Inaugural spirits and lifestyle event on Saturday at Convention Center will distilleries, restaurants and breweries along with numerous shopping vendors.

A variety of Rhode Island businesses will be part of the first Bourbon Street Providence, an inaugural spirits and lifestyle event at the Convention Center on Saturday.

Distilleries, restaurants and breweries will join with companies including BMW and Harley Davidson for entertainment, tastings and shopping. General admission is $40 with additional charges for VIP experiences. It runs 2-9 p.m. with tickets available on Ticketmaster via the event website — http://bit.ly/2hmAu7F.

The highlights include a VIP tasting of the Macallan Single Malt Scotch Collection, and a Whiskey Republic VIP Lounge, for an additional $20, with sofa seating, craft cocktail samplings and food tastings.

But there promises to be plenty of drink and food samples with a beverage lineup that includes Sons of Liberty, Revival, Newport Storm, New Harvest Coffee & Spirits, Bootblack Brand, Litchfield Distillery, Bully Boy Distillers, Downeast Cider House, Mad River Distillers, Heaven Hill, Bulleit Bourbon, Seed and Sip, Murphy's and E & J Gallo Winery and restaurants including The Capital Grille, Bluefin Grille, Edgewood Cheese Shop, The Public Kitchen and Bar, The Thirsty Beaver, Centro Lounge, Chapel Grille, The Pink Pig, The Vig, Fleming's Steakhouse and Wine Bar, The Revival Craft Kitchen and Bar, Federal Hill Pizza Company and Kartabar.

Shopping vendors include Liberty Travel, X Spot Archery, Opt Eyewear Boutique, Saltzman's Watches and More, Federal Hill Home Theater, Sakonnet River Outfitters, Haverhill Fine Jewelry, Beard and Comb, Newport Jerky Company and Churchill's Smoke Shop and Lounge.

BMW of Warwick is the show's sponsor and will showcase cars. Precision Harley Davidson will display motorcycles and Wood Boat and Motor will show some of its boats and engines. Entertainment includes Neal & the Vipers at 4:30 p.m. and Mickey Lamantia at 7 p.m.

The event is being produced by Jessica Hayes with the Convention Center.

Upgraded ticket holders ($65), will learn from Macallan ambassador Sammy Karachi at one of two tastings. He'll have five Scotches and a chocolate dessert from The Capital Grille, a flourless espresso torte. Seatings are at 2 and 3:30 p.m. and are extremely limited at this point.

Karachi shared some of his expertise in advance of the event. He believes Scottish whiskey makers are the best distillers in the world, creating the liquor from just three ingredients: water, yeast and malted barley. It's then distilled twice in copper pots and then aged in casks.

"The secret is in those barrels," said Karachi.

He described Macallan as an "acorn to glass company," explaining they plant oak trees in Spain and the U.S. (the Ozarks) that are then used to make the barrels. It takes 80 years to grow some of the trees, he said.

The European oak barrels are seasoned with sherry wine for three years. This imparts flavors in the Scotch that are sweet, honey and floral. The American oak barrels are seasoned with bourbon for a more brooding profile.

How long the Scotch is aged determines the flavors and the mouthfeel. But so too does the blending of liquor from different casks.

When you are ready to taste Scotch, do it neat. That means at room temperature, no ice. But do add a bit of spring water, just a few drops, to open up the flavors.

"It's said a bad Scotch needs water but a good one deserves it," he said. He warned against use of ice cubes because that kind of cold water will change the chemistry of the liquor.

Though he likes Scotch tasting neat, he is also a fan of whiskey cocktails and said highballs, including Rob Roys and old-fashioneds, are enjoying a renewed popularity across the globe, especially in Japan.

For those attending Bourbon Street Providence, Karachi also instructed tasters not to swirl the whisky around the glass as is done with wine. Instead, tilt the glass slightly and roll it around the glass gently, sniffing to take in the aroma. Then suck in just a sip and leave it on your tongue for a few seconds before swallowing. Your taste buds will be rewarded with flavors that might include raisins, vanilla and chocolate.