New Orleans Bourbon Festival 2026 LIVE UPDATES
It’ll be cool in the evenings, and gloriously beautiful during the day!
The Artist is Pretty Rude Art on Instagram.
UPDATE 3/18-
And off we go! We cannot freaking wait to see you all!
Ghost Tour is sold out!
Dark Arts dinner at Brasa has a few spots left, but it could go out any minute.
Load in information is below.
Final Map will be uploaded later today, apologies as we tinker with things to make them just right.
Load in-
Today- early load in from 11-4pm.
Thursday 11am-4pm.
Friday- Grand Tasting 11am-4pm (ready to open at 530pm)
Friday- Seminar load in 8am.
Saturday- 11am-4pm (ready to open at 530pm)
Saturday- Seminar load in 8am.
Address is 333 Canal Street. Load in entrance will be on Iberville.
UPDATE 3/17-
Whoa, that air travel looks rough! Be safe out there folks. Let’s go with our update! Keep in mind that I will be actively monitoring the email address neworleansbourbonfestival@yahoo.com all week. So if you have questions, that’s the way to get to me. I’ll do my very best to respond quickly. We’ve got a lot to go over today, and I’ll have more updates throughout. These updates will be frequent today.
First up since it’s about to happen-
DARK ARTS GHOST/CEMETERY TOUR- (bring a jacket)
We have the information finalized, and a bit of a time update- Meet up at Bon’s New Orleans Street Food, which is on Decatur Street (really bad map with arrow below) at the Jax Brewery (you really can’t miss it if you’re near the river and Jackson Square.
7:00pm arrival. The Walking part of the tour departs at 8:00pm. You will end up at the Cemetery approximately at 9:45pm for tasting and exploring of the spookiness. Tour will end and let out at approximately 11pm back at Jax Brewery. You’re then free to wander up the street (seriously it’s a 5 minute walk) to join us for a NightCap at The Will & The Way.
Four Roses dinner at Delacroix-
Dinner begins at 7pm. You’re welcome to arrive early and enjoy a welcome cocktail starting at 6pm.
Grand Tasting and VIP Grand Tasting menus posted below.
Finalized MAP of vendors will be posted tomorrow morning. I’m on version 943.
Grand Tasting Food menu!
VIP food menu.
UPDATE 3/16-
It’s about to get real folks! Quick update-
We have a few more seats available for the Dark Arts Dinner and the Ghost Tour as some folks have clearly waited until the last minute (kinda like us). These will close without notice, so don’t wait!
Here’s some things for you today…..
Local Favorite Blue Oak BBQ will be providing their incredible, and world famous, mini chicken sandwiches at Friday’s Grand Tasting only. These will be limited, so don’t miss out!
Reservations for Festival Exclusive Barrel Picks will be turned off on Wednesday morning. Whatever we have left over will then be sold at the check-in desk on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and then at the Grand Tastings on Friday and Saturday night.
Another reminder to please sign up for the Free events on EventBrite if you intend to come. We really want to make sure that we have a reasonably accurate headcount for the venues. You will not be turned away if you don’t, but we want to alleviate any potential of us overwhelming their staff as best we can.
Full food vendors coming today, I swear, so check back later on.
Sneak peak of the T-shirt that will be on sale at the Festival. Limited quantities, and I do mean limited.
UPDATE 3/15-
We have a lot of information for you, so let's get to it.
Address-
333 Canal Street across the street from Caesars Casino (formerly Harrah's). The Grand Tasting Entrance will be through the old Anthropologie store on the corner of Iberville and N. Peters street. Everything but the dinners and parties will be at this locaton.
Don’t judge my markup please….
Seminars-
Check in for Seminars will begin at 9am Friday and Saturday morning. The seminars are being held in the Prytania Theatres at Canal Place. Seminars run from 10-430pm
VIP's-
We have a small but mighty VIP booth at the Grand Tasting, and in it will feature some past and present NOBF Single Barrel Selections, and a couple of other little surprises. There will be VIP exclusive food that will be sure to delight.
Grand Tastings-
VIP's will get early entry, and we will begin check-in at approximately 515pm. In the check-in area, we have some cool activations from Moet Hennessey that we think you'll like very much. The proverbial "rope drop" will be at 545pm. For non-VIP ticket holders, check-in will be immediately after the VIP entry, who will also get the Moet Hennessey experience.
Free Parties-
There are several free parties, we ask that you use Eventbrite to "purhcase" a free ticket (there are no fees) so that we can give an accurate headcount to the venues. Note that the Pinhook event has a separate Partiful link.
Wednesday 3/18-
Nightcap at The Will & The Way. 10pm-?
Thursday 3/19-
Unlocking the Vault with Pinhook at Cochon 4-6pm.
Bar Takeover with Chicken Cock Whiskey at Barrel Proof. 5-7pm.
Double Club’s 1st Anniversary 5pm-2am. (no RSVP needed).
Friday 3/20-
Official After Party #1 at the Rusty Nail. 10pm-?
Saturday 3/21-
Official After Party #2 at Barrel Proof 10pm-?
Izzat will be one of the food vendors at the grand tasting, and yes, their world famous french dip with bourbon infused dip will be one of the offerings. LORRRRRRDY.
Things to do-
You probably do not need me to share things to do while you're here. Even if you don't plan things, New Orleans has a way of accidentally showing you a great time, but if you need some ideas here are a few of my favorites.
Sazerac House Free Tours.
Sweet Thangs is another vendor at the Grand Tasting, and this is their insane fried egg roll.
Merch Sales-
We have a very limited selection of new merchandise this year as we prepare for the 2027 Tenth Anniversary, but don't despair, all of our previous year merchandise is priced to move. We don't want to have anything left over, so expect some great pricing.
