Bacon and Bourbon Fest returns with a stockpile of rare bottles
The pandemic-related cancellation of the 2020 Wellington Bacon and Bourbon Fest was a bummer, but there’s a bright side to look at: The rare bottles that organizers have been holding onto for this year’s event have become even more exclusive.
The seventh annual Wellington Bacon and Bourbon Fest will return Saturday-Sunday, April 24-25, in a beautiful new location, the waterfront Wellington Town Center Promenade. The space, which debuted last summer, includes a 20-foot-wide boardwalk, a dock and gazebos along Lake Wellington.
The free-admission event will feature tented and socially distanced spaces to enjoy the signature bacon and pork dishes from local chefs that make this event so popular, including the famous Bacon Bar, home to chocolate-covered bacon and other desserts. Expect entrees to run from $9 to $17 a plate.
Food and bourbon pairing seminars have been eliminated this year. Beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase.
The festival, which will have rules on mask wearing and social distancing in place, will include live music and displays by more than 60 artists and crafters.
Those who put bourbon before bacon can expect a wide variety of bottles, the top end highlighted by labels from Buffalo Trace, 1792 (Full Proof) and Weller Antique 107.
“Because we’ve been stockpiling some rare and unique bourbons [since 2020 3/8, we found that we have a little bit of an inventory of bourbon that’s no longer available. Not even to our liquor distributor,” says event organizer Nancy Stewart.
Many of the most prized bottles will be served at the Last Drop Bar, a new space being hosted by one of South Florida’s pre-eminent shot-callers, John “Fitzy” Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald, who spent many years at 32 East in downtown Delray Beach, then the Wine Room, will soon be found in the role of “spiritual advisor” at Warren American Whiskey Kitchen, set to open in a few weeks in west Delray Beach.
“The Last Drop is where all of the rarest and most sought-after spirits will be. I’ll be pouring those and talking about those spirits with all the whiskey fans out there,” Fitzgerald says. “Weller 107, Stagg, Elmer T. Lee, E.H. Taylor, 1792 … There are some big bottles.”
A newcomer to the festival this year is Garrison Brothers Distillery, from the Texas Hill Country, near Austin. The Garrisons’ uncut, cask-strength, 133-proof Cowboy Bourbon was named American Micro Whiskey of the Year by Jim Murray’s “Whiskey Bible” in 2014 and 2017. The distillery’s Balmorhea release was similarly cited in 2019 and 2020.
“Everybody knows Kentucky first, probably Tennessee second, and then there’s all the rest,” Fitzgerald says of states’ whiskey reputation. “I think Texas is taking the title of third place because of distilleries like Garrisons, who are doing a lot of novel, unique things. Their Cowboy release is one of the best whiskeys I’ve tasted.”
The Wellington Bacon and Bourbon Fest is produced by Festival Management Group and Stewart, its director. While the event will require no tickets, Stewart says admission into the site will be monitored to ensure space for social distancing.
Stewart admits this has been a tough year in the festival management game.
“It’s been a challenging one. But anyone in the event business is pretty much used to having to jump through things at the last minute. Be it hurricanes or anthrax threats … it’s always something,” Stewart says with a laugh.
Festival Management Group, host of Affair of the Arts in Boynton Beach April 9-11, also produces the iconic South Florida Garlic Fest, which took place in Wellington in early March with 10 musical acts.
Stewart says Garlic Fest was a “great success,” though not everyone was happy.
“You know, nobody likes the masks, and we had a lot of pushback. A lot of people say they won’t come or they won’t exhibit as long as they have to wear a mask. But the majority of people were just happy to be able to get out and do something normal,” Stewart says. “I always say to people, if you’re uncomfortable or it’s not something that you’re in agreement with, then don’t come.”
The Wellington Bacon and Bourbon Fest is Saturday-Sunday, April 24-25, at the waterfront Wellington Town Center, 12150 Forest Hill Blvd. Hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Parking is free with shuttle service from the west side of the Mall at Wellington Green, 10300 Forest Hill Blvd. Visit BaconBourbonFest.com.
