Last night I attended a whiskey tasting with some friends. We heard about it through our softball team, and we agreed it would be an excellent way to spend a Monday night - especially with a mere $5 donation fee.
Upon arrival, we were checked in by some beautiful (well, more like "hot") women in short black dresses and high black heals. When I first saw them, I wondered if there was some kind of sultry dress code, but we would later learn that these were the Johnnie Walker Women. After checking our IDs and asking survey questions like "Is Johnnie Walker your favorite Whiskey?" or "How many alcoholic beverages have you consumed in the last 4 weeks?" (the highest option was 16-30, which is what we all chose), we were ushered into a warehouse-like event space, of the typical SOMA variety.
After escalating 3 flights of stairs, we reached a roof deck and a reception room. We were each given a gold token to use to receive a complementary Johnnie Walker whiskey beverage of our choice: Black Label on the rocks, Red Label with Ginger Ale, or Black Label with bitters and an orange twist. I opted for the Ginger Whiskey drink, as I'm only a beginning when it comes to whiskey. We noshed on some Mediterranean themed food and stepped outside to the patio to enjoy our refreshments. We became a bit concerned when we realized that we only received one coin, and we wondered if this was in fact the "tasting" it was advertised to be. After consulting with one of the Johnnie Walker Women, we were told that there would be a sixty minute presentation and tasting in the downstairs area following the reception. They were very vague about what this meant exactly, so we were eager to see what the deal was.
The five of us were some of the first people to be ushered into the downstairs room, so we had front-row seats for this supposed presentation. Upon sitting down, we were delighted to see three shot glasses filled with Black Label, Red Label and Green Label, a bowl of strawberries, ice water, ice cubes, an eye dropper, black pepper, a business card case, and a pin of the Johnnie Walker logo. We were however disappointed that there was nothing in place on the menu for the Gold and Blue Labels. Little did we know what we were in store for.
Once everyone settled in (about 75 people), we were shown a promotional video which I found to be very enticing and well made. Then a well-dressed and confident man came out and introduced himself as one of the Johnnie Walker Whiskey Tastemakers. He told us we would be tasting and talking about whiskey for the next hour, and he was quite a brilliant sense of humor about himself and the event in general. Needless to say, we were excited.
We started off with the tasting with the Black Label variety. After smelling it and discussing the various hints in the nose - grass, vanilla, honey, smoke - we took our first baby sip. Then we added a droplet of water into the shot glass, and tasted it again. Then an ice cube. The colder and more diluted it got, the better it tasted (to me). People like the Black Label because it's dependable and affordable (compared to the others) and easy to find. I liked it, but I was eager to try the rest.
Before tasting the Red Label, we were told to take a bite out of one of the strawberries. Yum. Then we were told to dip it in the black pepper and eat another bite. It sounded gross and weird, but it was actually tasty and complex and it's safe to say I will be eating pepper and strawberries again in this lifetime. We did this to get our pallet ready for the peppery sweet taste that we would experience in the Red Label brand. After taking a nice cool sip of water to restore our taste buds, we took our first sip of the Red Label - which would prove to be my favorite of the evening. The Tastemaker said that Red Label was good for making mix drinks, such as the Ginger Whiskey that was being served upstairs. "Did anyone try that?" he said. "Yes, I liked it very much" I said right next to him, "but I prefer my whiskey with apple juice." He smiled and said "Really? Apple juice? I've never tried that. What kind?" I replied, "Martinelli's. Just buy one of those little bottles, drink half of it, and pour whiskey in the rest." The Tastemaker and the rest of the crowd seemed pleased with my suggestion, and he asked me my name to give me credit to the room. I certainly felt "special" in a room full of suited business men and whiskey connoisseurs.
Before trying the Green Label that was sitting on our menu of Whiskeys, the Johnnie Walker Women came out carrying chilled shots of the Gold Label. The Tastemaker told us this was the celebratory whiskey and when drank cold, it becomes thicker and "more viscous" - he encouraged us to use the word viscous at least once this week because it's fun to say. We toasted and consumed our Gold Label in it's chilled form - quite delicious if you ask me. We then moved on to the Green Label, which is a single-malt whiskey and made up of all the best whiskeys in Scotland - or something. Before tasting it, we poured a drop into our palm and rubbed our hands together (as we were told). We were then urged to sniff our hands, sniff our neighbors hands, get a good nose of that earthy scent that was wafting from our palms. The Green Label wasn't sweet at all, and probably my least favorite. But I can see where an expert would find it interesting and enjoyable.
