Review
of the N.B. Spirits festival
If you want to go straight to the review,
scroll down but if you want to read why I'm doing this, hopefully get a chuckle
and a debatable opinion then continue reading:
“Come to our whisky festival!” they said! “We've been to three of
yours”, and so the challenge was issued. Now I already know that Canadian east
coast hospitality is among the best. Want proof? Ask the world wide citizens
about the days/weeks after 9/11 when local residents near six east coast
airports looked after passengers of 131 grounded planes by taking homemade
meals to the airport to feed these stranded travelers and then took them home
so they could shower or sleep somewhere other than in the plane. I think all of
the east coast is like that. Vacation there and odds are you will end up at
some local Céilidh or kitchen party and treated like a long lost family member.
Anyway, challenge accepted!
I met Johanne and Graham through social
media and offered them transportation from Toronto Airport to their hotel for
Spirit of TO and Forty Creek W/E. Written words on blogs, email and twitter
don't have tone or expression but I think you can still tell things about
people by the syntax and comments they make. We can all become quickly tired of
the “sickly sweet” comments from bloggers who state the latest whisky they are
sampling is the next great thing, or how some individuals only rant and rage
against the machine. I thoroughly enjoyed their blog because of its style:
Refreshingly honest with a tad bit of sassiness. (No. I'm not suggesting
someone should be called whiskySassy, plus Graham wouldn't like to be called
that anyway.) I enjoy blogs that offer more than “What I'm drinking
praising this week” and prefer more of an analysis of what is going on within
that whisky ≈ consumer
interaction. I think their blog offered that. Holding them captive in my car
gave me a chance to get to know them. Verdict: good #whiskyfabric folks.
Johanne thought she may be perceived as
biased reviewing the NB Spirits Festival (comments from a previous event
review). Me, I've been to a few whisky shows...
OK.OK. I go to them all!
HI. MY NAME IS RICK. I'M A WHISKY SHOW ADDICT. (And the audience echoes back, Hi Rick).
Just so you know where I'm coming from my
ideal whisky event starts at 9am. Seminars on: how whisky is made, production
methods, cask management and grain selections. I would like to learn about the
difference grain selection has on the outcome while sampling Bruichladdich’s
barley selections or what Buffalo Traces' Warehouse X hopes to discover while
sampling some of their finest. I'd love to hear about the Rothes Distillers
Biomass Combined Heat and Power plant while sipping on a selection from the Edrington
group. Give attendees the appropriate time to savor a high end whisky – just 5
minutes to nose & taste something like Glen Grant Diamond Jubilee 60 year
old, really!?
Try having a show without offering copious
amounts of whisky on the show floor, just in the seminar rooms plus a luncheon
and/or dinner and run classes 9am to 9pm. I really think you may develop better
brand devotees that way. New York WhiskyFest started classes at 9am & among the
best speakers: Gerry Tosh from Highland Park. It influenced my decision on what
to buy at Duty Free on my way home. Johanne wrote a blog not long ago stating how
5 attendees purchased Red Breast & Amrut after Davin’s Master Class at NB
Spirits. Proof a good presenter influences.
So my challenge to the festival organizers:
Offer a higher class of educational events and you'll get a higher class of
attendees. If not, then continue mass consumption and attendees who are hell
bent on getting their ticket’s worth and puking on the show floor or in
washrooms like at the recent Hopscotch and WhiskyFest events.
Here's
the Review:
Recap: I've been to four previous festivals
this year including WhiskyFest New York. I agree with most of Johanne's ratings
on her previous festivals and would have only varied by half a mark on any of
them. We didn't always attend similar classes so our experiences varied but I
didn't think the overall analysis of any event was far from each other’s final
summation. So let's begin. I used
Johanne’s template: Cost, Venue,
Classes, Main Event, and Overall Personal Experience.
COST: (travel, accommodations, events,
classes)
Travel:
I took a return flight ($300 apx) to get from Toronto to Fredericton,
whereas others from Ontario drove. There were a few from Quebec and I heard
there was some from the Prairies. People seemed to think that this event was
worth traveling to. I don't think they were wrong.
Accommodations: The event is held at the
Delta Fredericton. A 3.5 star hotel that runs appx. $160 but has a festival
deal of $129. There are always advantages to staying at the same hotel as the
venue but this sold out quickly. I stayed at the Best Western which runs about
$100 to $130. A taxi to the event cost $6.
