Close Up On NYC Whisky

By Kurt Maitland

Thomas and Ellie of NYC Whisky
(Credit: Whiskey Washback Event)

In a city as big as New York, it is hard, if not impossible to keep track of each day’s major tasting events. NYC Whisky manages to pull off that nearly impossible task, and has become the best way to know when and where to go for New York’s whiskey fans. If you are visiting the city for a few days or are a lifelong New Yorker, the listings of NYC Whisky’s Thomas and Ellie are where you want to check before you fill your calendar. Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing them and learning about more about them and what they do.

KM: With all the changes in the NYC whiskey scene, what parts of the city do you find yourself gravitating toward these days when you personally go out and seek your favorite drams?

Thomas: I live in Bed Stuy, so have been excited about some great new bars in that neighborhood, particularly the Beast of Bourbon. Do Or Dine, and Dynaco have some interesting bottles too.

Ellie: I’m a native Brooklynite, but I still love finding parts of the city to explore.  If I hear about a new bar, I will try to check it out.  Regardless of where it is, the newest places that I’ve checked out recently are in Chelsea (American Whiskey), Hell’s Kitchen (On the Rocks) and LES (Rochelle’s).  

KM: With your website being such a go-to destination for anyone in the area interested in whiskey, what do you do to keep up with all the whiskey happenings in the city?

Thomas: Ellie’s really the one with her ear to the ground in the whiskey world. At this point we get lots of emails and submissions through the website about events that are happening, but we’re on loads of mailing lists for bars, liquor stores and whiskey brands.

Ellie: That’s pretty much it!  There is no magic.  I just put a lot of effort into keeping up with listings.  I read a lot of emails, scan Facebook and Twitter posts, and hand out loads of business cards.  

KM: How often do you find yourselves going to the events that you share via your website?

Thomas: When I first launched NYCWhisky.com I would go to several whisky tastings a week. At this point I’ll go to a few of my favorites to catch up with friends (like Ward III’s Whisk(e)y Mondays), and will look out for new whiskies that I’ve not tried before.

Ellie: I definitely don’t attend as many as I used to.  I focus on looking for things I haven’t tried at bars.  Last time I was at Char No 4, they had this weird Japanese whisky/genever called Kiuchi No Shizuku on their menu.  Weird and amazing!

KM: With what has been described by yourselves as decent sized personal collections, when you shop do you find yourselves seeking out vintage spirits or exploring new releases and expressions during the course of the year?

Thomas: When I first got into whiskey I went a bit crazy buying bottles, thankfully I’ve calmed down a bit now. Usually I’ll pick up something interesting when I go back to Scotland to see my family. Other than that I buy some of my standard favorites to have on hand at home, such as Caol Ila 12 or Highland Park 10, plus a good blend for cocktails, such as Famous Grouse. Other than that, I have been picking up interesting American whiskeys that I’ve enjoyed at tastings, such as New Holland’s Brewer’s Whiskey.

Ellie: Lately, I have been leaning towards uncommon bottlings and limited editions.  I picked up a Springbank Calvados Wood finished bottling last week.  Last month, I was in Prague and picked up some Czech Whisky; one called Hammer Head and another called Gold Cock Whisky.  A few months ago, I stocked up on Delilah’s from Compass Box.  For Christmas, I got an Evan Williams Bourbon Experience exclusive ceramic bottling of Evan Williams.  I’m running the gamut.

KM: Since you have expanded your whiskey knowledge while running the website are their places you want to explore to learn more and if so where?

Thomas: Despite growing up in Scotland, I’ve only visited a handful of distilleries. The only time I visited Islay (the island home of Laphroaig, Caol Ila, Ardbeg, and many other amazing whiskeys) I was 7 years old. I need to get back there for a proper visit.

Ellie: I think my next step would be an apprenticeship at a distillery or training at American Distilling Institute.  Anybody want to sponsor me?