Last but certainly not least was the high-end Blue Label, which was carried out to us by the Johnnie Walker Women in small Brandy snifters. We sniffed it, diluted it with water and ice, and took down our fifth and final taste of whiskey. It was probably the favorite of most people in the room, my friends included. But as I said before, I'm a Red Label girl.
Not only did I thoroughly enjoy my evening of Johnnie Walker whiskey tasting, but I learned a fare share about how it's made, how to distinguish different varieties, and how to dilute it to make it taste different. It was an enlightening experience, indeed! I recommend attending before they leave SF, or if they come to a city near you!
Fore more information on the Johnnie Walker Tasting experience, visit their website.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Silly Rabbit, Tricks Are For Kids!
Yesterday was April 1st; a day we always seem to forget is going to bite us in the ass until it actually happens. There are two scenarios here:
Scenario A - you wake up and don't realize that it's April Fools Day until something silly stumbles upon your life, and you tell your self "Ah ha! I won't be fooled today, but instead I will come up with a practical joke that all of my gullible friends will fall for! Muah Ha Ha!"
Scenario B - you wake up and don't realize that it's April Fools Day... all day.
I'm always a Scenario A person. I don't tend to plan tricks ahead of time on April Fools Day. They usually come to me mid-morning, like an epiphany, and I let it last through the rest of the afternoon until the guilt sinks in and I start to pity my friends for their unbelievable faith in my honesty. I too am pretty gullible, but this is the one day of the year where I don't let anything slip by me. But be warned, I will trick you, and you will like it.
Two years ago, I changed my relationship status to "engaged" on Facebook and fooled many people into thinking I was going to marry my then boyfriend. Last year I couldn't think of anything to top that (see last year's post, Everybody Plays the Fool), so I took a little holiday from my favorite holiday. But this year I wasn't going to let that happen again. No, sirree.
After perusing the far-fetched farces that people were posting on their Facebook wall, I decided mine would have to be utterly believable; something that people who really knew me could see the truth in. At 10am, it came to me:
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Just got a job offer in Melbourn!!!!!!!!! I start May 1st!!!!! Look out Australia, here I come :)"
Within minutes, my friend's mother commented asking what the job was. I replied that I would be working for a company that does marketing and distribution for Australian wines. Brilliant. Anyone who knows me knows that's my dream job, and that I would probably drop anything to do it. After that, the comments started flooding my wall with "CONGRATS!" and "I'LL MISS YOU" and "WHEN DO YOU LEAVE?" There was the occasional, "haha, very funny, April Fools" which I deleted immediately so I could keep up my scam. Friends of my parents were falling for it too! Before I knew it, there were 20 responses, and by the end of the day, there were 40!
People were contacting me in messages and in Gmail, telling me that they would be in Australia this summer and we should meet up, or that they have a cousin who just moved there who could help me get acquainted. In Gchat conversations with close friends, I made up even more lies: I have 24 hours to accept the job, and if I take it then I leave in two weeks. After a few minutes, the date would sink in and people would realize I was pulling their leg and they would kick themselves for falling for yet another one of my April Fools Day gems.
I could tell that this might get out of hand soon. So I sent a text to my boyfriend and said, "don't be alarmed by my Facebook status," but he was too smart for me. He knew immediately that it was a prank, and I was sort of glad. I told him to watch out and not to get fooled, but it was too late. Hours later someone (not me) would post his car for sale for $1200 on Craigslist, complete with a photo and a phone number (his cell) where he could be reached. A half hour after it was posted, calls/texts/voicemails were coming in by the dozens. Every minute someone else was contacting him, some offering cash, some asking if they could pick the car up that night, some even offering more than the listing price! It was insanity - and hilarity. I still don't know who this brilliant prankster was, but I have to hand it to them. Craigslist is an equally, if not better, venue for April Fools Day. But I digress...
