March 15th, 2010
The 10th Annual WhiskyFest Chicago will be on Friday, April 23rd. You can find all of the details here, including the list of whiskies being poured and a listing of the seminars for the evening.
I’m posting this up to let you know that, if you were thinking about buying tickets, don’t wait too long. VIP tickets sold out a few weeks ago and there aren’t too many General Admission tickets left.
How many of you already bought tickets? If you are coming, be sure to track me down and say “Hi”.
December 27th, 2009
I hope you are enjoying your holiday season, spending your time with good friends, family, and great whisky!
I have a question for you. WDJK enjoys a global audience, and I need a global perspective.
When I dreamed up the crazy idea of WhiskyFest back in 1998, we were not aware of anyone else doing what we did–hosting a large whisky festival for the public that featured all the world’s whiskies (Scotch, Irish, American, Canadian, Japanese, etc.) and the people who make them. Not only did we want to bring all the world’s whiskies together for a unified cause (to promote whisky), but we also wanted to credit and feature the makers (master distillers, master blenders, etc.).
I know that the Scotch Malt Whisky Society was hosting some great events here in the U.S. before us, but they were–at that time–smaller and focused primarily on the Society bottlings. [I really enjoyed them, BTW.]
I could tell you many stories on how my wife and I didn’t sleep for a month before our first event in New York. We put our business on the line. If the event failed, the industry would shun us and our business would probably not survive. But I will save those stories for another time.
For now, I am hoping you can tell me if you know of any other similar independent whisky events prior to 1998 (i.e. 1,000+ attendees, with whiskies from around the world, and master distillers/master blenders pouring the whisky and hosting seminars)? Whisky festivals are a great thing. It would be nice to sell how they all evolved. As you know, they are popping up all over the world now.
Thanks!
November 12th, 2009
Okay, I’m back in the office after being out a week.
I had a great time Tuesday night at the sold-out WhiskyFest. It was nice to see some of you there.
Here’s some of the news-related items that I picked up at the event:
Park Ave Liquor in NYC got on a stash of some delicious Knockando 21 y/o single cask bottled way back in 1998!! I had a bottle at one time. Great stuff!
There’s going to be a New Glenlivet Cellar Collection 1973 vintage coming out next year in time for father’s day.
An Cnoc 12 and 16 coming to the US in a month or two. Also Balblair 1991 and 1997 vintage.
Glen Grant made its US debut at WhiskyFest with 10 and 16 year old expressions!
Chivas Royal Salute 38 y/o “Stone of Destiny” also debuted at WhiskyFest. Only 600 bottles for the US for the entire 2010 calendar year and priced at $600.
Look for a new 2009 vintage Jameson Rarest Special Reserve.
Glendronach Single Casks are going to start showing up at retailers’ shops who have the opportunity to buy a cask. I caught a glimpse of one at the Park Avenue Liquor booth.
I hope to post up more information here as I get more time over the next few days. For those of you who were in attendance, feel free to post up your thoughts on the event.
November 10th, 2009
Sorry for the lack of posting the past few days. I took a much needed pre-WhiskyFest mini-vacation. I’ll be tweeting as the night goes on for those of you following me on Twitter. And I’ll post up something here on the Fest here on WDJK in a day or two.
November 6th, 2009
The new Highland Park 1964 vintage and 1968 vintage debuted last night at a special event in London, but they’re already on their way to New York to be featured at a sold-out WhiskyFest New York this coming Tuesday.
I first mentioned these two Highland Park whiskies here on WDJK a few months back. Only the 1968 vintage is being imported to the U.S. and it won’t begin showing up until the end of the year. But both whiskies will be poured at the WhiskyFest Charity Table, where, for a small donation, you will be able to taste a wee dram of either whisky.
A $20 donation to charity will buy attendees a half ounce pour of one of these special whiskies, and 100% of the proceeds will go to City-Meals-on-Wheels.
Here is the remainder of the special charity whiskies:
First, there are the six unique whiskies that were poured at WhiskyFest San Francisco. There are small amounts of each remaining, and they will be available at WhiskyFest New York while supplies last:
Isle of Jura – Willie Tait: “I put a hogs head of Jura down on the 23rd Nov 1989, on my daughter’s 13th birthday. This was my legacy for my children, as they have already taken all my money.”
Bruichladdich – Jim McEwan: “The title of my whisky will be “Working on a Dream” it will be a vatting of 46 years of Bruichladdich as that is the time I have been in the business. A single malt made by humble men on the west coast of Islay whereby you can feel and taste their personality, honesty and passion in every sip you take.”
