Courtesy SYNERGY Productions
Bagpipers lead the way into the event, a tradition.
UPDATE, 12:45 p.m.: All tickets sold out "immediately... instantaneously," according to event organizer Amit Dhawan. "The amount of requests could have filled a small arena," he added, assuring buyers that the ticket process was as fair as possible. "All the addresses were legit, there were no bots," he added. "Any tickets that appeared later [on the site] were due to cancelled or delayed purchases or declined credit cards." When asked about next year's event, Dhawan said it "would likely be held over a weekend, not just one night."
St. Louis Magazine is partnering with Synergy Productions to give away two VIP tickets to the sold out festival. Enter the giveaway here.
After taking two years off, Whiskey In The Winter is scheduled for December 2 at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch.
As at prior events, guests will be able to sample unlimited tastings of over 400 whiskies, attend seminars, experience whiskey cocktails, and indulge in food (and whiskey inspired desserts) from around the world.
Tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. October 19 and are expected to sell out within an hour. Click here at 11 a.m. CDT and refresh the page to see the ticket options and follow the prompts to complete the purchase. Note that there is a limit of eight tickets per transaction/email address.
- General admission ($145): includes unlimited samplings of featured whiskey, cocktails, and food, 7:15 admittance
- VIP ($180): includes the above, plus a Golden Ticket, good for a dram of super premium whiskey (list here), and 6:30 admittance
- Platinum ($250): includes GA and VIP offerings above, plus a dram of ultra-premium, allocated whiskey (choice of Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label, Glenfiddich 26 YR Gran Couronne, Johnnie Walker King George V, and Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year), 6:15 admittance
- Designated Driver ($40): includes reduced-priced ticket
The event ends at 10:15 p.m.
At the inaugural event, in 2012, 150 whiskeys were on hand, and 700 people attended. By 2018, there were 473 whiskeys, and tickets sold out in four days. In 2019, 1,800 tickets sold out in 43 minutes.
“It was like a 10-run first inning—amazing and unprecedented,” says organizer Amit Dhawan of Synergy Productions. “The goal was always to make it the biggest in the country.”
Photo by George Mahe
Between pent-up demand and a two-year pause, Dhawan anticipates that this year's event could sell out in similar fashion.
The food stations will feature cuisine from the biggest whiskey-producing countries, including Ireland, Japan, Canada, and the U.S. The handful of whiskey cocktail bars are staffed by mixologists from the city's top craft cocktail venues, including The Benevolent King, Blood & Sand, Cinder House, Edera, Lazy Tiger, Platypus, The Rack House, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Salve Osteria, Sanctuaria, Stone Turtle, The Vandy, Vangel's, and Whiskey on Washington. Information on whiskey speakers and seminars will be announced at a later date.
And expect a few surprises, such as the year when Kevin Sanders, Jack Daniel's "barrel man" for more than 30 years, was on hand to sign barrel staves.
As in the past, the whiskeys are listed in alphabetical order (list here), with filters for brand, variety, and type. The current list of sponsors includes:
- Bacardi USA
- Beam Suntory
- Campari America
- Cedar Ridge Distillery
- Diageo
- Heaven Hill Distillery
- Lux Row Distillers
- Pernod Ricard USA
- Pinckney Bend
- Sazerac
- Spirits of St. Louis
- The Quiet Man Irish Whiskey
- Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey
- William Grant & Sons
- Yellowstone Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Not that prospective guests need yet another reminder, but tickets go on sale October 19 at 11 a.m.
