“Would you like to see some science?” asked one of the staff of San Juan Island Distillery to the small crowd gathered around him.
Everyone answered in the affirmative.
“Wait a minute. You don’t have a drink. You need a drink for science,” he said to a woman standing near me. She laughed and turned to get a sample. She came back with a drink and the two men behind the table got started.
They were one of many distillers who gathered at the Pacific Science Center for the Science of Spirits, a night of tasting at the museum. The event was in the space used for the Grossology exhibit, which made an amusing backdrop for the whole evening.
While most of the distillers were kept busy simply sharing and talking about their fine spirits, San Juan Island Distillery made time for some real science.
First, they showed how, when you add water to strong alcohol, the mixture heats up. They poured a generous measure of 75 percent ethanol into a container and dropped in a thermometer. Then they added room temperature water and we watched, fascinated, as the temperature jumped up about 12 degrees.
The trick is how ethanol — what we usually call alcohol — is set up molecularly. At one edge, is a handy little spot for a hydrogen molecule to easily grab on. And water is, as we all know, made of two molecules of hydrogen and one of oxygen. So, add water to alcohol and lots of hydrogen bonds form quickly. The resulting energy warms up the alcohol.
They also showed us how a hydrometer works to check the proof of a spirit, and an example of gin louche, or when gin, which is normally clear, turns cloudy when you add ice or water. The oils precipitate out, giving it a cloudy appearance. It’s considered a flaw in gin.
While I spent a good deal of my time at the Science of Spirits being charmed by San Juan Island Distillery, I also made sure to test a number of other spirits at the events. Here are my thoughts on a few of my favorites:
San Juan’s Spy Hop gin was my favorite spirit I tasted all night. I love gin and I’ve tried a lot of gins. The Spy Hop was like nothing I’ve tasted before. It was smooth and had a lovely, soft mouthfeel. The flavors were complex and subtle. It was a very drinkable gin. Interestingly, their gin is made with an apple spirit for the base rather than the more traditional neutral grain spirit. San Juan Island Distillery makes a number of different gin varieties, using seasonal flavors available on San Juan Island. I’ve now added a visit to their tasting room to my to-do list.
Sidetrack’s Lemon Verbena liqueur was my second favorite of the whole night. This was a lovely liqueur, not overpoweringly sweet, but with a wonderful scent and flavor. It had a nice aftertaste and left my tongue slightly tingly. It had similarities to a limoncello. I’m sure this would make excellent cocktails. From the chatter I heard, this was popular with many people that night.
Also the distillery’s nocino had an amazing warm scent. Nocino is made with green walnuts and spices. It tastes and smells like something you should drink around the holidays. This would make an excellent White Russian variation, I’m sure. It was also lovely to sip. I’m a huge fan of Skip Rock Distillery’s nocino, so it was interesting to try another. The two nocinos are quite unique, although both delicious.
My favorite from this distillery was their rye whiskey mixed with their loganberry liqueur. I’m sure you could make some excellent cocktails with that mix. The loganberry liqueur had a lovely, unique flavor that I had a hard time describing: somewhat sweet, somewhat tart. Their signature cocktail for the night was their whiskey with loganberry or raspberry liqueur, ginger beer and lime.
Pacific Science Center has two more adults-only events planned in coming months. A New Year’s Eve party will ring in the new year. Then, in February, Brewology is planned. Visitors will be able to taste craft brews from the greater Seattle area and learn how they were made directly from the brew masters themselves while exploring Pacific Science Center after hours.
Contact Jessi Loerch at jloerch@heraldnet.com or follow her on Twitter at @jloerch.
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