Events: Wow! It offered a multitude of
special events. The festival started off Wednesday
evening with a spectacular dinner with food/whisky pairings put together by the
incomparable Martine Nouet. Martine is a world renowned food and whisky expert
and former editor of Whisky Magazine-France. At $125 it easily sold out. Thursday had a multiple number of
master classes to attend ($15). Classes ran from 5pm – 6pm, 6:30 – 8pm, and
8:30 – 10pm. Mixed in among them was Martine Nouet’s other special class ($30):
An Art and Whisky pairing with four local artists creating on canvas a
visualization of the selected whiskies before your very eyes. The art was
auctioned off at the end of the session. This easily could have been a main
event and hopefully will be next year. Friday
started with lunch ($50) at 11:45 and again presented with Martine hosting a
spectacular selection of foods and complimenting whiskies. This woman deserves
all the praise she receives. After lunch there were additional master classes
($15) and the Ultimate Master Class ($50). Thirteen (13) high end drams that
were all amazing.
Now, before the main showroom opened at 6:45
there was through, the creative marketing genius behind this show, an onsite mini
liquor store set up by ANBL (Provincial Liquor Establishment). The line-up was
probably twice as long to get into the store as it was to get into the main
showroom. Smart people. They were certainly assisted by the 80 page (yes 80!)
pocket guide listing a floor plan with guide and a listing of all whiskies as
well as booths, plus prices of all the whiskies including a 1948 Linkwood that
would be available at the onsite store.
Main event ticket was $75 and offered a $10
coupon for the onsite store, a free taxi chit if you were not staying at the
Delta and other discount coupons. This is a tremendous undertaking which served
the
participants well. A number of limited whiskies sold out quickly
and I was told that by 9:30 the store had sales of $167,000 dollars.
IMPRESSIVE.
Total Cost: $220 for tickets and I stayed
with Johanne & Graham so no cost for hotel.
This easily scores an A++
VENUE: The
venue had ample sized meeting rooms and technology for power point displays. I
wasn't staying at the hotel but my commute from the nearby hotel was a minor
inconvenience. I did wonder about using downtown hotels and the new convention
center to make it walking distance from downtown pubs like the Lunar Rogue.
This event spans three days. Wednesday to Friday. If the event doesn't start
till noon or after would people go to the Sports Hall of Fame, Science East or
some other close attraction? Could that Art and Whisky pairing be held in the
local art gallery? If the event were to grow pass the 750 attendees could it do
so by having more classes? I think these individuals are so organized that they
could pull off a fully packed three day festival. I would hope so. What about a
half day devoted to rum? Sales of Gin are on the rise. Maybe a Mixologist class
or two? It’s endless. In 1981 a friend of mine suggested that
like-minded individuals get together to celebrate their common interest. Now
everyone worldwide has heard of Friday the 13th in Port Dover.
Location: Although the event was not walking distance
to downtown, taxi rides were quick to arrive and take you downtown or to your
hotel.
Food: The dinner and lunch food pairings were
simply amazing. While lined up in the hallway awaiting entranced to the Main
room there were tables of food from local venders. What a great idea! Once in
the main room there was plenty of additional good food. These people wanted to make sure you
weren't drinking on an empty stomach. Again great planning.
Geographic Location:On a larger scale Fredericton is just one or
two hours from Moncton or Saint John, the other two large cities in New
Brunswick, four hours from Halifax, or eight hours from Montreal QC. I think
it's worth the drive. I flew there from Toronto and got a ride to downtown. I
don't think the Fredericton Bus service goes to the airport, but it's only a 15
minute taxi ride to downtown and costs just over $20. Suggestion: I hope organizers would consider offer early
registration for out of province visitors in future years. This event has the
capability of being a tourist attraction.
I would have rated it higher
if the location was centralized and there were more classes during this three
day festival.
Total Score: B
CLASSES
Most of the Master Classes were only $15,
except for Martine’s Art & Whisky which was $30. All were great value for
money! I attended the Isle of Arran presented by Senior Brand Manager Louisa
Young. Lots of knowledge there. I moved
on to the Laphroaig tasting presented by Master Ambassador Simon Brooking from
Scotland, and the Gordon & MacPhail / Benromach tasting by Export Executive
Nicole Hizzet from Scotland. Even with her youth, Nicole showed her training
& knowledge was up to the task as she dealt with the multitude of questions
thrown at her. I have to say all were
great and I would not hesitate to sit in on an educational session with any of
them again. One note: The session with
Simon gave evidence why he has been awarded Keeper of the Quaich and Icons of
Whisky – Ambassador of the Year for 2011, 2012 & 2013. One woman there
commented that she found her new love but didn't say if it was the Laphroaig or
Simon Brooking.
I already commented on Lunch: Simply
delicious. My advice, if Martine Nouet is hosting: GO!
