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  • The Man of a PowerfulThirst is going to WhiskyFest San Francisco

    The Man of a PowerfulThirst is going to WhiskyFest San Francisco


    Another first for PowerfulThirst.com. Our very first media credentials for an out of state event, WhiskyFest 2015 San Francisco. WhiskyFest is one of my favorite events of the year. They get great speakers and attendees like the Eddie and Jimmy Russell of Wild Turkey and Julian and Preston Van Winkle of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery. In total there will be 375 whiskies to taste. Unfortunately this year’s event in San Francisco is already sold out. Next year they expand to 4 cities with Washington, D.C. joining, Chicago, New York and San Francisco. Time to start setting the schedule.

    With only 4 hours to work the entire tasting area, obviously lots will have to be omitted especially when their are seminars going on simultaneously.  Monday will be lots of phone calls to see if there are going to be any opportunities to catch up with the Whisky producers as they work the market on Thursday or Friday before the show.  This will be my fifth time going up and it really is a great event.  Everyone you want to meet in the whisky business in one room but it is absolutely running.  Looking forward to a busy week of prep and tasting.

    Below is an example of the dilemmas that face everyone at these events.  The VIP portion is just one hour.  Below is a list of 54 VIP only whiskies.  Now I am good but one a minute no way, so I need to narrow it down with your help.  Take a look at the list of the 54 VIP Whisky and give me up to four whiskies that you would most like to try.  In the contact form give me the numbers from the right column that identify which whisky and I will include the most popular selections.

    Error: Contact form not found.

     

    1 1792 Bourbon Sweet Wheat (VIP hour only) VIP
    2 Aberlour A’bunadh (VIP hour only) VIP
    3 Angel’s Envy Rye finished in rum barrels (VIP hour only) VIP
    4 Auchentoshan 21 yr. (VIP hour only) VIP
    5 Balvenie TUN 1509 (VIP hour only) VIP
    6 Balvenie Ladyburn 41 yr. (VIP hour only) VIP
    7 Bowmore 23 yr. Port (VIP hour only) VIP
    8 Bruichladdich Octomore 6.1 (VIP hour only) VIP
    9 Buchanan’s Red Seal (VIP hour only) VIP
    10 Compass Box Flaming Heart 2015 Limited Edition (VIP hour only) VIP
    11 Coppersea Distilling Green Malt Rye (VIP hour only) VIP
    12 Coppersea Distilling Green Malted Barley (VIP hour only) VIP
    13 Crown Royal XR LaSalle (VIP hour only) VIP
    14 Forty Creek Evolution (VIP hour only) VIP
    15 George Dickel Barrel Select (VIP hour only) VIP
    16 Glen Grant 5 Decades (VIP hour only) VIP
    17 GlenDronach 21 yr. Parliament (VIP hour only) VIP
    18 Glenfarclas 1964 (VIP hour only) VIP
    19 Glenfarclas 1974 (VIP hour only) VIP
    20 Glenfarclas 1984 (VIP hour only) VIP
    21 Glenfiddich 21 yr. (VIP hour only) VIP
    22 The Glenlivet 21 yr. (VIP hour only) VIP
    23 The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve (VIP hour only) VIP
    24 The Glenrothes 1992 Vintage 2nd Edition (VIP hour only) VIP
    25 Hibiki 21 yr. (VIP hour only) VIP
    26 High West Midwinter’s Night Dram (VIP hour only) VIP
    27 High West Bourye (VIP hour only) VIP
    28 Highland Park Odin (VIP hour only) VIP
    29 Highland Park 18 yr. (VIP hour only) VIP
    30 Hudson Maple Cask Rye (VIP hour only) VIP
    31 Irishman Cask Strength 2014 (VIP hour only) VIP
    32 Irishman Writers Tears (VIP hour only) VIP
    33 J P Wiser’s 18 yr. (VIP hour only) VIP
    34 Johnnie Walker Blue (VIP hour only) VIP
    35 Kavalan Vinho Barrique (VIP hour only) VIP
    36 Koval Barrel Strength Rye (VIP hour only) VIP
    37 Laphroaig Cairdeas (VIP hour only) VIP
    38 Laphroaig 25 yr. (VIP hour only) VIP
    39 The Macallan Fine Oak 17 yr. (VIP hour only) VIP
    40 McKenzie Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon  (VIP hour only) VIP
    41 Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon (VIP hour only) VIP
    42 Montana Whiskey Black Label Cask Strength Single Malt VIP
    43 New Holland Cask & Smoke (VIP hour only) VIP
    44 Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt 21 yr. (VIP hour only) VIP
    45 Old Rip Van Winkle Pappy 23 yr. (VIP hour only) VIP
    46 Redbreast 21 yr. (VIP hour only) VIP
    47 Rough Rider “The Big Stick” cask strength Rye (VIP hour only) VIP
    48 Stranahan’s Snowflake (VIP hour only) VIP
    49 Stranahan’s Diamond Peak (VIP hour only) VIP
    50 Tullibardine 25 yr. (VIP hour only) VIP
    51 Wemyss Malts Special Single Cask Limited Edition (VIP hour only) VIP
    52 Westland Single Cask (VIP hour only) VIP
    53 Wild Turkey Master’s Keep 17 yr. (VIP hour only) VIP
    54 WhistlePig Straight Rye 12 yr. Old World Madeira (VIP hour only) VIP
  • Mr. Mixologist

