Whisky Party

Switzerland on an Early Morning Run (Pre-Whisky)

Though I tasted the Whisky on August 1st, Swiss National Day, it took me a little while to get these notes up.  You can read more about my time in Switzerland in my post about my Grandma’s 100th birthday here, and overall though it was a wonderful trip, apparently Switzerland still needs some time to get its whisky right.  I think the Säntis Malt (the Oak Beer Cask aged single malt) is the best out of the three, but overall they’re all not great – especially for the price point (~$80 for 700 ml of the Swhisky, and ~$65 for 500ml of the Säntis Malt).  What slightly annoyed me as well is that two out of the three whiskeys came with a rubber stopper/cork.  The only whisky that came with a real cork was the Swhisky Skipper.  The Santis Malt rubber cork was more of an imitation cork than anything, but the Swhisky Challenge cork came apart when I popped the bottle.  You can see it in a picture below, and it may not be a huge deal, but it did not make me excited for what I was about to drink.

Other opinions are somewhat non existent at this point, but I am sending samples to my cowriters at WhiskyParty as well as Dr. Whisky and John Hansell as they requested, so hopefully they’ll all weigh in.  And for good measure, Hop Schweiz!

Säntis Malt Swiss Highlander Appenzeller Single Malt

Santis Malt: Swiss Whisky Aged in Beer Casks from Appenzeller

Santis Malt's Beautiful Label

ABV: 40%

Maturation: Oak Beer Casks

Color: Light goldish brown, Burnt Sienna

Nose: paint thinner and varnish (though not unappealing) and plastics. roasted barley, overripe apples, blood oranges, still wet sweet bread, some wood and vanilla underneath

Palate: lots of alcohol burn, lots of wood, some delicious sweetness. a fair amount of pepper. you taste the malt, but it’s more sweet than cereal.

Finish: sweet wood – just not very sweet. it develops nicely, almost starts out drying but gets it going with a slightly sour slightly sweet finish of cinnamon sugar

Overall: delicious. at first, this is a little rough, but it does open up like wine and reveal a really nice dichotomy of sweet and sour, of drying and lasting. i believe this is the first time i have ever had a whisky aged in beer casks, and I wish I could say that I taste the beer – i don’t think i can. the closest I can get is that this dram is really sweet, but not in a toffee, vanilla way, but more in a malty way. which, I know is ridiculous, but whatever. that’s what i’m going with. it’s not a great whisky, but it’s a good whisky.  And a delicious one to have, especially because it’s all Swiss made.

Swhisky Challenge (Blue)

Swhisky Challenge

Swhisky Challenge Rubber Stopper

ABV: 40%

Maturation: Oak Casks and Finished in “Wine” Casks (Burgundy)

Color: brownish gold, shimmery

Nose: very little alcohol, some christmas spices, maybe even bananas, peppermint candies and an oaky wine barrel warehouse crossed with fresh rotting grape vine stems (the distinct smell you get if you tour a winery and go to the barrel room – it’s a slightly damp wooden fresh scent with vegetation behind it

Palate: pretty harsh.  surprising considering the lack of alcohol burn above.  it’s really hard to get anything out of it.  there’s some pepper and fruit, but nothing very discernible.

Finish: building dark fruit that turns to cloying.  it’s not syrupy, but pretty much all cloying, one note, and disappointing

Overall: though the nose held some promise, this whisky stinks.  the palate just kind of disappointed and the finish was cloying.  Really disappointed with my first entry into Swhisky.  Even more disappointed with the crappy artificial cap.  I know that the wine world has all sorts of disagreements about artificial corks and screw tops versus real corks, but this thing stinks.  It fell apart, has no scent, and just makes me really question what the heck they were thinking.  Especially at the price point that this bottle was – fricking $80.  I guess overall Challenge fails to live up to the Challenge.  By a lot.

