Alcademics

I love large tasting events where you get to try a lot of products in a small amount of time. It allows for the discovery of a lot of new brands and expressions of existing ones, and they're nearly always worth the money spent on admission. Here are some upcoming tasting events in the San Francisco area.

March 28th: Whiskies of the World and Artisanal Spirits Fest. A ton of whisk(e)y and other small batch spirits. The event takes place aboard a docked boat, with several levels, food, and entertainment. Info here.

April 5th, 2-5PM: Meet the Maker. This offshoot of the American Distilling Institute conference will offer tastings from about 40 small batch distillers, and an opportunity to speak to the people who make them. Held at the Hangar One distillery in Alameda. Info here.

April 27th: Ministry of Rum Festival SF. This is the first rum festival in the Bay Area thrown by super-expert Ed Hamilton of the Ministry of Rum. The list of exhibitors is small at this point but should grow as we get closer to the event. Also held at Hangar One. Info here.