August 4-10, 2005

food

Whisky A Go-Go

by Matthew Hotz

Poker hit the jackpot in 2003 when Chris Moneymaker, an accountant from Tennessee, came out of nowhere to win the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, outlasting 838 other entrants to win $2.5 million from the $7.8 million prize pool.

It's pretty easy to measure the explosive growth in poker's popularity since then. In 2004, the WSOP Main Event had 2,576 entrants and a prize pool of $24.2 million, and this year, 5,619 entrants played for their piece of a $52.8 million prize pool.

Since winning the Main Event, the impossibly named Moneymaker has probably made more money from endorsements and public appearances than from playing poker. Most recently, he has become the spokesman for Canadian Club whisky, which is hoping to parlay Moneymaker's fame and the explosive popularity of poker into sales in the equally explosive niche of high-end spirits.

While poker was growing from degenerate hobby to ratings giant, premium liquor was growing from men-only meetings at the Union League and the Racquet Club to libation of choice for a large number of young drinkers. Grey Goose vodka and Bombay Sapphire gin started flying off the shelves.

When it comes to whiskey/whisky (here's a trick: add the "e" if the country has an "e" in it. United States, Ireland = whiskey; Scotland, Canada = whisky), high-end used to mean single malts from the British Isles. The surge in popularity of the premium Johnnie Walker labels has shown that discriminating drinkers are willing to consider premium blends from North American distilleries as peers to the more traditional single malts, and, perhaps more importantly, are willing to pay the same high single-malt prices for suitably tasty and exclusive North American blends. Canadian Club differentiates itself from most other distilleries by blending its whiskies before aging them in oak barrels — most other distilleries do their blending once the whisky has been removed from the barrels.

This Friday, Moneymaker will be hosting a Canadian Club whisky tasting at the state liquor store at 12th and Chestnut streets. Anyone of age will be able to sample 1/4 ounce of four different whiskies from Canadian Club: the basic Canadian Club (aged six years), Canadian Club Reserve (aged 10 years), Classic (aged 12 years) and Canadian Club Sherry Cask (aged eight years, then double-matured in Spanish sherry casks).

Moneymaker will be available for questions, and he'll also autograph your bottle of Canadian Club if you find something you like at the tasting. There will be a poker table at the event, but it'll be "just for aesthetics," says Rob Cooper, trade marketing director for Allied Domecq Spirits. Don't expect any action unless Gov. Rendell can tack a last-minute poker rider onto the slot-parlor bill.

Fri., Aug. 5, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Wine and Spirit Store, 1218 Chestnut St., 215-560-4380.