Swhisky Skipper (Green Box)

Swhisky Skipper

Swhisky Skipper - Matured in Burgundy Cask without color or filtration

ABV: 40%

Maturation: Oak Casks and Finished in “Wine” Casks (Burgundy)

Nose: brine and honey, green leafy vegetables, brown sugar malt, burnt sugar, and reeds

Palate: brown sugar explosion! brown bread, and then nothing

Finish: seriously, there’s an explosion of flavor and then it disappears. there’s some sweetness and heat that tries to build up, but doesn’t ever really get there

Overall: well, it’s interesting. it’s good, but that’s probably just because it’s whisky. it’s not very complex, but very easy and fun to drink.  I’d reach for it, but not all the time, or really often for that matter.  Just more often than Swhisky Challenge.

-StrongLikeCask

Chieftain's Logo for Glen Moray 18

This Thursday night, Whiskies of the World is presenting a tasting dinner with some of the recently released Chieftains Whiskies including the Port Ellen 1982 Vintage.  It’s hosted by Ed Kohl, the national brand ambassador for Signatory, who has been known to put on quite a tasting.  Price for the four course meal and 7 whiskies?  Only $70.   I know I’ve had my own issues with Whiskies of the World events in the past, but I do believe that the founder is a true lover of all things whisky, and this dinner seems like a pretty great deal.  I’ll unfortunately be on a plane to Chicago, but ordinarily would have loved to attend.  Tickets can be purchased here.  Event info is below, and TheCasks has a nice roundup of a previous Chieftain event with some notes.  Loved the Port Ellen, Peter did.

And as a disclaimer, we did not receive anything for posting this, just think it’s a good opportunity.

A Whisky Dinner

Presented by Ed Kohl
industry veteran and Spirits Expert

City Club Board Vice Chair DAVID FORSYTH invites you to this very special event as we introduce our new series of Scotch Whisky events at The City Club!

The evening will indulge your senses with Whisky expertly paired to a four course meal and an educational journey on how these Whiskies came to be.

Ed is well known for being a captivating speaker to both the novice and seasoned whisky enthusiast as he educates on the Art of Whisky.

Chef Munoz’s Menu & Pairings

Pepper seared Beef Tenderloin,
Roasted Peppers, Blue Cheese Cream Toasted Crostini
ISLE OF SKYE 8yr
ALLT A BHAINNE 31 year old (Speyside)

Pan Seared Maine Diver Scallop
Muscovy Duck Sausage Hash, Rocket, Béarnaise
GLEN MORAY 18 year old (Speyside)
PORT ELLEN 25 year old (Islay)

Denver Leg of Venison
Herbed Spaetzle, English Peas, Heirloom Tomatoes, Black Truffle Jus
LINKWOOD 16 year old (Speyside)
GLENROTHES 14 year old Burgundy Finish (Speyside)

Dark Chocolate Pot de Crème,
Hazelnut Short Bread
DALMORE 11 year old Madeira finish (Highland)

The City Club of San Francisco
DATE: Thursday, August 12, 2010
TIME: 6:00pm – Reception
6:30 – Dinner
PRICE: $70.00 Inclusive

-StrongLikeCask

Say it loud.

A couple months ago, we were invited to participate in a rather unique, collaborative project of the whisky blogosphere – The Whisky Round Table. I’d pass you a link, but that would defeat the entire purpose. You see, the whisky roundtable is an attempt to create some cross-blogosphere conversation on topics of interest to whisky professionals, connoiseurs, and amateurs alike.

The format is simple.  There are  twelve members in the round table – each representing a different whisky blog.  Every month, one member plays “host” to the round table and poses a question.  Each blog submits their own answer to the questions, which the host for that month compiles and then posts on their blog.

