By Ray Pearson Jan. 11th, 2011

Events: The angels over Scotland must surely be in a dither, waiting for their share of the heaven-bound bounty soon to be unleashed in Las Vegas.

On March 18 and 19, 2011, whisky companies from around the world will offer some of their rarest, oldest, most coveted and newest expressions at the Universal Whisky Experience at Encore at Wynn. The event is the brainchild of Mahesh Patel. Patel is a successful entrepreneur from the Atlanta area, whose passion in life is whisky, specifically Scotch. For this elite event, he has leveraged his well-respected relationships with distillery managers, owners and ambassadors, along with other industry leaders to offer the world’s first luxury whisky enjoyment experience, with the superlative subtitle of the “Nth 2011 Show.”

The $525 show ticket (early purchase online $375) provides guests with extraordinary opportunities. In addition to a nearly once-in-a-lifetime whisky tasting, there will be, among other stellar items, seminars (whisky paired with dessert and chocolate, women & whisky, mixology using whisky for cocktails), a gourmet dinner reception, Master Classes, and what really puts “luxe” into this luxury event: The Super Pour.

Each show ticket includes the guest’s choice of one pour from a selection of ultra-premium whiskies, each valued at $300 per pour and above. To date, the Super Pour list includes 13 rare Scotches, ranging from 21 to 50-years-old.

Keeping those Scottish angels in mind, some of the whiskies to be experienced, either in the Master Classes or the Super Pour, derive their exotic names from celestial happenings. Richard Paterson, Master Blender for The Dalmore, for instance, will present the 40-year-old Astrum, Latin for constellation, and the 45-year-old Aurora, named for the Northern Lights. Ian Millar, Global Ambassador for Glenfiddich, will present Snow Phoenix, a non-chill filtered malt created from casks rescued from a warehouse cave-in during the 2010 four-foot snows in Speyside. George Grant, sixth generation of the owners of Glenfarclas, will take guests on a tour entitled “Glenfarclas Forties”, presenting four different whiskies, each 40-years-old.

Glencairn cut crystal tasting glasses will be included as part of the ticket package, along with cigar samples, so guests will be able to remember their visit for a long time to come. No worries about the angels, they will get their share.

Encore at Wynn
3121 Las Vegas Boulevard, South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
universalwhiskyexperience.com