    Mr. Mixologist

    If you have never seen any of the Fog and Smog films, you are welcome.  These guys were introduced to me by Ryan Pastorek who is the same gentleman that introduced me to The Daily Pint, to which I am eternally grateful.  Fog and Smog lampoon, via music video, pop culture targets.  At least the bar industry has risen to the hight of being lampooned.


    Now for people in the industry it is easy to get defensive about these things, but that really does not do justice to what you see here.  There is a perception by many in the general public that craft cocktail bars and the people who inhabit them are pretentious overly fussy nerds.  Well here’s a news flash lots of industries have their prejudices.  Sommeliers are arrogant belittling trolls that intimidate and manipulate their patrons.  It is important to know how your industry is viewed so that you can work diligently to make sure that you and your operation do not touch the stereotypes that immediately put CUSTOMERS on the defensive.  Remember that everyday you suit up, you represent more than yourself or your employer.  You represent the industry as a whole, and that is important and here is why.

    No industry becomes truly profitable just appealing to its core demographic.  In the NFL there are 4 times as many viewers outside the outside the US than in.  Women make up 45% of NFL viewership but account for 65% of dollars spent on NFL.  If Las Vegas did nothing but appeal to gamblers the Bellagio would have never been built.  In our industry, only 22% of people who drink alcohol regularly list spirits as their drink of choice.  You need to keep your lights on with your core fans, but it is going to be capturing the once a month guests that will drive the profits, and it is these guests that are most influenced by these negative industry stereotypes.

     

  • Budweiser and Miller Merge

    Budweiser and Miller Merge

    draught handles blank

    After years of battling for beer space in the US the two parent companies of Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing have struck an agreement to merge the two.

    How things can change in four weeks or even four days!  On September 16, InBev approached the board of SAB Miller with takeover talks.  SAB Miller is headquartered in the UK.  Under UK law that would give InBev until October 14th to finalize an offer.  On September 29 Reuters reported that InBev, the owner of Budweiser Brewing, was lining up $70 billion debt financing for the potential purchase of SAB Miller.  Experts speculated that if SAB Miller wanted to go through with it the number would be closer to $110 billion.  On October 5, SAB Miller gave initial guidance on third quarter sales that were stronger than expected.  When combined with the 28% run up in speculators buying of SAB Miller stock after the September 16th news of a possible merger, some industry analysts were speculating that the final price for SAB was just going to be too rich to make sense for ABI.  On October 7, it looked like the deal was in trouble with the second largest shareholder, the Santo Domingo family of Columbia, flatly rejecting an offer that was 10% over the initial offering.  On October 10th the single largest SAB investor Altria publicly came out in support of a new InBev offer that kept the amount offered the same but restructured the deal for them and the Santo Domingo family that would have mitigated their tax liabilities in the event of a sale.  Reports started swirling of the Santo Domingo family’s success at fending off unwanted mergers in previous financial endeavors and rumors were that they were going to dig their heels in to prevent the SAB Miller sale.  Turns out all they were looking for was another 4%.  SABMiller announced on October 13, that they had accepted an offer of 68 billion pounds or approximately $104 billion.  That is nearly 46% over where SABMiller was trading when news of talks first started surfacing!

    What Now?  Now the deal needs to first pass regulators in the UK and then here in the States.  The merger creates real  antitrust issues in several markets.  InBev the world’s largest beer producer merging with the world’s second largest beer producer would control 29% of all beer sold in the world and give control to one company of 9 of the top 20 selling beers in the world.  After the merger Heineken would become the world’s second largest brewer about 1/3 the size of the new joint company.  Certainly in some markets, assets will have to be spun off before moving forward.

