Weird/World Whiskeys!

UPDATE 11/12 12:34pm: The first 9 ‘weird/world’ whiskeys are listed below! If you are bringing one (not required, but fun) let me know!

I’ve missed you my wonderful friends and whiskey fans! We thought we were through this and had an oasis of Texas whiskeys this summer, but then… damnit, Delta!

I think we can all agree it’s been a weird two years–for the entire world. As we see the light at the end of the tunnel, we’re going to wash out the weirdness with our weirdest whiskey tasting yet! (Remember, Austin is weird, and weird can be good!) We’re going to enjoy good, weird whiskeys from around the world, together! Join us, toast each other and the end of the madness, and let’s start the holiday spirit early!

IMPORTANT: While I miss sharing whiskey with you, NOBODY is allowed to attend who has not completed their COVID-19 vaccination at least two weeks prior. No exceptions.

Whiskey tasting events are open to my friends and their friends, but knowing approximate attendance will help me provide the best tasting experience. Also, I want to give our lovely hostesses proper notice. So, please RSVP below.

When & Where

Time & Date: 8PM on Saturday, November 13, 2021.
Location: It’s a SURPRISE! It’s very funky and cool–dare I say weird (in the best way)?–and will be announced on the morning of (but know that it’s very central. You’re going to love it.

RSVP

Let me know if you will attend by commenting below (with # attending) so that we can plan appropriately. (Note: comments won’t appear immediately on the page until I get a chance to approve them since bots have discovered my site… but I’ll be quick.) If you can’t figure out how to do that…

Whiskeys

What do we mean by weird/world whiskeys? Whiskey was born in Scotland and Ireland. Scotch whisky and Irish whiskey begat bourbon and rye in the New World. So, we don’t mean those! We mean any whiskey made anywhere except Scotland, or the US or Canada–or, if made in those places, made in some kind of unusual way! Maybe it is from Japan (not so weird any more, but still harder to get) or India or Tasmania or China… Maybe it was made in the US but aged in unusual barrels (e.g. Barrel’s “Dovetail” whiskey, finished in rum, port, and cabernet barrels), or in unusual ways (e.g. Jefferson Ocean Aged at Sea, age in barrels on ships). Maybe it uses unusual (for whiskey) grains in the mash bill, like hops, or oats, or quinoa. Maybe it’s infused with unusual botanicals, or maybe it’s Fireball (but hopefully not). We are celebrating the weird and worldly whiskeys, so the only rules are NOT your basic Scotch, Irish, bourbon, and ryes whiskeys!

There are many, many, many weird whiskeys out there. Let’s get creative!

See current list at bottom of page.

Whiskey Tasting Events “Rules”

The “rules” have been established and refined over 23 previous whiskey (and “alt-whiskey”) events, for maximum whiskey enjoyment.

• Several different whiskeys will be provided that cover a range of taste profiles for comparison. I’ll post those below by November 10. As always, if you wish to bring a bottle to expand our comparison set and share with friends, please do (not required!)–but if you do then you must take your bottle home with you to enjoy on your own later! (There will be labels and a list.)
• All whiskeys provided by the hosts and being shared by guests will be posted below as we learn about them (let me know in the comments).
• You do not have to love whiskey (yet) to join us and have fun–just be willing to taste and learn a little. Some wine and beer will also be provided, but feel free to bring anything you want if you’re not (yet) into whiskey but still want to join the fun.
• There will be plenty of snacks, but you should eat a full dinner beforehand if you’re serious about tasting many whiskeys.
• Parking: There is a little parking at the venue and some some street parking near the venue, but because it’s a whiskey tasting and we often end up with 20ish whiskeys (along with limited parking), we strongly recommend that you consider using a rideshare so you can really focus on the tasting. Nobody drives home intoxicated!

Whiskey list

The initial whiskey list is below. I’ve highlight whatever is weird or worldly about each one. If you plan to bring something to share & compare (not required, but fun!), let me know and I’ll add to the list!

Whiskeys

1. Akashi Umi Whiskey, Japanese whiskey aged in plum wine barrels – Jay Boisseau
2. Amrut Single Cask Strength Malt Whiskey from India – Jay Boisseau
3. Balcones True Blue Corn Whisky, 100% corn– Jay Boisseau
4. Barrel Armida Bourbon, finished in pear brandy, rum, and Sicilian amaro casks – Jay Boisseau
5. Bastille 1789, French whiskey – Bill Magro
6. Brenne Single Malt, France – Melissa Skidmore
7. J. W. Kelly Melrose Rye Whiskey, double barreled, with an amarone cask finish – Reid Wilson
8. Kavalan Whisky Distillery Select, Taiwan – Andy Boisseau
9. Mars Whiskey Iwai 45, Japanese – Julie Tomlin & Chris Wilson
10. Nikka Coffey Grain Whiskey, Japanese – Eric Pangracs
11. PM Spirits Project Single Malt 6-Year Whiskey from France – Jay Boisseau
12. Redemption Rum Cask Finished Rye – Jay Boisseau
13. Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey – Reid Wilson
14. Starward Two-Fold Double Grain Whisky, Australia – Brad Hoskins
15. The Whistler Irish Whiskey, finished in stout barrels – Reid Wilson

Remember: All whiskey bottles brought by guests must be taken home to continue enjoying after the event!