House of Walker Experience

I love booze. Okay, wait, let me rephrase that statement. I love FREE booze!
I am more of a cognac drinker, so I was intrigued by the idea of trying Johnnie Walker. I signed up for this event right after my friend had introduced the event flier to me, and I was really excited.
The location was difficult to find at first, but the whole event was otherwise very organized. You begin with a short informational film produced by Johnnie Walker, amazingly shot in one take, impressive! Then the regional representative of Johnnie Walker for the West Coast gave a speech. We were then immediately whisked away to try Black Label. Given instructions on how to taste Scotch, or in this case, scotch mixture. Felt similar to wine tasting. After that you were free to roam from room to room in the house trying the different types of Walker labels. My personal favorite was the Blue Label. Not quite as bitter as the black or Double Black. But to each their own.
The staff throughout the night were comprised of people originally from Los Angeles, travelling with the event. Except for some of the bartenders, who work at some SF bars. The waitresses were also really helpful in answering questions about anything about Johnnie Walker.
I walked out pretty tipsy, maybe because the h’orderves were not filling enough. But that’s hardly a complaint when all of it was free.

The whole experience was a palette opener and more fun than I expected. I walked into the House of Walker as a whiskey novice & definitely wary of how I would enjoy it. To my surprised, at the end of the night I finished most of the whiskey I was given and even enjoyed a full glass of Black label on the rocks almost without grimacing.
To start the experience, everyone is gathered in a make-​shift room with a projector, and they introduce the brand with a dramatic video of an guy with a cute irish accent who is taking a «walk» through the history of Johnnie Walker. One the video is over, the host leads you to a main room to start the tasting with the black label.
Once that is over, guests are free to wander off into the other five rooms to try the other labels: they had red (yum mixed drinks), blue (had a great view of Alcatraz), black (cute bar-​tenders), and double-​black (super smokey!) — note that there is one label in each room &you are only allowed one try per room. There are also a sampling of h’ordeurves coming out of the kitchen. There is no rush to drink and everyone working there is extremely friendly and educated about the brand and the differences in the whiskeys.
Logistics:
— The whole experience lasted around 2 hours.
— It is first come first serve through, so I highly recommend getting there ½ hour early. Also make sure to eat something — the drinks are 80 proof &the h’ordeurves were smaller than bite size.
— Their last day this year is on Saturday & they have this tour annually and in the major cities (LA, NY, etc). The rsvp is here:
— Walking up to Fort Mason is a painnnn (heels are no bueno!)

I’ve never really been «in» to scotch, but I walked away a fan.
This past Friday, Johnnie Walker came to the Dogpatch and they put together a fantastic event. I’m convinced JW works with a modeling agency because their staff was HAAWT — hot hostesses in little black dresses taking pictures with the guys, handsome bartenders for the ladies. How YOU doin’?
The event opened up with a cocktail hour where guests tried a drink of their choice — either straight up or in cocktail form. I opted for an Old Fashioned before I made my way over to the appetizer table. After 45 minutes or so, guests were brought downstairs to the official tasting room, where the VP of Brand Marketing made it obvious how much he loved his job — and drinking Johnnie Walker. He was entertaining and funny. And after about 4 shots, people were shouting random crap from the audience… which he encouraged. Awesome.
They did a great job at infusing social media — the photo area allowed you to upload your pic to Facebook directly from the event so your friends could be envious. Flatscreens displayed Johnie Walker’s twitter feed during the event.
Most importantly, I discovered the deliciousness of Orangina and Johnnie Walker Red, and that scotch produces «happy» drunks. Yay!

I walked out of the House Of Walker Experience feeling more educated about whiskey, their brand, with a pep in my staggering steps to boot.
The event was organized, well-​planned, effective, and above-​all what impressed me, was the classiness of the event. It didn’t feel like a bunch of freeloaders trying to get their free booze. I was in business wear but next time, I’ll wear my cocktail dress.
Checking in was a breeze w/​no long line to deal with, and the Dogpatch location was perfect with romantic rooftop views. Nothing felt rushed in a dimly lit room with an upscale ambiance, technicolor lights and everchanging Johnnie Walker logo’s flashing on the walls. The appetizer table was a bit boring but the drinks at the bar made up for it. You were able choose your first drink and this was only the pre-​tasting room, but it made me excited for what was to come.
ONTO THE TASTING:
Each party was personally escorted to a spot on several long white media couches, in a dimly lit large room with multiple screens where we experienced a series of tastings, video clips, and slideshows. The un-​corny host guided us and we were able to experience and compare all labels and different ways to drink them; black label, blue, gold, red, and green. An individualized place setting for each person consisted of a Johnnie Walker business card holder, a carafe of water, cracked black pepper, strawberries, ice, and a water dropper. I appreciate the planning and organization that was put into this event because it really shows, compared to some events where they sort of just throw you into a room, hope you find a seat, and serve you booze.
Johnnie Walker was my first. Whiskey tasting event, that is. And it was done right. For this reason, I will love him forever. A million stars!!!