So far the roundtable has addressed three questions:

• Round Table #1 – hosted by Guid Scotch Drink, which also initiated the Round Table – asked: What rules have you set for yourself in your whisky lives and how have you rationalized breaking them?  Unfortunately we didn’t get our answers in on time, so you missed our wit and wisdom on this question.
• Round Table #2 – hosted by Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society – asked: “How did you develop you “nose” and “palate”?  What was your turning point for actually trusting what you were smelling and tasting?  What do you do, if anything, to strengthen your senses and/or help your smell and taste to grow?”
• Roundtable #3 just went up yesterday.  It is hosted by The Casks, who asked: How susceptible do you find yourself to the devious charms of marketing? How much does the design of the packaging, labeling, distillery website, etc. influence your excitement and opinion about a malt and your decision to buy or not to buy?

Participating blogs in the Whisky Round Table include: Nonjatta, Whisky Emporium, Whisky For Everyone, Whisky Notes, Glasgow’s Whisky (And Ale), Caskstrength.net, Edinburgh Whisky Blog, Guid Scotch Drink, Whisky Israel, Whisky Party, The Casks and The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society.

No word yet on when Whisky Party will get its turn as host, but we’re looking forward to it.

Bhutan is centrally located. In the center.

Last night I met up with a friend of mine who just came back from Bhutan. Which, by the way, the Bhutanese call their country Druk Yul, or Land of the Dragon. She went there not as a tourist (which, is very limited anyway and someone literally has to accompany you at all times), but as something even more rare – she went there to work and lived there for a period of months.  She had special permission from the ministry to do this, etc.

So what did she do?  She brought me back some Bhutanese Whisky.  How cool is that?  And how cool is she?  I’ll do a more thorough post on this, but wanted to post up some Whisky Bottle Porn of Coronation Silver Jubilee Whisky (or CSJ Whisky for those in the know) and a few tidbits she told me.

1. This whisky is from the Gedelphu Distillery, which is incredibly remote.  Apparently everyone that can go to Bhutan flies into Paro (which is the only paved airport in Bhutan).  Gedelphu is a 2 Day (Day!) bus ride from Paro and it is in the middle of nowhere.
2. The weird peacock design thing is actually a hat that the king of Bhutan wears on special occasions.  The design on the bottle it the Bhutanese flag, except where the King’s peacock hat is would normally be a dragon.
3. The bottle is labelled as 25′ Up and 42.8% v/v.  My first thought is to thank goodness it’s not 50′ UP because I’m not sure I’d be able to deal with that.  In reality, I’ll go through at a later date and put some research into what those markings actually mean.
4. The blend is made with “Extra neutral” grain whisky to commemorate the 25 Years of Enthronement of “The 4th Druk Gyalpo”, which basically translates to the 4th King of the Land of the Dragon.  Totally sweet.

So, now for some whisky bottle action.  I’ll post a formal review and do some more searching on this whisky in a little bit, but thought I’d share my excitement with everyone.  Here’s to hoping it’s amazing, right?

- StrongLikeCask

For an impoverished land, they sure know how to dress up special whiskies

The 4th Druk Gyalpo Deserved this Whisky

A Taste of Bhutan

A bottle of George Smith's Finest The Glenlivet 15 French Oak Reserve

The Glenlivet.  Or The Real Glenlivet.  There’s not much I can say about the distillery that hasn’t already been written somewhere.  The distillery was established in 1824 and has generally been killing it since.  So much so that until The Glenlivet fought for it, many whisky brands appended “Glenlivet” to their name just to try and get some positive glow from the brand name affiliation.  Even Macallan did it.   But that was then and this is now.  Does the legend hold?

The Glenlivet 15 Year French Oak Reserve

The Glenlivet 15 French Oak Reserve

Color: a pale, pale gold

Other Opinions:

• Whiskyboys also like the dram, though find more wood than I did.  They all found it sweet, though.
• The venerable Dr. Whisky finds loads in the nose from hippie oils to salty black licorice and contends that everyone will find something different.  Well put.  He also gets the dry finish but finds more in the palate than I do and equated Glenlivet cork popping sounds with flatulence.  Methinks the good Dr. enjoyed the whisky a bit much that night (though truth be told, there is NOT a satisfying pop on my bottle).
• The average on For Peat Sake is a low 78 with descriptors like “Not Offensive” and “too much alcohol”, which frankly confuses me but so be it.
• Peat and Smoke finds oak and spice as well, but agrees on some of the sweeter notes.  He thinks its too sophisticated and complex for a daily drinker.  Take that, stereotypes.

