Whiskey Festival Celebrates Ten Years of Good Times in Mammoth Lakes, CA

August 5, 2023

Whiskey Festival Celebrates Ten Years of Good Times in Mammoth Lakes, CA 

Homegrown local festival is now one of the biggest whiskey festivals on the West Coast

Mammoth Lakes, CA – Mammoth Rock N’ Rye Whiskey Festival celebrates 10 years of good drinks, good music, and good times from August 30th through September 1st with over 40 distillers’ whiskey, 3 days of live music, and 6 meet-the-maker tasting events. What began as a community festival to help bring in visitors and celebrate the end of summer is now one of the largest whiskey festivals on the West Coast.

It started out as a party. Long-time local business owners Lynn Altieri-Need and Stu Need, Heather and Robert Schaubmayer, and Stacy and Kirk Schaubmayer wanted a way to celebrate the community they love and give back. “The first year, we were approached by the Village at Mammoth to put on a festival over Labor Day weekend. Being whiskey lovers who also love live music, we said yes, pulled something together in 3 months and here we are 10 years later!” Rock n Rye sold about 60 tickets the first year and a good time was had by all. This year, over 500 people per day from across the country will partake in whiskey tasting, alongside over 7,000 people over the weekend who are there for the live music and fun.

“What makes this event unique is our venue & our distillers. We’re outside surrounded by the Sierras at 8,050’ & whiskey fans get a chance to hang out with legendary distillers, national brand ambassadors & learn more about their favorite brands while rocking out to amazing musicians from across the US,” shared by Heather Schaubmayer. “We’ve had some of the biggest names in whiskey industry like Dave Pickerell, Ian Stirsman, Steve Beam & Bruce Russell to lesser known but highly respected distillers Russell Wedlake and Dan Garrison here.”

This year’s sponsors include Yellowstone Bourbon, Frey Ranch, Whistle Pig, Wild Turkey, Penelope Bourbon, Larceny Bourbon, High West, Skrewball, and Blue Run. Meet-the-Maker tastings are a chance to connect with the founders and distillers in a small group setting to taste their whiskeys and get a deeper understanding of how each distiller puts their unique spin on the process. This year’s makers are: Benny Hurwitz from Wild Turkey, Russell Wedlake from Frey Ranch, Dustin Caster from Virginia Distillery Company, Mitch Mahar from WhistlePig, Ian Friedman from Penelope, and Rod Cegelski from Rod & Hammer.

Meet-the-Maker tickets are nearly sold out. Weekend and Single Day tasting passes are moving fast. To learn more and purchase your ticket, visit https://www.mammothrocknrye.com/.

News Staff