News & Events

Shelburne, VT: 11th Annual VT Cheesemakers Festival

The 11th Annual Vermont Cheesemakers Festival is held at Shelburne Farms on August 11, 2019, from 10 AM to 4 PM. This perennial favorite Vermont food festival has been picked as a “Top Summer Food Festival in the United States” for the past 5 years and sells out every year. With over 40 Vermont cheesemakers and 100 food and artisanal beverage producers in attendance, the event is sure to please all tastes. Located at the historic Coach Barn on the grounds of Shelburne Farm next to the shores of Lake Champlain, this festival provides a great opportunity to connect with makers and producers in Vermont’s most iconic working landscapes. This year in addition to the Festival, we are offering Educational Programs on Saturday from 10 AM to 3 PM at Shelburne Farms. Tickets are limited for the Saturday Educational Programs. Finally, on Saturday night, we will offer our 3rd Annual Vermont Cheese Dinner at the historic Round Barn in Waitsfield, VT.

Tickets:

-General Admission tickets are $65 and include a festival bag and a festival wine glass, and off-site parking. with busing to the event site. General Admission starts at 11 AM until 4 PM.

-Patron Tickets are $100 plus ticketing & handling fees and include an insulated festival bag, festival wine glass, and admission beginning at 10 AM until 4 PM for Patron Ticket Holders. Patron Ticket includes on-site parking.

Golden Tickets are $300 plus ticketing & handling fees and include exclusive Saturday educational programs at the Farm from 10 AM to 3 PM, the Annual Vermont Cheese Dinner at The Round Barn in Waitsfield, VT from 6- 10 PM, and the Sunday Festival at the Farm from 10 AM until 4 PM. Ticket includes an insulated Festival Bag and a festival wine glass with decorative lanyard, and on-site parking.

– Tickets for children 4 to 12 are $20.00. Teenagers and young adults are charged the General Admission prices.

-Children under 3 are admitted free.

PLEASE BE AWARE:

1. This is a rain or shine event. Weather in Vermont is unpredictable, so check the weather forecast and come prepared. Due to state laws, In the event of lightning or severe wind, all attendees will be asked to exit the tents and make way into the building or to their cars at the festival site. All attendees who were bused in will be asked to move into the building until any severe weather danger has passed.

2. Alcoholic beverages are being consumed at this event. The drinking age in Vermont is 21 years old. All attendees are asked to bring a valid drivers license, passport or state issued ID with them. There is no discount or reimbursement if you do not/ cannot consume alcoholic beverages. There are water stations and non-alcoholic beverages available throughout the venue.

3. Large crowds congregate in small areas throughout the event site on a mid-summer day. If you are unable to endure crowds in close proximity, this may not be the event for you. However, there are multiple areas to enjoy, so we suggest moving to another area of the festival if it gets too crowded or too hot for your taste.

4. Many of the exhibition areas are on grass or hard packed gravel, making strollers, wheelchairs, and walkers occasionally difficult to maneuver. Crowds make getting through the tents and the building somewhat difficult.

5. Dogs and pets are not allowed on Shelburne Farms property. Please keep your pets safely at home out of cars and out of the heat.

6. Refunds are available up to 7 days before the event. After that, we will be happy to provide you with a trade for the following year.

Burlington: Cocktail Class with Kate Wise

Join Vermont all star bartender Kate Wise for an afternoon of cocktail making. Kate has worked throughout Vermont at venues like Prohibition Pig, Doc Ponds, and is now currently working at Juniper at Hotel Vermont. She also has her very own cocktail consulting business!

You will walk away with the skills needed to create classic cocktails with a “Wise” twist.

Class includes 1 welcome cocktail and you will leave with the recipes for the drinks you created. Participants receive 10% off barware on the day of the class.

Tickets are $60.00 per person

July 12, 2019 By Mimi Buttenheim in Media & Events Comments Off

Bourbon Comes From Kentucky…Right?

With so many other regional distinctions, like Champagne needing to be specifically from the Champagne region in France or Tequila needing to be made in Mexico, it seems natural to lump Bourbon into the mix, especially since traditionally it’s been so associated with Kentucky. And while this may be a common belief, Bourbon can actually be made anywhere in the US as long as it meets certain requirements (none of which have anything to do with Kentucky).

Put simply, a bourbon mash needs to consist of at least 51% corn, be distilled at no higher than 160 proof, be barreled at no higher than 125 proof and be barreled in a charred new American Oak Barrel. That’s certainly a mouthful, even without a Kentucky distinction, so let’s break it down!

Alright, Bourbon mashes. While the actual mash bill needs to consist of at least 51% corn, the rest is fairly open ended. Corn is often attributed with lending sweetness to whiskey, but barley can add a round nuttiness, wheat often lends a more…well, wheaty taste with notes of honey.Rye often brings a peppery, spicy note to whiskey and oats can add a creamy, grainy flavor. For us, the perfect blend consists of predominantly corn, with smaller amounts of barley, wheat and oats blended in. This special mash bill is what gives our Bourbon it’s unique flavor with subtle sweetness and softness while still being robust and flavorful.

Additionally, Bourbon needs to be distilled and bottled and certain proofs, which is fairly straightforward. This mostly in strength of the finished product: distill at too high of a proof and you’re dipping into vodka territory!

As required, we barrel age our bourbon in charred New American Oak barrels and bottle a blend of different ages: from 1-3 years, to taste.

And that’s it! That’s Bourbon! Further distinctions include “Straight Bourbon”, which requires at least two years in a barrel, and “Kentucky Straight Bourbon” does, in fact, need to be from Kentucky. But as it turns out, and contrary to popular belief, the Bourbon name lends itself to a lot of variation in region, mash bill and aging, which is what makes exploring different brands and distilleries so exciting! So…ya know…you should come try ours!

Burlington: Negroni Week

Since 2013, bars all over the world dedicate a week in June to celebrate one of the worlds classic cocktails while also supporting a great cause of their choosing.

This year Mad River Distillers is proud to dedicate a dollar from each Negroni sold not only during this particular week, but during the entire month of June to All Breed Rescue Vermont.