This time at the Universal Whisky Experience I met up with at least 40 whisky-loving friends and made a whole lot of new ones! From Scottish to Japanese to American distillers making all kinds of brown spirits, we were covered. Here’s a snapshot of the eleventh year of this stellar event:
The website https://universalwhiskyexperience.com/ told us to expect over 200 whiskies to try from at least 80 vendors from all over the globe! We knew there would be both rare and expensive bottles, and we were itching to try as many as we could manage. Of course for some, the wine, Champagne and food might be enough, but not for my 40+ pals! They were on the hunt not only to taste the finest brown spirits but to also rub elbows with other collectors, aficionados, distillers and brand ambassadors. More than a dozen pals were on the hunt to meet Richard Paterson, aka The Nose, as he is the most knowledgeable and entertaining master distiller most of us have only seen on How to Drink Whisky videos.
Here was my social media post the next day:
Oh what a night!!!! Too busy chatting with pals and sampling THE finest spirits to take enough photos of it all! What would you go for – or went for if you came – at last night’s Universal Whisky Experience? Photos include me with Richard “The Nose” Paterson and Brandon Bartlett, some bottle shots (some not pictured) from Glenmorangie, Virginia Distilling, The Brollach Irish single malt, Hardy Cognac, Westward Whiskey, Rosebank, Cognac Frapin, Stellum Distillery Rye, Johnnie Walker, Mortlach, Hakata, Glenfiddich, Martell Cognac, Linkwood distillery, Isle of Raasay Distillery Hebridean Distillers (their first legal distillery in the Hebrides) – my FAVORITE of the night and at my favorite table – ImpEx Beverages manned by Sam Filmus and Chris Uhde, aka the Whisky Redhead!
Now, to elaborate:
Yes, most of us made a beeline over to meet Richard Paterson, as he was an honored guest of the evening. They had created a lovely piece of art in his likeness, a silhouette, that was on a step and repeat backdrop and of course, I was first in line for a photo-op! Friends of ours that had flown in from Idaho just to meet Paterson, and of course have all of the whisky they could ever want to taste in one night, were right behind me.
From there I started to make my way around the room, often stopping when I saw a pal or brand ambassador that I recognized. Among the tasting tables I thoroughly enjoyed meeting up with Sam Filmus and Chris Uhde at ImPex Beverages. The four whiskies I mentioned in my social post – Linkwood distillery, Isle of Raasay Distillery Hebridean Distillers, Hakata 12 YO in sherry cask – were all uniquely different from one another in both aroma and flavor. These are whiskies to look for. From there I tasted some very old Glenmorangie whiskies with GlenMoDan (his name on social media) including a 25 YO Sonoma-Cutrer Reserve and a 24 YO Rare Cask.
Slowly moving on Eddie and I enjoyed American single malts from Virginia Distilling and Westward (Oregon) – these are not to be confused with Kentucky bourbon or single malt from Scotland. It’s a growing category of American distillers you should look for.
Cognacs from Hardy and Frapin are always popular tables. And outstanding Rosebank 31 YO is from a distillery that shuttered in 1992 and now under a five-year renovation to re-open. Gray and Gold labels from Stellum Rye wowed us. Johnnie Walker had a Blue Label Ghost and Rare Port Dundas as well as a King George, both unique and rare blends.
Next up was a 20 YO Mortlach, and a 31 YO was found amongst the goodies at the Gordon MacPhail table. Older vintages from Glenfiddich included their ‘Cask Collection’ Reserve Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky with distinctive dark blue labels.
In a few words: Don’t miss this annual event! April 17-19, 2024 is the next one but there are more global events you can find on their website.
Find on Facebook: Universal Whisky Experience
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
