Wine & Whiskey Wednesday at Monarch Lounge

What’s worse than Thursday? Wednesday.
What’s better than water? Wine and whiskey.
What do you get when you combine Wednesday, wine and whiskey? A good time, that’s what!
This was a pretty nifty event — Andrew was clearly excited and well informed about what he was serving. I really enjoyed the fact that he was open to questions and mingled with the crowd before and after the tastings.
I was a little bummed, however, that there was only red wine at this tasting. While the whiskey was a clear favorite, I felt like the wine was an afterthought.
Great snacks to munch on, free parking, delicious whiskey and wine and good company — would definitely love to do something like this again!

Andrew Miller Rocks. Thanks again!
This event made a gloomy Wendesday oh so enjoyable. I love expanding my knowledge of the alcohol I (and the rest of our good town) love to drink. Andrew was extremely knowledgable about burbons and the red wines we were tasting, and also gave the event a laid back atmosphere, with great piano tunes in the background.
The Monarch is a beautiful space. I recommend it all days at all times. I can’t imagine a better atmosphere to drink a delicious Pinot Noir– crystal chandeliers, lucious fabrics, and lots of people watching. I highly recommend checking this out.

I’m not a big whiskey or bourbon drinker, but I think the Monarch Lounge at the Milwaukee Hilton has a nice idea and a great venue for the idea.
Our group was treated to three samples of bourbon, three samples of red wines, and various items to snack on, such as truffle potato chips, fresh fruit and veggies, cheeses and meats.
The Monarch Lounge is located near the concierge and front desk. The room is large, has a full bar, and a piano for your listening pleasure.
Our host provided us with a brief lesson of the characteristics of the bourbons and wines, establishing himself as a connoisseur.
I appreciated the information he shared with us, and I feel that it added positively to the overall experience.
I don’t think I remembered enough to impress the next time I’m at a bar, but that won’t stop me from trying.
I believe this concept of Wednesday tastings is a good one, and I recommend it if you see it scheduled. They may want to venture out beyond whiskey and wine at some point, but they provide a good starting point, as well as alliteration.

I really enjoyed this event. Format-​wise, I enjoyed that it was pretty laid-​back, yet structured, in that the staff was great about communicating a timeline that allowed for information-​sharing, tasting, and socializing. It was a nice size group of people, but I can understand others’ concerns about being able to better seat attendees in one location. The spread of snacks was great, and I felt like the total amount of time for the event was fitting. Also, the staff was awesome — great service and pleasant attitudes all around.
As for the content itself, I enjoyed that it was split between whiskey and wine (especially because the whiskey kept my husband more interested than a wine tasting alone would have done). I felt like I learned some things, which is always good. Perhaps the only feedback I have with this is – and perhaps I just missed it or should’ve asked — I didn’t see any of the featured bourbons or wines on the bar menu. Given that we weren’t driving anywho, we opted to stick around afterward for a beverage and found similar but different options on the menu. It’d be nice to feature options that patrons could enjoy afterward, whether on their own or as part of a listed cocktail. As for the possibility of attending future tastings, I’d be interested. The Hilton is a convenient location for me, and I’ve been impressed with the Monarch Lounge so far — it’d be nice to come back for future events with friends to share the experience.
Thanks to Rachel and Andrew Miller for coordinating another great event at the Hilton!

Make sure you observe the three W’s: Wine, Whiskey and Wednesday.
As always, a great event brought to you by MKE Unilocal’s Rachel. (Thank you!) This was my first visit to the Hilton’s Monarch Lounge. It was a very open, clean and elegant space divided up into smaller sections for guests to have a more intimate space of their own. The bar was lit underneath allowing light to shine through the stone. A modern glass fireplace and a player grand piano also helped the ambiance of the evening.
The event featured a generous appetizer buffet including cheeses, fruit and even truffled Parmesan potato chips. I normally do not have chips but I just couldn’t help myself. Frankly, I would come back just for a bowl of those.
Andrew Miller guided us through the tastings of three whiskeys and three wines; all were fantastic with subtle differences that allowed guests to compare and contrast on the cards for tasting notes. We also were generously treated to a pour of our favorite in each category.
I wish the Monarch Lounge luck in launching this as a featured event for the hotel and lounge. Based on my experiences, I think the following may enhance the experience for future guests:
— Limit the group size to 12. The space was very open and the cluster of tables comfortably seated twelve. I was not seated in that area and found it harder to hear and feel engaged in the satellite areas.
— Populate the tasting notes cards with the selections of the evening. This may limit the amount of questions on the spellings and vintages of the offerings and allow guests to concentrate more on the enjoyment and note taking. Information on a drink or ideal mixing components for the selected whiskey may also help guests choose signature drinks available at the bar for another visit or recipes for them to enjoy at home.
— Although I enjoyed tasting the best of both whiskey and wine, I think I would prefer an event that concentrated on one or the other or split the group into two. I would feel less rushed and full with more time to socialize.
— I think a $ 15 class fee would be more than fair, based on the education, attention and quality of products featured.
I wish you success in your program and hope to be back soon. It was a great space and a fantastic night with my fellow Unilocalers.