- StrongLikeCask

Late at night Picture of Bowmore 1996 Aged in Chateau Petrus Casks

There are many things that I appreciate about living in San Francisco.  Amongst them are my proximity to two K&L Wines stores and Beltramo’s.  There’s also the Whisky Shop, Bev Mo, Cask, and a slew of other stores that make it even more expensive for me to live here.  I started using Mint.com just to try and stick to a whisky budget.  I stopped using Mint.com to ignore the fact that I am bad at sticking to a whisky budget.

K&LWines  has gotten a new guy in the liquor department by the name of David Driscoll.  How much he loves his whisk(e)y is palatable.

Bowmore 1996 Label

And one of the new initiatives he brings with him is some exclusive casks from A.D. Rattray, and some pretty fun bottlings from Murray McDavid.

Murray McDavid has a pretty nice, though short, history in the whisky industry, and now own the Bruichladdich Distillery.  They are an independent bottler, and K&L got their hands on some of their Bowmore products.  Bowmore is a distillery from Islay, one of the oldest in Scotland (that is now owned by Suntory).  Some of Bowmore’s products could be a great entry for our 40 under $40, but other Bowmore products are some of the most sought after and reach a very high price.  Chateau Petrus is a bordeaux varietal vineyard (Pomerol) in France that is one of the most expensive in the world.  Putting them together seems quite promising, no?  Especially at a price point of under $70 for a 13 year old bottle of whisky.

Bowmore 1996 13 Years Old Aged in Chateau Petrus Casks, Murray McDavid

Non-chill filtered, no coloring, limited release of 1200 bottles.  Bourbon casks and then Chateau Petrus casks.

ABV: 46%

Color: Orange gold with a pinkish hue.

Legs: Small and sloppy.

Nose: Graham crackers, berries, mulled wine, cinnamon, candied dried fruits, and some honeyed sweetness.

Palate: VERY sweet.  Smoke undertones, which is nice.  Creamy trifle is here, too.  First time I’ve found that in a whisky.  The sweetness is a bit much, actually.  There are definitely plums here.  Some berries and stone fruit.  But all of the sweet and none of the tartness.

Finish: The finish is interesting.  It’s fairly short, and not altogether too sweet.  It’s actually fairly spicy with a little smoke.  There’s still the drying sweetness of fruit, but mostly spiciness – cinnamon and pepper.

-StrongLikeCask

Swiss cow early in the morning

Switzerland is known for many things: cows, cheese, neutrality, chocolate, fondue, gold, banking, the Alps, and probably pigtails.  Whisky?  Not so much.  When it comes to liquor, most folks probably know of Goldschläger (the origins of which aren’t even Swiss), but whisky wouldn’t be top of the mind.  Let’s try to change that.

I was lucky enough to travel to Switzerland to celebrate my grandma’s 100^th birthday (she’s awesome, still lives on her own, and remembers all her kids, grandkids’ and great grandkids’ names).  Before going,  I wanted to do some due diligence and try and locate some whisky I could purchase in Zurich Duty Free.  And apparently  I had been spelling whisky wrong.  Really, I was looking for “Swhisky”.

What?!?  That portmanteau, potentially one of the most awesome and terrible words I’ve seen actually exists and represents a real product.  It’s 100% Swiss whisky and it’s award winning.  Their motto, google translation tells me is to “do good and not evil”  Weird for a whisky, but I can get behind that.  Swhisky has several lines – the amazing looking Prestige Collection, the Grand Crus Collection and the Club Collection which contains two releases available in Zurich’s duty-free: Challenger and Skipper.   I was able to pick these up at duty-free, though I was a little dismayed that they run a hefty price.  The company has a whole slew of other releases that I could not get my hands on that have apparently won awards, though they have problems making enough to meet demands.  LonelyPlanet even recently posted a nice article about the company.

