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League of the Flying Pig – Day 2

I finally had some time to sit down and write this post which I’m exciting about all over again.

The second day of the League of the Flying Pig was actually my favorite. We had a day full of activities going around the farm which included Distilling with Dave, Blend Your Own, Bottle Your Own and, Barrel Tasting!

My favorite events were Blend Your Own and Bottle Your Own. Although I was terrible at bottling my own.

Dave Pickerell the Master Distiller at the WhistlePig Farm, telling us all about the distilling process

BLEND YOUR OWN

This was a super fun event that really gave me a glimpse at how difficult it is to come up with a whiskey recipe that tastes good! We had five different whiskies of varying ages to blend with from which we had to limit down to three. We could only use a certain percentage of each which we kept track of by writing down on forms given to us. From all the groups visiting the farm, four would be chosen and the grand prize winner would be announced at dinner. Of course it was fun but very challenging. Sadly our blend didn’t win but it was pretty good nonetheless.

 

BOTTLE YOUR OWN

Okay, this one is pretty self explanatory. We were able to join the WP team and see exactly how a bottle is..well…bottled!

Step One: Grab a bottle!

 

Step two: Apply all necessary labels (not like I did!)

 

Step three: Fill it up!

 

Step 4: Cork!

 

Step five: Add plastic seal

Although this was super fun I was insanely terrible at it. I put the labels on the wrong side (PW?) of the bottle and in the wrong places. I could not add the plastic seal myself (which is why its not pictured) and I nearly left my bottle behind. Cue eye roll.

 

BARREL TASTING

Barrel Tasting was held by one of my favorite people at the farm – Jake! We were able to taste Whiskey aged in a Tokaji Wine barrel. It was what sweet dreams are made of. Sweet and syrupy but not in an over kill sort of way.

 

CASINO NIGHTS + DINNER 

Getting ready for the festivities with my partner in crime/one of the people responsible for this event – my husband, Spencer!

Okay, when I said earlier Bottling and Blending was my favorite I lied. My favorite was the Casino Nights and dinner. We arrived at the farm around 6 pm and were promptly escorted to a wall filled with envelopes. We were told to pick an envelope and head upstairs with a glass of champagne in hand.

The envelopes included tokens to play poker upstairs but little to my knowledge they also included prizes. Upon opening my envelope I was quick to figure out I had won one of 12 helicopter rides around the farm!

I rode the helicopter with Grisa who I met on the spot and just happened to have won as well. The ride was insanely fun and we were able to go out to see the sunset over Lake Champlain!

Aerial view of the WhistlePig Farm 

 

Dinner started the way every dinner should – with a huge cheese and charcuterie plate!

Casino Nights in the barn – super fun!

 

The whole weekend up at the WhislePig farm was pretty amazing. I am so happy I got to partake in the festivities and hope I’m invited back next year!

League of the Flying Pig – Day 1

If you know and love whiskey then you’ve heard of WhistlePig – the small Shoreham, VT based distillery was established in 2008 and in a few short years have position themselves as THE name in American Rye Whiskey. After racking up numerous awards including Best in Show at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and WhistlePig continues to push the boundaries in the spirits industry.

A couple of weekends ago I was lucky enough to be invited by my husband, Spencer, to be a part of the League of the Flying Pig celebration at the WhistlePig farm. This yearly event invites 200 food and beverage professionals from around the country to experience life at the farm through a mega celebration. This farm is what dreams are made of, guys. I loved driving there through small windy dirt roads, as it was like I was exploring another world just a short five hour drive from NYC.

Things you should know: there is zero phone service once you get to the farm, there is a one way road leading up to it, and no signs as to where you actually are. I’m shocked I didn’t get lost! 

Upon my arrival at the farm I was amazed at how gorgeous the grounds were and of course I gravitated towards the animals first:

 

The two day event started with a casual evening at the farm. There were guided tours of the distillery, farm excursions on Gators, live music, food and of course, award winning Whiskey.

 

My favorite drink was the Jaws Found Love: WhistlePig Farmstock Rye Whiskey, Lemon, Strawberry, Tiki Bitters and Mint!

 

I was insanely happy to find a true Vermont staple: Ben & Jerry’s! The WhistlePig crew had an on site scooper delivering amazing scoops of Vermont’s very best ice cream…

 

As my husband working a lot of the time I had to make friends during my time at the party. I met Andrew, Zigis and Jeremy! We were partners in crime for the Gator tour and we had a blast!

Our mode of transportation

We ended the night with some dancing and corn hole! Next on blog I’ll tell you all about day two.

Dress: Lulu*s
Jacket: Levi’s
Shoes: Derek Lam (Similar here, here & here)
Bag: Proenza Schouler

xoxop

Joshua Tree

Top: Zara
Pants: BDG
Shoes: Lulu*s

If you haven’t been able to tell, Spencer and I are HUGE fans of National Parks. So, it’s no surprise that we carved out an afternoon during our most recent trip to California to spend a few hours in Joshua Tree. Of course, I would suggest spending more than the 4 hours we did (we’re camping next time!) but if you have an afternoon while in Palm Springs it’s only a short hour ride away. The scenery is gorgeous and very much other worldly. You feel like you’re on a different planet! Totally worth doing if you’re tired of laying by the pool – yes, that sometimes is exhausting (ha!).

 

House Sitting in NJ

Top & Shorts: ASOS
Sunglasses: Karen Walker at Revolve
Shoes: Lulu*s
Photos:Gabrielle Krone

 

Can we talk about how nice it is to get out of the city during the summer? Don’t get me wrong – part of the beauty of being in the city during the summer is that nobody is here. The streets are deserted on the weekends which makes it easy to navigate this endlessly busy town. However, when presented with the opportunity to run off to NJ to house sit…I’m not going to say “no”! Specially when I can romp around in a cute co-ord suit like the one in these pictures.

I traveled to Washington, NJ this weekend to my friend Gabrielle’s parents house. The weekend included playing with cute dogs + eating too much watermelon + singing to top 40’s while driving + going on runs + pretending to be a local and lounging poolside. What’s there not to love?

Do you have a favorite place to travel on summer weekends?

Glass Beach

Tee: Lord & Taylor
Culottes: Zara 
Shoes: Marni
Rings: Lulu*s

I had heard about Glass Beach through Spencer multiple times. I mean this is a beach that is covered in sea glass!!! We realized that it was located in Fort Bragg – only 1.5 hours away from Ukiah, where we were going to for a wedding. We got in our car at around 10 am and were in Fort Bragg by no later than 11:30. The beach was the former site of a garbage dump that closed in 1943 so you will find beautiful shards of worn down glass bottles and china all over. We were also lucky enough to spot some seals (sadly not pictured!).