You know Nashville has hit the big time when international spirits events start coming to town to join the already-long list of locally produced festivals. That’s definitely the case with the announcement that Whisky Live USA will be presenting a two-day educational and tasting event at Gaylord Opryland on July 23 and July 24.
First launched in Tokyo and London in 2000 (hence the spelling of “whisky”), Whisky Live brings together distillers and brand representatives from around the globe to celebrate all things brown liquor. Held in more than 30 international cities, Whisky Live offers educational seminars, exclusive tastings, distiller presentations, demos and spirits/food pairing opportunities for thousands of fans each year. Nashville will be the only American host city for 2022, so it’s a pretty big deal.
Among the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that will be offered during Whisky Live USA in July are an end-to-end tasting of the individual whiskeys that came together to create Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Discovery Series #7, a complex blend of different mash bills from distilleries in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee and even Canada. BBC’s VP of Product Development Dan Callaway will lead that tasting.
Current industry darling Barrel Craft Spirits will present a seminar titled “Go for the (Double) Gold” to show off the seven spirits that have earned the company Double Gold medals at recent spirits competitions. Samples will also be available for tasting.
The virtual demo stage will offer tips for home mixologists from notable bartenders across the country, as well as internet tours of distilleries and the Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky where you can learn how barrels are made.
General Admission tickets, starting at $159, include all activities associated with the event, and VIP Admission tickets, which start at $199, offer early entry, VIP pours, preferred seminar seating and special gifts. Each ticket is available for one or both days, and can be purchased at the Whisky Live USA website.
The list of participating distilleries and exhibitors is still growing, including hopefully some more local and regional options, but here’s who we know will be coming at this point:
Arran Whisky
Balcones
Bardstown Bourbon
Barrell Craft Spirits
Bearface Canadian Whisky
Benromach
Bernheim Wheat Whiskey
Boulder Spirits
Elijah Craig
Evan Williams
Five Trail Whisky
Glendalough
Gordon & MacPhail
Henry McKenna Bourbon
Hine Cognac
La Palina Cigars
Larceny Bourbon
Michter’s
Rittenhouse Rye
Santa Fe Spirits/Colkegan
Virginia Distilling Company
Westland
Westward
Brands interested in participating can download the form here from the event website, and for an up-to-date vendor list and more information about Whisky Live USA, visit bevridge.co.
