E247 Lia Niskanen

Lia Niskanen is dedicated to the power of storytelling and is a passionate whiskey advocate. She is an Executive Bourbon Steward (Stave and Thief Society), holds an advanced Diploma in Single Malt Whisky from the Edinburgh Whisky Academy, and is an award-winning distillery visitor experience professional with a deep passion for whiskey history. She is the founder of Barrel Strength Talent, a whiskey events and education business based in Brooklyn, NY, and an approved course provider for the Edinburgh Whisky Academy who currently teaches the EWA Certificate Course in Sensory Appreciation in NYC.

Lia also spearheaded the tour program for Fort Hamilton Distillery in Brooklyn, New York. Prior to that, Lia was the first manager of tours and events for Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn. Lia created and developed KCD’s onsite distillery tour, winning the TripAdvisor “Certificate of Excellence” in 2017, 2018, and 2019. During her tenure at KCD, Lia also executed a wide roster of other educational activities including private tours, tastings, classes, and large events. Pivoting during the pandemic shutdowns, she created a virtual whiskey tasting program for a range of corporate and private guests.

In the years before her tenure at Kings County Distillery, Lia developed and conducted day long tours of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail for Mint Julep Tours in Louisville Ky, and National Historic Landmark Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Lia lives in Brooklyn, New York. When her nose isn't buried in a good whiskey book (or a dram!) she enjoys fast talking film noir gangster flicks and attending tastings with Drammers Club NYC, of which she is a member.

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barrelstrengthtalent.com

The Alchemist is presenting the Toronto Cocktail Festival which is occurring from October 22-26, 2025. The first annual Toronto Cocktail Festival will be a toast to the art of the cocktail and so much more. It will be a destination event that celebrates the vibrant culture of food and drink in a city that is a hub of culinary and cocktail creativity. The city’s multi-award-winning bartenders, brand ambassadors and chefs make this an exciting culinary event that will give them the showcase they deserve—and serve up delicious fun for consumers, too.

A big thank you to Jean-Marc Dykes of Imbiblia. Imbiblia is a cocktail app for bartenders, restaurants and cocktail lovers alike and built by a bartender with more than a decade of experience behind the bar. Several of the features includes the ability to create your own Imbiblia Recipe Cards with the Imbiblia Cocktail Builder, rapidly select ingredients, garnishes, methods and workshop recipes with a unique visual format, search by taste using flavor profiles unique to Imbiblia, share recipes publicly plus many more……Imbiblia - check it out!

Contact the host Kypp Saunders by email at [email protected] for products from Elora Distilling, Malivoire Winery and Terroir Wine Imports.

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