Whiskey Riot: A Festival of Whiskeys The world of whiskey is vast; diving in can be daunting. Our festival offers samplings of hundreds of whiskeys, seminars and fantastic conversations with whiskey lovers, distillers, brand founders and more to arm you with the tools you need to become a whiskey expert. And, oh, yeah... you'll have one hell of a time. WHO IS WHISKEY RIOT FOR? The Whiskey Lover, the Whiskey Curious, the Whiskey Enthusiast, the Whiskey Aficionado, the Whiskey Rookie. All are welcome! WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND? Discovering new whiskeys can be an expensive exploration. Signage in a liquor store and the details on a bottle’s label will only tell you so much. How do you know you’re going to take home something you love? There’s no better way to find your new favorite drink than side-by-side comparison tasting. Whiskey Riot is a large format tasting event complete with brand representatives who can answer questions, explain the nuances of what your tasting and leave you feeling armed with more whiskey knowledge. Taste hundreds of bottles without buying hundreds of bottles. Estimated Cost of 150 Bottles of Whiskey: $45/bottle x 150 bottles = $6,750 Cost of Trying 150 Whiskeys at Whiskey Riot = 1 Ticket FAQs and General Rules Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026 Time: 4-7 PM (Early Entry Hour: 3-4 PM) Place: The Powerhouse 140 Lee St., Buffalo, NY 14210 How many whiskeys will be available to try? Over 150 varieties! What’s included in a General Admission (GA) Ticket? General Admission ticket holders will receive a branded rocks tasting glass and be given full range of the venue to taste whichever whiskeys they desire. Sorting through this many whiskeys would require a prohibitively expensive investment in bottles were a whiskey explorer to pursue a tasting this vast on their own. The GA ticket provides a pathway to finding your new favorite whiskey without breaking the bank. What’s included in an Early Entry Ticket? Early Entry ticket holders (formerly known as VIP in years past) will receive access to the event 1 hour earlier than General Admission entry. They’ll receive all of the same benefits of the General Admission ticket, which include a branded tasting glass, full range of the venue to taste whichever whiskeys they desire and access to limited edition and rare whiskies that will not be available during the General Admission time (list to be added in late-December!) The big emphasis on this ticket is an extra hour in the event without large crowds. What happened to VIP tickets? If you bought VIP tickets for previous years, you might wonder where those went. Good news! Early Entry is the new name for the previously known VIP tickets. The only thing that has changed is the name! The same things are included in the Early Entry ticket as was previously included in VIP; you'll receive access to the event 1 hour earlier than General Admission and have access to limited edition and rare whiskies that will not be available during the General Admission time. Will there be Designated Driver (DD) Tickets available? Due to limited capacity, there are no DD tickets offered for the event. Please be responsible and coordinate a ride using a ride share service or friend/family member. Can I trade up to an Early Entry Ticket within the event? Unfortunately, no. We have limited supplies for the ticket tiers and don’t have the flexibility to add the necessary resources during the event. If you've purchased a GA ticket and wish to upgrade to Early Entry before the event, please reach out to TIXR customer support who may be able to assist. Purchasing an upgrade will be dependent on Early Entry ticket availability. Are samples free? Once you have your ticket for admission and enter the venue, you will not be charged for any whiskey tasting. Are cocktails free? Each guest will receive 1 ticket for each of the specialty cocktail branded sample bars (3-5 cocktail samples per event). Don’t think of a traditional bar where you walk up and tell the bartender what