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.

I can only guess at the reasons for it but this year's event -- which is coming up in 4 days -- doesn't seem to be very popular. Regular and VIP tickets are being deeply discounted right now ($100 off). The last time I attended was in 2012. By then, it had already turned into something of a shit show. Moving the event from Monday to Friday certainly changed the nature of the thing. It became less industry and more recreational . . . and a lot sloppier. And it kind of became diminishing returns, too. The more one attended, the fewer the opportunities became to try new things.

But there were a few years there where it sold out almost instantly. I haven't followed it too closely but it seems very unusual for VIP tickets to even be available this close to the event, let alone be discounted. I wonder if this slowdown is covid, attendee saturation, pricing or some combination of those and other factors. The whiskey/whisky market still seems red hot, so I don't think overall popularity is a factor but maybe I'm wrong about that.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:I can only guess at the reasons for it but this year's event -- which is coming up in 4 days -- doesn't seem to be very popular. Regular and VIP tickets are being deeply discounted right now ($100 off). {edit}

The event wound up being postponed.
Here is the registration URL for the rescheduled event.
It is now scheduled for Saturday, 27 August 2022. There are four ticket levels:

• Exclusive @ 2:30 pm ($93.43)
• Premium @ 3:00 pm ($71.50)
• V.I.P. @ 3:30 pm ($53.95)
• General Admission @ 4:00 pm ($45.18)

Close is at 6:00 pm.
What is still quizzical is that it does not show where it will be held. The address field only displays 60661.
I keenly doubt I will attend this. But I put it out here for those of you who are into whisk(e)y.

pudgym29 wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:I can only guess at the reasons for it but this year's event -- which is coming up in 4 days -- doesn't seem to be very popular. Regular and VIP tickets are being deeply discounted right now ($100 off). {edit}

The event wound up being postponed.
Here is the registration URL for the rescheduled event.
It is now scheduled for Saturday, 27 August 2022. There are four ticket levels:

• Exclusive @ 2:30 pm ($93.43)
• Premium @ 3:00 pm ($71.50)
• V.I.P. @ 3:30 pm ($53.95)
• General Admission @ 4:00 pm ($45.18)

Close is at 6:00 pm.
What is still quizzical is that it does not show where it will be held. The address field only displays 60661.
I keenly doubt I will attend this. But I put it out here for those of you who are into whisk(e)y.

It doesn't appear these are the same events. The one to which you refer above (taking place at Hubbard Inn, btw) is organized by WhiskeyTastingFestivals.com and may or may not be postponed. It's unclear at the event page (eventbrite.com). The one back in May (which did take place at Hyatt Regency), was organized by Skanken/Whisky Advocate.

=R=

Not 100% sure but per an email I received -- recapped on this web page --it appears that (Shanken's) WhiskeyFest has given up on Chicago or maybe, Chicago has given up on WhiskeyFest.

Upcoming Q4 2022 events are scheduled for SF, NY and Vegas.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Not 100% sure but per an email I received -- recapped on this web page --it appears that (Shanken's) WhiskeyFest has given up on Chicago or maybe, Chicago has given up on WhiskeyFest.

Upcoming Q4 2022 events are scheduled for SF, NY and Vegas.

As Lee Corso might say, "not so fast my friend" . . .

WhiskeyFest Chicago 2023
May 12, 2023 - Hyatt Regency

Looking at the the list of exhibitors, this is probably still a fine event for folks who haven't tried many things and would like a chance to do so all in one venue. Not cheap, though. VIP $375 (extra hour), GA $295.

=R=