This is your weekly update on the Whiskey Raffle! As a reminder, thanks to your generosity, our 2024 raffle sold all 400 tickets and raised $10,000 for community projects. This year, we’re aiming even higher—$25,000. That means we're looking to have a prize pool between 30 and 40 bottles ... whiskey of course and other spirits of quality! And we're planning to build interest in the raffle by holding whiskey tastings - the first next Thursday, August 28. Read on to meet our first whiskey, learn more about tastings and how you can help.

I’m happy to announce that we have our first donation! The Widow Jane 10yr Bourbon. It’s a fabulous selection… from my personal notes: Widow Jane 10yr bourbon is named for the Widow Jane Snyder, wife of AJ Snyder who owned the limestone mine that quarried stone for New York City. The bourbon is blended with mineral water made with New York limestone, which they claim has more of the minerals that make Kentucky limestone water so famous. They say it "tastes like a 20yr" and suggest looking for deep cherry flavor notes. It is presented unfiltered, which implies to me a viscous mouthfeel and cloudy appearance (especially when chilled with ice).

This is a personal favorite of Mark Galvin (and probably many others). It’s exactly the kind of donations we need for a successful auction!

We need your help with the prize pool! 

Our goal is to finalize our prize pool for October 7. Please, please begin querying your whiskey nerd friends, your contacts you may have in the industry, dusty bottles in your shelves, or other sources for donations for the raffle. We’re looking to have a prize pool between 30 and 40 bottles to reach our goal. Questions? Ask Neal MacDonald (whiskey nerd) or Dave Burr (sensible planner).

And yes! We do accept spirits of quality that aren’t necessarily whiskey!

Hosted Tastings Leading Up to the Raffle

We mentioned last week our secret to doubling last year’s result: whiskey tastings across Dunwoody aimed at driving ticket sales ticket sales outside of our membership.

Our first tasting will be a dress rehearsal at Neal and Amy’s place at Arabelle Perimeter (1110 Hammond Drive, #721). It will take place on Thursday evening, August 28.  

We have room for 20 participants for a night of tasting and discussing whiskey. Interested? Contact Neal MacDonald.