Reserve Bottle Pickups-
Bottle Reservation pickups are live on Thursday morning, and Friday/Saturday during the seminars, and at the Grand Tastings. Please note that these bottles can not be opened during the Grand Tastings. Trust me, you'd rather enjoy them at home.
For more information here is the link to the live updates page.
If you have questions feel free to send me an email at neworleansbourbonfestival@yahoo.com
Mickey
Mister Apple is bringing these insane bourbon balls, and Bourbon infused Dubai Chocolate covered strawberries.
UPDATE 3/14-
Quick hits as I prepare a massive information email to all ticket holders tonight.
Here is the link to RSVP for the free Pinhook event at Cochon on Thursday 3/19 at 4pm.
Four Roses dinner is SOLD OUT. That means there is no more.
Last call for the Dark Arts Dinner and Ghost Tour. We will take them off sale tomorrow and without notice as the restaurant and tour need an accurate headcount. So if you’ve been waiting to make your decision, today is probably the last chance.
Moet Hennessy is going to do a very cool entry experience during the Grand Tastings. We will be opening up check in at 5:15pm, with a metaphorical rope drop at 6pm for the VIP early entry hour, and then 7pm for the Grand Tasting patrons.
Food menu is finalized for the Grand Tastings. I will be doing that update tomorrow morning, so please check back.
The vendor map and list will be ready and finalized on Monday (we have last minute additions coming in).
UPDATE 3/13-
Can you believe we are almost ready to host you all? Sometimes I can’t either. Here’s a pretty big update for you.
Grand Tasting Map being finalized today. We will send that out in a ticket holder email Saturday evening, and post here of course.
If you’re looking for some fun things to do that aren’t Festival centric, keep in mind that the Sazerac House has free tours every single day.
Seven Three Distillery also has tours and a nice bar experience.
The Storyville Museum is barely a year old now, and it’s a really cool thing to do in the French Quarter.
Food vendors are locked in. We will post some pretty pictures for you here tomorrow along with links to the presenting restaurants and food vendors.
Big Chief is returning with his Texas Whiskey Trail seminar.
Peerless seminar is being replaced, so if you were attending that you should have received an email.
We finally have most of the ticketing issues resolved, and today is my day to metaphorically scream at EventBrite for making my and some of your lives absolutely inconvenient.
The event address is 333 Canal Street. The entrance will be at the old Anthropologie store front on the corner. This is where the check in desk will be as well (wristband / lanyard pickup, Ultimate VIP Swag Bag pickup, tasting glass pickup).
Reminder to head over to EventBrite and sign up for some of the free events that we are holding, so we can turn over an accurate headcount to the venues so they can staff appropriately.
Pinhook has added a free “Unlocking the Vault” event at Cochon on Thursday 3/19 from 4-6pm. No signups, first come first served.
We decided to not make all of the Ultimate VIP swag bags the same. While there will be some things that are absolutely in every bag, we wanted there to be some surprises too. We hope that you will trade amongst yourselves!
Knock on wood, the weather looks like it will be very nice during the week of the festival.
Do not wear open toed shoes while walking in the French Quarter. The street gravy here is legendary, and that gravy can trace its origins to the 1800’s. No seriously, no crocs, or flip flops. You’ll regret it.
Please remember that you’re not expected to finish every sample that’s in your glass. The brands understand that you cannot drink everything, and will take no offense if you dump frequently. The brands, and the festival wish for you to actually remember your experience, so drinking responsibly is extremely important. I can attest to the fact that it is impossible to try everything. There will be water everywhere, so drink more water than you normally do, and eat some of the incredible food we have lined up for you.
Load in info is coming shortly. We are awaiting the final details from the facility.
Let’s go over the presenting brands in no particular order shall we? (subject to change of course)
Old Elk
Ole Smoky
Sazerac (Eagle Rare 90, Blantons, 1792, EH Taylor (Small batch, single barrel, rye), Weller single barrel.)
Deutsch Family (Redemption, Bib & Tucker, Mastersons, Josh Cellars)
Whistlepig
Moet Hennessy (Woodinville, Sir Davis, Chandon)
Still Austin
Seven Three Distilling (portfolio, and NOBF Single Barrel Pick Steens Finish).
Atelier Vie (Riz Louisiana Rice whiskey, Ephrosine Gin, Toulouse Absinthe)
Bardstown Bourbon Company (Green River too)
Barrell Craft Spirits
Big Easy Whiskey
Brothers Bond
Chicken Cock (Wheated!)
Dark Arts (Toasted Mizunara, French Oak Stave….)
Forbidden
Four Roses
Neeley Family Distilling (Hidden Barn, Old Pap Neely Moonshine, Wormwood Absinthe, Old Jett..)
Jackson Family Wines (Stonestreet bourbon)
JT Meleck
K.Luke
Kentucky Senator
Kings County
Left Bank
Luxco (Penelope, Rebel, Yellowstone)
Pinhook
Preservation Distillery
Proof and Wood
RD1
RY3
Smokewagon
Wines Unlimited (portfolio)
Bourbon Deluxe
Rare Character
Black Maple Hill (seminar ONLY)
Shawn Elliott
Larrikin
Archer Eland
Backyard
Michters
This is the updated Schedule of Events-
Wednesday 3/18-
NOBF Block Party at Izzat. 6-8pm.
Dark Arts Ghost/Cemetery Tour - 7-930pm.
NightCap Will & the Way 10-?
Thursday 3/19-
ULTIMATE VIP CHECK IN (Swag Bag distribution, judging) 9am.
Pinhook at Cochon 4-6pm
Chicken Cock Bar takeover Barrel Proof 4-6pm
Four Roses Dinner 7-830
Dark Arts Dinner 7-830
VIP party at Sazerac House 9-11pm
Friday 3/20-
Seminar Series 10am-430pm
Grand Tasting VIP 6-10pm.
