A couple of weekends ago I attended my first WhiskyFest, in Chicago. For those who don’t know, WhiskyFest is an annual series of events - also held in San Francisco and New York - sponsored by Whisky Advocate magazine at which whisky/whiskey makers across the spectrum offer samples of their wares. At WhiskyFest Chicago, there were more than 300 products to try, including special limited-edition spirits offered only during the VIP hour.

I had sampled most of the bourbons on offer previously, so after hitting the special items I decided to branch out a little. I had planned to try some Scotch, I really had. But I admit it: I just don’t like Scotch, and I didn’t want to dampen my sweet bourbon buzz with a mouthful of peat.

Instead, I headed to the booth offering Redbreast, an Irish whiskey I’d heard good things about (above). ”I”ll have the Redbreast 12 Year,” I said to the young man in the middle, offering my commemorative Glencairn (of course) tasting glass. “The 12 Year or the 12 Year Cask Strength?” he asked. I asked what he would recommend.

That’s when the gentleman on the right entered the conversation. (Read in wonderful Irish brogue.) “Well. If you are just starting out, I would recommend the 12 Year. And then the 15 Year. And then maybe the Cask Strength.” To his credit, he did not pat my head.

“Welllll,” I said, pulling out my best Southern drawl, “if it makes any difference, I’m a bourbon drinker, and I prefer a high-proof bourbon.”

Five-second pause.

“In that case,” he said, “you may proceed directly to the Cask Strength.”

The recent WhiskyFest Chicago featured more than 300 brands from across the spirit spectrum. That’s how I found myself sampling both a rye whiskey finished in rum barrels and a Guatemalan rum finished in whiskey barrels. What I discovered: When worlds collide, good things can happen. Here’s more on each.

Angel’s Envy Rye

100 proof; aged at least 6 years in oak barrels and finished in rum casks

$69.99/750ml

This is a limited-edition rye whiskey from Angel’s Envy, which also produces a bourbon finished in port-wine casks. Whiskey produced from a mash bill of 95 percent rye and 5 percent malted barley is aged first in new charred oak barrels, then finished in Caribbean rum casks that began as small French cognac barrels for up to 18 months.

Nose: Some sweetness, like candied fruit, undercut by an earthier scent, not unlike sawn lumber.

Taste: More candied fruit - orange, pineapple. Sweet but dry, with a short finish, all in the front of the palate. The rum finish softens the spiciness of the rye; it’s still there, but it’s more like baking spice - cinnamon, maybe.

Verdict: This rye is quite a bit more complex than the Angel’s Envy bourbon. That’s not meant as a knock on the bourbon, which I like very much. But whereas bourbon and port wine are both sweet, the meshing of the spicy rye and the sweet rum here gives your palate more to play with. Worth seeking out.

Ron Zacapa 23

80 proof; blend of rums 6 to 23 years old

About $46.99/750ml

This Guatemalan rum is produced by blending rums of differing ages in a series of casks that previously held whiskey, sherries and wines.

Nose: Extremely sweet, vanilla extract, honey.

Taste: Sweet from beginning to end. Brown sugar, raisins, butterscotch. Long, silky finish.

Verdict: We liked this so much that we bought a bottle in Chicago to bring home. This is a lovely rum to savor at the end of the day. While the brochure we picked up at the Zacapa WhiskyFest booth suggests serving it over one large ice cube, I much prefer to drink it neat, keeping the flavors concentrated. 

During Prohibition, a rum-runner named William Frederick McCoy was known for never watering down his product - when you bought spirits from him, you were sure to get the genuine deal. Some say this is the origin of the phrase “the real McCoy.”

Source: “Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American History,” by Michael Veach, bourbon historian

Baz Luhrmann’s 3D version of “The Great Gatsby” opened this weekend, and earlier this week, Rich Copley of the Lexington Herald-Leader had a nice story about the novel’s ties to Louisville - Daisy Buchanan is from the city, and she marries Tom in the “Muhlbach” Hotel, obviously a stand-in for the Seelbach Hotel.

