Monthly Tasting Event - Advice Please...

[lbacha]

Hello all

I have started a monthly tasting group here in Cleveland Ohio and I need some advice. Currently we are in our second month and so far I have provided the bottles because I'm really trying to get people in the area interested in scotch. The first tasting was a huge success. While there were only 5 of us, other than me the other 4 were just casual scotch drinkers (the occational dram at a bar). We did 6 basic scotches one from each region of scotland and the response was great. They didn't realize the variation in types of scotch and by the end of the night everyone had their opinions on what they though was the best. This month we are going to try 4 different highland scotches again provided by me out of bottles I have open and some that I plan on opening.

Heres the question:

Going forward I would like to continue providing a variety of scotches and the group has agreed that they will start chipping in towards the cost but I'm not sure what to charge. I have some ideas but would like to know what has worked for other tasting groups. One thing to remember is that in ohio there is a very limited selection of scotches and most of them are already open in my collection. Therefore everything we try will need to be ordered which makes it harder to have people bring their own bottle.

Here are my thoughs

1. Let people pick bottles from a list each month I will order them from out of state at one of the multiple places I know and have that person pay for his bottle then keep it when the tasting is over.
Pro: everybody chips in, less cost for me, they get a bottle to have at home
Con: makes it hard for people that can't come each month, harder to set up themed tastings

2. I buy the bottles and charge a fixed % for the cost of the bottles say 10-20% of the cost of the bottles to each person. I then keep what is left after the tasting.
Pro: I can still select scotch based on a theme, I'm not paying the full cost, monthly cost will be based on value of the scotch, the whole collection will grow giving more tasting option after we finish the highlited malts
Con: It will still cost me the difference (not really a huge concern of mine), people may complain that they didn't get their value in scotch if they are light drinkers (this is my big concern, I don't want people to think I'm trying to make money on this)

3. I buy the bottles then split the cost evenly between everyone, I then divide what is left into sample bottles for each person to take home.
Pro: everyone chips in, little cost to me, everyone gets to take home some scotch
Cons: I need more sample bottles (could be a pain)

I'm thinking option 2 and would like some advice on percentage to charge, lets keep it in percentage of bottle price for simplicity since we all have different currencies and bottles vary so much. If anyone has other suggestions I would love to hear them as well.

I'm not looking to start a bar and make money but I want to have a good collection so that when people come over they can try multiple different scotches and really try and build a base of whisky drinkers in the city of Cleveland.

Thanks in advance

len

[lockejn]

I have zero experience, so take my advice for what it's worth.

I'd suggest, for the first few months, going with basically a #2, only with a flat rate, say $10 - enough to cover some/most of your cost for the whisky. It'll be expensive for you, but a lot simpler.

After that, you can gauge the interest and decide as a group how to proceed. Maybe some months will be a different scheme depending on your goals and resources. Then you don't have to worry about how others feel about the arrangement as it'll be their arrangement too.

[Willie JJ]

It seems as if you want to grow your collection so #2 is the only one that really does that. If you want to be entirely fair then charge folk for what you think they will drink. I don't think that you can worry about light drinkers. They are making that choice and you can't second guess how folk will behave. If they are genuinely interested they will come anyway, because it is still cheaper and more fun than trying these things in a bar.

[lbacha]

Growing the collection of open bottles is one goal but we have agreed to do this every month and 4-5 bottles a month will do that quickly, I think charging a small amount to offset what is drank will be my best bet and also keep everyone happy, I already have a better selection than any bar in Cleveland so I might as well make the selection even better..

Thanks for the help

Len

[Muskrat Portage]

Okay, I'll weigh in on this one with my own opinion, based on running tastings for over a decade now. If you wish to increase your selection and have the werewithal to do so, purchase the whiskies outright and continue to be generous to the small group. I would strongly recommend that you measure out a tablespoon of whisky into the tasting glasses if youare tasting over 6 SMs. An ounce is fine if you are only tasting 6. Remember, there are always welcoming drams before and end of the evening drams at the back end so no one will complain.

If you wish to slowly build your collection, get each member to pony up a set fee, say $50.00 - 100.00 depending on the price point of the whiskies you are going to order. At the end of the evening, have a draw in which each person gets one bottle to take home and you are left with the last bottle. In 12 months, you'll have 12 new bottles. We've done this with our group and nobody was unhappy with the outcome.

As for keeping your tastings "fresh" consider having a planned profile for each tasting. For example, one month could be one of the regions, Lowland, Highland, Islay, Island, Speyside and so forth which could lead up to a HTH of the most popular whiskies the next month. Next time around could be a vertical tasting of six different ages of SM, or a "Heavy Hitters" tasting - all Cask strengths. Another could be Silent stills. The limit is only your imagination and pocketbook depth.

We have 12 in our group and I prefer to only have 8-9 attending as it makes the group intimate and small enough to fit comfortably around the table. Any questions, feel free to PM me and I'll provide information on handouts I've created and the like.

Musky