NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The annual New Orleans Bourbon Festival returns for its sixth year, celebrating all things brown spirits related, from Wednesday, March 20, through Sunday, March 24. Kicking off the festivities is a VIP Welcome Reception, followed by an educational seminar series, bourbon dinners, and concluding with two grand tastings.
The four-day festival is open to bourbon nerds, newbies and everyone in between, featuring a bevy of exclusive opportunities to taste, enjoy, and learn about exceptional North American-made whiskies. Attendees will be able to mingle with like-minded imbibers and master distillers, all while backlit by the vibrant charm and culture of New Orleans. Proceeds of the festival will support young adults in the hospitality industry through the Raising Spirits Society, the charitable beneficiary and organizer of the New Orleans Bourbon Festival
The festivities feature three highly anticipated events including Four Roses Dinner at Jack Rose, a bourbon dinner led by Four Rose’s Master Distiller Brent Elliot at 7 p.m.; O.H. Ingram x Party by the Pool, a cocktail soirée with neat pours, hors d’oeuvres and two featured tipples from 6 – 8 p.m. located at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter and hosted by O.H. Ingram’s Master Blender Scott Beyer; and An Introduction to Dark Arts at Saint John from 6:30 – 9 p.m., an interactive whiskey journey led by Macaulay Minton, Master Blender of Dark Arts Whiskey House.
Following, from 10pm to midnight, New Orleans Bourbon Festival VIP ticket holders are invited to the Marriott Warehouse Arts District Hotel, this year’s festival headquarters, for a spirited VIP Party sponsored by Bardstown Bourbon Company.
The two-day seminar series will take place from 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. on both Friday, March 22, and Saturday, March 23, also hosted from the New Orleans Marriott Warehouse Arts District. The seminar series boasts master classes with the country’s foremost whiskey experts as well as seasoned industry vets and includes two full days of cocktail classes, guided tastings, bourbon history, master distiller talks, discussion panels, food pairing workshops, and more. Highlights include the Women in Whiskey panel; a discussion with Michael Veach, the country’s leading bourbon historian and member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame; and a bourbon and cigar pairing class with Maggie Kimberl, acclaimed spirits writer and Content Editor of American Whiskey Magazine.
Tickets for the two-day seminar series are $159 (+fees) or $89 (+fees) for single day tickets and are available for purchase here.
The festival will culminate in two grand tastings on Friday and Saturday night from 7 – 8 p.m. for VIPs only and 8 – 11 p.m. for general admission at the Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, located in the historic Warehouse Arts District. Attendees will enjoy pours from some of the country’s finest distilleries, including selections from Four Roses, Still Austin Whiskey Co., O.H. Ingram River Aged, Maker’s Mark, Uncle Nearest, Penelope Bourbon, Whistle Pig, Bulleit, Michters, Old Forester, among others.
Tickets for each grand tasting are $139 (+fees) and can be purchased here. There is a designated driver (food only) ticket as well for $79 (+fees). Bourbon lovers and aficionados can go all in on a VIP ticket, which includes Friday and Saturday’s seminars, plus early entry to both grand tastings and the Thursday VIP party for $379 (+fees), or spring for the Ultimate VIP Judge ticket for $579 (+fees), which also includes a seat on the judge panel for the Bourbon Drinker Awards. Please note that quantities of the Ultimate VIP Judge ticket are extremely limited.
To purchase tickets and to find more information about this year’s New Orleans Bourbon Festival, along with a complete schedule of events, go to https://www.neworleansbourbonfestival.com/
“We are building charitable partnerships with likeminded organizations and programs that support individuals in the hospitality and drinks business industries. We will support their efforts through shared fundraising and programmatic opportunities,” said Raising Spirits Society Board President Bryan Dias.
