Tim Smith

During June and July 2024 I was fortunate enough to spend 6 weeks with my wife Helen on a long-planned tour of Canada. Travelling from east to west from Montreal to Vancouver Island, we thrilled at Canada’s extraordinary and impressive landscapes, especially when crossing the Rockies from Banff to Vancouver on the famed ‘Rocky Mountaineer’ train.

I’m passionate about sharing what I know about Joe Hobbs (1891-1963), one of the whisky-world’s most colourful and interesting characters, who spent his formative years in Canada, and made (and lost!) his first fortune there. So an important part of my visit was to present a series of illustrated talks to help promote my book, ‘Not Your Average Joe’, a biography of the far-from-average Joe Hobbs, whisky entrepreneur.

In a way, it felt like I was taking Joe Hobbs back to Canada.

And I was delighted to find a lot of Canadians shared my interest. It was great fun to be able to share my passion about Joe’s incredible life with a good turnout of whisky nerds, military aviation buffs, and all sorts of others interested to learn more and talk about the life and achievements of a great Anglo-Canadian.  

Many thanks to all those that came along at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, Vancouver; the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada, Winnipeg; and the Sault-Ste-Marie Museum (in the town where Joe grew up).