It’s not really a surprise what one can found at the Stockholm Beer & Whiskey festival. There’s beer. There’s whiskey. And a lot of it. What people can’t know from the title are all the extras: the entertainment, the classes, and the atmosphere.
Tullamore DEW
TS got a chance to check out a master class while we visited with the Irish Whiskey brand, Tullamore DEW. I didn’t know what to expect in a master class. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about whiskey. What interesting things would this master class be able to bring to the table that I didn’t already know?
The master class was an unexpected treat. The spokesperson for Tullamore DEW, Ray McIntosh, shared some great information and gave us interesting tastes of Tullamore’s whiskey. I’m not a big whiskey drinker – if I’m being completely honest, I think I have it about once a year, if that. I don’t really feel like it’s my “cup of tea.” The great thing about the class was it didn’t have to be. I tasted and was taught to really appreciate the product instead of just grouping it in as another whiskey I don’t really care for. There’s different ways of taking in the smell and taste of whiskey and I never saw it that way because I automatically grouped it in the “don’t care for it” category. I really did feel a bit enlightened and sorry that I didn’t actually give whiskey a chance after the class.
We also were able to get an exclusive taste of Tullamore Dew’s newest product yet to hit shelves in Sweden. This 10 year old whiskey is due to be sold in System in April of 2014 and it’s one of the strongest whiskeys that will be out on the market with 55% alcohol content. My opinion? It’s a strong taste… a really really strong taste. Tullamore Dew’s other whiskeys are more suited to my unexperienced taste buds but I will tell you that the educated whiskey drinker sitting behind me enjoyed it thoroughly.
The Festival
The Festival was a buzzing atmosphere. One building held the whiskey, beer and cider only with the other building next door holding a bit more like champagne and wines. So when the festival said they had something for everyone – they meant it. People were everywhere just chatting and enjoying the company of each other and some great drink tastes. I got a chance to chat with the CEO of NackaStrandsMassan that organized the event, Marianne Wallberg, who let me in on what went into planning the festival. “It took a lot of work because we hand picked all the brands that are here. There are so many that apply and we want to make sure we bring you the best of the best. We make sure to include people’s favorites but also some up and coming brands that we think will really broaden Stockholm’s horizons. We can’t have everyone but we try to make sure there’s a great variety,” Marianne explained to me.
One thing I noticed right away was the time each brand took to make their bar unique. Banners, screens, taps, all touched with different artistic ideas. It really added to the mood of the festival and drew you in to each place. I was overwhelmed with choice and was really pleased to try some things I haven’t had before, such as Nils Oscar, some familiar tastes such as Oppigårds and some things I just can’t get enough of like strawberry and lime Rekorderlig.
The space is a wonderful choice for this kind of festival. It was the perfect setting for what was pretty much a beer and whiskey market. Some of the light touches were nice as well, such as a great sausage place. It’s essential to provide some kind of food when people are just drinking and the sausage place was a huge hit! There was also a bit of live music, which was a fabulous addition. It was the cherry on top of the cake – music is a great way to keep the mood up and the party going!
Between the Tullamore DEW master class and walking through a Beer & Whiskey wonderland the experience was a great one. My only complaint is some of the clueless workers that were stationed in the front entrance that weren’t sure about all aspects of the event – it gave off the impression that it was disorganized when in reality – it really wasn’t!
Check out some of our pictures from the master class and the festival!