  • 1st Weekend out in Portland

    1st Weekend out in Portland

    So for my first weekend here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest city of Portland, Oregon, I decided to take in a little local flavor. As I am establishing contacts and people to interview I decided to play regular tourist. I started out my day grabbing breakfast at Elmer’s, a local Denny’s/Village Inn/Carrows or whatever that have in your state, breakfast place. They specialize in they gigantic German Pancake which is a great way to carb up for a day of tasting.

    Google Map of drive

    I took the scenic drive out to Hood River, which is a small town with a population of about 7,000 about 1 hour east of Portland. The drive itself is stunning as it takes you along the Columbia River through the Columbia George, which happens to be part of the historic Lewis and Clark trail. Along the way I recommend stopping to see the Multnomah Falls. This is a 620ft. water fall with has a 1 mile switch back trial you can hike to the top, or just go to the bridge at the bottom to gaze up it. There is also a restaurant to dine at near the base which has a spectacular view of the falls.

    multnomah-falls-john-absher

    When I arrived in Hood River I immediately went to Full Sail brewery, makers of Full Sail and Session beers. They offer free tours daily at 1,2, & 3pm, just walk up no appointment necessary. Unfortunately when I arrived their brewing facility was closed for cleaning and maintenance. Can’t blame them as it is an extremely important process. Fortunately I did make a good contact who is setting me up with a tour by a brewer so check back for that interview. I did a partial tour and got some good info. Full Sail has a very high priority of producing great beer, being as sustainable as possible, and giving back financially. Their location in Hood River allows them to source 99% of their ingredients locally. The water coming from towering Mt. Hood, hops from the Yakima and Willamette areas, malt from across the river in Vancouver, Washington, and the yeast from their local lab. It is no wonder why Hood River has the most breweries per capita than any other city in the US (5 breweries for 7,000 people). Of course Full Sail was the 1st to be in this location. Besides their amazing beers and sustainability efforts they were given the title of craft brewery of the year 2014, which means their stuff is good. While you are their make sure you grab your free pint glass after the tour and a beer at their tasting room which has 24 of their beers on tap, including pub only brews, seasonal’s, and their Bourbon Barrel aged beer.

    Full Sail Brewery
    Full Sail Brewery

    Now Hood River is a small town but it has a lot of character. It is on a steep hill with a small downtown area that has numerous shops, bars, and tasting rooms. I went to Cascade Cliffs’ tasting room since I had been to the winery before and fell in love with their wines. They are a small production winery out of the Washington side of the Columbia about 15 min farther down the road over by The Dalles. They specialize in Italian grape varietals. Last year when I visited the winery I had the chance to meet the owner as well as the wine maker. It was an interesting story to hear when I asked the owner how he came to make wine. He did not know anything about the wine industry and still is no wine specialist but a simple farmer. His family has been in the farming industry for years but he became intrigued by the beverage industry because of his families history of bootlegging. He grew up hearing the stories and attending illegal alcohol sales by his Father (after prohibition) and was just fascinated in it. Today he gets his satisfaction by producing legal beverage for consumers. His Barbera won 2006 wine of the year in Washington. You can not believe this is Barbera when you taste it. Jammy, bold, and fruit forward with just the right amount of RS (not sweet though) to make it a stunner for your palate.

    Cascade Cliffs Tasting Line Up
    Cascade Cliffs Tasting Line Up

    The next day I went to the Oregon Bounty Fresh Hop Beer Tastival. When in Portland do look up if there are any local wine or beer festivals going on. This was a celebration of the end of the host picking season. Not really an educational experiences as one might think, unless you consider drinking a bunch of local brews for cheap an educational experience like I do. $15 got me a pint glass and 10 drink tickets (1 ticket = 4oz, so either 1 ticket for a taste or 4 for a full pint), plus $10 for an additional 10 tickets. It was simple and great. You stood in line for the beers you wanted to drink, got your beer and hung out along the Willamette River. What more can I say about this event. There were some local food vendors to satisfy your hunger and plenty of fresh beer to taste. Also there was a station that had all of the fresh local hops to stop and smell for the beer geeks like myself. This is just one of the great things to look forward to on a trip to Portland.

    Oregon Beer Facts
    Oregon Beer Facts
  • American Whisky Tour September 13-15

    American Whisky Tour September 13-15

    I am going on my first visit of distilleries in Tennessee and Kentucky.  I will be stopping and sharing drams at some of the country’s most important and historic distilleries.  Tune in for next week’s posts.