Upcoming Schedule Of I Wish Whiskey Classes Taught By Me.

I have been negligent in posting about the upcoming schedule of classes I'm teaching for I Wish Lessons, perhaps because I've been so busy teaching them. We have increased the number and types of classes this year and they have been very well received. I Wish is a new company, only just beginning its second year in business.

The mission of I Wish Lessons is to help people enjoy life through learning. All of the classes I teach about distilled spirits are held in different cool bars in the city (Chicago). They always involve tasting usually four products and the bars are pretty good about premium pours. You can also order food and other beverages, and make it a fun night out with a little learning on the side.

They prefer the term 'coach' to 'teacher' or 'instructor.' I usually 'coach' everybody as a group for about an hour, then hang around for individual one-on-one 'coaching.' Class size is typically 20 to 30 people. It's all very relaxed and informal and the students usually determine the course of events through their questions. Students are encouraged to participate. They are also encouraged to stay after class to continue their studies on their own.

Last night we debuted a new course at Waterhouse called Whiskey 101. As the name suggests, it's an introduction to whiskey in general. Because it's me we started with bourbon and worked our way up to single malt scotch, with Irish and Canadian in between. It went well, I think. I was surprised that the group was probably two-thirds women, which is rare for anything to do with whiskey. I was thrilled because I like women and because that's good for the whiskey business, if more women start to discover and appreciate whiskey.

Whiskey & Cupcakes is, essentially, Whiskey 101 except with cupcakes. The cupcakes are fun and the cupcake artists do try to match each cupcake to a whiskey, which gives us an opportunity to talk about matching whiskey with foods. The cupcake thing is really just a way to up the fun a little bit. Unfortunately, it's hard for me to coach and eat cupcakes so I usually miss out. (I do manage to drink, however.)

Here is what I have coming up. Go to the I Wish website to sign up.

• Mon, Mar. 7th – Whiskey & Cupcakes (Pitchfork) 
• Tue., Mar. 29th – Single Malt Scotch (Pitchfork)
• Wed, Mar. 30th – Whiskey & Cupcakes (Pitchfork)
• Tue, Apr. 5th – Whiskey 101 (Waterhouse)
• Mon, Apr. 11th -- Whiskey & Cupcakes  (Pitchfork)
• Tue, Apr. 19th – Bourbon (Pitchfork)
• Wed, April 27th -- Whiskey & Cupcakes (Pitchfork)

Pitchfork is at 2922 W. Irving Park Rd., just west of California. Waterhouse is at 3407 N. Paulina Ave., at the intersection of Roscoe, Lincoln and Paulina, adjacent to Paulina Brown Line 'L' stop.

All dates are subject to change.

I Wish also does private classes, so if you have a group that would like to have a whiskey or other distilled spirits tasting with me as your coach, you can arrange that through I Wish too.