Glasses are being raised to Theatre Northwest for the spotlight they are shining on one of the world's most appreciated and analyzed social beverages.
Scotch is more than a drink, it is an experience and a conversation in a glass.
That discussion has a home every few months when TNW holds their scotch tasting series, but Friday night is especially auspicious. Scotch ambassador Keith Trusler of Corby Spirit and Wine Ltd. will be at this intimate but interactive Prince George tasting event to share some of the most coveted bottles available in Canada.
"It's quite a lineup, an impressive lineup, very high end whiskys," said Trusler. "We are making sure we have quite the diversity. People want to try stuff they can't just roll into a liquor store and pick up, and even we have a challenge getting ahold of some of it."
The target age of Friday's lineup is 20-30 years, but the true diversity comes from the regions of Scotland from which these liquid works of art come. Another key factor is the casks in which they acquired their age. Scotch distillers invest a whole sector of their research resources into choosing between sherry, bourbon, North American oak and European oak barrels due to the way those woods match with each recipe.
"Age statement is very important, time in the barrel is important, but vitally important to taste is the nature and history of that barrel," said Trusler.
"These barrels have to be proven to be great before a distiller can have the confidence to invest 25 years in that barrel. It is often a different master distiller doing the barreling than the one who does the bottling, so those decisions are quite meaningful. There's a lot of art to it and more and more these days there is a lot of science to it."
The scotch masters who spill their efforts into those barrels usually don't get to taste what they've made. They are typically in their 50s, 60s, even 70s before they accrue the kind of knowledge and skill demanded by the top distillery companies in Scotland (Canada and Japan are now entry-level players showing a talent for making high-end whiskies).
That means they are at least retired and often passed away when the necessary aging is done and the cork finally gets pulled.
Scotch aficionados watch for the conditions of the day, when they look back through the years at the origins of the sip they are about to take. What was the water quality like in the place and time it was created? How was the weather that year? What was happening in the life of the distillery? What kind of climate controls did the makers have access to?
And, importantly, what was the story of that barrel its been deliciously steeping in for all that time?
"The reality is, we are in a golden age of scotch creation right now," said Trusler. "We have technologies for the making of scotch that have never been available before. We have scientific data we have never had before. The industry has a very knowledgeable and demanding - in a good way - consumer base. We know, for example, that Canada and Japan are figuring it out, as makers, but we also know Scotland was not accidental. It is the perfect place, because of environmental factors," like annual temperature cycles and ambient humidity across the Scottish land base.
Trusler was pleased to participate in this TNW fundraiser because it is helping a professional not-for-profit cultural institution, it will play a role in Prince George's live entertainment scene, and it also wraps its arms around his industry. He also had to research well beyond his own company's family of scotches, because the lineup was so diverse.
The headliners include:
Caol Ila (30 years old)
Craigellachie (23 years old)
Balvenie Tun (1509 series)
Bunnahabhain (25 years old)
Glenlivet (25 and 18 years old)
Those who attend the event get five tastings per ticket, plus the discussions, appetizers and entertainment.
The event happens at TNW's theatre at 7:30 p.m. Contact TNW's general manager Marnie Hamagami for more information at gm@theatrenorthwest.com or call 250-563-6969.
Tickets can be purchased online at TNW's website.
