The One Question You Should Always Ask At A Whiskey Festival
The Four Roses booth had its usual suspects lined up, but behind the staff, I spotted a plain brown bottle with a PC-printed label: Straight Bourbon Whiskey 20 Year. One polite ask later, I was holding a glass of 20-year-old Four Roses.
The leaves are turning, the temperatures are dropping, and the pumpkin spice is flowing from wherever it was hiding this entire time. You know what that means: Whiskey Festival Season is officially on.
This week kicks it off with the big one: The Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, KY — before marching into a line-up of whiskey gatherings including The Bourbon Bonanza, Bourbon and Beyond, and Bourbon on the Banks. Outside the Bluegrass are other notable festivals, including The Houston Whiskey Social, The St. Louis Bourbon Festival, and Premiere Drams. No matter where you hang your Glencairn, odds are there’s a festival within striking distance.
These events give you a great opportunity to not only sample pours from different distilleries, but also talk with folks behind the brand and learn more about their story and products.
Here's a Pro Tip: Lean in and ask,
“Got anything special under the table?"
Sometimes brands will have samples of future products, leftover VIP pours, or even experiments they are working on. Ask nicely, and you might just get a pour that makes your whole festival.
I learned this at the New Orleans Bourbon Festival. The Four Roses booth had its usual suspects lined up, but behind the staff, I spotted a plain brown bottle with a PC-printed label: Straight Bourbon Whiskey 20 Year. One polite ask later, I was holding a glass of 20-year-old Four Roses.
Fast forward to 2025, and I still get excited to see what secrets the brands may be hiding at their festival tables. At this year’s NoLA Bourbon Fest, I made the rounds again — and let’s just say, the “under the table” game is still strong.
Caveat: it doesn’t always work. Smaller events often have promo staff pouring only the core lineup. But at the big shows — where the distillers, blenders, and brand staff are running the show— your odds go up. And sometimes, the surprise comes where you least expect it.
Case in point: last month at the DC stop of Whiskies of the World, a Bardstown Bourbon Company market manager slid me an advanced pour of their upcoming Maison Ferrand collaboration.
So next time you’re at a whiskey festival, remember: the best pour of the night might not be on the table at all.