Swhisky, Rheingold Cognac and Santis Malt

Liquor in Switzerland is purchased in a grocery store (I did not find a liquor store anywhere).  When I tried to figure out where to purchase and shop for whisky, my uncles had no idea where I could get some except maybe for department/grocery stores.  The selection in those stores was pretty light – though many did carry the Appenzell Single Malt I write of below.  One store I found (Globus) did have a bottle of Ardbeg Lord of the Isles for sale at around 130 Swiss Francs (and I was excited!) but when I tried to purchase it, they claimed the price was a mistake and wouldn’t sell it for less than 400 Swiss Francs.  It made sense – it seems that everything in Switzerland is pretty pricey.  Oh well.

My parents who got to Switzerland before me visited Appenzell, a region of Switzerland best known for its cheese and herbal liquor (which interestingly can’t be imported into the US because they refuse to release all their ingredients).  While there, they found an Appenzeller Single Malt, called Santis Malt – a 100% barley single malt whisky that is aged in ex-beer barrels, and they were kind enough to pick up the 500mL bottle for me as a birthday present.  The packaging of this one is awesome (though once again, the whisky was pretty expensive) and was found in the Appenzell region as well as the Globus store I visited.

Rudlinger Rheingold Cognac

Lastly, though not whisky, I was able to take home a bottle of some amazing cognac.  My uncle maintains a few grape vines on his small farm, and in 2003 he decided to make some of the grapes into cognac.  The bottle is gorgeous – the label is written in sharpie on 24 karat gold leaf (eat that, goldschlager).  And the taste?  Well, let’s just say I’ll be willing to try different cognacs from now on.  The cognac had amazing stone fruits on the nose, and on the palate it was sweet, developed nicely into tartness, and honeyed cinnamon flower petals.  I was extremely impressed.

Anyway, so that’s Switzerland.  It is an amazing place, and though whisky is a bit harder to come by, there are still some surprises to be had.  To close, below is a picture of my Grandma.  When 11 AM rolled around on her 100th birthday, she asked if it was okay if we started drinking wine.  If you’re looking for something to toast later on, raise a dram to her health.  And to yours.

Mamama on her 100th, showing us all how to lean back

- StrongLikeCask

As the Major League Baseball season came to a labor strike-induced, premature end, Highland Park was laying down barrells (including many first-fill sherry casks) that would make their way into this small-batch vatting released 16 years later as a Duty-Free-only 1994 vintage edition.  I got mine at Ataturk International, where I also managed to get one of the last of their Laphroaig TripleWood; however, unlike the TripleWood, I don’t think you’ll have a hard time locating these HP vintages once you make your way into any World Travel Retail shop.

Whisky vintaged from the U.N. International Year of the Family

Highland Park 1994

Abv.: 40%.

Color: Gold.

Legs: Viscous but medium-large and not very slow.

Also the U.N. International Year of the Olympic Ideal, and HP distilled this gold dram

Nose: Tropical fruits, coconut; vanilla; fruitcake; honeysuckle; touch of salt.

Taste: Cardamom, banannas in chocolate, and that classic HP marzipan.

Body: Fuller than expected in a 40% bottle, with an enjoyable mouthfeel.

Finish: Sutble dried fruit and spice, medium in length; flambéed.

Overall: Definitely the sweet side of Highland Park, but the sherry spices and the smokeyness poke through.  A nice dram for all; not too light, not too heavy, not too smokey– a touch sweet, but in a dynamic way.  Definitely Highland Park, but definitely a nice variation, too.

Go ahead, just try to pay duty on this bottle

Other Opinions: A nice, sweeter variant of the typically sweet/spicey/smokey Highland Park style.

