“At The WoW Tasting Experience, We Are Whisky United!”
~ Yours Truly
On Sunday October 15th, 2023, while representing Whiskey Network, I was privileged to have the opportunity to elevate my whiskey journey at The Wonders of Whisky Tasting Experience, hosted by Sunil Dyal, at The Bordone in Long Island City, New York. This is a very elegant rooftop venue overlooking the Queensboro Bridge and New York City’s amazing Manhattan skyline.
There was plenty of room in this oversized and upscale venue, for the very diverse-looking whisky crowd, which was dressed to impress, in all white.
For Sunil, this is a family affair, with all hands on deck, including his mother Shirley Dyal, wife Anita Dyal, son Tristan Dyal, daughter Sienna Dyal, sister Usha Dyal-Roopchand, brother-in-law Jimmy Roopchand, and his nieces Chanel and Ariane Roopchand.
On the rooftop patio, Jay Jagan, aka DJ Rah Rahh. was spinning live under the sun, moon and stars, next to some of my favorite whisky brands.
Whyte & Mackay’s Single Malt Specialist, Daniel Loeser, was serving up some classic Dalmore expressions, including the coveted King Alexander III. This amazing whisky is finished in six different casks: small batch bourbon, Matusalem Oloroso Sherry, madeira, marsala, port pipes, and cabernet sauvignon wine barriques.
The nose is like a delicate rose, and it tasted like marsala-dipped Christmas gingerbread cookies. This is a must-try single malt for whisky lovers seeking depth and sweet complexity in their glasses.
Next WoW Tasting Experience Event Information:
Location: Club Mira Lago, Parkland Florida
Date: Saturday December 9, 2023
Time: 5:30PM-9PM
After-Experience 9PM-11PM
Tickets are now on sale at wonderswhisky.com
William Grant & Sons’ Luxury Portfolio Specialist, Marija Mijic, stunned me with Glenfiddich’s new twelve-year-old release, which is aged in American and European oak sherry casks, then finished in a unique amontillado cask. This fruit bomb dram was explosive on the palate with just enough spice to keep the party going, a must-buy bottle at only $50 MSRP.
Then Marija blew me away with The Balvenie 19, “A Revelation of Cask and Character,” which she grabbed from under her table, ssshhhh!!! This very special Sherry cask-aged Balvenie is like Christmas cake in your glass, with some classic Balvenie honey sweetness, fig notes, and creamy nuttiness on the finish.
It is a collectible bottle, absolutely delicious, and was by far my favorite single malt of the event. Thank you Marija, you rock!
Also on the patio, Green House Agency’s Single Malt Scotch Ambassador, Derek Grimm, was serving up some classics from The Glendronach and Benriach distilleries.
This bearded whisky wolf is large, in charge, and knows his whiskies. The unpeated Benriach 12, finished in a port cask, always satisfies my palate and should be on everyone’s bar.
Look at those beautifully-sherried Glendronachs.
I drink this incredible brand daily, and so should you!
For VIP participants, Noble Cigars was on scene with their famous Act I and Act II Dominican Republic cigars.
Brand owner John Gjebrea and his business partners Elizabeth Santos @remarkable_liz, and Eddy Santos @loyalsmokermoi, all took the rooftop party to the next level, with their amazing cigars.
More to come on these awesome cigars in Whiskey Network magazine, stay tuned!
Sunil is a dedicated whisky enthusiast. He emphasized whisky is a passion for him that has taken him on an incredible journey. He mentioned that he is very “blessed” to have such an amazing event overlooking New York City, where he is from.
Be sure to catch Sunil regularly in action, live on Instagram @wonders_of_whisky, as he hosts whisky professionals and navigates incredible whiskies from around the world.
YRB Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Jonn Nubian said “the WoW event was one of the most unique experiences I have ever had in New York City – great people, great whisky, great vibes!”
Nubian’s business partner, Mike Dean, said the event “beat watching any Sunday NFL football game,” and preached “we are living while we’re living!” AMEN BROTHER!
