How do you celebrate five years except with a fifth?
This year, Scotchology is celebrating World Whisky Day for the fifth year in a row by offering a tasting in Minneapolis, MN on May 19. Last year we focused entirely on Canada to celebrate the sesquicentennial of their confederation, to the delight of many (the tastings in 2016, 2015 and 2014 were fun too). To celebrate this year, we decided to revisit some countries we’ve been to before. The hope is to deepen our explorations of what whisky can be, perhaps in ways we don’t usually feature. Five years of holding these tastings has taught us whisky can be so much more than we’d have ever dreamed of when we first began our respective journeys here at Scotchology. After working with World Whisky Day headquarters for a few years, we were lucky to be featured as one of the initial entries on their 2018 events map and have a great shout out on their page for event organizers. Sign up for the event HERE, as space is limited! If you’re not able to make it, you can still make a donation.
Something else special is happening this year too. One of the great scotch groups we’ve grown to know over the past few years is the Edmonton Scotch Club in Canada. Starting in 2016, they put together a whisky charity tasting in May to benefit their local food shelves using the clever moniker Drams4Fams. The first year was a success. The second year was even more so, raising over $16,000 for food banks and other charities in Edmonton. Earlier this year, they reached out to the broader whisky community about hosting charity tastings around the same time. This seemed like a no-brainer to us, as many people in our communities struggle to provide enough food for their families every day. Therefore, Scotchology is absorbing the costs of the featured whiskies so that all proceeds will go to two local charities.
Groveland Food Shelf
is a non-profit that provides emergency food in the south/southwest Minneapolis metro, allowing visitors to choose their own food each visit to minimize waste and also have a program aimed at making sure youth specifically get enough to eat. They serve roughly 2,000 people a month. People and Pets Together is a surrender prevention program begun in 2009 during the Recession with the express purpose of helping people keep their pets when in financial distress. They provide local food shelves with pet supplies so those who are helping feed their families can also feed their pets. Because aren’t pets family too? We’re happy to be contributing to two worthwhile non-profits that directly help people (and pets!) get the food they need. Our expectations are modest for this first time out but we hope for a good turnout. If you’re not able to make our tasting but would like to make a donation, you can do so via our event link here and choose the Donation option. If you are able to make it, buy a ticket!
We can’t wait to make this a unique and informative event of about two dozen people. Because this is an event involving alcohol, we’ll be measuring our pours to keep anyone from leaving impaired. And of course, there’ll be plenty of snacks to help keep everyone focused on having a great time. We want everyone to learn about these fantastic drams and their stories!
What are we drinking this year? We’re glad you asked. Here are the whiskies we plan on featuring in no order:
Writers Tears (Ireland)
Bain’s Cape Mountain Single Grain (South Africa)
Vicomte 8 yr. (France)
Port Dundas 12 yr. Single Grain (Scotland)
Balcones Baby Blue (United States)
Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt (Japan)
So what can you do if you’re not in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and unable to attend? Why, try finding an event via the World Whisky Day page to see if there’s a celebration near you (for those in the immediate area, Volestead House has a great deal on premium malts). Buy a bottle to share with some friends. Stop in at your favorite pub to explore their offerings. Be bold in your choices and select a drink you’ve never tried before. Make that day today! Sip in silence or chat it up with a big group. Appreciate the curious mix of art, science and tradition that make whisky what it is no matter where it happens. The sharing is part of the joy of whisky in general. Please share what you did or plan on doing for World Whisky Day with us on Facebook or Twitter (oh yeah, and the Instagram thing too). And, as always, please be sure to drink responsibly. Sláinte!
