Archive for the ‘whiskey festival’ Category
Whisky or Whiskey – It’s Still Hot in the U.S.!
American Whiskey is Hot right now..but Whisky (the spelling in the UK .. ) is also on the comeback run – especially Scotch!
Whisky Live is coming back to New York and Washington, D.C. -the Whisky Live DC Event has special $99 priced Tickets Here and it’s on Saturday, March 5th, 2016. If it’s close to last year’s quality, it’s a steal..On the other hand, if money is no object, or you really want to step up your game, if you’re in Washington, D.C. the same week, you could also attend the 1st Year for Washington, D.C. WhiskyFest on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016 put on by the Wine Spectator/Malt Advocate people. This event Sells Out every year in other markets (in Chicago it sells out in less than 1 day!), because it’s frankly worth it! Yes, the ticket is $245 (which says Early Bird – but I think that price will remain until it’s Sold Out..), but you truly get what you pay for!
Some more interesting whisk(e)y events coming up in March 2016 include a Distillery University 5 Day Hands-On Workshop in Spokane, Washington. It’s priced at $1,999 (the price goes up to $2,499 on February 22nd) which is actually very reasonable – I’ve seen some of these workshops sell for $5K and above..and if you figure in that they have alot of great experts teaching the class – Plus you get hands-on at an actual Distillery – Tinbender Craft Distillery – what a great way to become part of the Craft Spirit Revolution!
On Saturday, March 12, 2016, the Washington Distillers Guild presents the South Sound Spirits Gathering at the Olympic Flight Museum in Tumwater, WA.
Looking around the rest of the U.S. for craft spirit events and festivals: NYC will have both the Whiskies and Spirits Conference and Whisky Live – New York the same week – February 23rd and 24th, respectively at Chelsea Piers. The Week after on March 3rd is the 7th Annual Good Spirits which is also chefs and cocktails.
The Illinois Craft Distiller’s Guild is holding Distillinois at the Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago on March 1, 2016 – it will feature almost exclusively craft distillers from Illinois. WhiskeyFest Chicago sold out in a matter of minutes, but it’s being held March 18th at the Hyatt Regency.
Friday, March 4, 2016 hop in your private jet and head over to Las Vegas for the Nth Ultimate Whiskey Experience at the Encore at the Wynn – truly a high-roller event with tickets starting at $525 – but you can spend way more if you add on some more unique experiences offered!
Heading to California, San Jose has the Whiskies of the World on Thursday, March 24th at the San Pedro Square Market and Whiskies of the World San Francisco on Saturday, March 26th at Pier 3 on the Embarcardero.
April has a few more Spirits events – but that will be a future posting – Cheers to the recognition of a major shift in America’s drinking habits!
Charlie “I Drink on the Job” Adler
DC Beer Festivals Kick In – 2015 Fall Issue
A True Beer Connoisseur!
DC Beer Festival season kicks in again – an amazing number of craft beer festivals – from 1-price all you can drink to the Mega Snallygaster “money is no obect” – there are festivals for the craft beer lover this Fall, 2015
As the head of TasteUSA, it’s my job to attend and cover as many food and drink festivals in the U.S. as possible – and since DC is my home base, here’s some upcoming events and maybe a recap or 2 to help you plan your Festival Season.
Beer, Bourbon & BBQ (September 19th, 2015 – Tyson’s Corner – but this festival visits many different cities during the season)- Trigger Agency’s series of over the top porkiness (?porkyness?) events that combine too much of what every hearty foodie wants: pigliciousness, Bourbon and of course craft brews! Expect more bacon too – it seems this is the current foodie draw to over-the-top events. Medium on the Beer Geek/Bourbon Geek scale, Trigger really specializes in a more laid-back vibe for the city slickers who want to just throw on some jeans and kick back a bit!
Arlington Backyard Beer Festival (September 19th, 2015 – Arlington Gateway, Rosslyn, VA) – although a first year event, the Organizers have put together multiple other local beer festivals including Drink the World Beer Festival and All-American Beer Festival . Expect a nice selection of craft beers and really great food trucks for food – the price is also right – you can save 30% off the ticket price at our site with promo code “tasteusa” and the VIP Tickets are only $45 before discount!
Das Best Oktoberfest (September 26th, 2015 – National Harbor, MD) – Hey, again you can get discounted tickets – only $29 for VIP all-you-can-drink – another Trigger Agency event that is very popular. You can do the German Oktoberfest thing, or simply enjoy lot’s of great beer – and since our discounted price is $29/per person (VIP) – you get a very affordable event to enjoy craft beers at!
All-American Beer Festival
Past Events (hey, they’ll be back next year!)
Snallygaster 2015 – Holy Smokes, this is one Great and expensive craft beer festival – Very High on the Beer Geek scale, maybe an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10! 300+ beers this year and many rare, cask, unique examples of hops, grain and yeast combined in an amazing array of choices. I actually tried a beer that
Annapolis Craft Beer & Music Festival – September 12th, 2015 – Outside the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, this event is always fun and has a nice selection of local beers including Jail Break, Oliver Breweries, and Heavy Seas.
Have fun at upcoming craft beer festivals – I’ll include an article soon on new food and drink events at TasteUSA – Cheer!
Charlie “I Drink on the Job” Adler
Getting’ Piggy – Cochon 555 DC 2015
Cochon 555 Is the Pigging Party That Never Stops Giving!
