Keep Walking
A classmate at Stern passed on that he was attending a House of Walker event. Naturally, I am always inclined to attend a "spirited" event, so I RSVPed for two and invited another Sternie. The House of Walker events take place in a space that has been entirely transformed to fit the Johnnie Walker brand. We arrived about 30 minutes early to ensure that we could get into the event - even with the RSVP, entry is not guaranteed.
Ice Artist
At the rear bar, an incredibly skilled gentleman was carving beautiful designs from blocks of ice. Johnnie Walker Black Label and Double Black Label were served at the back bar.
Put Your $$$ on Black!
We moved over to the other bar; it featured Johnnie Walker Red Label in expertly crafted cocktails. I chose the first option, White Gold. In addition to JW, it had Canton Ginger Liqueur and Lilet Blanc. The cocktail was very balanced and delicious. Drinking scotch neat or on the rocks is a bit intense for me. The addition of other spirits rounded out the profile.
Which to Pick?
White Gold Cocktail
After we each got a cocktail, we sat down to a scotch tasting with Johnnie Walker Black and Diageo's Master of Whisky. It was informative! We got to try it three ways: neat, with a drop of water and with an ice cube.
Scotch Tasting
The next part of the evening consisted of hearing the Diageo Master of Whisky ask questions to Hella Bitter's Eduardo Simeon and Tobin Ludwig. Their company, based in Williamsburg, was funded by Kickstart.com contributions. Check them out here: http://hellabitters.com/
Hella Awesome
Each corner of the venue had different "themes" - did you know that the Walker family initially began blending teas...not scotch? I snapped a photo of all the different blends that make the awesome Johnnie Walker labels.
Blended to Perfection
I encourage you to attend one of these events in the future:
Keep Walking!
Liz