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With the air becoming cooler and the nights becoming longer, it is quite obvious we have entered my favorite time of year: Whiskey Drinking Season. Now, I know what you’re thinking and I agree with you, every season is Whiskey Drinking Season. However, there’s something about fall in particular, which makes the amber spirits far more enjoyable. Luckily, Philadelphia Magazine puts on a festival of whiskey, or Whiskey Fest, every year!

This year the event was held at the Ballroom at the Ben, a venue I hoped would alleviate the congestion problems we experienced at last year’s festival. While the venue was larger, it was obvious from the beginning that this was going to be another crowded situation, though it was a beautifully decorated space.

Some improvements were definitely made over last year. The tasting glasses were available at almost each spirit vendor’s table instead of being centrally located at the entrance. This both reduced the bottleneck at the entrance and eliminated the need to carry around a tasting glass at all times. There were also a few fun promotions including a Boardwalk Empire themed speakeasy and the chance to win a golden ticket at the door, which could potentially result in the tasting of Remy Martin’s Louis XIII Cognac (Read: really really really really good Cognac).

Another difference from last year was the desegregation of spirits. Instead of putting all the whiskies in one room and all the non-whiskies in a different room, it was all combined. We will chalk that up to being a good thing since we embrace diversity. The only odd aspect this arrangement presented was that going a 12 year old single malt scotch to a gin could be a bit of a shock to the palate, so planning out your tastings became a bit difficult, if you cared about that kind of thing.

While there was a huge list of spirits to try at this year’s Whiskey Fest, I did not take the time to try most of them. Why? I am not a patient person in large crowds. Once again the event was oversold for the size of the venue and getting the opportunity to taste became an arduous chore. In addition, I like to chat with distillers and representatives about their products, and it becomes extremely difficult to do that when you’re squeezed into a wall of people.

Beyond the overbearing crowd, the event was pretty good. The Speakeasy could have been larger and maybe contained some live music, but it was a fun addition with some interesting Canadian Club tastings. The SugarHouse Lounge actually presented a nice area where one could escape the crowd and breathe. The food was pretty delicious, though the lines for it were ridiculously long.

Bottom Line: While the mystique and potential glory of the Whiskey Fest makes me long for its embrace every fall, the reality always seems to crush my dreams under the weight of way too many people. Hopefully next year there will be a larger venue or less people. Luckily, though, there is no experience too negative that will crush my love for whiskey on a fall evening…so I’ll keep coming back.

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