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The first thing that hit me was the aroma. Standing on a balcony above the ballroom at Grosvenor House on Park Lane where over 60 distributors were passing out 600 different whiskies, the scent rising aloft was rich and deep. The Whisky Event, an annual London gathering for drinkers of the dark spirit, returned this year for its biggest and most comprehensive show yet.

Visiting as a thoroughly amateur appreciator of the grain-based drink, I was eager to learn more. The initial idea for the function, founder Abe Lubelsky told me over the phone, was to bring some sophistication to the trade show scene. “My brother and I were looking around and seeing other whisky events that didn’t do justice in terms of luxury,” he said.



“Whisky is something connected with luxury. All the other shows were in exhibition centres. We decided to create an event that was an event – not a show or an exhibition.

” Located in a Marriot hotel in Mayfair, schlepping to Lubelsky’s event is certainly an improvement on the ExCel Centre. The show was launched in 2018 with just 17 different stands, representing a handful of whisky brands, before expanding each year before disaster struck with Covid-19. Now, after a pandemic induced hiatus, the Whisky Event is bigger than ever.

This year Lubelsky booked the largest ballroom in Park Lane and brought in over 1,000 guests. Not content with just offering whisky, the show featured a kosher buffet, vodka cocktails, and – for the first time – a gues.

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