Grand Tasting 7-10pm
After Party Rusty Nail 10pm-?
Saturday 3/21-
Seminar Series 10am-430pm
Grand Tasting VIP 6-10pm.
Grand Tasting 7-10pm
After Party Barrel Proof 10pm-?
SOLD OUT!
UPDATE 3/11-
We are now officially ONE WEEK AWAY. Here’s some quick hits-
Block Party is SOLD OUT. Thank you!
Four Roses dinner has 4 tickets left.
Dark Arts Dinner is filling up, Friday 3/13 will be your last chance to purchase tickets.
Dark Arts Ghost and Cemetery Tour still has some availability but not much. Friday 3/13 will be your final chance to book.
Tomorrow we will begin teasing the food vendors for the grand tasting, and Friday we will have the presenting brands list prepared.
Matt Ray will not be able to host his seminar, so check your schedule if you’d signed up. We are replacing him with the master distiller from 1792.
Reminder to sign up for the “free” events via EventBrite so we may have an accurate headcount to share with the venues.
Ultimate VIP tickets will be closed on Friday 3/13, so if you want to be part of the judging panel for the spirits competition, and get your hands on a pretty kick ass swag bag, and have access to the exclusive Ultimate VIP tent, do it now.
More to come…..
UPDATE 3/9-
Folks, I haven’t been sleeping much while we continue to prepare for the festival, which is now barely a week away, but that’s ok, I’ve got all kinds of chicory cold brew to keep me going. Got an update for you today.
I’m hosting a very intimate dinner party at Izzat, that Chicken Cocktail Whiskey has graciously sponsored. The tickets are $35, but I can assure you that’s not what the dinner is valued at. The event will begin with a welcome cocktail shot right at the door, a Boulevardier made with Chicken Cock Whiskey. The 6pm dinner will feature a La Louisiane, made with Chicken Cock Whiskey, and will be paired with a Bourbon infused Dubai Chocolate covered strawberry created by Mister Apple. Dinner details are remaining hidden for this update, but dear lord…. We will then taste some Chicken Cock Whiskey, and then dessert will be a bourbon infused peach cobbler provided by Sweet Thangs. There will also be a go cup cocktail…. If you have a Ghost Tour/Cemetery Tour ticket, the times do overlap, and I encourage you to choose the Ghost Tour over this event if you didn’t do it last year. Tickets for either event are via this link. Remember, select Wednesday, then 7pm (the dinner is at 6pm) and then the tickets.
I should have the finalized food vendors at the grand tasting for you tomorrow.
I should have the finalized presenting brands at the grand tasting for you on Wednesday..
There are going to be two separate VIP tents. 1 of them is for Ultimate VIP only. The other will be for all VIP’s. The VIP tent will have a space for you to taste the New Orleans Bourbon Festival picks before you purchase, and there should be a few surprises for you as well. The Ultimate VIP tent will be worth visiting on both nights as we have some fun things in store.
Did I tell the Ultimate VIP ticket holders that they will not just be judging the spirits competition, but also the food?
All previous years merchandise will be priced to move. We are clearing out our inventory so that we can go nuts for next years 10th anniversary!
Also a reminder to please “buy” a free (and no fee) ticket to the after parties, this helps us provide the venues with a headcount.
Bonus pours, Blunt Blend Volume #3, and NOBF Honey.
UPDATE 3/8-
9 tickets left for the Four Roses Dinner at Delacroix.
We are down to 10 Ultimate VIP tickets left.
Tomorrow at 9am Central Time The Bourbon and Rye Club NOBF Block Party dinner sponsored by Chicken Cock Whiskey will be going on sale via Eventbrite. Tickets are $35. This is extremely limited. If you aren’t doing the Cemetery/Ghost Tour, (why aren’t you?!) then you have a place to have a nice dinner.
Guess who’s in charge of putting together the Ultimate VIP Swag Bag? Yup, this guy. Folks, we don’t have many tickets left for Ultimate VIP, and let me tell you, the price difference between VIP and Ultimate is nominal compared to what you’re going to see in these bags.
Here is the full itinerary for the 9th Annual New Orleans Bourbon Festival-
Wednesday 3/18-
6pm- The Bourbon and Rye Club Presents a New Orleans Bourbon Festival Block Party sponsored by Chicken Cock Whiskey. Tickets $35. (oops, did I forget the Spoiler Alert on that?)
7pm- Dark Arts Whiskey House Ghost/Cemetery Tours. Tickets $70.
10pm-?- NightCap at Will & the Way. Free entry!
Thursday 3/19-
9am- Ultimate VIP Check-in Begins.
10am- Whiskey judging.
10am- VIP check-in.
11am-4pm- Bottle reservation pickups at check-in desk.
11am-4pm Vendor load-in (Grand Tasting Only)
5pm-7pm- Chicken Cock Bar Takeover at Barrel Proof. Free entry!
7pm- Four Roses dinner at Delacroix. Tickets- $145
7pm- Dark Arts dinner at Brasa. Tickets $150.
9pm- VIP Party at the Sazerac House (included in Ultimate VIP and VIP tickets only).
Friday 3/20-
8am- Vendor load-in for seminars.
9am- Seminar check-in.
9am- Vendor load-in for Grand Tasting.
10am-430pm- Seminar Series at Prytania Theatre.
10am-4pm Bottle Reservation pick ups at check-in desk.
530pm- Vendors setup complete, ready to open status.
545pm- Ultimate VIP Grand Tasting Entry (separate entrance).
6pm- VIP Grand Tasting Entry.
7pm- Grand Tasting Tickets entry.