you’d like. The cocktail bars are hosted by showcasing brands and typically offer just one specialty cocktail per bar. Each attendee will have one redemption ticket for each of the cocktail bars. This redemption method is only used for the cocktail bars and not for the general sampling of whiskeys (it’s rooted in an effort to make sure that showcasing brands have enough inventory for everyone). What brands will be attending? Scroll down for brand list! The final list will be evolving until January 2026. We’ll also be posting updates on our website, the TIXR page and social media regularly as new brands hop on board. In the meantime, check out our list of historic participating brands on our website. Will there be other alcoholic beverage options? Yes, there will be beer and wine available for purchase. Is the event for people 21 and over? Yes. If a person is under 21 years old and tries to enter the event with a ticket they purchased online or one that was provided to them, they will not be granted entry and the purchaser will not receive a refund for the ticket. You must be 21 years of age or older to enter this event and no exceptions to the rule will be made. Do I have to buy anything when I’m in the event? No! All whiskey samples are included with purchase of admission. Complimentary water bottles will be available in the event! Can I purchase merchandise or food at the event? Yes! There will be food and merchandise on site for purchase. Is there security? There will be security present at the event and they are tasked with keeping the evening civilized and safe. Please be courteous, respectful and kind to others and keep in mind that everyone is coming together to have fun and positive experience. Strong Suggestions for a Safe and Enjoyable Time: -Eat a hearty meal beforehand! There's nothing worse than being hungry, and while we'll have snacks on hand and food for purchase, we encourage you to eat before the event. -Use the spit buckets. Seriously. You’re doing a tasting and should pace yourself! There’s no pressure to drink everything you’re trying. The brand representatives who will be present expect you to spit out their products after trying an d won’t be offended if you do! It may seem silly or impolite, but it’s how the whiskey world works. This is sage advice. -Rinse out your glass between whiskeys! You don’t want a new bourbon to taste like the last smokey Islay scotch you tried! -Do not pre-game the event. Fight any social temptation you may have to do so. Your evening will be so much more enjoyable if you just wait for the event to start imbibing. -There’s going to be a rush at the beginning of the event as people get in and spread throughout the venue. It may seem like you won’t have enough time to try everything you want, but we promise that you will. No need to rush, be pushy or drink quickly. You will have time to explore everything! -Please coordinate a ride home from a ride share service or friend/family member. Hard Rules (Break them and you’re out): -No violence or aggressive behavior -No firearms or weapons, regardless of personal permits -No smoking in the venue BRAND LIST SNEAK PEAK **Disclaimer** Please note that the list of whiskey products provided in advance is subject to change without prior notice. For a number of reasons, including last minute changes in the availability of certain products or brand-specific staff members at time of the event, substitutions of products may result. Regardless of any adjustments, we promise that the product trial experience at Whiskey Riot will be extraordinary and feature a diverse selection of whiskeys from brands that embody the spirit of craftsmanship celebrated by Whiskey Riot. ….THIS LIST IS GROWING DAILY (with the slowdown in the liquor industry, some suppliers are making last minute decisions on which products they’ll be focusing on this year. This list will continually develop until the event.) FIRST POUR & GLASSWARE: Jefferson’s Bourbon OFFICIAL COCKTAIL BARS Luxco Portfolio - Penelope & Yellowstone Mezcalum Mezcal - Spicy Paloma