Whisky Tastings

Whisky Tastings Educational, Entertaining, and Memorable Events for Your Guests and Clients
Home	What's New	Event Planning	Contact Us

Single malt Scotch whisky is a savory combination of aromas, tastes, colors, mystery and magic ~ born in fire and copper, nurtured with caring tradition by master craftsmen, and aged in noble woods. All of this in one of the most beautiful countries on earth.

Our whisky events will take your guests on a multi-sensory tour they will long remember.

To learn more about our up-scale events, please
scroll down or click on one of the features:

Description of a Whisky Tasting
What Guests Will Learn
Whisky Tasting Checklist
Multimedia Presentations
FAQs
Client List

Description of a Whisky Tasting

A whisky tasting is an opportunity to learn about a variety of single malts from Scotland. Part travelogue, part history lesson, and certainly an educational, multi-sensory experience, a tasting usually includes five different whiskies, and lasts about two hours. An expert host, dressed in full Scottish attire, conducts each tasting. Hors d’oeuvres, tasting notes, hands-on display, and take-away materials are all part of the event. Other elements available include a bagpiper, Highland dancer, harpist, Celtic guitarist, and multimedia presentation with projected images and soundtrack.

Seating for a tasting is flexible. Two popular configurations are cocktail party style, and classroom style. In the first arrangement, chairs and small tables are placed around the perimeter of the room. A head table displays the whiskies, with a number of glasses pre-poured, and arranged in front of each bottle. The kilted host speaks from in front of the table, with guests standing or seated. Guests are invited to come to the table, and the tasting begins. Mingling, one-on-one, and small group whisky discussion with the host follows. In the classroom style, everyone is seated. Five whiskies are pre-poured and arranged on a placemat at each setting. The host leads the tasting.

A whisky tasting is …

… something new and different for your guests.

… up-scale and memorable. Who would not remember seeing VIPs of your organization led into the room to the skirl of a bagpipe, listening to the haunting strains of Amazing Grace, or socializing with colleagues, clients, and potential clients in the warm ambience of single malt whiskies?

… an environment in which people feel comfortable to socialize, mingle, share comments, and connect.

… prestigious executive entertaining.

… an authentic complement to a Scottish event such as a Highland Games, a Robert Burns Supper, or as part of Christmas and Hogmanay (New Year’s) celebrations.

We serve Glenfiddich single malt whiskies at our events.

What Guests Will Learn at a Tasting

The difference between single malts and blended whiskies
The difference between “whiskey”, “whisky”, and “Scotch”
How the distinct characteristics of each single malt are created
History, lore, and myths & legends about Scotland’s water of life

Whisky Tasting Checklist

Our tastings are custom designed. This checklist provides aspects of the event to be considered:

What is the location of the venue?
How many guests do you anticipate?
Who will supply the hors d’oeuvres? We can make recommendations.
What glassware will be used, and who will supply?
Will your venue permit whisky to be brought in “from the outside”?

Multimedia Presentations

We display a collection of materials used in making single malt whisky at our tastings. Guests will have the opportunity to handle peat dug from marshy bogs, taste kernels of malted barley, and smell wood from the aging barrels. Artifacts include an antique grain shovel, a hydrometer and alcoholic proof slide rule, a copper whisky “thief”, a vintage “tusker” (peat cutting tool), and even a miniature still.

A 15-minute, professionally designed presentation, accompanied by a stirring soundtrack, is available. This program visually transports the audience to diverse and rugged landscapes of Scotland, to “behind the scenes” at distilleries, and through a nostalgic and entertaining look at antique whisky advertisements from the 19th and 20th Centuries

Frequently Asked Questions at Our Tastings

What is the difference between “Scotch” and “whiskey”?
Whiskey is a generic term for a distilled spirit made from grain. Depending on the grain, and the country in which the whiskey is made, the product has different names: in the US, the grain is principally corn, and the whiskey is called Bourbon; in Canada, the grain is principally rye, and the whiskey is called Canadian Rye Whiskey; in Scotland, the grain is barley, and the whiskey is called “Scotch”. In other words, all Scotch is whiskey, but not all whiskey is Scotch.

What is single malt Scotch whisky?
Going word by word:
“single”: the product of a single distillery
“malt”: the barley has been malted (germinated, or sprouted)
“Scotch”: distilled and aged in Scotland
“whisky”: a distilled spirit, made from malted (germinated) barley

Is there double malt?
No. Other types of whisky include:
Blended whisky – comprised of small quantities of 25 to 40 single malts, plus grain whisky
Single barrel whisky – single malt from one specific barrel, usually chill filtered
Vatted malts – a blend of single malts from (usually) two to four distilleries
“Cask strength” whisky – the whisky from only one barrel, with no chill filtration and no water added. The whisky goes directly from the barrel to the bottle.

What causes the difference in color between whiskies?
The distillate that goes into the barrels is clear. Color comes from the wood of the barrels, over time.

What is peat?
Peat (as related to whisky) is partially decomposed organic matter consisting of various mosses, leaves, roots, and stems of plants.

Should I add ice or water to Scotch?
Ice constricts the flavors and aromas from blossoming, and lessens the sensitivity of the tongue. A very small amount of bottled spring water will significantly enhance the aromas and flavors of most single malts.

What is the best single malt?
There is no answer to this question. A more reasonable question would be “What is your favorite single malt?” The answer to this question will be very subjective, ever changing, and probably will not be dependent on the whisky’s age, price, or advertising. The enjoyment of single malts is all about flavor and aroma.

Partial Client List

American Stock Exchange, NYC
Association of Scottish Games and Festivals
Atlantic Monthly
Caledonian Club of San Francisco
Ernst and Young, LLP
Four Seasons Resort Aviara
Hotel del Coronado
International Special Events Society (ISES)
Loews Coronado
Marina del Rey Yacht Club
Pinehurst Golf Resort, Pinehurst, NC
Queen Mary
Rainbow Room
Ritz Carlton Resorts
Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Tehama Golf Lodge
Young Presidents Organization