Whiskeytown

$ 25 admission includes 3 taster tokens. RIP OFF.
Merc Perk discount: $ 12.50 includes 3 taster tokens. Discounted RIP OFF.
Additional Taster tokens are $ 2 each.
Tasters are a thimble of about ½ a teaspoon.
Being 3 weeks removed from TOAST and Spring Beer and Wine Fest, I couldn’t believe the disproportionate ratio of admission to tasters. I paid $ 10 for toast that included 10 tokens. To add injury to insult, WFNW tokens were $ 2. Even the Spring Beer and Wine fest, you could taste spirits for a buck a token. WFNW is what TOAST and our other local festivals (Beer, wine, sake) would look like if it were to go corporate. The corporate slickness is what you are paying for here.
The bright side of WFNW is that there are some true limited edition whiskies that I would otherwise not be able to sample. I went back for thirds for Johnnie Walker Double Black and Gold label. This is a big boy distillers event. ¼ of the vendors were local. Everything else was national brands like Jim Beam, Johnnie, Bulleit, Sazerac, etc.
You are paying more for the «spectacle» of the event. But for me… Jugglers, bands, and an Indiana Jones wannabe could all be left out in favor of a more affordable experience.
I did have a great time. However, It had more to do with the company and drinking lots of $ 7 cocktails because the $ 2 tasters weren’t doin’ it.
Yes, we are spoiled by the best fests in the land: Spring Beer and Wine, TOAST, Sake fest, OBF, Organic Brew Fest, Holiday Ale fest, yadda yadda. Whiskeyfest NW won’t be a part of my normal rotation.

This is my first year, but I went 2 days in a row. I go to at least 4 tasting events per year. I feel this is pretty well organized. There is the tasting tent, and event tent with room to sit for food or a regular cocktail, a cigar tent, and a partially tented food/​restroom area.
There were probably 120+ types to try. Tasting tokens were available for $ 2 each after spending the 3 that were included with the entrance. There were sweet flavored whiskeys along with the barrel strength as well as craft and reserve whiskeys. I gravitate toward reserve and rye, but there were great picks in anything from sour mash to scotch. I hesitate to recommend this to someone that dislikes whiskey, but most people will find something to their liking.
The food choices were excellent. Pok Pok, Bunk, Pacific Pie Company, Brix, Pacific Seafood, Ataula, Solstice pizza, Olympic Provisions, and Ruby Jewel. The prices seemed retail, so it was great to have so many great picks in the same area. Zero complaints.
For bathrooms, they had honey buckets. They seemed as clean and plentiful as one could ask for at this type of event.
It is a charity event, so the whiskey prices were a little steep at $ 2 per taste, but at least it goes to a good cause.
EDIT: After considering the total cost, I think 3 stars is more appropriate, While the money is going to charity, there should be more tokens given with admission. Three simply isn’t enough for a whiskey tasting festival. I think $ 1 per additional token would still raise plenty of money for the size of taste offered. Having been to several years of GADF and TOAST, WFNW should adjust their prices.

The whiskey was delicious, the vibe was very enjoyable, and the music was excellent.

I was a bit intimidated going into Whiskeyfest not knowing much about the distilling process for whiskey and pretty unfamiliar with a lot of the distilleries that were there. However, every booth had someone not only pushing their product, but educating about the way their whiskey is made. There was even a class you could take at the Dram Academy to learn all about whiskey.
I limited how much whiskey I actually sampled and spaced it out throughout the day because I didn’t want to get too drunk. There was a plethora of other cocktails and beers to choose from in the other sections, so it helped to separate what whiskeys I liked most. Also, the food there was really good! It was fun to eat oysters and pair the food with whiskeys as many suggested.
I’m listen to a lot of electronic music, so when I hear about bluegrass bands and banjos I get a bit skeptical. With that being said, I was really REALLY into a lot of the bands that performed! I danced my ass off and had a great time!
My favorite thing about Whiskeyfest is that when I got tired of drinking or dancing, there was a room where people were smoking cigars and just basically relaxing to more mellow music. There was a pool table there and a stand up comic was just finishing up when I went in. I guess he was good by the applause, but I never heard his act.
This event took me the whole day to fully appreciate all that there was to offer, so I felt like I got my moneys worth. Some people complained that the whiskey was too expensive, but I disagree. Yes, this is for charity, and yes, the samples were small, but I felt like it was a fair price for the quality of the event and the whiskey.
I highly recommend Whiskeyfest Northwest to anyone who wants to have a good time and learn about whiskey. I can’t wait until next year!

Underwhelmed. In the end, it’s a two-​pronged event; if you enjoy the music they have, maybe it’d be worth it. For this, you can check out their web site for previews. But the whiskey part was really just a way for producers to hawk their wares, and for us to pay for the privilege. Tiny tastes are OK, but 3 for the $ 25 admission and $ 2 a pop for additional tiny sips is really quite the scam.
I can understand that the organizers need to control attendees’ intake but there should be a more reasonable way to celebrate a wider variety of the products there.

This event is billed as Whiskeyfest Northwest and is sponsored by the nonprofit Luna Foundation, supposedly to benefit charity. There are a fair number of local, regional, national, and International distillers represented.
The problem is that the entry is $ 23 or $ 28 and for that you get *three* 1 ½ teaspoon tastes of whiskey, which seems quite expensive, even for a fundraiser. Worse is that there isn’t any water to cleanse the palate, so if you actually want to taste whiskey you will have a hard time doing so. I was told water was available for sale and we probably should have found out where but I think the shock of a whiskey tasting event without water was so shocking– we didn’t know what to do! How does one compare when the old taste lingers? We did hear one of the MCs encouraging people to get drunk by purchasing cocktails from some of the vendors, so I gather drunkenness (and a tax deduction for the organizers) is the point of this event. I only it had been advertised that way!
There is a barber who will cut hair and do a razor shave and there are some interesting specialty food vendors and a cigar smoking tent. The music is above average not-​concert live music. There is some good people watching, but not much better than you can see for free on the Park blocks.
The food is expensive and there don’t seem to be adequate handwashing facilities. I did notice a poodle use the facilities on the same asphalt where most the food and ice chests were stored. We were a bit grossed out and decided to go grab a bit to eat somewhere else but were told we wouldn’t be allowed back in. You are not allowed to re-​enter once you’ve left. Oh.
I know now to steer clear of any event sponsored by the Luna Foundation and this is the second event I’ve gone to in the Pearl and I don’t think I’ll feel obligated to go to any others. If you want to taste some whiskey, go somewhere where you can get a flight and a glass of water. Give the extra $ 5 to charity (that way the charity will at least get $ 5 of your $ 25 – I would love to see the receipts for this event and see what was earned and what was donated to charity).