Article by Aman Ahuja | Photos by Joan McGinley

When you walk down the hall of the Marriot Hotel into WhiskyFest, you are greeted with a lineup of beautiful whisky bottles. Whisky lovers are engaged with the exhibitors in short conversations as they drink from their nosing glasses. The evening has just started but the hall is already filling up, with small lines forming behind the tables. It might seem that the food is most popular, but the more experienced Whiskyfest attendees can be heard planning their routes – not only are there too many products to sample, but featured bottles will be served only during the fast-waning VIP hour.

This is truly a grand festival for whisky. There are 69 booths and more than 240 different bottles of whisky. At your fingertips, a 35-year aged whisky, a whisky from Japan, and countless rare vintages and special editions. There are six absurdly rare, one-of-a-kind bottles that one can sample for a $20 charitable donation. There are also more than twenty-five non-whiskys to try, from beer aged in whisky casks to infused vodkas and venerable champagnes. There are even cocktails, courtesy of SF’s Bourbon and Branch, Cask, and Rickhouse, and the US Bartender’s Guild is serving their award-winning Basil Hayden cocktail.

Soon after the end of the first hour, the hall is full. The 29 VIP bottles may have been emptied, but every bottle at WhiskyFest is the pick of its litter. The crowds surge and recede from tasting tables, but are never frustratingly impossible. Besides, with good conversation and a fine whisky in hand, a few minutes of waiting fly by quickly. Many people at the festival are from within the industry, involved in making, distributing, marketing or critiquing whiskey. Others are loyal whiskey lovers, traveling to this and sister WhiskyFests in both Chicago and New York. Some are Bay Area locals and first-timers who are just beginning to learn and appreciate whiskey.

Perhaps the best part of Whiskyfest is how much there is to learn. Unlike many other drink festivals, the atmosphere here invites learning. Attendees ask questions, exhibitors are happy to help, and you can choose three educational seminars to listen to. With the foremost experts in the industry to speak to, there’s something to learn no matter how much you know about whisky. One of this year’s seminars featured lecturer Steve Beal, a senior master from the Diageo Masters of Whisky, who talked the crowded room through a tour of the major regions of Scotland. As he described and explained the distinct character of scotch from each region, you could sample a classic malt from that area and judge for yourself. The six samples were a special distiller’s edition, and a bonus seventh was from a bottle so rare that there are only two to be found in the country. Afterward, each person received a special gift.

As the long-awaited evening ended and attendees began to reluctantly file out of the halls, there was a sense of spent excitement and bright, shiny new things to look forward to – novel and striking favorites had been discovered, unique tastes developed and a hazy mental list of things to research later logged.

It’s a good thing we got to keep that nosing glass; we will be sure to put it to good use as we share all that was discovered with our friends in the days ahead.