Oh Canada? The tradition continues! With tweaks.
Scotchology is celebrating World Whisky Day for the fourth year in a row by offering a tasting on June 3 in Minneapolis, MN (past events in 2014, 2015, 2016). But the official World Whisky Day is on May 20 this year. What gives? You’re absolutely right, but various and sundry reasons have forced us to push our own tasting back a couple weeks. We promise, it’ll be worth it. This wondrous day was started in 2012 by Blair Bowman and is supporting Just A Drop, a non-profit designed to get a village in Kenya safe access to that most precious of commodities: water. This year, Blair is trying to visit 60 Highland and Speyside distilleries in one day to raffle off a collection of whiskies for this charity.
This year sees yet another change, as instead of trying a variety of world whiskies, we’ve decided to focus on just one country: Canada! 2017 marks the sesquicentennial anniversary of Canada’s Confederation and this country’s long, proud history of whisky making. While Canadian whisky has not always had the global recognition in comparison to, say, whiskies from Scotland or Ireland, they have been seeing a resurgence in recent years and we’re happy to help celebrate the hidden wonders our northern neighbor harbors. With creative blends, aged single malts and astounding ryes, join us in exploring a little bit of what this ethnically diverse and multicultural nation has to offer. We’ll have plenty of snacks and non-alcoholic beverages so everyone can have an enjoyable time and depart safely. A huge shout out of thanks to Johanne, the ever-amazing @Whiskylassie, for a lovely chat to help narrow down the choices. The #whiskyfabric is a very real thing.
Here is the lineup we ended up having to celebrate the great country of Canada:
*J. P. Wiser 18 Year
*Alberta Dark Batch
*Lot No. 40
*Pike Creek 10 Year
*Crown Royal Monarch 75th Anniversary
*OOLA Three Shores
And our recommendation for the day? Find your own via the World Whisky Day page to see if there’s a celebration near you (for those in the immediate area, the estimable Merlin’s Rest is hosing their own event that day). None nearby? Start your own, official or not, no matter when you celebrate it. Go in together on a bottle or two with some friends or family. Head to your favorite pub or watering hole. Explore. Be adventurous. Read a book, so you’ll be smarter once your hangover wears off the next day. Drink plenty of water so you don’t experience one in the first place! No matter what path you choose and who you bring along for the ride, it’s about appreciating the tradition, creativity and craftsmanship that go into whisky no matter where in the world it is made. The sharing is part of the joy, after all. Let us know what you did or plan on doing for World Whisky Day on Facebook or Twitter. And, as always, please be sure to drink responsibly. Sláinte!
