Whiskeyfest 2009

Is anyone else attending this year? I see they discounted the general admission tickets

For those wondering, Whiskey Fest is on April 1, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

http://www.maltadvocate.com/docs/whisky ... fault.aspx

The Binny's in the south loop also does a World of Whiskeys event on March 31. It's somewhat smaller than Whiskey Fest, but also cheaper. ($50 as opposed to $95 for Whiskey Fest) I'm not sure how good the Binny's event is...I always mean to go, but never quite make it there.

http://www.binnys.com/events/ (scroll waaaaay down to see this event.)

Definitely going again this year - did the VIP tasting last year, not going to bother with that again. The additional tastings just aren't worth the additional price tag. they've got a good line-up of speakers coming, and the pour list keeps growing.

Tickets sell out fast - as well as the block of hotel rooms they set up.

I was looking forward to going this year until I saw that it was on a Wednesday night. Not that I see myself getting blotto -- I always sample responsibly! -- and there's more to do there than just drink whisky, but... It can be a long night and I'd prefer not to take the next day off of work if I can help it.

Also, even after the discount, tickets are in the neighborhood of $100. To be honest, I'd rather take that money and head to Clark St. Ale House or Deliah's and buy 5-6 (full) glasses of whisky and try things that way.

danimalarkey wrote:I was looking forward to going this year until I saw that it was on a Wednesday night. Not that I see myself getting blotto -- I always sample responsibly! -- and there's more to do there than just drink whisky, but... It can be a long night and I'd prefer not to take the next day off of work if I can help it.

Also, even after the discount, tickets are in the neighborhood of $100. To be honest, I'd rather take that money and head to Clark St. Ale House or Deliah's and buy 5-6 (full) glasses of whisky and try things that way.

I'm right there with ya ---

SSDD

We're holding a pre-Whisky Fest event of our own. FIG Catering will be hosting an intimate 4+ course dinner, LUSH Wine and Spirits will be our whiskey professionals on-hand to pair whiskeys with the menu. Think of it as a more intimate, more food intensive, warm-up for Whisky Fest.

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=23123

You have to remember that this was conceived with the bar owner in mind, week nights are much easier to attend than week ends.
Daniel

Here are the whiskeys we'll have on hand Thursday night (to see the menu they'll be paired with follow the link above):
--Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey [Denver, CO]
--Penderyn ‘Ayr Cymru’ Single Malt [Wales]
--Death’s Door ‘Naked’ Whiskey [Washington Island, WI]
--Prichard’s Double Barreled Bourbon [Kentucky]

For dessert, we'll be offering a whiskey beer (ale aged in whiskey barrels):
--Goose Island Imperial Brown Goose 2006 [Chicago, IL]

We'd love to see you.

4+ Course Pre-Whisky Fest Dinner @
FIG Catering
Thursday, March 26th, 7pm
Call (773) 793-1035 for reservations

figmolly wrote:Here are the whiskeys we'll have on hand Thursday night (to see the menu they'll be paired with follow the link above):
--Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey [Denver, CO]
--Penderyn ‘Ayr Cymru’ Single Malt [Wales]
--Death’s Door ‘Naked’ Whiskey [Washington Island, WI]
--Prichard’s Double Barreled Bourbon [Kentucky]

For dessert, we'll be offering a whiskey beer (ale aged in whiskey barrels):
--Goose Island Imperial Brown Goose 2006 [Chicago, IL]

We'd love to see you.

4+ Course Pre-Whisky Fest Dinner @
FIG Catering
Thursday, March 26th, 7pm
Call (773) 793-1035 for reservations

Nice! Prichard's is currently my very favorite.

=R=

I'm planning to go to Binny's World of Whiskeys tonight. Is anyone else attending?

I thoroughly enjoyed Whiskyfest. I thought it was a very well-run event and I was thrilled to taste so many different whiskies that I had seen before 'here or there' but never had the opportunity to try. Some distillers were offering pours of their entire lines and that provided an especially nice chance to try them side by side, all at once.

It was also great chatting at the various stalls with so many distillers, whiskymakers, ambassadors and owners. Their enthusiasm and passion were infectuous. Their knowledge was vast, and I learned so much.

While it was definitely a very fun event and spirits were high (pun intended), it wasn't overly raucous and I only saw one person fall over (and in his defense, he did try to get out of that chair really fast).

In hindsight, I think that the VIP ticket -- which I did not buy -- would have been worth the extra money. Not only did it get you early entrance but it provided access to some pours that were only offered during the VIP period. If I attend again, which I am likely to do, I'd probably opt for the VIP ticket.

=R=

I really enjoyed Binny's World of Whiskeys. This is the first year I've attended and I've never been to Whiskeyfest either, so I don't have a point of comparison. I tried to stick to just trying whiskeys that were new to me, and even then (and staying mostly away from the scotch, which I don't love) I didn't get to try everything I wanted to...most of them I wanted to, but not all.

I really wish the event was a bit longer. I felt like I had to make a choice between trying everything I wanted to try and spending time talking to people at each table. I ended up somewhere in the middle. I didn't spend quite as much time as I would have liked talking to each table and I skipped a few things I wanted to taste.

Overall I had a great time, found several new whiskeys that I want to pick up as time and money allow. I definitely plan to come again next year.

I have often run into that problem at tasting events. I find that alcohol tasting is much like visiting Disneyland, following a loose plan to hit everything you want to do early and then coming back to fill in the gaps & re-visit favourites afterwards makes for a more enjoyable experience.

-Llama
p.s. I now realize that it may be a little strange to make a plan at amusement parks. Also, equating alcohol tasting with Disneyland may indicate that I should cut back.

Llama wrote:I have often run into that problem at tasting events. I find that alcohol tasting is much like visiting Disneyland, following a loose plan to hit everything you want to do early and then coming back to fill in the gaps & re-visit favourites afterwards makes for a more enjoyable experience.

-Llama
p.s. I now realize that it may be a little strange to make a plan at amusement parks. Also, equating alcohol tasting with Disneyland may indicate that I should cut back.

or perhaps its a desire that Disneyland start to serve alcohol on the premises.