WhiskyFest San Francisco 2009 Updates
Welcome to the WhiskyFest San Francisco updates page! We look forward to seeing you at the third annual WhiskyFest on Friday, October 16th where you’ll have the opportunity to taste more whiskies and meet more whisky experts in attendance than any other whisky event in the country. It’s a fantastic event for knowledgeable whisky enthusiasts and a priceless experience for those just getting into whisky.
Special discounted ticket pricing announced!
Purchase your WhiskyFest San Francisco ticket between now and September 15th and receive $10 off each ticket ordered and shipping is FREE (a $10 value).
With this special pricing, regular admission pricing will be $95 (all inclusive) and provides access to the Main tasting ballroom and all seminars. You’ll receive a commemorative Glencairn Scottish crystal nosing glass, a one year subscription to Malt Advocate magazine as well as an informative event program. A gourmet buffet will be available all evening and there will be plenty of water, coffee and soda to quench your thirst. Regular admission tickets purchased after September 15th will be $105.
VIP tickets will be $140 until September 15th. VIP ticketholders are admitted to the event one hour early where attendance is limited and many companies pour “VIP hour only” whiskies during this time. You’ll also receive a canvas WhiskyFest tote bag when you check in at registration.
There’s no better time to buy your WhiskyFest San Francisco tickets!
August 2009 Updates
Exhibitors
The interest from the whisky industry has been overwhelming. There will be more than 70 exhibiting companies/brands in the Yerba Buena Ballroom at the San Francisco Marriott (4th and Market)…that’s an incredible line-up of whiskies for you to try. For the list of what will be available for sampling, go to the whisky list. We’ll be adding to this list every week.
Special Whisky Experts
In addition to the array of whiskies and other products, we expect numerous distillery managers, master blenders and other industry leaders to be in attendance at WhiskyFest. Check back in a few weeks and we’ll let you know who will be there the night of the show.
Speakers
There will also be a wonderful variety of speakers who will be hosting whisky seminars adjacent to the ballroom during WhiskyFest. Click
here to see who will be speaking.
A Truly Special Offering
The charity table at this year’s event will feature six bottles made just for the event by top distillers and master blenders. These are bottles one of one and will never be repeated or available to consumers again. A small donation to charity will buy attendees a taste of one of these special whiskies, and 100% of the proceeds will go to Meals on Wheels San Francisco. Here’s who is participating in this effort:
Isle of Jura - Willie Tait: "I put a hogs head of Jura down on the 23rd Nov 1989, on my daughter's 13th birthday. This was my legacy for my children, as they have already taken all my money."
Bruichladdich - Jim McEwan: "The title of my whisky will be "Working on a Dream" it will be a vatting of 46 years of Bruichladdich as that is the time I have been in the business. A single malt made by humble men on the west coast of Islay whereby you can feel and taste their personality, honesty and passion in every sip you take."
The Dalmore - Richard Paterson: As Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface for the very first time at 02.56 GMT on 21st July 1969, the new spirit of Dalmore down on Earth on this very same day was being transported onto the circular surface of American White Oak to begin its epic journey too.
The Balvenie - David Stewart: David now has an intimate knowledge of where his personal favorites are within the Balvenie warehouses, many of which he has been carefully nurturing for several years. David's unique bottling will be a single cask sampling drawn directly from one of this highly personal selections.
Glenfiddich - Brian Kinsman: Cask samples are retained long after the cask has long been bottled and savored. They form a historical archive of Glenfiddich's greatest and best. Brian will be selecting from these precious remnants to craft a unique and unrepeatable one-bottle "vatting" of Glenfiddich.
Buffalo Trace: Our charity Buffalo Trace bottle contains the very first sample ever drawn from our "Millennium Barrel." This barrel was filled on December 31, 1999, that's why we call it our "Millennium Barrel." It was the very last barrel that we filled on the last day of the last century.
But wait! There’s more!
In addition to the six bottles above, Highland Park is donating two rare vintage whiskies for our charity table. The distillery will be releasing two new vintage Highland Park whiskies later this year: a 1964 vintage and a 1968 vintage and both of these wonderful bottles will be at the charity table.
Tickets
If you purchase your regular admission tickets by September 15th, your ticket price will be $95 (all inclusive) and shipping is FREE (a $10 value). This ticket provides access to the Main tasting ballroom and all seminars. You’ll receive a commemorative Glencairn Scottish crystal nosing glass, a one year subscription to Malt Advocate magazine as well as an informative event program. A gourmet buffet will be available all evening and there will be plenty of water, coffee and soda to quench your thirst. Regular admission tickets purchased after September 15th will be $105.
Love tasting events but hate the crowds?
Then consider ordering a VIP ticket to WhiskyFest. VIP tickets are $150 and gets you into the Ballroom one hour before general admission giving you plenty of access to the distillery managers and master blenders. And you can also enjoy rare “VIP hour only” whiskies that many of the whisky companies will be offering only during the VIP hour. You’ll also receive a canvas WhiskyFest tote bag when you check in at registration and shipping in free for these tickets until September 15th.
An even better deal?
Are you a Malt Advocate Whisky Society member? If so, you receive a VIP ticket at the general admission price, a savings of $55! Want to learn more about becoming a Malt Advocate Whisky Society member? Click here.