𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙍𝙞𝙤𝙩?

The world of whiskey is vast; diving in can be daunting. Our festival offers samplings of hundreds of whiskeys, seminars and fantastic conversations with whiskey lovers, distillers, brand founders and more to arm you with the tools you need to become a whiskey expert. And, oh, yeah... you'll have one hell of a time.

This event is *𝘛𝘏𝘌* event of the year for whiskey lovers and the whiskey curious where you'll get to try over 200 whiskies, taste creative whiskey cocktails, meet fellow whiskey lovers, and more.

Ready to riot? Keep reading + make sure to mark yourself as 'Going' or 'Interested' in this event page to stay up to date on all things Buffalo Whiskey Riot

𝗕𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗼 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗥𝗶𝗼𝘁

• Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026
• Time: 4-7 PM (Early Entry Admission Hour: 3-4 PM)
• Place: The Powerhouse, 140 Lee St., Buffalo, NY 14210

𝗙𝗔𝗤𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀

𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙍𝙞𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧?

• The Whiskey Lover, the Whiskey Curious, the Whiskey Enthusiast, the Whiskey Aficionado, the Whiskey Rookie. All are welcome!

𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙?

• Discovering new whiskeys can be an expensive exploration. Signage in a liquor store and the details on a bottle’s label will only tell you so much. How do you know you’re going to take home something you love? There’s no better way to find your new favorite drink than side-by-side comparison tasting.

• Whiskey Riot is a large format tasting event complete with brand representatives who can answer questions, explain the nuances of what your tasting and leave you feeling armed with more whiskey knowledge.

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙮𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙮?

• Over 200 varieties!

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙙𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 (𝙂𝘼) 𝙏𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩?

• General Admission ticket holders will receive a branded rocks tasting glass and be given full range of the venue to taste whichever whiskeys they desire. Sorting through this many whiskeys would require a prohibitively expensive investment in bottles were a whiskey explorer to pursue a tasting this vast on their own. The GA ticket provides a pathway to finding your new favorite whiskey without breaking the bank.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣 𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙀𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙏𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩 (𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙑𝙄𝙋 𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙨)?

• Early Entry Admission ticket holders (formerly known as VIP in years past) will receive access to the event 1 hour earlier than General Admission entry. They’ll receive all of the same benefits of the General Admission ticket, which include a branded tasting glass, full range of the venue to taste whichever whiskeys they desire and access to limited edition and rare whiskies that will not be available during the General Admission time. The big emphasis on this ticket is an extra hour in the event without large crowds.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙑𝙄𝙋 𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙨?

• If you bought VIP tickets for previous years, you might wonder where those went. Good news! Early Entry Admission is the new name for the previously known VIP tickets. The only thing that has changed is the name! The same things are included in the Early Entry Admission ticket as was previously included in VIP; you'll receive access to the event 1 hour earlier than General Admission and have access to limited edition and rare whiskies that will not be available during the General Admission time.

𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝘿𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧 (𝘿𝘿) 𝙏𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚?

• Due to limited capacity, there are no DD tickets offered for the event. Please be responsible and coordinate a ride using a ride share service or friend/family member.

𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙄 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣 𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙀𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙏𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩?

• Unfortunately, no. We have limited supplies for the ticket tiers and don’t have the flexibility to add the necessary resources during the event. If you've purchased a GA ticket and wish to upgrade to Early Entry before the event, please reach out to TIXR customer support who may be able to assist. Purchasing an upgrade will be dependent on Early Entry ticket availability.

𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚?

• Once you have your ticket for admission and enter the venue, you will not be charged for any whiskey tasting.

𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚?

• Each guest will receive 1 ticket for each of the specialty cocktail branded sample bars (3-5 cocktail samples per event). Don’t think of a traditional bar where you walk up and tell the bartender what you’d like. The cocktail bars are hosted by showcasing brands and typically offer just one specialty cocktail per bar. Each attendee will have one redemption ticket for each of the cocktail bars. This redemption method is only used for the cocktail bars and not for the general sampling of whiskeys (it’s rooted in an effort to make sure that showcasing brands have enough inventory for everyone).

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜?

• We’ll be posting updates on our website, the TIXR page and social media regularly as new brands hop on board. In the meantime, check out our list of historic participating brands on our website: whiskeyriot.com/brand-partners

𝙄𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 21 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧?

• Yes. If a person is under 21 years old and tries to enter the event with a ticket they purchased online or one that was provided to them, they will not be granted entry and the purchaser will not receive a refund for the ticket. You must be 21 years of age or older to enter this event and no exceptions to the rule will be made.

𝘿𝙤 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄’𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩?

• No! All whiskey samples are included with purchase of admission. Complimentary water bottles will be available in the event!

𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙄 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩?

• Yes! There will be food and merchandise on site for purchase.

𝙄𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮?

• There will be security present at the event and they are tasked with keeping the evening civilized and safe. Please be courteous, respectful and kind to others and keep in mind that everyone is coming together to have fun and positive experience.

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲

• Eat a hearty meal beforehand! There's nothing worse than being hungry, and while we'll have snacks on hand and food for purchase, we encourage you to eat before the event.

• Use the spit buckets. Seriously. You’re doing a tasting and should pace yourself! There’s no pressure to drink everything you’re trying. The brand representatives who will be present expect you to spit out their products after trying and won’t be offended if you do! It may seem silly or impolite, but it’s how the whiskey world works. This is sage advice.

• Rinse out your glass between whiskeys! You don’t want a new bourbon to taste like the last smokey Islay scotch you tried!

• Do not pre-game the event. Fight any social temptation you may have to do so. Your evening will be so much more enjoyable if you just wait for the event to start imbibing.

• There’s going to be a rush at the beginning of the event as people get in and spread throughout the venue. It may seem like you won’t have enough time to try everything you want, but we promise that you will. No need to rush, be pushy or drink quickly. You will have time to explore everything!

• Please coordinate a ride home from a ride share service or friend/family member.

𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 (𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 '𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁)

• No violence or aggressive behavior
• No firearms or weapons, regardless of personal permits
• No smoking in the venue