The Dalmore – Richard Paterson: As Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface for the very first time at 02.56 GMT on 21st July 1969, the new spirit of Dalmore down on Earth on this very same day was being transported onto the circular surface of American White Oak to begin its epic journey too.
The Balvenie – David Stewart: David now has an intimate knowledge of where his personal favorites are within the Balvenie warehouses, many of which he has been carefully nurturing for several years. David’s unique bottling will be a single cask sampling drawn directly from one of this highly personal selections.
Glenfiddich – Brian Kinsman: Cask samples are retained long after the cask has been bottled and savored. They form a historical archive of Glenfiddich’s greatest and best. Brian will be selecting from these precious remnants to craft a unique and unrepeatable one-bottle “vatting” of Glenfiddich.
Buffalo Trace: Our charity Buffalo Trace bottle contains the very first sample ever drawn from our “Millennium Barrel.” This barrel was filled on December 31, 1999, that’s why we call it our “Millennium Barrel.” It was the very last barrel that we filled on the last day of the last century.
In addition to the bottles above, we have also received a number of rare and expensive bottles donated by many of our exhibitors. Here they are:
Donated by Moet USA:
Ardbeg Supernova
Glenmorangie Malaga Wood 30 year old
Glenmorangie Fino Sherry finish
Donated by Pernod-Ricard:
The Glenlivet 1969
Scapa 25 year old
Chivas Royal Salute 38 year old “Stone of Destiny”
Donated by Heaven Hill Distilleries
Rittenhouse 25 year old Small Batch rye (A vatting, not a single barrel. This is not being sold to the public.)
Donated by Gordon & MacPhail
Gordon & MacPhail Glen Grant 1965 (A cask not being sold to the public.)
Donated by Preiss Imports
BenRiach 1976 Port Pipe Cask #4469
Donated by Mackmyra Distillery
Mackmyra Special: 02 – The Anniversary Edition
Donated by Four Roses Distillery
Mariage 2009
Donated by SKYY Spirits
Wild Turkey Tradition
The Glenrothes 1975
Donated by Isle of Arran
Icons of Arran #1 The Peacock 1996 Vintage
Donated by Malt Advocate publisher John Hansell
The Macallan “Era” bottlings:
’20s
’30s
’40s
’50s
Glen Breton “Ice”
Scott’s Selection “North of Scotland” 1964 vintage
Arran “First” 1995 Distillation
Forty Creek John K. Hall Port Wood Reserve
Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection 17 year old Rum Marriage
Santa Theresa Bodega Privada (Barrel #5) Rum
Cadenhead’s 1964 Port Morant Pot Still Demerara Rum
November 2nd, 2009
Good news. Glen Grant is coming to the U.S, but not until 2010.
However, if you have a ticket for Whiskyfest New York on November 10th, you in for a special treat. The whisky will make its debut in the U.S. at WhiskyFest.
This is from my contact at Skyy, the U.S. importer:
Whisky Fest is the only event where we will show case the brand before next year’s launch. So, only people at next week’s event will get the chance to taste before anyone else does…! The actual launch will be in January of next year and we will focus resources into the key markets: NY, NY, FL, TX, IL, and CA.
The whiskies being poured? I’m told it will be the 10 yr. old and the 16 yr. old.
October 17th, 2009
A great time last night at WhiskyFest. There were many whiskies: new ones, special ones, “work in progress” samples. Some of the ones I stumbled onto included:
1) A new Wild Turkey 14 year old 101 proof limited edition
2) Next year’s “work in progress” release of Springbank 18 yr. old (in sherry casks)
3) A “work in progress” Ardmore “Triple Wood”, aged in bourbon casks, quarter casks, and PX sherry casks.
4) Six unique whiskies at our charity table (picture at bottom), including the Dalmore 1951 in the globe decanter (picture at top), including Willie Tait’s Jura special bottle of Fortunach (see left).
5) John Glaser with the new Compass Box Spice Tree (left).
6) An incredible new Sheep Dip: a 1990 vatting of a 19 year old Dalmore, 21 year old Fettercairn, and a 25 year old Ardbeg that has been maturing in bourbon barrels as a finished whisky for the past 15 years. (Picture below with brand owner Alex Nicol.)
But there were many more too, that I wasn’t keeping track of. For those of you who were at the event, feel free to comment on interesting whiskies you tasted.
You never know what’s going to show up at a WhiskyFest!
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