Considering the extremely diverse crowd, all under and on top of one roof, enjoying each other’s company, the amazing whiskies, and energetic vibes, my heart was warmed and relieved to see that, even in these dubious times, we were all whisky united!
Inside the venue, my favorite independent bottling company, ImpEx Beverages, crushed it with a stellar worldwide line-up of single malts from Scotland’s Glenallachie, Kilchoman, Wolfburn, Adnamurchan, Lochlea, and Raasay Distilleries, England’s Yorkshire Filet Bay, Israel’s Milk & Honey, Japan’s Ohishi and Fukano whiskies, India’s Indri, and Penderyn whiskies from Wales.
The event’s interior string quartet and incredible spread of finger foods, definitely elevated the whisky sampling to a very exquisite experience for the crowd.
Thank you ImpEx Beverages’ Sales & Education Specialist, Casey O’Donnell, for helping me navigate this stellar line-up and journey across the globe.
Upcoming WoW Tasting Experience Event Information:
Location: Club Mira Lago Parkland Florida
Date: Saturday December 9, 2023
Time: 5:30PM-9PM
After Experience 9PM-11PM
Tickets are on sale now at wonderswhisky.com
Trusted Scotch Whisky Specialist, Matt Wozniak, was serving up his super delicate and complex cocoa bomb Glenrothes 18. This elegant and super bold dram will definitely impress any whisky connoisseur.
Australia’s Starward Brand Ambassador, Kotryna Gesait, impressed me with the new multi-dimensional stout cask-finished single malt, which has amazing in-your-face flavors.
A very classy Lisa Pope introduced me to her latest batch of Glenmorangie’s cream bomb Cadboll 15 expression, and her special Ardbeg 19, which has the softest perfect kiss of peat on the finish. Glenmorangie always keeps us on our toes with Dr. Bill Lumsden’s experimental cask releases and colorful marketing strategies.
I was extremely impressed with Uncle Nearest’s new Single Barrel bottling, which was introduced to me by their beautiful Brand Steward, Nicole Carter. This bottle is a bold spicy caramel bomb banger, and comes out this winter for only $89.99 MSRP.
I will definitely be grabbing a few bottles for the holidays.
Finally, I got to try Mortlach 16, a bold malty dram that everyone in the whisky community is raving about, and for good reason. I purchased this bottle immediately upon return to Chicago, and am thoroughly enjoying its incredibly smooth flavors daily.
Their Luxury Brand Ambassador, Karl Josef Co, really took my Mortlach sampling experience to the next level, with his whisky knowledge and professionalism.
Thank you sir!
New York-based Cigar Box Marketing Chief Officer, Cathy Poturny, along with her hilarious husband, Tim Poturny, surprised me at the event. I enjoyed teaching this energetic and jovial couple about all the amazing whiskies we sampled together.
Cathy said, “The WoW event at The Bordone was an incredible and unforgettable experience. It was held at a stunning venue overlooking the Manhattan skyline, where we got to taste some of the finest whiskies in the world, and enjoy delicious food, while making new friends and reconnecting with old ones. Our tasting journey took us around the world, and I would love to do it again! Every whisky connoisseur was more than gracious, informative, and engaging. What an education in spirits! Of course, a big thanks to Sunil and his wife for being the perfect hosts. I recommend, for anyone looking to elevate your whisky journey, to make sure you are at the next WoW Tasting VIP Experience, where the spirits truly warm your spirit!”
Special Thanks to Virginia’s best tobacconist, Genevieve ‘The Draw Queen’ Harris (@the_draw_queen_sdcc) for joining me at the event. Also, thank you for your assistance with the videos and photography. We certainly had a blast!
God Bless Sunil Dyal, his family, and everything they do for the whisky community.
Thanks to everyone for bringing this event together and inviting Whiskey Network, for the purpose of sharing and elevating our whisky journeys.
Be sure to check out our Whiskey Network video, from both inside and outside this incredible event. You will laugh as I wander through the video and taste all the incredible whiskies.
Sampling so many whiskies while bringing you to the experience, was challenging but very rewarding.
Enjoy the video:
Photography by: Genevieve Harris
