Chivas Cocktail Reception

The event is 100% free, what are you expecting?
I’ve been to 1 Bushmills tasting and this is my 2^nd for Chivas. I don’t really see a big difference other than the lack of ‘official tasting’. the first bushmills and chivas tastings I went to had the first hour as a ‘free for all’ and then second hour where you go and sit in a conference/​meeting room and the host talks to you and you actually ‘taste’ the scotch (however by then, you’re so drunk from the hour of free booze, that ‘tasting’ = gulping it down like shots)
The lack of samples from this one wasn’t really a big deal. Although it was amusing to end up with a bunch of airline bottles of liquor after consuming tons of it for free.
This event was WAY more crowded than any of the others that I’ve attended in the past, but if you got there promptly at 8 (or a little before) it took hardly any time at all to get through the line, and the lines at the bars were pretty short. I know people who showed up late were stuck in line for a while, but that’s the risk of showing up late for a free event.
As for the food? You should eat PRIOR to coming to these things.
Have you ever been to a big wine/​barrel tasting? They bring out small trays of snacks, (and the servers are mobbed each time a tray comes out) You shouldn’t expect a full meal out of it.
The past events were much the same. Small plates of snacks would come around, and the servers were mobbed as soon as they hit the floor. If you keep your eye peeled for the trays, you can run over and grab something before they are emptied, but it’s a better idea to eat PRIOR to coming. You’re here for free scotch, not free food. (However, more pitchers of water or buckets of bottled water would be good to have around. The bartenders shouldn’t have to waste time pouring water for folks when the lines are huge)
Yeah, the bartenders at the little stands weren’t so great. Best to order a simple scotch on the rocks or scotch & soda from them. The sidecars /​appletinis that they were serving were obviously premixed (all they did was pour the mix into a shaker with ice and pour it into a glass). After the first sidecar and appletini, i stuck to scotch & ginger ale. those martinis were, sweet, warm, and gross.
But overall. thumbs up to chivas, jamesons, bushmills, and every other liquor company that has these events. There’s no way I would normally end up at an event in the Fairmont fucking rooftop garden, and Chivas has made it possible.
Five stars all the way.
*******UPDATE!!********
Chivas just sent me a FLASK in the mail!
I’m part of the CHIVAS INNER CIRCLE OF TRUST!
my only complaint? It was empty :(
oh well. Free schwag!

This was my first Chivas cocktail reception, and I completely agree with Michael R’s review. Indeed, while I never complain about free drinks (the sidecar was yummy!), the ambiance, well, was a bit odd. Techno music at the Fairmont roof garden while celebrating Chivas? Being as packed in as a sardine in the slower than slow line up to the bar for a drink? Managing to grab just one hors d’œuvre from the waiter’s tray before other hands clamored in for food? I don’t know, even though it was free, I envision something perhaps a bit more polished from Chivas, and certainly from the Fairmont.

Chivas put on a party tonight at the Fairmont Hotel Rooftop Garden. I’ve been to the event in past years, and have really enjoyed it. The purpose of the event is to promote Chivas Regal whisky. Some may wonder how one can criticize a free event. I do so because Chivas had an objective that wasn’t being met. This year was not bad (how can good, free whisky be bad?), but it wasn’t up to the caliber of the events in years past. The problem began when everyone was queued up for the event. We were given contact cards to fill out. Everyone there was already on the mailing list, with the exception of their guests, who should have been the only people who should have been offered the opportunity (rather than directed to) fill out contact cards. This caused a huge back up.
When you’re pouring hard alcohol so freely, you need to offer food. There were trays of appetizers, but only one waiter at a time showed up with a small tray, which was instantly devoured. This is in contrast with years past, where food was present and available in reasonable quantities to prevent people from drinking too freely, and helped pace the event. I don’t think anyone was showing up expecting dinner, but at an event featuring hard alcohol, something to slow things down is just common sense… not 15 small hand-​passed trays of veggies and cheese.
Stuart, the brand ambassador from Chivas, did his usual stand up job, but wasn’t backed up by the usual samples, etc. He was further hampered by the venue, where he had to stand up on a chair to get the attention of the crowd. In previous years, Stuart was given a proper place to address the crowd. The DJ’s didn’t announce things for Stuart, forcing him to wander around, shout his announcements and whistle for attention. And music was techno (uh, this is 2006), and if anything, it detracted from the event.
Finally, some of the bartenders were professional and knew how to pour for an evening like this, but others were clearly staff drafted from the Fairmont banquet crew. Perhaps they thought that because of the very limited drink menu, that a less experienced bartender would be okay. Some staff could pour for the crowd, others just showed their incompetence.
While I’m still loyal to the brand, I hope they take this feedback in the spirit in which it is given. You can promote your fine product, but there’s a way to do it to maximize the effect given the sizable amount of money you’re spending to do it.
Whisky ****
Venue ****
Food *
Music *
Stuart *****