Greenpoint gets a taste of Brooklyn’s first-ever Whiskey Feast

It was a feast definitely fit for Kings County.

Straight from the minds over at Cannonball Productions – the creators behind the Bacon and Beer Classic – Whiskey Feast, a nationally-touring whiskey extravaganza, soon to make its rounds to Washington D.C. and San Francisco, chose the perfect craft cocktail-loving borough for its inaugural event.

With Brooklynites filing into Greenpoint’s Brooklyn Expo Center (72 Noble Street) for a sampling of the sweet and bitters on Saturday, November 19, the well-attended afternoon session (2 to 4:30 p.m.) was one big whiskey-fueled party.

“I think this has been a fun event for us,” said Bill Potter, distiller with New York Distilling Company. “We’re a Brooklyn company and we actually are not too far away from the Brooklyn Expo Center. It’s amazing seeing what’s going on in the neighborhood. For us, being a part of what’s going on, not just with distilling in New York State, but also what’s happening with the resurgence of north Brooklyn, it’s a terrific synergy and to have an event  in a beautiful space like Brooklyn Expo Center, it’s been a nice combination for us.”

With over 40 warming whiskies and cocktails served up throughout the day from Brooklyn-born brands like Breuckelen Distilling Company, New York Distilling Company and other nearby distillers like Hudson Whiskey, Catoctin Creek Distilling Company and Copper Fox Distillery, the day saw no shortage of spirits. About 20-plus seasonal dishes from local chefs and restaurants were also on deck from New York favorites like Tres Carnes, Bareburger, Salt & Bone, Sweet Chili, Wheated, BeeHive Oven and the Saint Catherine.

“It just gets people out and tasting craft cocktails and craft spirits,” Aaron Tschetter of Tschetter’s Original Moonshine Cocktails said of the event.  “It’s just a whole new world out there of creative people doing cool things and to get everybody into one spot with like-minded people is a big deal.”

“Having produced over 25 festivals, Whiskey Feast might have been my favorite event to date,” said CEO of Cannonball Productions Kate Levenstien. “It was a challenge to make a 30,000+ square-foot space feel intimate but I think we succeeded in creating a speakeasy vibe for all of our attendees to enjoy.  I can’t wait to bring this event back to Brooklyn next year!”