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Next up: The Ultimate Master Class. Twelve
of the most amazing whiskies, total worth $9900 if you were to buy them. Everyone got a tasting card to be crossed off after you tried that sample.
A last
minute surprise was Marc Laverdière Brand Ambassador for Macallan, Highland
Park and Famous Grouse Brands added Macallan M to the tasting. It is the
only Canadian Festival to have this $5000 whisky poured for 2013.
Con:
Not a sit down event and much like a main event where you go from table
to table. It worked out to be about 10 minutes per dram. I don't think any of
them received the respect they were due and unfortunately some people seem
to treat them like shooters. Now there were a few drams that I was not familiar
with so I ask questions. I want that knowledge. Unfortunately for me Marc was
the only Brand Ambassador in the room. Members of the local whisky club
volunteers do the pouring & they had only found out what they were pouring
about 15 minutes before the doors opened. I was advised later that normally
they are briefed about a week in advance but not this year and as a result, I
thought I met my first male Booth Bunny. Yes. He was a handsome gentleman. I
publicly apologized to him later that evening when I found out they didn’t know
what they were pouring till they walked in the room. Looking back I guess I am
surprised that the Brand Ambassadors didn't request a 5-10 minute presentation
per whisky. Their loss.
Types:
There were several types of Classes as previously mentioned. It is
totally refreshing to see thinking outside the normal parameters with the Art
and Whisky pairing. Kudos to the people who planned that!
Time: It was great to have big spaces
between classes to meet up with your colleagues and compare notes. Only at the
Ultimate Master Class did I feel rushed. For me personally, there seemed to be
too big of a gap between the Thursday evening and Friday lunch as well as the
Friday Lunch and the evening sessions so I’d suggest adding a few more master
classes or repeat some of them that are high demand.
And now for the downside: At the Thursday
tastings there was no water glasses or spittoons/pails set up. There were two
or three water bottles per table of 6-8 and if you wanted to rinse your mouth
between tasting you had to empty one glass to do it. I considered this a major
flaw. More water, a water glass and something to empty your whiskies in really
are a basic item and an absolute must at any tastings. This also happened at the Ultimate Master Class;
mind you the spittoons would not have been needed.
Score:
Damn. How do you balance what may have been
one of the best classes offered at any festival when one of the most basic
items like water was overlooked.
Total Score: B
MAIN EVENT
Availability of Whiskies: Over 250 whiskies!
A festival cocktail table with mixologists serving up a variety of drinks to
suit your taste buds. I don't think anybody was disappointed here. What was
disappointing again was the lack of water and spittoons at the tables. They
were there, but in the middle and strategically placed at the four corners,
hard to find and not on the floor map. I didn’t see anyone leave a table
between tastings to use them. Johanne
saw at least 10 people shaking the remains of their glass on the carpeted floor
and I heard vendors complain and go get their own spittoon. When you hear the vendors complain you know
it's a problem.
Venue: A bit crowded at times but only in front of
the booth everyone else wanted to sample from. Ha Ha.
Services: It was evident that a lot of planning went into this event. They've been
doing it 18 years. The Festival Guide should be duplicated everywhere (I was
told it is also used at the Halifax show). Having the onsite store is an
amazing bonus. If I was a distributor I would demand that. There are so many
background plans that go on I have no idea about. But I do know that the
Diabetic Association runs the coat check and Frank Scott brings in students
that are studying tourism/hospitality to pour water, serve food and wait on
attendees. They do this for free and in
return Frank goes to their college and provides them with an introductory class
about whiskies, also for free. Did I
mention the Festival also provides free taxi service to anyone not staying at
the Delta? Safety is always a concern.
Knowledge of exhibitors: No problem here. The
top product reps were in full force. If I had a question someone couldn't
answer they called over someone who could. Great job by all the brand
representatives. NO BOOTH BUNNIES… well
except for one table which brand we won’t mention…
Total Score: B
OVERALL PERSONAL EXPERIENCES: Great people,
good venue, fantastic whisky. How can you not enjoy that!
Score: A+
So, if you tally up all the scores the total overall score for this festival is, drum roll please!
That is the best score I would give any of
the festivals I've been to this year.
Now I did hear one of the organizers say that “We may not be the biggest
but we aim to be the best”. You certainly don't have to be the biggest to be
the best. My current plans are to go to the Ultimate Whisky Festival in Las
Vegas.
It is said that what happens in Vegas should stay in Vegas. But I gotta
tell you that what happens in New Brunswick is so great the world should know
about it!
Rick Culver (@rmculver)
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