WhiskyFest Chicago

There are two big whisky shows sponsored by Malt Advocate Magazine - WhiskyFest New York, which takes place in the Fall, and WhiskyFest Chicago which is in early Spring.

Despite the fact that we recently celebrated the New Year, WhiskyFest Chicago is coming up quick - It will be held on Thursday evening, March 30th at the Hyatt Regency.

WhiskyFest isn't a new event - the 2005 New York WhiskyFest, held this past November, was the 8th annual, while the 2006 Chicago WhiskyFest will be the 6th one. They have their stuff down - the show runs smoothly, with great access to the industry folks and their products, and the speakers are varied and interesting. For example, here's a sampling of the line up for Chicago:

Ronnie Cox, Director, The Glenrothes
Marty Duffy, Master of Scotch, The Classic Malts
Ewan Gunn, USA Brand Ambassador, Dewar's
Michael Heads, Distillery Manager, Isle of Jura
Ian Millar, Distillery Manager, Glenfiddich

And for the bourbon drinkers out there:

Chris Morris, Master Distiller, Woodford Reserve
Craig Beam, Master Distiller, Heaven Hill
Fred Noe, Jim Beam's Great Grandson, Small Batch Bourbon

But it's not just about the speakers, it's about what will be poured - which is more than I can easily list in this article, but you can read the full list here.

I get emails from people who are just getting into whisky, and want to know the best bottles to buy with say, $100. I heartily suggest that you take that $100 and attend an event like WhiskyFest. You'll get to try a large number of expressions from a large number of distilleries - take good notes and you'll be readily able to choose something that you like when you make your next Scotch purchase.

For the more seasoned drinker out there, there's plenty to try that you may not already have sitting in your liquor cabinet - interested in trying that Macallan Fine Oak 15, Dalmore 28 year-old Stillman's Dram, or Talisker 175th Anniversary? You can do it here - all without buying each bottle separately.

You'll also end up with a Glencairn glass for your tasting pleasure - but be careful, I put mine down to sign a book for someone in New York, and some thieving, drunken bastard swiped it. Luckily, the Malt Advocate team was nice enough to replace it.

As you can imagine, it's pretty hectic over at the Malt Advocate offices right now, getting ready for the show. But Amy Westlake, Director of the WhiskyFest event, took time to talk with me about WhiskyFest:

KE - Is there a different feel than at the New York Whisky Fest?

AW - WhiskyFest Chicago is similar to WhiskyFest New York naturally since we put on both shows. What we've noticed about Chicago is that there is a much higher percentage of women. A lot more couples attend the event which you see more with wine events. It's also has a Midwest feel to it....it's not as rushed at the tables is what some of the companies have told me.

In addition, there are a number of whisky-related events that occur during the week of WhiskyFest Chicago....we've termed it "The Whisky City" instead of the Windy City for the week of WhiskyFest. The retailers and bars/restaurants are very appreciative of the whisky experts who are in town and take advantage of their presence by planning special events. It's great for the companies since they can reach an even larger audience in addition to WhiskyFest. Last year Binny's and Sam's, the two largest retailers in Chicago, had big whisky events during that week. In addition, Delilah's, which is a terrific whiskey and beer bar, (KME - Been there, love it) opened their 10,000th bottle of Maker's Mark the night before WhiskyFest. A sushi restaurant had a special whisky-sushi dinner; each course was paired with a different expression of Gordon & Macphail products.

KE - Chicago looks to be a little more Bourbon oriented, is that due to the Midwest locale or is it just me?

AW - A more bourbon interest for Chicago? Not sure about that. We seem to have just as many Scotch/Irish/Canadian/Japanese tables at the event as we do in New York.

KE - Any plans for more Whisky Fest cities? West Coast?

AW - Regarding WhiskyFest growing to other markets, we're always open to considering this possibility.

KE - How long does it take to plan an event like this?

AW - It takes over a year to plan our events; you just can't believe the amount of work that goes into it so that everything runs smoothly. Hopefully we make it look easy.

KE - At Whisky Fest New York, you gave a special Award to Michael Jackson, any surprises planned for Chicago?

AW - At New York, we announced the 2005 Malt Advocate Whisky Awards and Michael's award was one of about 8 we presented. This happens once a year at the New York event so there won't be any awards given out at WhiskyFest Chicago.

WhiskyFest Chicago and has sold out 5 years running so buy your tickets soon!

And for you advance planners the New York WhiskyFest is scheduled for Monday, November 6, 2006.

Comments

[Shasta MacNasty]

This year will be my first Whisky Fest, so I'm looking forward to it. Last year I was at Delilah's when they opened that 10,000th bottle. I even won a shot from it. :) I haven't heard of any similar events happening around the city this year though. Any news on that?

[Kevin Erskine]

This from Amy Westlake regarding events for WhiskyFest Chicago:
--------------------------
Hey, Kevin. I have just sent out an email to all the exhibitors asking for a list of their whisky events during that week.

I was in Chicago last week and from what I heard, there will be a number of things going on. I'll shoot you an update once I hear from the companies. Should be in the next few days. Thanks,

Amy