Whiskey Fest Is Going Virtual This Year

Whiskey Fest is going to look a little different this year. | Photo: Getty Images

The Whiskey & Fine Spirits Festival, Philadelphia magazine’s annual celebration of hard liquor, will look a little different this year, because everything looks a little different this year. Usually, it’s a big ol’ party at the Linc where attendees are given shots small, civilized sips of fancy bourbon and scotch, and Philly chefs line the walls giving away bites of food to keep people, you know, standing.

You’ll sorta get to do the same thing this year, except it’ll all happen from the comfort of your own couch, because like all events that were once live, this one is virtual, too. We’re calling it Meet the Makers.

Every Thursday and Friday night in October, starting on the 8th, Philly Mag will put on a virtual tasting session with master distillers from around the world. It works like this: You pony up $25 to get you access to a calendar of events — sessions that include a Double-Aged Hour with Dewar’s (where you get to taste the fine distinctions between Dewar’s White Label, Dewar’s 12, and Dewar’s 15); a Buffalo Trace bourbon tasting led by the company’s master distiller; a gin tasting with Tanqueray, and more. Full schedule here. Once you reserve your spot, you’ll get to order full-sized bottles for your session via a link in your confirmation email, and then the night before your session, you’ll get a link to join the live event. More details here.

The only thing you’ll be missing is the music. Good news is, Spotify has a bunch of whiskey-drinking-music playlists to choose from.