• ScotchMaltWhisky just repeats the distillery notes: caramel and dark fruit on the nose, and caramel and spices/dried fruit on the palate, with a “lingering, warming smoky finish.”
• The Caskstrength boys like the sweetness that stands out in the usual Highland Park profile, along with the butterscotch on the nose and the slightly spiced palate.
• Gavin & Tom at Whisky-Pages find less caramel than the 1998 vintage but also note the sweetness of the dram and the “bonfire smoke in the finish;” they give it 3 out of 5 stars (“good”).

This past year has been a fantastic, slippery journey, and all three members of WhiskyParty were able to get together recently to recount the 365 or so whisky-soaked days that have passed since we started this blog.  The festivities included finally opening our bottle of Supernova, plus a tasting of the ridiculously good and now extremely rare Laphroaig 30 year old, courtesy of StrongLikeCask.  We’ll add our Laphroaig 30 notes soon, but wanted to start out with our notes on the first release (non-committee) of Ardbeg’s Supernova.  We had purchased the bottle when it first came out and were planning on doing a timely review when we were all together.  Just so happened we were never all together until recently.  So it goes.

Before we post our thoughts on the whisky below, let us just say that we’re honored to be here writing about something we love.  The weblog continues to be a place where the three of us can share our thoughts,  embrace the history of and learn more about whisk(e)y, and stay connected with one another as we continue on our journeys through life.  We did not imagine that others might appreciate our thoughts, and we had no idea of the strength and camaraderie of the whisky community.  It is heartening, uplifting and infinitely rewarding to be thought of as members.  Though sometimes hampered by the prohibitive (at times) cost of enjoying whisky, by our various travels, studies, and starting out in our careers, we are thankful that we always have a place to learn, droogs with whom to drink no matter how far away we are physically, and a passion that continues to unite us as friends.  Thanks to everyone for reading, to everyone for sharing their own thoughts, and for all our friends, families, and acquaintances who let us geek out on our passion for uisge beatha.  We raise a glass to you.

Finally.

Here’s our notes from the ‘Nova:

Ardbeg Supernova

Abv: 58.9%

Color: natural golden flax.

Legs: tiny, tight, and slow at first, but then developing some size and length

Supernovae are "extremely luminous"

Nose:

[Dodgy Drammer] rich, sweet, peaty, and creamy—thousand island dressing? Graham crackers; briny, with mussels in white wine; some fiery cinnamon. Water brings out the fruitcake.

[Srong Like Cask] extremely inviting.  metallic, briny, rusty, smoke, sweet, vegetal (snap peas!), ginger

Palate:

[DD] wow, sensory overload. Remarkable movement, too– from burning coals to even burning-er coals. During our party someone mentioned gingersnaps, I believe—the unwatered palate is definitely gingersnaps. With some water, I get more of the cinnamon, thyme, a rampant peat fire (as if someone set the bog ablaze), some fresh cherries in cream, and then heavily roasted peanuts toward the end.

[SLC] immediate sweetness with strong coalsmoke overtones.  some heather. on a bbq, apparently.  More smoke.  A tinge of cough syrupness.

Exceeding its Chandrasekhar limit

Finish:

[DD] long and strong, with some salt, pepper, and smoke.

[SLC] sweetness, gingersnaps, a lingering candied smoke.  are those cherry pits?

Overall:

[DD] when we were drinking this for fun, it seemed amusing but not serious—someone really couldn’t have spent all those resources making this and charging this much for it, right? It was like a great novelty—awesome at doing what it’s sold to do but nothing else. However, after a session of concentration and assessment, it is a wholly amazing whisky that tests the palates of even the most serious peat freaks. Fuck yeah, Ardbeg.

[SLC] Really delicious.  I’m happy we got this.  If not for an everyday sipper, but for the experience we can share.  It overwhelms the palate a little after a dram.  but it’s extremely satisfying.  It brings a slew of different things to the table, and does what one expects Ardbeg to do: smoke and sweetness balanced nicely.