8pm- Bottle Reservation Pickups (Grand Tasting).
1030pm- Official After Party at the Rusty Nail.
Saturday 3/21-
8am- Vendor load-in for seminars.
9am- Seminar check-in.
9am- Vendor load-in for Grand Tasting.
10am-430pm- Seminar Series at Prytania Theatre.
10am-4pm Bottle Reservation pick ups at check-in desk.
530pm- Vendors setup complete, ready to open status.
545pm- Ultimate VIP Grand Tasting Entry (separate entrance).
6pm- VIP Grand Tasting Entry.
7pm- Grand Tasting Tickets entry.
8pm- Bottle Reservation Pickups (Grand Tasting).
1030pm- Official After Party at Barrel Proof.
Sunday 3/22-
10am-4pm- Vendor breakdown and load out.
UPDATE 3/7-
Full transparency, we still have some ticketing issues with EventBrite, and we are livid about it. If you hold a VIP ticket and are still having problems with seminar signups, please email me. It’s frustrating for us, but even more frustrating for you. Let me know please.
I teased two more paid dinner tickets yesterday, and it looks like we will be adding one tomorrow at 10am Central time. So here’s another teaser….
Some of you may recall that a few years ago I did an unofficial kick off party at Avenue Pub that featured Castle & Key, Sagamore, RY3, and Still Austin. Some of you that had attended might not remember that you did (for that I’m giggling at you, yes you). Anyway, this year I’m doing something a bit different, and I couldn’t be more excited about it.
The Bourbon and Rye Club (hey that’s me!) is presenting a New Orleans Bourbon Festival Block Party, sponsored by Chicken Cock Whiskey on Wednesday 3/18 at 6pm.
This insanely intimate event is going to be held at the lovely Izzat in the French Quarter. It will feature a curated menu, and will include some surprises from Mister Apple, and Sweet Thangs.
This block party is limited to 14 people. Tickets are going to be extremely attractive in pricing.
Now hold on, it’s not going to be a gigantic shindig block party. We are calling it a block party for a couple of reasons. 1- It’s a block from Canal Place. 2- It’s all the featured partners, like Mister Apple and Sweet Thangs are literally on the same block as Izzat. This is where our mission of bringing Food, Spirit, and Culture together comes to life. Local businesses, with some incredible food, and vibrant personalities, all tied together by a spirit we all enjoy.
We will have the menu ready tomorrow (we did a tasting yesterday, and lordy, you need to be here), and we have a couple surprises from Chicken Cock, the famous whiskey brand with a storied and lengthy connection to the city of New Orleans.
This years food will be the best we’ve ever had at the festival, and I don’t say that easily, be prepared for a leveled up food experience.
-
UPDATE 3/6-
We are closer and closer to the event! We are super excited about this years festival, and we still have some surprises to announce.
We have a couple of additions for Wednesday night for you folks that are arriving early.
First up, we have a free admission event at Will & the Way in the heart of the French Quarter. Looking for something to do after the awesome Dark Arts Ghost/Cemetery tour? Come join us. Already did the tour? Come join us anyway for some killer late night food like the loaded Korean fries, and their legendary La Louisiane whiskey cocktail. You’re responsible for your own tab, but trust me, this is a spot you want to go to. We’d appreciate it if you’d go to EventBrite and “buy” a ticket so we can let the team there know how many to expect. Here’s the link (there are no fees), select Wednesday, 7-10pm slot, and order your free tickets.
If you know, you KNOW. If you don’t, you’re about to.
Remember when I said that we wouldn’t have any more paid ticketed events? Well, I lied (but not on purpose). We might have TWO more paid dinners, I should have more details shortly, one will be on Wednesday Night, and one will be on Thursday night. These will extremely limited and intimate affairs.
UPDATE 3/5-
31 Tickets for the Dark Arts Ghost/Cemetery tours left.
Four Roses dinner has 9 tickets left.
The Dark Arts Whiskey House dinner at Brasa is now on sale. Tickets are $150 (not including tax/EB fees). Click Thursday. Click 7pm. Tickets are available. This is a very limited event, and here's the list of pours that will be part of the exquisite dinner party.
Toasted Mizunara Bourbon
Toasted French Oak Bourbon
Barely Legal Bourbon
Amburana Rye
Blunt Blend Volume 3
New Orleans Bourbon Festival Exclusive Honey
The Four Roses Single barrel pre-orders are on sale now. The link is via Eventbrite. Click the Thursday date, and pick the 10am slot and you will be able to purchase. There is no limit to how many you can pre-order for pickup, but there is a limited amount of bottles (awaiting final count, probably 100 or less of each). There is no guarantee that we will have any of these available at the festival for sale, so if you’re a Four Roses insaniac that loves Brent Elliots personal picks, then don’t wait.
With today’s onsale of the Dark Arts dinner, this will be the final ticketed event that will post. We will have a finalized schedule in the update tomorrow that will include the official after parties, the Chicken Cock bar takeover at Barrel Proof, and hopefully some brand activations, or meet and greets in the market.
Note- We are working on an unofficial after party on Wednesday night that will be come as you are/pay your own tab that will be at Will & The Way in the French Quarter after the cemetery/ghost tours have wrapped up. Around 10ish pm. Hopefully we will have a surprise or two for ya. Not going to the cemetery tour, but want to have a nightcap? Come join us anyway.
This bottle is available now for preorder on EventBrite.
UPDATE 3/4-
We are officially at two weeks to go! Let’s do an update!
Available for preorder and pick up
Available for preorder and pickup.
Dark Arts Dinner on sale 3/5. 12pm central time. Gang, wait until you see the insane lineup Macauley is bringing to the dinner. I’ll update that in the morning.