Two of my absolute favorite libations… What could go wrong?
It was sweet to preview with the Unilocal crowd.
I liked the relaxed yet classy atmosphere of the lounge. Although, that made it a little bit hard to hear at times. The seating options (couches, 4 tops) encouraged conversation and mingling. I like how the tasting was staggered so we had time to chat in between things and practice our tasting speak with each other. I’m still not convinced I know what «oaky» tastes like.
I’d be nice to maybe have more information on the selections provided, such as price points and retailers. Perhaps pre-​printed little cards for each that we could take with us if we liked a certain selection. I wrote some notes, but honestly I think I lost my sheet. I’d also suggest pairing with some light apps. Showing how the selections mesh with food versus just talking about it.
Overall, I love the concept. It’s great to see the old hotels offering these sorts of events, I’m a big fan of the ambiance and feel of a place like the Hilton and I appreciate reasons to adventure out to them.

This event was pretty cool. It was pretty nice to have the validated parking and not need to worry about parking and paying downtown.
The venue was beautiful, vintage and rustic, but clean and up to date as well. The bar area was beautiful, and I liked how we were roped off so people weren’t walking through the crowd the whole time. There were a couple screaming kids a few times, but that’s to be expected as it still is a hotel I suppose.
The spray of food was nice, little veggies, cheese/​meats, fruit, chips etc. It was just enough for a stomach coating.
The whiskey tasting was first, and you could tell that the host, Andrew Miller, was much more excited about these than the wines. He went long explaining the different notes, and you could tell his knowledge was fueled by a passion for the dark juice.
My only gripe as a non-​whiskey drinker was just that — the wines really fell flat for me. He took mostly info from us on those (while he definitely still knew what he was talking about, and I walked away having learned something). He was boasting about the wine being «inexpensive blends» (for the red table wine), and about an $ 8.00 bottle. I was disappointed that there was such a nice array of whiskey, but pretty cheap wine. Also, only reds.
I liked the event and would definitely go again — this time maybe a nap beforehand as I got tired really quickly after my libations.

I was pretty excited when I heard about this event I love whiskey and I really love wine! The event space was gorgeous Hilton has done a great job on keeping the structural and historical integrity of its building. Gorgeous! and the player piano was a nice touch to affectionately nick named the ghost piano love it.
As for the event here we go
First Off i love tours I do them allot so im basing part of this review off some previous wine tours in hopes of constructive criticism for an event i am sure has major potential to really take off and be something something.
Our Host was knowledgeable friendly — plus points for being approachable. I think with the variety they presented it seemed knowledge tight in whiskey. I think it would be cool if we could do a bit more on the history aspect i would be super sold on that. However I shoulda asked like why is bourbon only in america? i know it would have been answered. Yes, q and a time was great good knowledge shares.
As for the wine — delicious! i always thought that table wine was like a cheap version of wine. Nope! man was i wrong it ended up being my favorite tasting of the night I cant wait to run out today to grab my own table wine. I enjoyed the comments about food pairing and would be excellent if that was brought out more in the future. I think a vast majority of people would really be into learning how to pair wine with food.
What can I say this was a fun event, an event i would go to again and tell people about. Suggestion though: Walk thru a local winery and steal some of there tid bits of information could be very useful in this event.
Cant wait to see what this event turns into and how far it goes. Excellent job! thank you.

