Whiskies of the World San Pedro Square Market

Just attended their event last night at Mosaic Restaurant and Lounge.
This is to review the «Whiskeys of the World «whiskey pairing dinner.
1. The event was off to the side of the main bar area, which was fine. But, they doubled a
event in the front patio entrance. (explained later)
2. The inside was very hot… no A/​C on. just enough heat to make it uncomfortable. The water pitchers that were full of ice, now melted and the water at room temp.
3. The horderves, were several cheeses on a platter all cut different sizes by someones child I believe. 1 kind of cracker, some grapes thrown on the platter… the next platter had some lunch meats placed almost by some thought process, however the meats were terrible. The turkey lunch meat was the bottom of the barrel cheapest crap you ever had. the kind you wouldnt eat even when you get it for free at the food bank.
4. We waited over 30 minutes without any drinks other than water. as if no real plan was in place… which was obvious there wasnt.
5. We had to all get up to receive our first tasting of anything. the area was crowded and made getting it awkward and frustrating.
6. The Scottish MC which was from the company the whiskeys that were to be tasted went on and on … and on. and on. with a microphone and speaker which was difficult to understand what he was saying. yet made talking with friends difficult as well. If we were attending a seminar or at a Distillery I would expect this more.
7. Whiskey pairing ??? NO. no real structure of what we were drinking … to what we should be eating… we had 3 tastes prior to receiving our first course… 1of 4. which turned out to be a 3 course meal.
8. 4 courses advertised. 3 courses received .
9. The crab cake was served … fish and whiskey ??? who thought of that. the cake was actually lite and very good… however. it had a spicy sauce. this was a bad idea while drinking whiskey… Pairing. FAIL … just another problem with any real idea of «WHAT TO DO «
10. WOW at 10. I will try and not complain about every single thing. but hard not to… this was absolutely the worst event I have attended…
11. They wanted to get through the first pouring due to starting late and the food times… so we were rushed the last 2 tastes … BTW the pours were .25 and .5 of an ounce. on a light pour you had almost enough to cover your tongue… on a full pour you had enough for a couple normal sips… for those that actually drink whiskey…
12. the main course was so small I asked if it was another appetizer. you had 2 small lollipop rack of lamb. a shmere of mashed potatoes and 2 bruschettas. So some meat will go will whiskey. as almost any meat will. but a true pairing. like a wine with a meal. FAIL… (attached a photo of my plate .)
13. This was an event you really wanted to start ordering drinks from the bar. tell the MC to shut it and get a menu… No. Really. We should have walked to Original Joe’s on the corner and Ate and had a REALLY good time for less money…
14. The desert comes. Crème Brulee… tasted like pudding not the real rich deliciousness that you get from the real thing.
15. It was said they were going to do a pouring out on the patio and we could smoke cigars which was another main reason to attend this event… Well back to #1. there was a
event using the entire patio. so the guy takes us all off to the side bocce ball court without seating. this was like a (YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING !!!) FAIL.
NEVER AGAIN…

Nice to have something like this in San Pedro Square.
Tickets were about $ 80, and maybe around 100 different ones to try; you get a nice little nosing glass on entry, and bottled water to boot!
The venue was partially indoor, and partial outdoor covered tent. Flow was OK, but tasting tables got a little crowded, esp with the spittoons for dumping.
Nice to taste the smaller batch brands and ones I’d never tried, in addition to the proverbial favorites such as LaPhroaig that didn’t go to waste!
Food was good. They offered up trays of appetizers such as salmon sushi, spring rolls, and also some chimichangas and mini-​pizzas. Food serving tables and trash/​recycle cans probably could have been more centrally located. More tables at which to sit probably would have been nice.
Twas crowded, and heard they were sold out! San Jose needs more stuff like this.

