Brant Historical Society (BHS) and the Canadian Military Heritage Museum (CMHM) are once again teaming up to host their fourth annual Scotch Tasting fundraiser on Friday, January 23, 2026.
Esther Brouwer, Myrtleville House Museum’s Education Programmer, said that the event was first held in 2023 and was originally inspired by her college placement days.
“I actually got to work at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Scotland back in 2013, so I got to know all about Robbie Burns Day [January 25] celebrations while I was there,” she explained. “People typically get together to drink whiskey, eat haggis and do poetry readings so I always thought, ‘I want to do that at museums I work at in Canada,’ and luckily, the first museum I worked at in Dundas actually had a couple Burns artifacts, so it tied in well there.”
Now working for the Brant Historical Society, Brouwer thought it would be a great idea if they hosted their own scotch tasting event and used it as a way to fundraise for the organization.
“A lot of people in Brantford enjoy their scotch and going to the Canadian Military Heritage Museum, so we figured, ‘Let’s combine all those things and sprinkle a little Burns in there and try that,’” she recalled.
Brouwer said that during the event, attendees will have the chance to not only try several different scotches, but also Scotland’s national dish, haggis, too.
“We’ll have five different whiskey tastings, so we’ll start with a kind of a smooth, fruity whiskey, and then we’ll move through to those really peaty and smoky sort of tastes as we go on,” she said. “In between each of those scotches, we’ll be doing a bit of poetry reading, and of course we’ll also have the haggis tasting, which will be piped in by a bagpiper,” continued Brouwer. “On top of all of that, we’re also going to have some students from Brantford’s Angus Academy of Highland Dance coming to perform in their Highland gear, so it should be a fun night.”
With tickets going for $50.00 for both BHS and CMHM members, and $60.00 for non-members, Brouwer said the event is a great opportunity to support the Society and to try out a selection of scotches at different price points as well.
“It’s great because the whiskeys we bring in typically range anywhere between $50 to $140 a bottle, so it gives people a chance to taste-test things they may not try otherwise,” she explained. “For example, someone may not want to splurge on a $120 bottle just to find out they don’t like that particular taste, so this is a great way for them to try something new without the commitment.”
For those who are interested in attending but aren’t a fan of scotch, simply don’t drink, or are there as a designated driver, tickets are available for $20.00.
“We’ve actually had quite a few people show up who don’t like scotch but have said, ‘I still wanted to come out and see what the event was all about,’ so we always like to have that option so no matter what the situation is, you can still come and enjoy the entertainment and everything else,” said Brouwer.
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.
