bourbon tasting

Try A Blind Bourbon Tasting

April 15, 2023 By Dayton937

et outta your winter funk with our first Blind Bourbon Tasting of the year!

Done the way it should be, blind tasting with Kentucky Colonel & Bourbon Steward, Joseph Head. Tickets are $100 per person* and space is limited to 40 people.

Start your day off right, with 5 blind pours and a good dose of knowledge. Joe will walk you through all that there is to know about bourbon and it’s history. All while getting to spend time in our new space, Century Upstairs!

Can’t attend this one? Well you’re in luck! We’re doing multiple dates through the rest of the year! Follow us to get updates on future dates.

Get Your Tickets For Joe Head’s One Man Bourbon Show

August 28, 2018 By Lisa Grigsby

Voted to the top of The Bourbon Review’s “America’s 75 Best Bourbon Bars,” each year since 2014 and named by Men’s Journal as one of the “10 Best Bourbon Bars in America, this historic Miami Valley bourbon house has turned many a Daytonian into a bourbon lover.

According to Whiskey Advocate The “Century Bar has built its reputation in the trenches, pouring education with every shot and picking fine private selections of Wild Turkey, Four Roses, and Buffalo Trace. They have the largest bourbon collection in the state of Ohio.” Much of that credit is due to co-owner Joe Head, who’s passion for bourbon has made him an in demand celebrity at bourbon festivals across the midwest. The bar, which has been open since 1942 had hit a lull in business and as a bartender there Joe knew they needed something to revive business. He talked owner Diane Spitzig into changing the bar from what had become know as a metal bar into specializing in bourbon. Head proceeded to change the bar offerings and the clientele and became Diane’s business partner in what has become Dayton’s most nationally know drinking establishment.

In honor of Bourbon Heritage month this September, Joe will be doing three “One Man Bourbon Show ” blind bourbon tastings.

These will take place here at the Century on Wednesday the 12th ,19th and 26th of September. These will be very intimate, as we are limiting each night to only 12 attendees. The only place you can purchase your tickets is at the Century, located downtown at 10 S Jefferson Street, starting this Thursday August 30th at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $75 per person. Having attended Joe’s tastings before, I can assure you it will be highly educational in a fun way. Joe’s storytelling alone is worth the ticket price. But hurry, these tastings will sell out quickly!

Toast The Century Bar Tuesday As Best 60 Bourbon Bars Honoroed

September 27, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby

Back in June The Bourbon Review published their list ofAmerica’s 60 Top Bourbon Bars, in the magazine’s sixth anniversary issue. Dayton’s only bourbon bar made the list again and here’s what they had to say:

Century Bar, Dayton, OH: In what could be the most underrated Bourbon bar in the country, the Century Bar takes you back to 1862 with its 150-year-old back bar. The home of the former Kette & Sons Rye Whiskey Distillery, Century Bar packs 87 Bourbons and regularly holds blind tastings. It’s the sort of place every Bourbon drinker should visit at least once in his or her life.

“The criteria for the list was simple,” Justin Thompson of The Bourbon Review said in a press release. “The bar needed to prominently display bourbon, educate patrons about bourbon and provide a superior selection. The winning bars also have a reputation for creating both unique and traditional bourbon cocktails.”

To celebrate the list, The Bourbon Review has again partnered with Four Roses Bourbon for a nationwide toast to each of the 60 bars and restaurants. The toast is scheduled to take place Tuesday, Sept. 30th at 7pm when bourbon lovers are encouraged to to raise a glass and make a toast via social media to honor their favorite bar! We encourage you to engage in the toasting by uploading your pictures and tagging The Century Bar, The Bourbon Review, and Four Roses Bourbon. The toast can be made via facebook, twitter or instagram and please use #60toast.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of attending one of The Century Bar’s blind bourbon tasting, you’re in luck. After taking the summer off, they’ve just announced the return of the tasting. Tickets will go on sale Monday for the Oct 18th 3:30pm tasting. The tasting will be $60.00 which includes six bourbons, and lunch catered by Smokin BBQ. Not only will you get to try a variety of bourbons, the knowledge shared by bartenders Joe, Tim, Nick and Jarod at these events is mind boggling. You’ll learn about the history of this brown liquor, the science behind the flavors, the family feuds and politics of the business and trends impacting the supply of your favorite bourbons.