It’s a high-proof of concept show!
A new whiskey tasting event coming to Red Hook will feature more than 60 spirits, a rock show, and a half-dozen other activities. The founder of the Whisky X, coming to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal on June 8, hopes that some high-tech planning and an expansive venue will keep visitors from feeling too addled during the intoxicating event.
“Some of these experiences can be kind of overwhelming and have so many whiskies. It’s great but it and can be kind of expensive and it’s like where do you start?” said Brian Murphy. “We wanted to make a much more interesting and inspiring experience.”
The festival will email ticket holders in advance to brief them on the variety of bourbons, ryes, and Scotch and Irish whiskeys available. Each visitor will also get an identification bracelet, which they can scan to later get more info about spirits they enjoy.
Distillers and bartenders will set up throughout the cruise terminal, providing a roomy experience that lets people stay to chat with the whiskey makers, according to Murphy.
“They’re not crammed in, there’s room to breathe and more time and space for the whiskey companies to talk to you about it,” he said.
The event will also feature an hour-long performance from Dan Auerbach, the singer for the Black Keys, playing tunes from his new southern-tinged solo album “Waiting on a Song” — an event that fits right into the storied relationship between whiskey and song, said Murphy.
“Music and whiskey have this rich heritage together,” he said. “You have Janis Joplin with Southern Comfort, and I think we’re all kind of familiar with whiskey and country music.”
And visitors who need a breather between whiskey shots can stop for a haircut from the Blind Barber — a Williamsburg bar that also trims both men and women’s locks, watch a cooper make a whiskey-aging barrel, chat with educational outfit Women and Whiskies, and puff stogies at a cigar bar.
Murphy hopes that those come to the inaugural Whisky X event will walk away with not just a hangover, but a better appreciation and understanding of the spirit.
“From a very basic level we just wanted it to be more of an interesting night to complement the innovation and craftsmanship that goes on with whiskey,” said Murphy.
Whisky X at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal (72 Bowne St. at Commerce Street in Red Hook, www.thewh