Four Roses Single Barrel Picks will be on sale 3/5 at 10am Central Time. Two picks. Lucky Seven 9 years 3 months (OBSO) $120. Eight is Great 10 years 7 months (OBSV) $125.
17 tickets left for the Four Roses dinner.
Dark Arts Single Barrel is now on sale. 90 total bottles. $80!!!
The Chicken Cock exclusive pick (Fun fact I helped pick it) specs are now available. Almost 5 years old, 95/5 (not Indiana). 122.4 proof. And people, it’s fabulous.
We will have a very limited amount of merch available this year. Our Mardi Gras themed logo unisex black t-shirt will be limited to 100 total shirts. Yes, break that down over the variety of sizes (S, M, L, XL, XXL) and you’ll see that these will go quickly. We would love to put these up for pre-order via eventbrite but the added fees don’t make it worthwhile to sell in advance, we plan to do an annual 100 piece edition that will always be different, and we have a terrific local artist lined up for next year that I think people will really love. (Next years design will be onsale 6/1).
All of our previous years merchandise will be priced to move. We are looking to really expand our offerings for next year, and we already have some crazy cool stuff being readied for the anniversary, so the more you buy, the more we can do.
We will have a very limited leather coaster (from Switzerland!) available. I hope to have images to share with you soon.
I’m just going to n0-context tease this for next year- Voodoo Dolls.
Shirts, Festival Posters, and whatever bottles we have left post-presale will be available for sale at the seminar info desk, and the grand tasting. There will be NO LIMITS on bottle purchases. Ultimate VIP ticket holders will have “skip the line” access.
Dark Arts Single Barrel, now available for pre-sale via eventbrite.
Yes, there’s an awful lot left to do on the festival front, and yes we all know how hungry everyone is for more information. It can be frustrating, we understand (hell I do these update pages every year, and I want more info too!), but just know, this will be a very cool event, and while we are doing the planning for this years event, we have also been resetting the foundation for our tenth anniversary festival in 2027.
Planning one event is hard enough, doing two at the same time even more so. Fortunately next year we will be better prepared and you won’t have to wait so long to make your decisions. Tickets will be on sale 5/1 on a completely revamped website that will be easy to navigate, have loads of information (for brands too!), and will allow you to plan your trip and festival before Christmas.
There will be last minute surprises I’m sure, but for the most part, everything will be in place far earlier than ever before.
For brands, there will be an earlier save the date, which will mean that there is more time to fit into budget planning for the year. There will also be clear breakdowns of sponsorship levels, more unique experiences (I swear, I will make that river boat cruise happen, even if I have to resort to Piracy!), and easy ways to pay/reserve a spot.
The new website will be live 4/30, with tickets and vendor reservations beginning on 5/1. There will be a limited time early bird code for this years attendees for Ultimate VIP and VIP tickets. There will also be some new ticketing categories as well.
That’s it for today, now go get those Dark Arts and Chicken Cock picks.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW.
UPDATE 3/3-
Tickets for the 10th Anniversary 2027 New Orleans Bourbon Festival will go on sale 5/1/26.
Dark Arts Dinner will be on sale shortly. It will be at Brasa and it will be Thursday night 7pm.
Dark Arts Festival Exclusive Single Barrel Pick (hunnnnnny!) going on sale 3/4 at 10am central time. This will be extremely limited, and the price is very attractive.
Tickets for the Ghost/Cemetery tour sponsored and hosted by, Dark Arts Whiskey House are now on sale via the EventBrite link! Wednesday 3/18. 7pm time slot. Tickets are $70 and are limited to 56 guests.
Tickets for the Four Roses dinner are on sale NOW. Here’s the EventBrite link. Click on Thursday 3/19. Select the 7pm time slot. Add your tickets. Enjoy.
If you’re an ULTIMATE VIP ticket holder and you have not sent me your t-shirt size, please do so at your convenience
If you’re a VIP ticket holder that hasn’t got your link to the seminar signups, that will be solved today.
ON SALE NOW!
UPDATE 3/2-
Hello folks!
Tomorrow at 10am central time The Four Roses dinner will go on sale. The dinner will be at Delacroix. Tickets will be $145. There are ONLY 40 tickets available.
Also on sale, 11am Central Time, Ghost/Cemetery tour tickets will be available. Tickets will be $70, and are limited to 56 tickets.
UPDATE 2/25-
New seminar added- First West - History, Heirloom Corn and Bourbon with Erik Timmerman of 15 Stars. Saturday 1115am.
The Dark Arts Whiskey Co. dinner will be held at Brasa on Thursday night (3/19) from 6:45-8:30pm. Tickets on sale soon (waiting on pricing and menu info).
UPDATE 2/24-
While I’m now working on the Dark Arts Cemetery tour (4o total tickets), the Dark Arts dinner (25 total seats), and the Four Roses dinner with Brent Eliot, and the preorders for the NOBF exclusive single barrels, we have a couple of quick things for you. We are now at the stage of the planning where it might not be a bad idea to check this page at the very least, daily, and perhaps more frequently than that.
JUST ADDED. Old Carter Whiskey Company seminar with Mark Carter. Friday 1pm.
Dark Arts dinner will be at Brasa. Thursday night 3/19. 645pm-830pm. Tickets/pricing coming shortly.
Signups are LIVE. Check your email from EventBrite.
UPDATE 2/23-
Folks, I’m so sorry about the technical glitches that delayed the signups for the seminars. It will be fixed tomorrow and the links should be going out via EventBrite. It’s a long, stupid, boring story, but I’m still sorry for the time wasted. Kick me in the shins in a few weeks, we all might feel better.
There is a bright side though, check the schedule below as we added New Orleans very own Seven Three Distillery for Friday at 10am.
We will also have Barrell, and Rare Character added shortly.
