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Los Angeles Magazine's first annual Whiskey Festival was a classy affair, complete with over a dozen distilleries, complimentary whiskey glasses and hand-rolled cigars, a shoe-shining station, hors d'oeuvres, and prehistoric fossils from the tar pits.
Over 500 whiskey enthusiasts crammed into the La Brea Tar Pits Museum on Thursday night to sample the smoky flavors of several top-shelf Scotches and bourbons. This wasn't just Jack or Fireball—though Jack Daniels was there too, offering some of their more premium varieties. Instead, we got to taste some insanely peaty whiskeys from the likes of Ardbeg, Glenmorangie, Bruichladdich, and even Japanese distiller Kikori. Even L.A. was in the house, represented by Slow Hand from Greenbar Craft Distillery, L.A.'s first distillery since Prohibition.
Secretly, we kind of hoped the festival would be outdoors right by the tar pits, though hundreds of drunk people next to the La Brea tar pits is probably a disaster waiting to happen.
LAist was on hand last night to try as many whiskeys as we could. Though we'll admit, we didn't get very far. We'll pick up where we left off at next year's festival.
