Whiskey

“Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.” — Mark Twain

I’m a whiskey fan–maybe not as much as Mark Twain, but maybe so, with slightly more restraint. Marking whiskey requires effort, expertise, inspiration, and sometimes a little luck. Great whiskey has a beautiful color, an amazing nose, and a warming, complex set of flavors on the tongue. It takes a little effort to appreciate the character of whiskey–something that often reveals an open-mindedness and great character in people. I have a high default level of trust and respect of those willing to try to appreciate it, succeed or not, and the conversations over great whiskey are among the best I’ve ever had. And so, I organize many whiskey-focused events, and I arrange for good whiskey to be served at other events.

My next whiskey-tasting event will feature Scotch whiskies on November 4, 2023, at Case de German y Diana. And after that, join us for an event featuring Still Austin Whiskeys at Trifecta on 3rd on November 15.

Speaking of Trifecta, stay tuned for Whiskey Wednesdays there starting in November! Some friends and I have purchased Trifecta, a longtime great neighborhood bar for whiskey, and will be upgrading it starting in November. More on that soon, but please follow our news and events on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

Just for fun, here are the 31(!) previous whiskey (and “alt-whiskey”) tastings I’ve hosted at my and friends’ homes (and I promise to start posting notes and pictures with #32):

9/16/23 – a celebration of Japanese whiskies–smooth, subtle, superlative.
3/4/23 – a special, small-group ‘whiskey reduction project’ to finish some delicious, but nearly empty, bottles with friends and make room on the Chez Boisseau bar for future events
12/10/22 – an ‘alt-whiskey’ event, featuring brandy, the “whiskey of wine!”
11/1/22 – Special Still Austin spirits tasting
7/16/22 – Back to Bourbon, Baby!
4/2/22 – Revisting Rum! and other sugarcane spirits!
11/13/21: Weird/world whiskeys in observance of the weird times we’ve all been through, not post-Delta….
6/12/21 – The return of in-person (fully vaxed!) whiskey tastings, with a welcome to all Texas whiskeys!
11/19/20 – Special online whiskey tasting for the Dell Technologies HPC Community, sponsored by Intel!
2/15/20 – Rye Rising: back to our American whiskey roots!
9/7/19 – special edition: Tastes of Americana! American whiskey and Americana live music with two bands!
5/25/19 – 20th edition of the whiskey tasting series: this special event, hosted at the new 4-story home of Amber Allen, celebrated Scotch, bourbon, Japanese, and many other whiskeys, floor by floor.
5/25/19 – Rye whiskey: over 20 beautiful rye whiskeys were tasted, with Robin Johnston hosting a great night of rye-influenced revelry.
11/10/18 – almost 20 wonderful whiskies of Japan, hosted by Thomas Giamboi and Rochelle Rae and with some Japanese whisky education from Steve White of Seven Grand and Philipp Detscher of Austin Wine Merchant.
8/11/18 – Bourbon whiskey: tremendous selection of bourbon whiskey, generou hosted by the amazing Amber Allen
5/19/18 – Irish whiskey: graciously hosted by the Irish Consul General for Austin, Adrian Farrell, with tips on whiskey-tasting from Level-3 Whiskey Sommelier Anthony Dina!
2/3/18 – Scotch whisky: perhaps best, most comprehensive whisky selection so far!
7/1/17 – Gin: leftovers have provided the base for many poolside drinks…
2/4/17 – Texas whiskeys: we still have a ways to go, but Balcones Single Malt #1…
11/5/16 – Tequila: delicioso!
8/13/16 – Japanese whiskey: everyone was amazed
5/28/16 – Scotch whisky: pretty good selection, and non-whiskey drinkers were impressed
3/26/26 – Bourbon whiskey: U-S-A!
10/24/15 – Absinthe: this was also a mistake…
8/22/15 – Texas whiskeys: hey, we’re tryin’!
7/18/15 – Irish whiskey: sweet sweet whiskeys…
5/30/15 – Moonshines & corn whiskey: This was our first mistake.
4/18/15 – Rum: surprise! there are many great rums!
10/8/14 – Tequila: many people learned that there are actually good tequilas
5/22/14 – Bourbon whiskey: Jay’s favorite’s class of whiskey
4/22/14 – Rye whiskey: love the spicy whiskeys… we need to do this again