Fall - 2022

SHORT CUTS BUSINESS Mitchell Sawhney’s new venture, The Whisky Club, is a warm and inviting location to learn about and savor over 350 fantastic examples of the amber libation. Connoisseur Shares His Love of Whisky With Monterey B Y M I CHA E L CHAT F I E LD F or a beverage made from just three ingredi- ents—grain, water and yeast, distilled, aged in oak barrels—whisky (an Anglicized Gaelic word meaning “the water of life”) has evolved into thousands of iterations. Perhaps the most well-known versions are produced in Scotland, Ireland and the United States, but the amber spirit is also distilled in countries as diverse as Israel, Mexico, Japan, Sweden and India. A passionate whisky connoisseur and collec- tor, Mitchel Sawhney has no doubt tasted the products of those countries and many more. “At one point, my collection numbered around 4,000 bottles,” he says. His love of whisky led him and his wife LisAnne to create The Whisky Club on Monterey’s Alvarado Street. The club features around 350 examples, ranging from well-known brands to the rarified world of what Sawhney calls “unicorn bottles.” The Whisky Club has a, well, “clubby” feel: dark wood, tasteful lighting, comfortable seat- ing. Behind the bar, hundreds of bottles are ensconced on backlit shelves, awaiting custom- ers to sample them in flights—called “tours”— curated by the owner himself. When a brand resonates with a taster, the club also has a huge variety of whiskys available by the bottle in a separate area. “We also help customers find collectible bottles,” Sawhney says. The Whisky Club is located at 425 Alvarado Street in Monterey. For more information, visit www.twc11.com or call 831/241-6713. Photo: Randy Tunnell 72 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 2