Hello, Blind Pigs!
It's time once again to organize the yearly advent calendar. This is a long email. If you plan to participate, please read the whole thing carefully.
In case you haven't done this with us before, here's a breakdown:
A 750 ml bottle of whiskey, conveniently, contains just over 25 ounces of liquid. December has 25 days leading up to and including Christmas. That means that 25 people can each contribute a bottle of whiskey, and we can break each one into 25 numbered one-ounce samples. Then, those 25 people can have a shared tasting experience every evening of December leading up to Christmas. Participants will have the opportunity to drink their whiskey blind each evening and talk about it on the Facebook group. An automated email each night will reveal the identity of the whiskey, give some details, and provide a short bio of the member who contributed it (since we have lots of new members).
By signing up, you agree to the following:
- You will contribute a bottle of whiskey with a shelf price of at least $40 and drop it off at Jenn Northcutt's house by the announced deadline. Choose a whiskey you'd be proud to share with guests.
- You will respond to a Google form after sign-up is complete and name three bottles of whiskey that you are willing to contribute, and you'll list them in order of priority. We will organize the results and let you know which bottle is selected. The only reason you wouldn't be able to contribute your #1 selection is if somebody who responded before you listed the exact same bottle. In that case, we'd go to #2, and in rare cases, to number #3.
- You will pay $25 to cover the cost of the sample bottles, stickers, and other packaging materials. Nobody makes a profit on this. The payment is due through Wild Apricot at the time you sign up.
- You will pick up your box of samples at Jenn Northcutt's house after the bottles are split and organized into calendars.
Registration will go live at 4:00 p.m. today, August 28. Once 25 people have signed up, additional people will be directed to the wait list. If the wait list reaches 25 people, we will have a second calendar. Those people will receive an invoice via email to pay for their calendars.
IMPORTANT NOTE--READ THIS CAREFULLY
Last year, we entertained the possibility of having a second calendar if a second full set of 25 people signed up. We ended up not getting to 25 by the deadline, and a bunch of people were very disappointed. This is your formal announcement: Registration will close on September 30 at 11:59 p.m. No late registrations will be allowed. If you want to participate, even if it means getting on the wait list, please don't delay. We will not make an exception for you after September 30. We need that lead time to order all the supplies to create the calendar boxes.
In general, please understand that organizing the advent calendar is a lot of work, and everyone needs to abide by the announced deadlines to make the process run smoothly. Even one person, for example, who doesn't drop off their bottle on time would delay the entire project. Please don't be that person. For now, the only deadline is that sign-ups will end on September 30. Future deadlines will be announced throughout the process.
Thanks, Pigs!
-Chauncey