Making Old Fashioneds 
Whistlepig Cocktail
Mr. Piggy Says “Hello”
Mike Isabella Being Piggie!
Mandu – the Piggie Winners! 
Yona Piggie! 
Piggie Pieces (Heritage!) 
Piggy Heart (Actually, Beef Heart – but REALLY Good!) 
Piggy Jowl with Spike Mendelsohn of Bearnaise 
Ummmm…Bacon!
Glorious Whistlepig! 
Punch Competition (Taha Won!) 
Ommegangness! 
There was wine too – Washington State Wines 
More Oinky Deliciousness! 
Did I mention there was PLENTY of Booze?? 
Charlie Adler Taking A Shot from “Say Hello to My Little Friend” Mojito Gun
DC Drinks Invitational Gets Some Buzz
Charm City Meadworks
Edible DC has Arrived in Washington, D.C. with a fantastic Bang of an Event – Drinks Invitational held on Thursday, February 19, 2015. I truly had a great time at the Drinks Invitational which both introduced and celebrated the craft spirits/craft drinks revival that’s occurring throughout the Washington, D.C. area and also around the U.S. More than just a tasting, this event was well-laid out, had decent food (which could actually be eaten as a full-meal – what a rarity at these events!) and a pleasant vibe.
I entered the event on a really cold evening – maybe it was 15 degrees Fahrenheit, but the wind was swirling and the area seemed bleak – it was so refreshing once I arrived that I decided just to take in the event and not to take too many notes or worry about the meaning of the event.
I didn’t get a chance to taste everything (I’ve had Catoctin Creek, Greenhat Gin, Lyon Distilling (which I tasted their really molasseseey Dark Rum back at the DC Rum-B-Que!) and Bloomery Sweetshine’s spirits in the past and they’re quite good!), so I focused more on newer products and things I hadn’t heard of like Charm City Meadworks. Everyone knows that Cider is hot right now, but Mead is probably the next up-and-comer. The problem with Mead may be it’s image and history – it was known as the drink of the Middle Ages..or maybe it was the Vikings – who knows, but it seems almost pre-historic. I sampled both their Wildflower Draft Mead at 6.9% ABV and their Rosemary Still Mead at 12% ABV – the latter was truly funky and delicious and very memorable – It wasn’t particularly sweet and the rosemary and other flavors from the fermented honey gave it a knotch up in flavor to say a hoppy craft beer. Keep an eye out for them – Mead is the next cider/craft beer!
Other drinks I tasted that caught my attention included the Barrow’s Intense Ginger Liqueur that really tasted great in a Ginger Beer style cocktail, a really interesting Honeydew Jalapeño Shrub by Element Shrub , some great Root Beers by Thunder Beast , and a cool Cocktail with One Eight Distillings Ivy City Gin ! 
All In all, a really fantastic evening with cool cats company – I didn’t even mention that it was a people mix of hipster, foodie, and DC Intelligentsia..well, maybe not so much the latter, but being a Foodie, I can be pretty judgmental! Let’s just say that DC is really coming into it’s own on the culinary and drinks scene – we’re not really copying anyone anymore – we’ve created our own intense, cerebral, juxtaposed Cocktail scene which is putting us on the a distinctive map of Taste!
Charlie Adler, “I Drink on the Job”
TasteUSA
Mattias Hagglund of Heritage Richmond fixing some great cocktails!
On the Rocks Or Whiskeython!
On The Rocks: Whiskey & Fine Spirits Festival 2013
Washingtonian hosts our second annual whiskey and fine spirits festival, On the Rocks, on October 10, 2013. Guests will enjoy a live band, delectable fare, and sips of premium whiskey, Scotch, malt, bourbon, rum, vodka, gin, tequila, and much more. This high-end tasting costs $65 to attend and will be advertised in Washingtonian and on washingtonian.com, Facebook, and Twitter.
On The Rocks: Whiskey & Fine Spirits Festival 2013
Washingtonian hosts our second annual whiskey and fine spirits festival, On the Rocks, on October 10, 2013. Guests will enjoy a live band, delectable fare, and sips of premium whiskey, Scotch, malt, bourbon, rum, vodka, gin, tequila, and much more. This high-end tasting costs $65 to attend and will be advertised in Washingtonian and on washingtonian.com, Facebook, and Twitter.
What
- Unlimited spirits tastings featuring premium whiskey, Scotch, bourbon, rum, vodka, gin, tequila, and more!
- Exquisite cuisine from acclaimed caterer Spilled Milk Catering
- Live music and entertainment from NYX Entertainment
- Collectable ‘On The Rocks’ glasses for all party goers
- Spirits education from specialists in the industry
When
7pm until 10:30pm
Where
The Powerhouse
3255 Grace Street, NW
Washington DC 20007
Spirits
PLATINUM
Catoctin Creek Distilling Company
- Clyde Mays Whiskey
- Don Ciccio & Figli
- Green Hat Gin
- Republic National Distributing
Featuring: Aberlour, Avion Tequila, Absolut, and Jameson Whiskey
- Smooth Ambler
Featuring: Boyd and Blair
- Whistle Pig Whiskey
Upcoming TasteDC Whiskey Event:
The Single Malt and Scotch Whisky Extravaganza, Wednesday October 30, 2013