Great event if you are trying to learn more about the wide world of whiskies. This was an inaugural event for Whiskies of the World in San Jose and it was sold out! There were two sessions, two hours each.
I found the number of brands and expressions plentiful. 100 different expressions is a LOT of whiskey to try in two hours! I got to maybe 15 different samples — and ate and chatted with the brand ambassadors all the way through.
The registration process was super easy. Virtually no waiting at all. Staff was helpful and friendly.
The food never stopped. The restaurants in San Pedro Square kept bringing out fresh food every few minutes. I liked that we got to sample the food that is actually available at San Pedro Square. It made it feel very local and unique.
The whiskey brand ambassadors were so knowledgeable and friendly. Some had the actual distillery masters there to pour and talk about their products. They all seemed genuinely interested in educating us not just about their specific product but about whiskey drinking in general — how to sniff and swirl and how to taste it and how to consume it responsibly (i.e., cut a cask strength whiskey with some water). Some brands had cocktail recipe cards. I walked away with a steel cocktail shaker from Canadian Club.
You could move around easily. I found that if there was too much of a crowd at one table, I just moved to another. Essentially no waiting. You could access samples as much as you wanted as often as you wanted so there was no excuse if you missed out on anything. I’m glad it was only two hours. If it was longer I think the energy would have changed.
I bought a book from author Daniel Yaffe, «Drink More Whiskey: Everything you need to know about your new favorite drink.» He autographed it and accepted credit card payment through Square. I’ve only read the first few pages but I love it already for its irreverent approach to ENJOYING this iconic spirit.
This whiskey tasting was a steal for what they charged. When I think about what I’ve paid for to sample different whiskies in a bar or restaurant, versus the unlimited and diverse samplings at this event, this was great value. Add in the plentiful food, a great venue, diverse crowd — please do it again next year!

I’m not a whiskey connoisseur, so I was excited to attend and maybe sharpen my whiskey knowledge. The location for the event was perfect and the addition of the outdoor tent to expand the venue was certainly a plus. Not only did it make it more open, but it also provided much needed cooler temperatures as the whiskey consumption raised my body temperature. The venue included well recognized whiskies as well as small batch ones. There was quite an array to taste; the event had booklets with easy to follow numbering and map system to guide you along the way.
I indulged in the Gentleman Jack, Ardbeg Uigeadail, 2 Gingers, Woodford Reserve, Clyde May’s, Glenmorangie, Canadian Club, Aberlour, Glenlivet, Jim Bean, Knob Creek, High West, Maker’s Mark, Cabin Fever and others. A few stood out as superb, the Gentleman Jack and Colorado Gold, probably my favorite of the evening, being super smooth. The vendors had representatives that were knowledgable and educational on the processes and the uniqueness of their brands.
The venue also included endless spreads of food delivered by the San Pedro Square restaurants, and included sushi, spring rolls, crab burgers, Philly steak burgers, pizza, just to name a few. This was a welcomed surprise and a much needed one. The food was always fresh and just kept on coming.
In the end, I came excited and departed educated, belly full and most importantly buzzed. What a great event and a start to a fun night out with a group of friends. The event tickets were courtesy of Unilocal,which made the event even more spectacular!

While there were only a few exceptional whiskies, I was surprised to find several exceptional gins. Food was solid, but poorly set up to pair and dispose of used Utensils/​food. Flavor profiles on Whisky was not easily accessible or viewable at many vendors, and cards for each bottle at each vendor were not ubiquitous. The layout was easy to navigate, but the check in process was a little clunky. I’ll be coming back next year without hesitation, and will be better prepared for the lack of signage and direction.

Wow. I’d been to beer tasting festivals but never a whiskey one. This was terrific. They did a nice job of having a reasonable selection (I heard that there were 500 whiskeys to taste in SF, and there were about 100 in SJ which is fine. After 10, I find it hard to differentiate) It was unlimited, and I saw some people having a mighty good time.
What I enjoyed most was the talk that was given from 7 – 8 by David of High West Distillery in Park City, UT. He was very knowledgable and talked about complex chemistry without being dull. Plus, the small sampling that we did really helped us for when we went into the tent from 8 – 10.
The tasting was well laid out with all of the distillers around the edges. In the center, there was a lot of food that looked tasty. Sushi, pizza, small sandwiches, and other nummy things. I had eaten a large dinner because I didn’t know if food would be available. Now I know for next year.
I loved the balance between the small distillers and the major distillers. And thankfully, the major ones brought some of their unusual offerings that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to get in your local bar. (plus, Maker’s Mark was passing out small shakers… tickled me pink, I’ll tell you. I can’t wait to make a Manhattan in it)
Parking was easy & cheap ($ 7) at the San Pedro Market garage. And we were battling for spaces with a Sharks game!
And I was grateful that they limited the number of tickets. There was a decent crowd but it was easy to get a sample in under 5 minutes. For some, there was no wait at all.
And one more kudos is that there were a ton of water bottles everywhere. You could easily grab one and whet your whistle. The staff were well trained and friendly.
The venue needed better signs for the bathroom, is my only ding.