This week would-be whiskey barons and wannabe vodka princes converged on New York for the third annual Indy Spirits Expo, promoting their lesser-known wares to bar owners, journalists, and all those kids who heard about it thanks to Thrillist. It’s a chance to try unique, unusual spirits, and meet the people who make them. For the most part, no one decides to own a distillery without becoming proud of what they make. But if they don’t really care, then they can always revert to the tried-and-true sales technique — hiring attractive women to hock the product.
Rather than bother to try writing anything down in a dark, crowded room, I brought a camera instead. Click through for a selection of rare whiskeys, those aforementioned women, enthusiastic bartenders, llamas, and my quest to actually like vodka.