3 Tips for Hosting a Whiskey Event
If you’re like me, peers in your work life know you’re into whiskey; and the best part of enjoying whiskey, besides trying new bottles, is sharing it with great company. So why not host a whiskey event, right? Well, there’s a little more to hosting a successful whiskey party than just bringing a bunch of whiskey drinkers to the same place.
Here are some tips that we here at Whiskey Workplace think will help you set your event apart from the regular old sausage-fest.
Tip #1: Pick a Theme
No, we’re not suggesting a Hawaiian-themed whiskey luau (but if you’re hosting one, we’d like an invite). We’re just saying, pick a theme for the whiskey you’re going to drink. If it’s a bottle share, it helps your guests narrow down what they’re going to bring. If it’s a blind tasting, it’s more of a challenge because there’s some commonality. Here are some theme ideas:
Type of Whiskey
Finished
Age
Distillery/Brand
State of Distillation
Mashbills
But really the options are limitless, you could do it by label color, bottle shape, cork material….you see my point.
Tip #2: Know Your Audience
I mentioned earlier that one of the best things about whiskey is sharing it, which really means talking about it. This is an important thing to consider when you’re inviting people to you event. Are the people you’re inviting whiskey connoisseurs or just whiskey curious cause they heard the boss talking about it on the last conference call? Not that you have to pick, invite who you want, but if you’re combining the two you want to make sure it’s not going to be like oil and water. The novice might be intimidated, or the guru might be offended when the novice mixes Coke into his beloved unicorn pour. When I was just starting to get into bourbon, I was at a neighborhood card night. Some of the guys knew each other, but there were some new faces (I was one of them). Another newbie showed up with a bottle of bourbon and he was ready to share. By the time the night was over, I made two new great friends and the three of us polished off an entire bottle of George T. Stagg. Two of the three of us were mixing it with Coke… Today I wouldn’t even consider such a thing.
That brings me to my next tip…
Tip #3: Don’t Bust Out Bottles You’re Not Willing To Share
This can be a tricky one. A lot of people want to bring out the big guns to show off their bottle hunting prowess, but at the same time you don’t want Jerry from the Houston office killing your only bottle of Maker’s Cellar Aged. This really ties back to #2, you gotta know your audience.
In the end, it’s all about having fun. Whether I’m hosting or attending a whiskey event, I’m having a good time if I’m learning something new. That could be learning that I don’t love malty bourbons or that I met a new whiskey lover. Either way, I chalk it up as a “W”.