Like Jay Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald was briefly stationed at Camp Taylor, southeast of Louisville, during World War I. “He was a second lieutenant, doing some military training, and on occasion, he would come to the Seelbach Hotel, and on several occasions, he would be asked to leave because he was drunk,” Seelbach historian Larry Johnson told Copley.

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour will get an eighth stop - and the first-ever in Louisville - when Heaven Hill’s Evan Williams Bourbon Experience opens this fall at 528 W. Main St.

Main Street in Louisville was once known as “Whiskey Row” for all the whiskey-related businesses that populated several blocks along the Ohio River. The city still produces one-third of the bourbon made in Kentucky and has a thriving Urban Bourbon Trail of 28 establishments that feature bourbon at the bar and in the kitchen. But there have been no working distilleries open for public tours.

That will change when the multimillion-dollar Evan Williams Bourbon Experience opens. Named for Kentucky’s first commercial distiller (and the namesake of Heaven Hill’s popular flagship brand), the attraction will include a fully functioning artisanal pot still distillery, along with historic displays and videos. The exterior will feature a five-story-tall graphic of a bourbon bottle “pouring” into a fountain in the lobby.

The site is almost directly across the street from where Evan Williams established his distillery in 1783.

A record 509,292 people visited Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries in 2012, Kentucky Distillers’ Association President Eric Gregory said in announcing the new stop. The other distilleries on the tour are Four Roses and Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg; Heaven Hill’s Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown; Jim Beam in Clermont; Maker’s Mark in Loretto; Town Branch in Lexington; and Woodford Reserve in Versailles.  

(Photo courtesy of Kentucky Distillers’ Association)

The Bourbon Classic, a weekend of cocktails, culinary delights, bourbon tasting and education, will return to the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2014.

Like this year’s inaugural event, the 2014 Classic will again include a cocktail competition, focused on classic and contemporary bourbon cocktails paired with a chef’s bourbon-themed culinary complement; a master distillers panel; breakout classes focused on a variety of bourbon-themed topics; and numerous opportunities for sampling bourbon brands and purchasing bourbon-inspired products. Each night will also include an after party at the Kentucky Center.

Organizers also promise “several new twists.”

This event was a winner right out of the gate, and I’m certainly marking my calendar. For more information on the 2014 Bourbon Classic, or to buy tickets, which are already on sale, click here.

Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 2003

86.6 proof; bottled on March 22, 2013 (just shy of 10 years); $29/750ml

Nose: Vanilla, honey, some herbal notes; very soft and sweet.

Taste: Buttery soft on the front and middle of the palate, with a very slight burn on the back. The vanilla and honey are prominent first, along with those botanicals; oak and cinnamon take over the finish. 

Verdict: This bourbon is unusual in that the nose and the taste are quite similar. Low-proof, light and somewhat flowery, it’s an easy-drinking bourbon - enjoy it neat this summer.

In 2012, Kentucky distilleries filled one million barrels with bourbon (1,007,703, to be precise) - the first time they’ve hit that milestone since 1973. That brought total inventory to 4.9 million barrels, which means there are more barrels of bourbon aging in the Bluegrass than there are people (4.3 million). Just one more reason it’s great to be a Kentuckian.

Source: Kentucky Distillers’ Association

“Kentucky’s Mash Appeal.” That’s how the Kentucky Distillers’ Association billed the bourbon and whiskey options from the Kentucky Bourbon Trail that were offered at a Derby Eve soiree at the Governor’s Mansion on Friday night. There really were 87 - although you had to know the password to taste the good stuff (Wild Turkey Tradition, I’m looking at you). KDA President Eric Gregory, above, kept things flowing. I took the opportunity to sample Corsair’s Quinoa Whiskey. Chewy! 

Other craft distilleries from the new Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour were also represented, including Limestone Branch in Lebanon, Ky. - that’s distiller Steve Beam, right, talking to the KDA’s Adam Johnson.

In addition to healthy pours, the bar offered some intriguing cocktails. I sampled the Pressing Charges, a drink featuring Heaven Hill’s Larceny. Here’s the recipe:

1.5 oz. Larceny

.25 oz. PAMA Liqueur

.5 oz. Sweet & Sour

2 oz. Lemon-Lime soda

Stir and serve over ice.

Take one down, pass it around …