EARLY ENTRY POURS James E. Pepper 'Decanter' Rye Barrel Proof Hakushu 12 Year Knob Creek 21 Year Southern Tier Distilling Co 10 Year Bottled in Bond Bourbon Golden Grain Barrel Strength Old Dominick Original Toddy Heaven Hill - Old Fitzgerald 7 Year NY Distilling Co. Jaywalk Heirloom Rye William Grant & Sons - Glenfiddich 21YR Fiddler Encore Bourbon Ironweed Rye Cabernet Finish St. George Lot 23 American Single Malt Augusta KY Distillery - Buckner's 13 Hornitos Anejo Cristallino 75th Anniversary Jefferson’s Marian Mclain STANDARD POUR Jameson Triple Triple Jameson Black Barrel Redbreast 12 Year Redbreast 15 Year Jefferson’s Oceans Jefferson’s Tropics Jefferson’s Pritchard Jefferson’s Rye James E. Pepper 'Decanter' Bourbon Barrel Proof James E. Pepper '1776' Bourbon 100pf James E. Pepper '1776' Rye 100pf Old Pepper Bottled in Bond Bourbon Old Dominick Tennessee Whiskey - 85 Proof Old Dominick Bonded Tennessee Whiskey - 100 Proof Old Dominick Straight Bourbon - 90.1 Proof Old Dominick Cask Strength Bourbon William Grant & Sons - Glenfiddich 14YR William Grant & Sons - Famous Grouse William Grant & Sons - Hudson Bright Lights William Grant & Sons - Tullamore Dew Fiddler Wheated Bourbon Fiddler Toasted Bourbon Fiddler Georgia Heartwood Bourbon Fiddler Soloist Bourbon LUXCO - Penelope Four Grain LUXCO - Penelope Wheated LUXCO - Penelope Architect LUXCO - Penelope Toasted LUXCO - Yellowstone Select Bourbon LUXCO - Yellowstone Rum Cask Finish LUXCO - Rebel Bourbon Root Beer Flavored Whiskey LUXCO - Rebel Bourbon Butter Pecan Flavored Whiskey Barrel Craft Spirits - Foundation 5 Year Bourbon Barrel Craft Spirits - Batch Series Barrel Craft Spirits - Seagrass Barrel Craft Spirits - Black or Red Label TDB Blue Note Juke Joint Blue Note Crossroads Blue Note Rye Whiskey Blue Note Uncut Boondocks 6 Year Straight 750ml Boondocks 6 Year Port 750ml Tomintoul Caribbean Rum Cask 750ml Tomintoul Cigar Malt 750ml Glencadam American Oak Highlands 750ml Glencadam 10 YR Highlands 750ml Brother's Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey Brother's Bond American Rye Whiskey Brother's Bond Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey Brother's Bond Bottled in Bond Bourbon Whiskey Brother's Bond Regenerative Grain Heaven Hill - Widow Jane 10 Year Heaven Hill - Heaven Hill 7 BIB Heaven Hill - Elijah Craig Heaven Hill - Larceny Bourbon Augusta KY Distillery - Old Route 8 Augusta KY Distillery - Buckner's 10 Augusta KY Distillery - Augusta Small Batch Augusta KY Distillery - Augusta Wheated Single Barrel El Dorado 8 Year Old Rum El Dorado 12 Year Old Rum El Dorado 15 Year Old Rum El Dorado 21 Year Old Rum Four Roses Bourbon Four Roses Small Batch Four Roses Single Barrel Four Roses Small Batch Select Jim Beam Black Basil Hayden Toast Baker’s 7 Year Old Knob Creek 9 Year Bourbon Maker’s Mark Maker’s Mark 46 Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength Maker’s Mark 101 Toki Black Suntory Ao Hibiki Yamazaki 12 Nomad Sherry Whisky Mezcal Alipus San Baltazar Los Danzantes Anejo Latitude Beverage Company Portfolio 1927 Straight Whiskey Bourbon 1927 Barrel Select Straight Whiskey Bourbon Southern Tier Distilling Co 10 Year Bottled in Bond Bourbon Southern Tier Distilling Co Cherry Chocolate Old Fashioned Southern Tier Distilling Co Smoked Bourbon Southern Tier Distilling Co Empire Rye Whiskey One Foot Cock Bottled in Bond Bourbon One Foot Cock Empire Rye One Foot Cock Wheated bourbon One Foot Cock Blended bourbon NY Distilling Co. Jaywalk Straight Rye NY Distilling Co. Jaywalk Bonded Rye Three Bears Cask Strength Bourbon Three Bears "Just Right" Bourbon Three Bears Rum Finished Rye Ironweed Bourbon Ironweed Rye Ironweed Rum Cask Bourbon Ironweed Malt St. George Baller American Single Malt Whiskey St. George NOLA St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur Bubba's Burnt Sugar Whiskey Bubba's Pancakes & Bacon Whiskey Bubba's Marshmallow Chocolate Whiskey Hornitos Blanco Hornitos Reposado Hornitos Anejo Reserve Hornitos Pineapple Codijo Blanco Codijo Reposado Codijo Rosa Codijo Extra Anejo