Other Opinions:

Not beloved, but certainly thoroughly enjoyed across the board; most notes include a vanilla sweet element, an earthy element, and some spices, citing less maritime flavours with bigger, sweeter peat than other Ardbegs.

• John Hansell appreciates the earthy, espresso notes, the building, “lava-like crescendo” of peat on the palate, the balanced underbelly of vanilla sweetness, etc.
• Ruben at WhiskyNotes gets the earthy espresso flavours like John, and the salt and pepper (like me), noting this as “less extreme” than presumed.
• Master of Malt gets lots of spices, among other things.  He suggests you “build up” to it with some other Ardbegs, first.  Good call.
• Matt at WFE informs us that this NAS is essentially an 8 year old bottling, and likes the cereal malt, vanilla, spices, and–wait for it– the peat.

Well, I’m not actually in Chicago to enjoy any of these upcoming activities, but as I’m taking a break, in NY, from excavation and travel (more on that in another post), I got a chance to see what was going on in that town of mine.  This week features some great Binny’s Scotch events, and then the Signature Room hosts a Buffalo Trace dinner.  Also check out Binny’s Fathers’ Day deal on JW Blue for $159 (includes custom engraving).

THE NOSE KNOWS

• Wednesday, June 16, 6:30-8:30pm

Legendary Whyte & Mackay Master Blender Richard Paterson will conduct a seminar in his art, featuring Dalmore 12 year old, 15 year old, Gran Reserva and King Alexander and Isle of Jura 16 year Superstition, plus a surprise. Seating is limited, reservations are required. $20 W/Binny’s Card / $30 non-members.

• Call 773-935-9400 for more information.
• Chicago – Lakeview
• Binny’s Ivanhoe Castle & Catacombs Tasting Room | Chicago | 773-935-9400

COMPASS BOX RETROSPECTIVE

• Thursday, June 17, 6:30-8:30pm

Compass Box Whiskymaker John Glaser is maverick, risk taker and master blender all rolled into one package. He is providing us a unique opportunity to explore the history of Compass Box whiskies through verticals representing a number of the unique whiskies he has created over the last 10 years. These include Peat Monster, Spice Tree, Hedonism and more. Due to the rarity of the whiskies, this tasting will be limited in size and reservations are strictly required. $20 W/Binny’s Card / $30 non-members

• Call 312-768-4400 or email southloop@binnys.com for reservations.
• Chicago – South Loop
• 1132 S. Jefferson Street | Chicago | 312-768-4400

HIGHLAND PARK AND CHOCOLATE

• Tuesday, June 22, 6:30-8:30pm

Highland Park Brand Ambassador Martin Daraz makes his return to Chicago, and this time he is bringing chocolate! Martin will cover a wide variety of topics, from the history of this legendary distillery, to the food compatibilty of Scotch, to what to expect in the future from this Orkney gem, utilizing 12, 15 and 18 year old, as well as the 1981-25 year old Single Cask, and perhaps another surprise or two! This tasting will be limited in size and reservations are strictly required. $20 W/Binny’s Card / $30 non-members.

• Call 312-768-4400 or email southloop@binnys.com for reservations.
• Chicago – South Loop
• 1132 S. Jefferson Street | Chicago | 312-768-4400

BUFFALO TRACE BOURBON DINNER

• Sunday, June 27
• The Signature Room at the 95th (875 N. Michigan Ave.)

Bourbon lovers will barrel their way to reserve a spot at this groundbreaking culinary event! The Signature Room at the 95th and Buffalo Trace Distillery partner to create an exclusive single barrel blend of bourbon and serve it alongside a lavish five-course meal created by Executive Chef Patrick Sheerin. Reception will begin at 6:00pm, dinner at 6:30pm.

• 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
• $75 per person (inclusive of tax & gratuity)
• Call 312-280-0472 for reservations.