UPDATE 2/22-
Seminar schedule baby! ULTIMATE VIP SIGNUPS BEGIN 2/23 at 8pm central time.
FRIDAY-
10-11am-
Potter Jane Distillery - Denny Potter & Jane Bowie.
The Greatest Stories Ever Told - Matt Ray.
Chicken Cock Whiskey - Will Woodington.
Seven Three Distilling with Luka
1115-1215pm-
Four Roses - Brent Elliot
1-2pm-
Cigars and Bourbon : Find Your Flavor - Laurence Towns
Dark Arts Whiskey House - Maccaulay Minton.
Old Hickory Whiskey Bar - Katie Garrett.
Old Carter Whiskey Co. - Mark Carter
215-315pm-
From Barrel to Bottle : A bourbon lover’s guide to wine with Andrea Meriwether
Bardstown Bourbon Company - Steve Nally
Still Austin.
330-430pm-
Nate Winegar and Stephen Fante’
Penelope Bourbon - Matt Ward.
Women’s Panel - Katie Garrett, Jane Bowie, Wendy Peveich.
SATURDAY-
10-11am-
The Maverick of Rye : Archer Eland - Wendy Peviech.
Barrels and Bayous : The Spirit of Louisiana Storytelling - Kyle Crosby
Peerless Distilling Company - John Wadell
Black Maple Hill with Pablo Moix.
1115-1215pm-
Cigars and Bourbon : Find Your Flavor - Laurence Towns
Dark Arts Whiskey House - Macaulay Minton
RY3- Karthik Sudhir
First West - History, Heirloom Corn and Bourbon with Erik Timmerman
1215-1pm-
Lunch
1-2pm
Martin Duffy - Glencairn Crystal
“The Next Generation in Bourbon” Panel Discussion Moderated by: Nate Winegar, Co-Founder/Owner, 5280 Whiskey Society
Panel Members:
Royce Neeley, Neeley Family Distillery
Macauley Minton, Dark Arts
John Joseph Wadell, Peerless
Sean Josephs, Pinhook
Jonathan Maisano, K. LUKE
Proof and Wood - Dave Schmier
215-315-
Pinhook with Sean Josephs
215-415-
“Neeley Family Distillery: A Heritage Distilled”
Join us for a screening of the recent Neeley family documentary (1 hour 6 minutes), followed by a Q&A with Royce Neeley and film producer Bo Cumberland.
Conclude this exclusive immersive expirience with Royce’s guided tasting of exclusive bottles, including the world’s only bottled-in-bond moonshine.
330-430pm-
Jackson Purchase Distillery - Craig Beam
Barrell Craft Spirits with Randall Hoover
K.Luke - Jonathan Maisano
Keep an eye on your email, as the signups will begin shortly.
UPDATE 2/21-
There are now only 22 Ultimate VIP tickets left.
The NOBF exclusive Chicken Cock Rye Single Barrel Pick is now available for pre-sale. It will be available for pickup only at the festival. It’s got a very attractive price, a gorgeous custom label for the festival, and I happened to be part of the picking team. If you know how much I love Rye, then you know how excited I was to select this one. You must pick it up at the festival, there is no shipping option. Yes, a pal can get it for you, but there are no refunds on this purchase if you miss picking it up.
Also, this message is for one person only, you loved the Overholt I poured you at the Rusty Nail last year, even though you aren’t a rye guy, yes, you’ll love this one too! Please note that this is a place holder label, so the stats are inaccurate. We will have those details like age/proof etc… soon.
The venue is going to be gorgeous. I cannot wait for you all to see it.
Placeholder stats. Proof/age coming soon.
UPDATE 2/20-
Some seminar news today. Signups will begin shortly.
Katie Garrett will be doing a seminar and will be part of the Women’s Panel.
Bourbon Hall of Famer Craig Beam will also be hosting a seminar.
UPDATE 2/19-
I promise folks this will be the FINAL year of things coming down to the wire, but here we are and we seriously appreciate your patience. Quick update-
The seminar series is finally being finalized. We will still have some last minute things to put together, but we have a pretty kick ass and focused lineup of seminars.
This year we will be highly focused on the people that make the whiskey, blend the whiskey, and are excellent story tellers. I can give you all a couple of teasers for now….
Pablo from Rare Character will be making not only an appearance at the grand tasting, but will be hosting a seminar that will be of interest to those of you who used to be fans of Black Maple Hill.
Karthik of Phenomenal Spirits (RY3) will be hosting a cigar series pairing (outside of course) so be ready to bring your favorite cigars (there will be some provided, but if you’re like Karthik, you have favorites).
Wendy from the red hot new brand out of Columbus Ohio (Archer Eland) will be hosting a seminar and will be a part of the Women’s Panel as well.
Brent Eliot looks to return with his wildly popular seminar.
National Treasure Matt Ray from Sazerac House will be back for two seminars this year (seriously, I don’t know if there’s a better story teller than this man).
Luka from New Orleans local SevenThree Distilling will also be presenting.
Penelope will have a seminar also, and if you’ve attended, you know they don’t miss.
More to come, but wanted to tease you since you all keep asking.
Signups will be in rounds. First access goes to the Ultimate VIP ticket holders, then the VIP, then the seminar only tickets.
There are VERY few Ultimate VIP tickets left, so if you plan on being a judge, and want access to the exclusive Ultimate VIP Only tent at the Grand Tasting, don’t sleep.
The Ultimate VIP tent will have some very cool, local only bites and I do mean local, and we should have some pretty cool Ultimate VIP only pours (no there won’t be pappy, calm down).
Dinners are still being worked out, but just a reminder that we have Four Roses and Dark Arts confirmed, just need to finalize the headcount. There may be one or two more.
