Whiskies of the world 2009
Every year in San Francisco there are two events that no serious whisky drinker could possibly miss. In October we have Malt Advocate's WhiskeyFest and in March Whiskies Of The World. This year we were asked to pour Bulleit Bourbon, hence our experiments with ginger. We introuced Tom Bulleit to the Magic Bulleit (né Bogie) and proceeded to pour through a full liter in less than 30 minutes. Needless to say, it went off with a bang. Hollis Bulleit, Tom's daughter and Bulleit ambassador later showed up and dazzled the crowd. I would like to say, on a personal note, that the Bulleits are exceptional people, charming and just plain nice in the finest southern tradition. They always draw a crowd and maintain it all night.
The event took place on the San Francisco Belle, a small paddle ship that stayed in port. Anyone who has not watched hundreds of people drink whiskey on a boat should definitely take the next opportunity to do so.
Amongst the highlights of the evening was the Diageo block which took up the entire center aisle of the third floor. Johnnie Walker was represented with every expression including Blue Label, Bushmills had all of their marks, notably the 21-year and 1608. Of course the Classic Malts were represented, and had their never-to-be-missed Distiller's Editions including the Talisker DE which Mark once remarked “must have crack in it.” The other remarkable feature of the Diageo contingent was the competence of their representatives. They not only have extremely knowledgeable tasters, but they import their regional Masters of Whiskey. Yes, that is a title, and yes, it is probably the best job in the world.
The Bushmills Drum & Bagpipe corps were in attendance making a wonderful racket as they worked their way through the exhibition floor.
Given the selection of the highest marks from every manufacturer people came back and sent their friends throughout the evening for more of our Magic Bulleit. To have that happen was a tremendous complement and we thank you all for it.