Report from WhiskyFest 2023 San Francisco

I’d no sooner recovered my taste buds from Whiskeys of the World in San Francisco weeks ago when an invite came in for the Whisky Advocate’s WhiskyFest on October 27th. “This must be how Tony Sachs feels every day,” I thought to myself, but of course I said yes.

The variety across the two whiskey events, even in the same city, is such that it’s worth going if you can. WhiskyFest serves a fine hors d’œuvres before and buffet during the whiskey sipping, too.

Highlights

But we’re here for charred barrels, not charcuterie, and I knew I wanted my first visit to be to Frey Ranch, a Nevada-based distiller who wowed me back in 2021 with its baked goods bonanza of a flagship straight bourbon whiskey, not to mention the antique John Deere collection of its owner, Colbey Frey. The grains are grown on-site and it remains the finest grain-forward whiskey I’ve ever tasted.

The highlight tonight though was the 100% oat whiskey, aged 36 months, that’s part of their single grain whiskey lineup. Two years ago, this whiskey was going through its teenage years, expressing wild notes of blueberries, bacon and cookies from month to month. Since then, it’s evolved and arrived. A wonderfully sweet nose, like cream ale. On first sip, malt chocolate, ovaltine, that grassy, dewy sweetness so unique to oats when they’re plump on the stalk; on subsequent sips, more of the pleasant creaminess you first smelled. Move over oat milk, your grain has found its higher liquid calling.

Second stop: Westland Distillery. I’ve written about them a few times both as part of a piece on West Coast whiskeys as a whole and a review of their then-current single malt, and they never disappoint. Westland invests deeply in a Washington flavor based on Washington grains and sometimes Washington barrels. Add to that list: Washington peat.

Back in 2021 I heard they were working on sourcing a proper bog in the area to help give a Pacific Northwest twist to the familiar scotch routine. The results are in as Westland’s “Solum” and it’s rich with local flavor. All the things you’d expect from a good Glenlivet of comparable age, but dare I say the Washington peat has a sharper minerality, sandier even in its smokiness?

Adding a drop of water, I drew this earthiness out into hints of pleasant mustiness, fresh mulch in a distant garden even, balancing out the sweetness of the Skagit Valley malt which otherwise wants to head into apple pie flavors. Worth hunting up one of the 4,044 bottles if you can, as this is going to be a bottle for the whiskey history books.

Next up, Laws Whiskey House, who I’d seen a month earlier. This time, they brought their delicious cognac cask-finished bourbon — and what a dangerously bon aperitif. Candidly, the first impression was those dark cherry tootsie roll pops you enjoyed years ago; an initial hit of the pungent, tart-sweetness of cognac followed by the comparative malty sweetness of Laws’ four-grain bourbon. The solera-aging process — in which barrels are only partially harvested and refreshed with new whiskey, leading to an ever-changing melange of aging times in the same barrel — lent a light tannic undertone, too, that was pleasant and helped balance the tart sweetness.

My tongue was abuzz and I needed a reset—and there was good old Jack Daniels at a lonesome corner booth. You can’t help but feel some sympathy for the team members that get sent to these things as it’s the opposite reception they get at most bars. For science, I asked for a sip of the Sinatra Select, aged in specially grooved barrels for extra oak — perhaps not a steal at $184, considering the bottles you could be getting otherwise. But it is good, a more potent version of the same warm maple and light banana with a smooth-as-glass mouthfeel I’ve known since… I was 21, of course. Cast no shade on Jack Daniel’s, fellow whiskey drinkers: if it’s good enough for old Blue Eyes, it’s good enough for you.

Having lost my credibility, it was back across the floor to Kentucky Owl, who commanded one of the longest lines once the doors opened. Of note: their “Mardi Gras” bottling, an eleven-year rye aged yet another year in rum barrels for a spicy, rummy deluge of flavor, almost overpowering and a touch medicinal. Ice is recommended, which drastically improves the smoothness and draws out buttery notes that softens the spice of the rum and rye greatly, like a bottled buttered rum. In fact, if you have the means to use a $499 bottle of rum for hot buttered rum, please let me know how it goes.

I wrapped up my useful notes with a brand hailing from Ohio, Middle West, a Columbus-based distillery that’s doing some fun things with Ohio grains. Pick up a bottle of their dark pumpernickel rye whiskey for Thanksgiving tipples and Christmas cocktails. This is a rich, spicy, peppery and sweet whiskey that melted into a surprisingly soft flavor of buttermint that lets the dark pumpernickel rye shine against a backdrop of Ohio red winter wheat, yellow corn and two-row barley.

There were a lot of spreadsheets and optimization of tasting routes at this WhiskeyFest — this is San Francisco, after all — but my advice? Go in cold if you can and let yourself stumble across some old friends and new spirits.

Editor’s Report

While I was happy to send a whiskey enthusiast contributor to WhiskyFest, I also attended as well as part of my ongoing process to learn more about this beguiling spirit.

Perhaps my favorite of the night was Compass Box Metropolis. This was served during the VIP hour and I ran back later to get a photo of the albeit empty bottle so I wouldn’t forget it. According to Compass Box, Metropolis is an attempt to resurrect favorite blended Scotches from years gone by. I noted vanilla, honey and luscious notes of apricot and mango, smokiness, complexity with custard and toffee, all in all terrifically well balanced. It’s a blend of 6 different single malts and blends including picks from Bowmore, Aberlour and Miltonduff.

Also noteworthy was Old Pulteney single malt Pineau des Charentes from the coastal series. Matured in seaside casks, it had some funk and brine that reminded me of catching a whiff while walking down a wharf, along with plenty of woody spice and some fruit. An acquired taste, I think Tony Sachs appreciated it much more than I did. Read his review.

Finally, while the event was all about whiskey, I was very happy to try some rum from Diplomatico including their Single VTG 2005. Spicy and silky, this single vintage rum is only produced in years deemed worthy. The complexity and long finish made it the perfect sip to end the night.