After making a triumphant return in 2021, WhiskyFest is bringing back its slate of spring events, starting with WhiskyFest Chicago on Friday, May 13th. Just six months after visiting the Windy City for an evening of great whiskies, WhiskyFest will be back at the Hyatt Regency with new opportunities to meet distillers, taste a range of whisky styles, and celebrate together.
Chicago remains one of the country’s preeminent whisky cities, boasting a robust culinary scene and a fleet of world class bars. That means that the city’s whisky lovers come equipped with a thirst for knowledge and an expectation for quality and WhiskyFest is sure to deliver on both.
Attendees can expect to sample over 325 whiskies from around the globe, including American whiskeys from Michter’s, Heaven Hill, Dickel, Peerless, and Heaven’s Door; scotches from Balblair, Tamdhu, and Old Pulteney; Irish whiskeys from Power’s, Glendalough, and Limavady; Japanese whiskies from Hatozaki and Nikka; and more. Additionally, Buffalo Trace brings its stable of brands back to the WhiskyFest limelight, where they’ll be pouring Blanton’s, Eagle Rare, E.H. Taylor, George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller, Thomas H. Handy, Stagg Jr., and more.
Some Whisky of the Year winners will available, with Heaven Hill bringing Elijah Craig Barrel Proof and Larceny Barrel Proof as well as other Top 20 whiskies: Heaven Hill 7 year old Bottled in Bond and Elijah Craig rye. For VIP hour, they will offer Elijah Craig 18 year old and Parkers Heritage wheat whiskey.
WhiskyFest is a great opportunity to taste coveted whiskies, and a chance to discover something new. A handful of brands will be making their WhiskyFest debut in Chicago including Japanese whiskies Bikoku, Shunka Shuto, and Teitessa; blended malt scotch Caisteal Chamuis; and OMAGE brandy.
As for seminars, Heaven Hill’s master distiller Conor O’Driscoll will lead a session centered around the brand’s new Heritage Collection of whiskeys. Consisting of a special stock of barrels and inspired by previous releases Heaven Hill 27 year old and Heaven Hill 85th Anniversary, these annually released whiskeys will complement the more experimental line of Parker’s Heritage Collection. Additionally, we can report that Bardstown Bourbon Company VP of Product Development Dan Calloway will be leading a seminar, as will Paul Hletko and Kyle McHugh of FEW Spirits, and Cameron George and Dan Crowell of Ardbeg and Glenmorangie, respectively. Check out all the details on WhiskyFest.com.
Subscribe to WhiskyNotes or visit WhiskyFest.com for whisky list updates and the seminar lineup. VIP and General Admission tickets are still available at early bird prices but won’t last long, so grab yours today.
