Spirited Inspiration

from PR%F Awards Spring Issue 2023

The Color of Wine by UrbanVino

By Renée Korbel Quinn

Fort Lauderdale Whiskey Society

As a member, I recently had the unique opportunity to help select our most recent Charity Barrel, a Maker’s Mark Private Selection. Bob explains how their Private Selection Barrel is created by adding 10 custom wood finishing staves to each barrel which is then aged in their limestone cellar to extract a unique, flavorful taste profile. The finishing staves can be any combination of five flavor profiles chosen especially for this program. From a possible 1,001 possible stave combinations, our team selected which of those staves, and how many of each, were added to the barrel to create the unique flavor profile for this barrel. Our selection team consisted of several of our founding members, who have selected well over 100 barrels over the years, as well as several members at large who were selected in a drawing, the proceeds of which were also donated to the charity.

We have been fortunate to have worked with many different venues in South Florida over the years for our member events as well as for our charity events, including Stache Drinking Den, The Brass Tap/Unit B and Chops and Hops. We began working with the ownership at Batch New Southern Kitchen after their venue opening. They have a great whiskey selection, and fantastic food, in a fun and vibrant atmosphere. They are also a fantastic partner in our charitable endeavors. In fact, the charity for this particular barrel was selected by the ownership at Batch.

Made Man Bob

The Fort Lauderdale Whiskey Society is a group of over 3,300 enthusiasts and industry professionals dedicated to appreciating fine whiskey in all its forms (Bourbon, Scotch, Canadian, Irish, and

Japanese). Through tastings, whiskey dinners, whiskey events and discussions on our Facebook group page, we seek to expand the knowledge of both our members and the public on our favorite beverage. The society is open to everyone, from beginners to experts, and all are welcome to join our community. We have regular monthly meet-up tastings where anyone can attend and learn more about whiskey and meet like-minded individuals. In addition to working with the other founding members of the Society, I’m also a producer and on-air host of a radio show and podcast about whiskey called Sips, Suds and Smokes.

I have a good number of friends in the whiskey business. I thought that perhaps we could leverage those contacts, along with our Society member’s love of whiskey, for a charitable purpose. So a few years ago, I partnered with a distillery and a local retailer, where we went to Kentucky to select a private barrel of whiskey. That barrel was then bottled and sent to the local retailer, who agreed to handle the receipt and sale of the bottles and donate the profits from that barrel to our main charity, Honor Flight South Florida. It’s a win for everyone! So we have raised over $20,000 and hope to add to that tally with this Maker’s Mark barrel selected for our friends at Batch New Southern Kitchen. This year, we hope to continue our charitable work with our partners to increase the number of charity barrels and other whiskey-themed events, so we can continue supporting the fine work these charities provide. ”