Media Pass submissions are via email only. If you’re interested please email me here. Note that these are limited, and we are looking for New Orleans local social media for this year. Next year we will have expanded partnerships with non-Louisiana media, so our apologies, but also something to look forward to. These media passes are all access to the festival events (not the dinners or Ghost/cemetery tours.) but will NOT be VIP access. If you have needs like a table, or power for podcasting or interviews, please let me know.
We are planning on putting the Festival Exclusive single-barrels on sale via Event Brite prior to the event. There will be no limit, and you must be present to pick them up. We will not be able to ship, and there will be no refunds. You can have a pal pick them up for you, when ordering make note of who will be picking them up for you. We are waiting on bottle counts for the singles before pre-orders go live. We will be holding a very limited amount of bottles for sale at the festival. So if you’re desperate to get your hands on the kick ass Chicken Cock Rye that we picked (with festival exclusive label), you’d best pre-order. Same goes for the TWO Brent Eliot Four Roses single barrels.
We will have a very limited amount of previous year festival picks available for sale at the event, and we are meaning to price them so that you’ll take them home with you.
Tickets for the 10th anniversary New Orleans Bourbon Festival will be going on sale May 1st, and will have an early bird code available for this years attendees ONLY. This code will be limited specifically to this years attendees, and will have a very limited time window and will be better than the standard returning attendee discount that will come later in the year.
Volunteer spots are filling up VERY fast. I might also need an assistant for special assignments.
UPDATE 2/13-
The Hotel link is now live. Here it is, no code necessary these are the room blocks for the festival.
UPDATE 2/6-
Volunteer signups are now live on the main site.
UPDATE 2/4-
Returning guests can use code RETURN2026 when purchasing tickets. If you’ve already purchased tickets, please request a refund, and then repurchase with the code.
UPDATE 1/24-
Good day to everyone who has been waiting for FAR too long for information on this years New Orleans Bourbon Festival.
We have a metric ton of stuff to go over, and while some things aren’t finalized yet, they will be soon, and I will update you all the moment it happens. Let’s get to it.
The new venue will be at Canal Place. Yes, it’s a mall, that’s connected to the Westin Hotel. Before you think of some dreary mall from Day of the Dead, don’t despair, we have a lot of details for you.
The adjoining Westin Hotel is going to be our host hotel. We will have discounted room links soon, with a festival room block, so no rush to book this instant.
The seminars will be taking place in the Movie Theaters (9 screens!) with comfy stadium seating and audio/visual access to the screens for the presenting brands. No more having to look around folks to see the speaker.
The Grand Tasting will be a very cool affair. We will have access to three connected spaces, the ballroom at the hotel, which empties out into the mall itself, where we will have the entire wing of floor space (it’s a high end mall in case you were wondering) and there’s a short elevator ride and walk to the outside top floor of the parking garage that has a terrific view of downtown New Orleans (right down Canal street) where we will have an Ultimate VIP only tent, cigar lounge, food vendors, brand space, space to hang out, and so much more.
The schedule is as follows-
Wednesday
Load in 7am.
Brand Activations 5-8pm TBA.
Cemetery Tour sponsored by Dark Arts 7-10pm.
NOBF Unofficial Nightcap at The Will and the Way 10pm-?
Thursday
Check-in begins. 830am.
Whiskey Judging 10-4pm.
Chicken Cock kick off party at Barrel Proof (time TBA, either 4-6 or 5-7).
4 Roses Dinner (TBA 7-830pm)
Angel’s Envy Dinner (TBA 7-830pm)
Dark Arts Dinner (TBA 7-830pm)
Second Line to VIP Party (this is a maybe, pending NOPD approval).
VIP Party at the Sazerac House 9-11pm.
NOBF Unofficial Nightcap (TBA) 11-?
Friday
Seminars 10-4pm (presenters and times TBA but we have some very exciting guests to announce!).
VIP Grand Tasting 6-10pm.
Ticketed Grand Tasting 7-10pm.
NOBF Official After Party at the Rusty Nail 10pm-?
Saturday
Seminars 10-4pm.
VIP Grand Tasting 6-10pm.
Ticketed Grand Tasting 7-10pm.
NOBF Official After Party at Barrel Proof 10-?
Now that you’ve seen the schedule you probably have a bunch more questions.
The Cemetery Tour was an absolute smash event last year. Ticket sales will begin soon, and this event has a total capacity of 84 tickets. 3 groups of 26. Starts and ends at Jax Brewery across from Jackson Square. Walk through the French Quarter and see spooky things, and then depart to a cemetery on a night tour, and it’s hosted by Dark Arts. If you were an attendee last year, you may or may not recall how much fun you had.
This years VIP party is being hosted by the incredible local treasure, the Sazerac House. It’s not far from the hotel, and if you’ve never been, well, it’s pretty amazing.
We are trying to get a second line permit to take us all from the hotel to the party. If we don’t get the permit, we might just walk the streets anyway.
So far we have four single barrel selections this year, and it’s quite likely we will add a few others. We have two Four Roses singles, picked by Brent himself (these NEVER miss), Dark Arts, and a delicious Chicken Cock Rye with a NOBF Exclusive label!. We are going to allow preorders via Eventbrite shortly (I can only do so much at once bear with me). If you order, we cannot ship because Louisiana is dumb about that, so you will have to pick them up in person. Pre-orders will have the majority of inventory, and there will only be leftovers at the festival itself. There will be no refunds on these picks if you cannot pick them up, we will consider it a generous donation to charity, since we can’t store them.
We are desperately trying to get an on site permit to allow brands to sell at the festival, but again, Louisiana is dumb about this, and we probably won’t get the permit for this year. Now, there may be some QR codes you can scan to order…..
