Thursday, April 8, 2010

Hop Scotch!

No, not the children's game.  Not the movie with Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson, either, although it was great.  There is a cinema connection though:  The Spring Hop Scotch Beer & Scotch Festival on April 23rd and 24th to benefit the Seattle International Film Festival.

Frankly, I was completely indifferent to SIFF, bordering on mild hostility depending on how long the person I was in earshot of was droning on about the arty Bolivian cinematic tour de force about the trials and tribulations of a coca planter they saw last night, but when I learned that they had a beer and scotch tasting to raise money for it, I decided that I could handle being a SIFF supporter.

We went last year.  In addition to the scotch and beer, last year they added wine and tequila.  (Links go to this year's "line up" of breweries, brewers, and wineries.  Note that, especially with the breweries, they may have more selections than those highlighted in their write-up.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

"Self-Guided" Scotch tastings are $10.00, with a Master of Whiskey present to answer questions.

On Friday night, there will also be a Scotch and Chocolate Pairing Seminar ($40.00):
The Scotch and Chocolate Paring Seminar challenges the palette with a participatory experience combining fine Scotch with premium organic Theo Chocolate. Lead by Master of Whisky Ari Shapiro and Theo Chocolate Founder Joe Whinney, guests explore an assortment of complementary tastes and discover their favorite pairing.
On Saturday the $10.00 self-guided Scotch tastings continue, and there are three more seminars:  Two Scotch Seminars with Master of Whiskey Ari Shapiro, at 2 and 7:
Master of Whisky Scotch Seminars:  Join Ari Shapiro, one of only 15 experts in the United States to earn the distinction of "Master of Whisky," for a private one-hour educational seminar that will introduce you to the complete range of taste experiences, which includes 8-¼ oz whiskies for only $30. You'll learn about the details of whisky production and engage in a guided, in-depth tasting that will turn you into a pro for the next time you order Scotch.
We were originally going to attend on Saturday so that we could attend this, but when we checked our calendars we realized that it would be awkward, to say the least, to tell Stitch Witch that we were ditching her birthday party for a Scotch tasting.  (Although she does have a Good Scottish Name, so maybe she would have forgiven us.  Maybe...)

I'm pretty sure that, even if Saturday had been open, Mrs. Drang would not have joined me for
The Scotch and Cigar Pairing Seminar presented by Johnnie Walker, Partagas Cigars and Rain City Cigars is a chance for taste and smell to collide for a stimulating party of the senses. As guests go through a portfolio of Scotch, bouquets of fine rolled tobacco leaves are added to the blend, training senses for true aficionado status. Complimentary cigars will be given to guest to enjoy after the seminar. $40. The Scotch and Cigar pairing seminar takes place Saturday, April 24th at 4:00pm for only $40.
although I could be mistaken, since there will be no actual smoking of cigars involved, this being in the Soviet of Seattle.

If you are going, all seminar tickets must be purchased in advance ONLINE!   Which we didn't know, to our displeasure, last year.  If you don't want to attend a seminar, advance tickets are available at a variety of locations, including my favorite store in the whole, wide, world, 99 Bottles.

It should be noted (for readers of this blog, at least) that "You must be 21  years of age or older to attend", which also means that concealed weapons are verboten, even with a valid CPL.

There will be food on-site, although I don't recall that we partook last year.

I will also say that the music being played was for, shall we say, a younger demographic than Mrs. Drang and I.  Not offensively so, at least, not so much that we were driven to violence, let alone to leave before we had used all our tokens.  (Actually, I may have some tokens from last year, I'll have to see if they're still usable...)

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