Hop Scotch Festival

Contact the Editor | Comments |

Related Links:
• Hop Scotch Official Website
• Hop Scotch Ticket Giveaway
• Comments

I don’t eat dessert; I drink scotch. And I thank myself for that with each and every sip that glides across my tongue and down into my belly. But learning about scotch is usually about as monetarily draining as teaching yourself how to play craps. So it is with great celebration that Seattle welcomes the Hop Scotch Festival May 2nd and 3rd to Fremont. There, prospective scotchophiles can embark on a flight of a dozen single malts, blends and vatted whiskies. The best part is, if you don’t know what “vatted,” single malt or blended means, Ari Shapiro, Master of Whisky, will take you from fired white oak cask to rocks glass during his hour-long seminar.

Tequila is not my drink. The prospect of waking up in jail, bloodied and aching and having to ask if any of my cellmates have any idea what happened last night, well, that’s just not for me. Not anymore. But some people are presumably able to handle themselves while chasing the blue agave dragon, and for them, there’s a flight of six premium varieties available. The tequila market has become impressively varied in recent years and palettes have developed to keep up with the supply. So if you don’t like scotch but still need a way to spend way too much money on liquor, the flight will help get you started.

And beer! Glorious beer. Fifty breweries will be represented at the festival, all offering up tasty samples of their products. Experts will be on hand to answer any questions you have and steer you in the direction of a brew that suits you. 

The festival starts at 5pm on Friday and 1pm Saturday.