The Woods is located on the second floor of the Historic Rose Building in Downtown Orlando. At The Woods, the goal is to bring you high quality cocktails, whiskies, and craft beers. The woods supports small batch distilleries and breweries that are passionate about the art of their products. We spoke to Brian Minkel the GM of the Woods.
Brian, tell us a little about yourself.
BM: I started bartending when I was 21 (I’m 43 now!) I grew up in Wisconsin and started with Chi-Chi’s Mexican Restaurant. When I decided not to go back to college, I moved forward and became a manager which was the first time I thought of doing this as a career. I moved to Orlando in 2001.
What was the vision for the Woods. Tell us about the name.
BM: The vision for The Woods was to offer downtown Orlando a place with great cocktails and great beer in a mature, clean environment. We still provide that but our ever growing collection of spirits has taken us into a more whiskey focused direction. We now consider ourselves a whiskey bar that has great cocktails and beer.
Who else is involved in the venture?
BM: Our owners Jason Anderson and Aaron Dudek also own The Lodge, which is downstairs for The Woods and recently Burton’s in Orlando’s Thornton Park neighborhood.
What is your role and your day to day activities?
BM: I’m the general manager and my day to day activities include event planning, educating staff, ordering, teaching cocktail classes, and occasionally bartending.
What was your proudest moment of working at The Woods?
BM: Knowing that we are regarded as one of the best cocktail/whiskey bars in the area makes me very proud. A few years ago, we were named by Liquor.com as one of 172 bars you need to drink at now. No other bars in Orlando were on the list. (Although I do believe there’s a ton of great bars here that easily could have made it)
How do you stay current with all the latest whiskies? With all the independent bottlers and craft distillers?
BM: I stay current first and foremost by always being available to my distributors. They know they can count on me because I want to taste everything! I also get Shanken News emails, read trade magazines like Whiskey Advocate, Market Watch, and Tasting Panel
How many different types of whisky do you have available at your venue?
BM: Our whiskey selection fluxuates around 325. Currently we have 330. Bourbon, Irish, Scotch, Tennessee, American, American Single Malts, Japanese, Indian, Rye
Are you known for anything else besides a great whiskey selection?
BM: We have over 50 gins and over 40 craft beers. We also change our cocktail list every month with 6-8 new house created original cocktails.
Would you say now is the most exciting time to be a whiskey lover?
BM: It’s such a great time to be a whiskey lover! We have hosted Fred Noe, Jimmy Russell, John Glaser, Tom Bulleit, Trey Zoller, amongst many other ambassadors and industry professionals. For me as an educator, it’s always great to learn from the people who are the closest to the culture and production of these great brands.
When it comes to making the classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned, how do you determine which whiskey to use?
BM: When I choose whiskies for our classics, we try to stay as traditional as possible like rye for a Manhattan, etc. As a buyer, I look for best whiskey for the price. Our house old fashioned is Russell’s Reserve which is one of the best whiskies for the price in my opinion. I like to remind the big fanatics that without brands like Beam and Wild Turkey, we wouldn’t have some of the more esoteric and sought after brands. You don’t have to like them, but you should definitely respect them.
How big is the whisky scene in Orlando, FL?
BM: The whiskey scene in Orlando gets bigger and bigger every day. I’m a member of The Orlando Whiskey Society which is helping move the scene forward every day.
What are you most excited about in the whisky scene?
BM: I like that people want to learn and “geek out” about whiskey. Enthusiasm is contagious. I’ll admit being a buyer at a bar like The Woods has it’s perks. I’ve had the chance to taste some of the best whiskies in the world. I’m very spoiled!
Is there any particular type of whisky that sells more than the other?
BM: Bourbon is the biggest seller for us. People in Orlando drink a lot of Irish as well. Tullamore and Jameson for sure being the most popular.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of Tastethedram?
BM: I always try to teach people to understand why you like something not just that you do. For example certain brands like Crown and Jameson transcend their categories to the point that I’m not sure everyone who drinks them even knows where they are from. But knowing the process and ingredients in those brands might help you branch out into other comparable .
