For Astoria resident Emily Ross-Johnson, one sip of whiskey was all it took for her to fall in love with the complexity of the spirit, which she now hopes to share with others in her community.
Ross-Johnson founded the Astoria Whiskey Society in 2012, and last spring the group, which began with just eight friends in a living room, was opened to the public.
“I really fell in love with [whiskey] and its complexity,” Ross-Johnson said about the experience of tasting her first single malt scotch in graduate school.
Part of her love for the spirit led to Ross-Johnson attending a lot of whiskey events and tastings around the city. After doing so, she realized that there was a lack of local bars and restaurants offering whiskey tastings and she wanted to break down the drink for others in her community.
“I knew I was creating something that wasn’t happening already. I wanted to create an environment for other people to learn about whiskey but more laid back,” Ross-Johnson said. “I wanted to create more interest in whiskey in my neighborhood. It’s about people feeling unafraid and not intimidated and being able to just relax and enjoy with the purpose of educating themselves.”
Every month the Astoria Whiskey Society, which has over 180 whiskey enthusiasts on its mailing list, gathers for whiskey tastings at bars and restaurants throughout the western Queens neighborhood.
Along with tastings, Ross-Johnson also works to bring representatives of specific whiskey brands to the monthly gatherings so members can learn about each brand through presentations.
The Astoria resident said that this interaction also helps as an opportunity for local businesses to try new products and for the brands to establish themselves in Queens, when they normally wouldn’t look to penetrate in the Queens market.
“I want to help diversify the crowd that typically drinks whiskey. Part of my mission was to reach out to a younger, diverse group,” Ross-Johnson said. “But we’re open to everyone. We want to create an environment that everyone is comfortable.”
During the gatherings Ross-Johnson encourages participants to ask questions, try new whiskey and socialize with others. She also hopes these meetings allow others to explore Astoria and all it has to offer.
“I created the group because I want to enrich my neighborhood and my community,” Ross-Johnson said. “I want more people to come to Astoria and see how awesome it is.”
To introduce new comers to the spirit, Ross-Johnson also creates cocktail recipes during each tasting that incorporates whiskey and makes the introduction a lot smoother and “more approachable.”
In 2015, the group plans to have more events that are “whiskey-centric” along with the monthly tastings. Bringing together Ross-Johnson’s other passion of singing opera, she is also looking to bring music and whiskey together in the future.
The Astoria Whiskey Society’s next meeting will be in January, with date and location still pending.
For more information visit astoriawhiskeysociety.com, www.facebook.com/AstoriaWhiskeySociety or follow @AstoriaWhiskey.
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