The Whisky Tasting School

The Victoria Highland Games Association is once again pleased to present “The Whisky Tasting School” on both May 18 and 19, 2013 at the 150th Victoria Highland Games & Celtic Festival at Topaz Park. There will be three sessions each day (noon, 1:45 pm and 3:30 pm) featuring different single malt whiskies presented by ambassadors representing a variety of Scotch single malt distilleries. Guests will sit down and enjoy a Scottish educational and cultural experience on the Victoria “Whisky Trail”. This year’s lineup promises to be the best “The Whisky Tasting School” of all!

The registration fee is $35 and includes a one-day field entry (value $15). Whisky School guests are also able to buy an engraved Victoria Highland Games Glencairn whisky nosing glass for $15 (one per guest per class). Guests must be aged 19 years or older to attend! 

Each session offered is limited to 44 guests. In previous years all sessions have sold out prior to the Games so don’t be late in registering! Download the registration form here. 

Details on the 6 sessions plus complimentary Heritage Tent presentation are as follows:  

1) Saturday May 18th 12-1:00 PM. The Whyte and Mackay Blending Seminar with J. Wheelock 

Want to impress your friends at parties? Want to improve your resume? How about… sampling some excellent Whiskies while trying your hand at being a Master Blender? The Whyte and Mackay Blending Seminar will be conducted by ambassador J. Wheelock and the lucky attendees will nose and sample 5 of the component Whiskies in the Whyte and Mackay Special and then actually blend them together. Participants will then go on to compare with their neighbours as to how well they did compared to the control sample of Whyte and Mackay Special Blend. Seats are limited, don’t miss your chance to have the best bragging rights in town. P.S. We’re just kidding about the resume thing. This only counts as FUN.”

(Note: the Saturday & Sunday seminars are identical in format).

2) SOLD OUT!! Saturday May 18th 1:45-2:45 PM. Scotch & Irish Whisk(e)y 101 with Graeme Macaloney PhD. SOLD OUT!!

Looking to understand how Scotch & Irish whiskies are made, where their flavours come from, and taste the final product? This Scotch & Irish Whisky 101 tasting session will encompass classic whiskies including blended Scotch, triple distilled Irish whisky, a Speyside single malt and Island Scotch single malts from Edrington and Beam Global. A Scotsman and university trained in fermentation, Graeme Macaloney will take you through an organoleptic tasting experience of these ‘old-country’ whiskies and how they are made.

3) Saturday May 18th 3:30-4:30 PM.  Around The World in Six Whiskies with Roberto Roberti 

Strap yourselves in for a round the world journey where ambassador Roberto Roberti will show case some exceptional award winning whiskies from a variety of countries. This class will be conducted so that the attendees will not know which whisky is which until revealed by Roberto. Test your skills and see if you can determine from where each whisky is from!

4) SOLD OUT Sunday May 19th 12-1:00 PM. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society with Colin Southcombe SOLD OUT

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is the largest private whisky club in the world and it has finally arrived in British Columbia! Society whiskies are by their very nature unique, extremely limited and quite deliciously varied. Colin Southcombe will be leading this class and the single malts being poured will be a revelation!

5) SOLD OUT! Sunday May 19th 1:45-2:45 PM. The Independents with Roberto Roberti SOLD OUT!

Ambassador Roberto Roberti has reached into his magnificent bag of whiskies to formulate the lineup for this class which will feature two of Scotland’s most famous independent bottlers including some award winning blends, some single cask limited editions and a two whiskies from a distillery whose name was only recent revealed.

6) Sunday May 19th 3:30-4:30 PM. The Whyte and Mackay Blending Seminar with J. Wheelock 

Want to impress your friends at parties? Want to improve your resume? How about… sampling some excellent Whiskies while trying your hand at being a Master Blender? The Whyte and Mackay Blending Seminar will be conducted by ambassador J. Wheelock and the lucky attendees will nose and sample 5 of the component Whiskies in the Whyte and Mackay Special and then actually blend them together. Participants will then go on to compare with their neighbours as to how well they did compared to the control sample of Whyte and Mackay Special Blend. Seats are limited, don’t miss your chance to have the best bragging rights in town. P.S. We’re just kidding about the resume thing. This only counts as FUN.”

(Note: the Saturday & Sunday seminars are identical in format).

7) Sunday May 19^th 1:00-1:40 PM. Whisky 101:  An illustrated talk on the History, Manufacture & Flavour Origins of Whisky, with Graeme Macaloney PhD. No charge, no whisky tasting, no registrations required – simply go to the Heritage Tent.

This is a general interest talk and illustrated PowerPoint presentation (no whisky tasting / no charge attendance) located in the near-by Heritage Tent on the history of whisky, the process by which it is made, and how this affects flavour. This interactive presentation will include samples of important ingredients including peat, malted barley and peated malt for touching and tasting. Any unanswered questions you may have on how whisky is made will be welcomed. This talk has been carefully timed to allow Whisky School participants to attend both the Whisky Tasting School and this nearby Heritage Tent presentation.

NOTE: Condition of Entry to The Whisky Tasting School is that guests DO NOT DRINK and DRIVE.