Interested in Scotch whisky? Whether you consider yourself a seasoned aficionado, or a total novice with an interest but not a clue, then you’ll want to attend the 13th Annual Single Malt & Scotch Whisky Extravaganza on Wednesday, October 25th, from 7-9pm, at the J.W. Marriott Hotel (1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW).
This isn’t just any old whisky event. This is, hands down, THE whisky event of the year in the Washington area. Over 60 “rare and exceptional” whiskies are on offer for tasting; a full dinner buffet is provided, as are premium cigars. The event is run by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America (SMWSA), and is co-hosted by the Robb Report.
What makes the event so special? Well, every year they bring you over 60 (usually more like 70+) excellent Scotches from more than 30 producers, and often a couple of Irish whiskies and the occasional rare American Whiskey. Single malt Scotch whisky will usually run you $10-$25 per shot in the Washington area restaurants and bars, and most of the better bottles start at around $45 but easily run double or triple that for the sort of rare and exceptional whiskies you’ll find at the event. So $95 ($105 for nonmembers) is actually a remarkably good value for money.
Each tasting table is staffed by friendly representatives from the distilleries or the distributors who will discuss the joys and nuances of each offering, answer questions, and generally do their best to add to the fun atmosphere.
So what exactly is Scotch whisky? Well, “Scotch whisky” is simply whisky made in Scotland. The term whisky, is derived from the Scottish Gaelic term “uisge beatha” or “water of life.” Whisky is little more than an alcoholic beverage produced by distilling a fermented mash of cereal grain (like corn, rye, wheat, oat, and barley). As the novelist Iain Banks noted a couple of years ago in his otherwise verbose and rambling book on Scotch whisky, Raw Spirit, you simply “make beer in a teapot, transfer it to a bucket and then boil it in a kettle. Thereafter: barrel, bottle and serve.”
This is not to say that producing a complex, enticing, high quality whisky is as simple as just distilling beer. But, fundamentally, them’s the basics. That is whisky.
The term “Scotch whisky” usually refers to blended whisky—a mix of malt whisky and grain whisky (whisky made from grains other than malted barley). A “single malt” simple means that the whisky comes from one distillery and is made of 100 percent malted barley. Blended whisky can be really good, but single malt whisky can be sublime. If you like your whisky to be tantalizingly complex yet thoroughly enjoyable, then you’ll want to try some single malt Scotch whisky.
If you go
» Tickets for the event are $95 for SMWSA members, and $105 for non-members and must be purchased in advance at 800-990-1991 or through the SMWSA website www.smwsa.com.
