WhiskyLive NYC 2012 – Coupon Code!

Oh man am I excited!!! It’s that time again – WhiskyLive is coming to NYC next week on Wednesday, April 11th.

If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet – especially all of you whiskey/spirit bloggers – do so now! WhiskyLive by Whisky Magazine is not the event to miss.  With over 230 different whiskies being poured and the USA PREMIER of the CocktailsLive show (featuring whisky cocktails created by some of NYC’s top bartenders – awesomeness!) this is something I seriously look forward to year after year. I get goosebumps just thinking about it!!!

Go for the whiskies, the networking and this year for the addition of the CocktailsLive show – all included in the price of a basic ticket (and did I mention a full dinner buffet?)!

Ready for your discount code?  Here you go!  Just enter: ww2012 in the promo code at check out to receive 10% off of your VIP or Regular ticket.  (Code is case sensitive – please note there are no upper case letters).  Click HERE for more info and to see the list of Master Classes.

I’ll be live tweeting at @whiskygirls and @localinfusions

If you’re going to be there – let me know in the comments and include your twitter handle – I’ll follow you!

(oh, and since I know you want the inside scoop, the industry after party will most likely be at Ward III in Tribeca …  but you’ll have to follow me on twitter for real time confirmation – where ever it ends up though – you can bet I’ll be there!)

Advertisement

2 cool whisky events YOU can attend!

If you live in or plan to visit NYC, read on!  These two events are different and interesting enough that I wanted to give others a chance to attend instead of doing a post-event review. (See, aren’t I nice!?)

These are hosted by Le Dû’s Wines … who has been building quite a nice collection of whiskies over the last 6 months and are taking this recent addition to their shop quite seriously (which makes me happy!).  You may remember me giving them a shout out earlier this month for hosting the exclusive Louis XIII tasting I blogged about HERE. …

Get out your calendars are read on!

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7th

CLICK ON BOX TO BE TAKEN TO THEIR PAGE

Click on the box above to be taken to their site or call 212-924-6999 for reservations.

Enough said.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15th

This next event is FREE but invite only and space is extremely limited.  Consider this your personal invitation.  If you are interested (and why wouldn’t you be!?) email JT Robertson (jt at leduwines dot come) asap for a spot.

Here are the details: Free but invite only Signatory and Cigar tasting on December 15^th.  Signatory’s Brand Manager will be tasting 8 or so awesome single barrel Scotches in a super swag cigar shop in Midtown (complete with a smoking lounge, of course).  What could be better?  Get on the list now to get the full scoop!

THANKS for the 411 JT!!! You know you’ll be seeing me behind a whisky glass!  Can’t wait! 

Master Class: Johnnie Walker

Attention, class!

I had the pleasure of attending a Johnnie Walker Master Class which was led by Diageo’s Master of Whisky, John Heffernan.   He was great – very entertaining & quickly put everyone at ease (or was that all of the whisky we were tasting?).  John proudly wore a kilt and got you excited to ride the Johnnie Walker journey, starting us off with this video and a little story about the filming process…  

As you can see, there is no place for a cut so this needed to be performed in one clean take.  Apparently, during the 1st two days of shooting the actor couldn’t get the timing just right with the script and the props.  On the second night, tired and probably feeling a little fed-up, the crew went out for drinks.  One drink turned into two, two turned into three … and so on.  The next morning, feeling a little hungover, everyone came together and the actor nailed it on the first take.  Surely this isn’t the kind of story you share with your 6 year old niece… “And the moral of this story is…?“

On the menu that evening was Johnnie Walker Black, Green, Gold & Blue (no Red) as well as two single malts that, in addition to their own bottlings, are used in some of the Johnnie Walker blends.  Cardhu 12yr – a delightfully pure and easy single-malt whiskey that was recently re-released back into the US market.  I love this scotch for it’s uncomplicated, lightly sweet flavor and perfect finish which makes it a great whiskey for the novice, master and everyone in between.  The other single malt we tasted was Talisker – from the Talisker Distillery, which I find interesting to note is the only distillery on the Isle of Skye. This particular scotch is so briny and salty (much like it’s surrounding terrain), I totally understood why John suggested adding a drop of this whisky to oysters on the 1/2 shell or your adding “a little more than a splash” to your next bloody mary … deeeelish.

During the tasting, John said something interesting about the Johnnie Walker Labels that I thought I’d share with you.  For him, he finds that the flavor of the blends somewhat match the colors of their labels.  For example, Johnnie Walker Black has strong notes of pepper & smoke.  Johnnie Walker Green has hints of pine, fresh-cut hay, and earth.  JW Gold tastes like toffee, almond and cream.  Johnnie Walker Red (which we didn’t taste that day) reminds him of cinnamon – specifically the Red Hot Candies.  When you suck on one for a minute and then take it out of your mouth, on your next inhale you get that zing inside your mouth – that, he said, has a similar mouth-feel for him as the JW Red.  I really enjoy this easy-to-remember tip.  I find that it helps me visualize the flavors which can make for a much faster decision at the bar or at the store!

Lastly, John mentioned that even though the Johnnie Walker Blue label is the most expensive of the JW blends, doesn’t me an that it [should] default as everyone’s favorite.  In fact, Johnnie Walker’s Master Distiller (who, lets face it, could have any scotch he’d like) likes Johnnie Walker Red the best!  Just goes to show that there’s no right or wrong answer to the question, “What is the best whisk(e)y” – it’s a matter of personal opinion – just drink what you like!

(this blog post first appeared on TUESDAY, APRIL 12th at WhiskyWoman’s original home: http://whiskywoman.blogspot.com/)