from Whisky ambassadors including Johnnie Walker, The Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Highland Park, Beam Suntory and Jameson Irish Whiskey, with more exciting tastings planned for the future. These guided tastings not only provide an opportunity to taste a number of a distiller’s products (some rare), with first-hand tutoring on the Whisky making process and formal tasting notes, but have been pivotal in our desire to grow into knowledgeable Whisky connoisseurs.

In addition to our monthly meetings, Expensive Taste proudly hosts an Annual Golf Tournament, Annual Cook-off, Masters Golf Pool, and Halloween Party. Our ever-popular “Glass Turkey” raffle is always a huge success, with a portion of the proceeds donated to a local charity. We hope for a strong level of continued participation in all of these events in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our site. We hope you enjoyed our story and that you will continue to follow our growth in the future.

Please check back for more reviews and current Expensive Taste news. Remember to Enjoy Responsibly and please, Don’t Drink and Drive!

Current Elected Members of the Executive Board:

President: Tamara Maurer

Vice President:  Mark Buchholtz

Treasurer: Brad Raybould

Special Events: Ian Fischer

Whisky Ambassador: Michael Bridgman

eboard@expensivetastekw.org

@expensive_taste_kw