The Brant Historical Society and the Canadian Military Heritage Museum are teaming up to host the third annual Scotch-tasting fundraising event on Friday, January 24, 2025.
Lillia Dockree, Community Outreach Coordinator for the Brant Historical Society (BHS) said the event was first held back in 2023 after her coworker, Esther Brouwer, Myrtleville House Museum’s Education Programmer, pitched the idea a few years ago. .
“Esther used to work for the Dundas Museum where they did scotch tasting events around Robbie Burns day and so she actually had the idea of bringing the event here for a while,” said Dockree. “That first year we held it out at the Myrtleville House and we found it was a little cramped there so we decided to reach out to Bob Ion from the Canadian Military Heritage Museum [CMHM]. We’ve partnered with them in the past for our speaker series and they were interested in the idea of collaborating more, so it worked out great because they have quite a bit more space there.”
Dockree said that during the event, attendees will have the chance to taste several different scotches as well as Scotland’s national dish, haggis, too.
“We have a line up of five different scotches to taste throughout the evening and then we also have quite a few other things going on in between like the haggis tasting as well,” she said. “We’re going to have a bagpiper pipe in the haggis as kind of a little ceremonial event, but then we’re also going to have a performance from Brantford’s Angus Academy of Highland Dance, as well as some Robbie Burns poetry readings.”
With tickets going for $50.00 for both BHS and CMHM members, and $60.00 for non-members, Dockree said the event is a great chance to not only support the Society, but to try out a selection of scotches at different price points as well.
“It’s nice because the cost of the ticket helps both the Brant Museum and Archives and the Myrtleville House Museum in terms of operational costs, but on the flip side, you also get to enjoy five scotches at different price points without having to necessarily commit to an entire bottle,” she said. “It’s also fun because you get to meet other people and with our partnership with the military museum, it’s cool because it’s kind of introducing two membership bases to each other that might not have met otherwise.”
For those who are interested in attending but aren’t a fan of scotch or simply just don’t drink, tickets are available for $20.00.
“We like to have that option for people who still want to support us, enjoy the night, try the haggis and check out the entertainment,” said Dockree.
If you’re interested in helping to support the BHS, tickets will be on sale until Tuesday, January 21. To learn more about the event or book tickets, call 519-752-2483 or email information@brantmuseums.ca
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