Ultimate VIP’s can expect to be well cared for this year. Not only are they the judges in the whiskey awards, but they will have exclusive access to the Ultimate VIP area, where there will be a selection of NOBF single barrel bottles they can enjoy, as well as some exclusive special releases that will not make the grand tasting floor. We will be working with brands to have their special secret bottles at the grand tasting to be presented to the Ultimate VIP badge holders without them having to ask if they have something. There will also be a pretty sweet swag bag too. Again, this is for the highest tiered VIP ticket.
We are doing two new T-shirts this year, one will be our standard every year shirt and design (with the year updated), and then we will be doing extremely limited annual shirts that will only be available that year that will have a fun variation from the standard.
We will have discount codes for returning visitors shortly.
We will be inviting stores, bars, restaurants and distributors to attend this year so that the brands can have a chance to make some new contacts. If you’re a store/bar/restaurant/distributor reach out to me so I can get a headcount from you.
Each attending brand will be able to enter one label into the judging competition for free this year. Which means we should see more representation from some smaller brands.
We will be doing a very limited amount of social media passes this year. You can reach out to me directly if you’re interested, but there are terms and conditions for the passes (and we are limiting them to 20 this year) that will require close partnerships and performance verification. Why? Because we want to build out our social media program as we grow, and we want the people on the passes to grow with us, potentially into a long term ambassadorship. To be clear, these will not be paid media passes, but they are all access.
UPDATE 1/6-
Howdy folks, we got a lot to update you on, so check back frequently.
Firstly, I know a lot of you are waiting for the returning attendees discount code. It’s coming. Stay tuned.
We have a new venue for the event, and we cannot wait to share it with you all.
With that, hotel room info and discount code will be posted shortly.
Hint, the entire event (other than parties/events) will be at one location, yes, the grand tasting and the seminars will be in the same spot!!!
It’s a big big change from the Contemporary Arts Center, but it will be still have the great brands and food we’ve all come to love.
UPDATE 10/11-
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!
Click the link baby!
UPDATE #4-
Been a minute, we are about to get fast and furious. Here’s what’s coming.
New venue. Yes, new venue. It will not be at the Contemporary Arts Center. We have something in store that should be very cool, and offer a more consolidated event space, that will feature pretty much all things in one location.
It will have an outside food area, that will include seating, as well as outdoor whiskey vendors, think Bulleit and their trailer, as well as an expanded cigar lounge.
There will be indoor space, as well as a craft corner (very small emerging brands), and an inside elevated ballroom showcase.
Seminars will be theatre seating!
There will be offsite events of course. We are hoping to lock in a riverboat experience, a speakeasy event, a poker tournament, as well as some brand activations throughout the week.
Friday after party will be at the Rusty Nail.
Saturday after party will be at Barrel Proof.
There will be a discount code for returning attendees that we hope to post early January. Don't worry if you already bought yours, there will be a credit option.
We should have the hotel code soon too. (hint, it’s spitting distance from Caesars Casino).
We just picked a festival exclusive single barrel from Chicken Cock that is a Rye, and we intend to offer it for pre sale shortly via EventBrite (pickup at festival only, with ID, and no shipping available).
We will also have not one, but TWO single barrel picks from Four Roses that Brent Eliot has picked. We also expect to offer these for pre-sale.
We think we will get a Dark Arts pick, and a Bardstown pick as well, so stay tuned.
We are expecting the return of the cemetery tour!
We hope to include a swamp tour, but this is a long shot for this year.
We are still looking for a really compelling VIP party space, we have some ideas, but nothing solid yet.
Jim Beam will be back this year, you know how I feel about this!!!
Archer Eland will be attending.
There will be really cool Judging VIP ticket swag bags this year. I’m working some very good partners to make this very special.
UPDATE #3-
Hello everyone, time for an update! Last time I added a roadmap, and I’ve updated it, will provide some progress and give some exciting information on the Festival for 2026.
There will be a venue change for 2026! Yes, we figured we would be back at the CAC for the grand tasting, but we are finalizing a new all-in-one location that should excite you. We will announce it the moment the dotted line is signed. As an annual attendee, let me tell you, I am excited for this!
Discount codes for previous attendees will be sent out shortly. We apologize for the delay, if you’ve ever worked with WIX you know it can be problematic.. If you’ve already bought your tickets, fear not, we will be able to apply the discount and refund you, or you can donate the difference directly to the charity.
This will be the updates page until after the 2026 festival. The official website will reflect that, and link to this page. I already have the bones of the new website built (debuts post festival 2026) and it looks fresh and user friendly.
UPDATE #2-
Ok, this is kinda cool I guess. This clown (meaning me) is now running the official New Orleans Bourbon Festival Website.
Please don’t expect a complete overhaul of the site before the festival in 2026. Not going to happen. It’s Wix. It’s bloated and messy. However, you can expect to at long last see live updates on the official website. I will be duplicating things here, simply because this page keeps showing up on Google so I don’t want the festival to miss any traffic.
Here’s my roadmap-
Live Updates section on official site. Due 8/7. COMPLETE.
Simplifying Attendee Contact Page (no more form submitting, a direct email link contact to the festival organizers. Due 8/14. COMPLETE.
Adding Vendor only contact info. COMPLETE.
Removing redundant FAQ page and turning it into a relevant FAQ. COMPLETE.
Prepare links and information for ticket sales. COMPLETE
Merchandise site. TBA
Hotel information. Coming soon!
Brand Lineup. TBA.
Food / Vendor lineup. TBA.
Seminar lineup and schedule. TBA.
Events schedule. TBA.
Map of Venue. TBA.
Website overhaul. Summer 2026.
UPDATE #1-
Well I guess it’s time to start this up again.
Here are the dates for 2026-
March 18th-22nd, 2026.
Get ready for the potential of a very different update page.