Bissinger’s, Bourbon & BBQ features over 100 bourbon samples

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Don’t miss the opportunity to try popular bourbons at the fourth annual Bissinger’s, Bourbon & BBQ from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25 at The Caramel Room.

A wide range of styles will be on offer, including Four Roses Yellow Label, High West Double Rye, Belle Meade Sherry Cask Finish, Jim Beam Black, Knob Creek and many more.

“We have probably 150 different bourbons on site,” said Casey O’Brien, director of events for 23 City Blocks Hospitality Group, the management company for The Caramel Room. “Some of them are through larger distributors, and other ones are small, local distributors. For example, Wood Hat Spirits is one where the owners and main distiller come in.”

The Caramel Room executive chef Nicholas Miller will prepare chocolate and barbecue pairings. There are also barbecue food stations, a pig roast on the terrace and an open bar featuring chocolate-bourbon signature cocktails. Once you’re full, burn some of the deliciousness off by dancing to live music by The Root Diggers along with Stephen Paul.

There’s also a special dessert planned for the event.

 “The past four years, we’ve done a handcrafted chocolate truffle to go along with our bourbon, but this year we’re actually changing that up,” O’Brien said. “It’s still obviously chocolate and it still pairs with the bourbon, but we are going to do something with liquid nitrogen.”

O’Brien said Bissinger’s, Bourbon & BBQ stands out from other whiskey events because of the intimacy of the whiskey bash.  

“I think that the big thing is just the combination of the three key elements: the chocolate, the bourbon and the barbecue,” O’Brien said. “There are other whiskey festivals in St. Louis that are put on, but I think one of the big draws we have specifically for our crowd is that we do have a max capacity. We’ve hit that the past two years, so it just makes the event a little more intimate.”

The VIP experience includes 30-minute early access to a private tasting seminar with Dan Gardener of Four Roses, along with hors d’oeuvres.

“It’s a joint partnership with Four Roses, so we have our team go down to Kentucky, and we do a private tasting and actually select a barrel,” O’Brien said. “They bottle it and send it back up for that VIP experience, and VIPs get to take home a bottle. Those with general admission tickets can purchase a bottle, though.”

Tickets are available online.

Darian Stevenson is an editorial intern at Sauce Magazine.

Sauce Magazine is a sponsor of Bissinger’s, Bourbon & BBQ.