Saturday’s Whiskey in the Cloud Festival was designed to start a new chapter in the downtown after the extensive street reconstruction, drawing exhibitors from across the U.S. and raising funds for the Education Foundation Osceola County.
“We had originally planned ‘Whiskey in the Cloud’ for last year (Nov. 22), when the construction was supposed to end and to kick off the holiday season,” said Dana Wells, co-owner of Levee Liquors and one of the festival’s organizers, along with her husband Mark.
Unfortunately, the construction delays piled up, due in part to the impacts of Hurricane Ian in September and November’s late season Nicole, and the event was postponed.
“We worked with the City and fortunately our vendors and exhibitors stuck with us, and now we are able to host this inaugural event, unique to Central Florida,” said Mark Wells.
With New York Avenue opened for pedestrians for the Saturday evening event, exhibitors' tents lined the street, with whiskey-tasting stations inside providing access to over 100 different spirits. Exhibitors came from as far away as the West Coast and New York City, and there was a mix of smaller distillers and one giant of the industry, Jack Daniels.
“We actually wanted to start selling our ‘Doc Swinson’s’ whiskey in the South, before going for national distribution, so we needed to be at this event,” Steve Main, Head of Sales for the Ferndale, Washington distiller.
Many downtown shops and other businesses extended their hours for the festival, and restaurants experienced a boost in their Saturday night diners. Three bands provided live music throughout the evening. Ford Insurance and the Osceola News-Gazette sponsored the event, which organizers hope will become an annual signature destination event for downtown St. Cloud.