Only one person noticed that I spelled Melbourne wrong in my status update - and he never believed me to begin with. You'd think if I can't even spell the name of the city I'm moving to, then I must be fooling you, right? Wrong. People will believe anything you tell them, especially if it's something that brings joy to your life. They want to be happy for you, they want to congratulate you.
Truth be told, if someone offered me my dream job right now with only a month to say goodbye to San Francisco, I would probably turn them down. Because timing is everything. I know someday it will be my time to take the leap and do something BIG, but for now I am happy in my cozy yet exciting city of San Francisco. And if you REALLY knew me, you would know that too.
Scenario A - you wake up and don't realize that it's April Fools Day until something silly stumbles upon your life, and you tell your self "Ah ha! I won't be fooled today, but instead I will come up with a practical joke that all of my gullible friends will fall for! Muah Ha Ha!"
Scenario B - you wake up and don't realize that it's April Fools Day... all day.
I'm always a Scenario A person. I don't tend to plan tricks ahead of time on April Fools Day. They usually come to me mid-morning, like an epiphany, and I let it last through the rest of the afternoon until the guilt sinks in and I start to pity my friends for their unbelievable faith in my honesty. I too am pretty gullible, but this is the one day of the year where I don't let anything slip by me. But be warned, I will trick you, and you will like it.
Two years ago, I changed my relationship status to "engaged" on Facebook and fooled many people into thinking I was going to marry my then boyfriend. Last year I couldn't think of anything to top that (see last year's post, Everybody Plays the Fool), so I took a little holiday from my favorite holiday. But this year I wasn't going to let that happen again. No, sirree.
After perusing the far-fetched farces that people were posting on their Facebook wall, I decided mine would have to be utterly believable; something that people who really knew me could see the truth in. At 10am, it came to me:
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Just got a job offer in Melbourn!!!!!!!!! I start May 1st!!!!! Look out Australia, here I come :)"
Within minutes, my friend's mother commented asking what the job was. I replied that I would be working for a company that does marketing and distribution for Australian wines. Brilliant. Anyone who knows me knows that's my dream job, and that I would probably drop anything to do it. After that, the comments started flooding my wall with "CONGRATS!" and "I'LL MISS YOU" and "WHEN DO YOU LEAVE?" There was the occasional, "haha, very funny, April Fools" which I deleted immediately so I could keep up my scam. Friends of my parents were falling for it too! Before I knew it, there were 20 responses, and by the end of the day, there were 40!
People were contacting me in messages and in Gmail, telling me that they would be in Australia this summer and we should meet up, or that they have a cousin who just moved there who could help me get acquainted. In Gchat conversations with close friends, I made up even more lies: I have 24 hours to accept the job, and if I take it then I leave in two weeks. After a few minutes, the date would sink in and people would realize I was pulling their leg and they would kick themselves for falling for yet another one of my April Fools Day gems.
I could tell that this might get out of hand soon. So I sent a text to my boyfriend and said, "don't be alarmed by my Facebook status," but he was too smart for me. He knew immediately that it was a prank, and I was sort of glad. I told him to watch out and not to get fooled, but it was too late. Hours later someone (not me) would post his car for sale for $1200 on Craigslist, complete with a photo and a phone number (his cell) where he could be reached. A half hour after it was posted, calls/texts/voicemails were coming in by the dozens. Every minute someone else was contacting him, some offering cash, some asking if they could pick the car up that night, some even offering more than the listing price! It was insanity - and hilarity. I still don't know who this brilliant prankster was, but I have to hand it to them. Craigslist is an equally, if not better, venue for April Fools Day. But I digress...
Only one person noticed that I spelled Melbourne wrong in my status update - and he never believed me to begin with. You'd think if I can't even spell the name of the city I'm moving to, then I must be fooling you, right? Wrong. People will believe anything you tell them, especially if it's something that brings joy to your life. They want to be happy for you, they want to congratulate you.
Truth be told, if someone offered me my dream job right now with only a month to say goodbye to San Francisco, I would probably turn them down. Because timing is everything. I know someday it will be my time to take the leap and do something BIG, but for now I am happy in my cozy yet exciting city of San Francisco. And if you REALLY knew me, you would know that too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)