I’m already a fan of the newly-​reopened Monarch Lounge, so when I heard there was a wine & whiskey event (read «Stephanie & Ron event» respectively), I was all over it!
Andrew imparted a lot of nice knowledge about our spirits of the night, and out of the whiskeys I was surprised to find that I liked the B&E best, having been a relative fan of Bulleit Bourbon in the past.
The variety of food was more than I expected: various cheeses, salami & pepperoni, several kinds of fruit, snack mix, vegetables and truffle oil potato chips.
I went away with the new appreciation for some wine and whiskey I can seek out in local retailers.
If this were to be a regular event at Monarch Lounge, I would certainly be willing to pay about $ 10 per person with maybe just some snack mix or something light to cleanse the palate between beverages, and the option to purchase some small plates.

Wine & Whiskey Wednesday: what a wonderful concept for a midweek break.
The Hilton Monarch Lounge is classy and comfortable, large, but intimate. We came before the event to get dinner at the Miller Time Pub and Grill (downstairs), which we enjoyed.
Confession (please don’t judge me): I had never had straight whiskey prior to this night. So, thank you to Andrew Miller for educating me and introducing me to something I may not have ordered. I did enjoy it, but I wouldn’t mind making it all wine-​tasting event, or having the option to try more wines in place of the whiskey. With that said, you did introduce me to something I’ll probably have the courage to order now.
This event included three samples of wine and a pour of your favorite, as well as three samples of whiskey and a pour of your favorite. There was a large spread of veggies, fruits, cheeses, nuts, chocolate chips, chips (and as you’ve probably gathered from other reviews they are amaaazing), etc.
I appreciated the wine & whiskey cards, as I’ve been to tasting events before that did not provide note cards, which is annoying because you end up scribbling on a napkin or forgetting your newly discovered favorite.
Thanks to Rachel F/​Yelp MKE and to Andrew Miller and Hilton Milwaukee for providing us with a great evening!

It was great to return to the Hilton to another recently, beautifully renovated space. The Monarch Lounge has great potential in a stand-​alone bar space that I look forward to many more Wine and Whiskey Wednesdays.
I loved the event’s atmosphere that we are able to mingle around and then sit in groups of 4 and taste the different whiskeys and wine. Rachael ceases to amaze me with her knowledge — adding to Andrew Miller’s tips for tasting liquors.
I am not much of a Whiskey/​Bourbon guy so it was great to taste 3 very different brands with the tasting notes of others and the explanation of the history and what you should be tasting from Andrew.
The space is great and screams classy in a 1930’s fashion. Great start to what (I hope) will be a regular Wednesday night tradtion.

Yes, Bulliet Bourbons, B&E and a smattering of wines. It was a great atmosphere for a non-​comical tasting and a great lead in for a regular event hosted by Andrew Miller. I think they’ve done a great job of starting to push the bar aspects of the hotel as not having to be an actual aspect of just the hotel. It’s nice to see a standalone concept show signs of individual success.

I want to say that there’s just something supremely awesome and liberating having a whiskey and wine tasting event when you’re actually staying in the hotel where the event is happening. No worries about «am I okay to drive?» when all you have to negotiate is what floor to go to on the elevator!
As a beer drinking person — I am far from a connoisseur but I know enough to avoid the mass produced ones — my knowledge of spirits and wines is minimal. Any education opportunity to make me a better and more knowledgeable alcoholic is a good thing! And here’s Bruce in Milwaukee and there’s a Unilocal event where I can learn. I do like to learn.
Andrew Miller (unrelated to the Miller beer people as far as I know) is the guy in charge of the menu for the Monarch Lounge and the Miller Time Pub here in the downtown Hilton. This is a man who clearly knows his way around a bourbon. Tonight, he shared with us some of that knowledge, explaining what makes a bourbon (no, it doesn’t have to come from Bourbon County but it does have to be at least 51% corn and it does have to be made in the US) and sharing three different bourbons with us. Details like 95% rye mash for the 49% that’s not corn (yes, there was math involved) and blended bourbons. All really interesting!
And the wines. A Pinot Noir from Burgundy (earthy «dirt» notes), an Italian table wine (sweet finish) and my favorite, the Argentinian Malbec which had a very rich flavor. That was the one where I had the refill. Man, I could really go for a steak now!
The venue was quite lovely. Sure, its mostly a hotel bar but this is not just any rinky dink hotel. Comfortable tables and sofas, lovely accents and stuff that just looks… ritzy.
I’m not a Milwaukee Unilocaler, so it was great to meet some new folks to talk about Unilocal and this lovely city and the wonderful food options here. I scribbled down a few good recommendations (most involve cheese) that I will try to visit during my remaining time in the Brew Town. Thank you for making me feel so welcome!