Even bigger and better, the Comox Valley Whiskey Fest was a huge success for the second time.Co-organizer and Comox Rotarian Suzanne Judge said she's delighted the festival sold out and over $14,000 will go to Wheels for Wellness and the St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation."I'm really impressed with the Comox Valley public; I'm so impressed with their support for this; people are just wonderful," said Judge. Hosted by the Rotary Club of Comox and the Westerly Hotel, the second annual Whiskey Fest had 200 tickets, most of which sold in the first few weeks.Things kicked off on Friday evening with Dinner with the Johnnies, a six-course meal with five Johnnie Walker whiskey pairings. Five seminars, ranging from whiskey for beginners to a master class, gave a chance for everyone from the uninitiated up to the connoisseur to learn more about whiskey.The grand tasting of over 50 different whiskeys and interesting food items was on Saturday night. Comox Valley resident Heini Von Schilling has been drinking whiskey since he was 15 years old, and time has not changed his love for the drink."I think they should do this more often," said Von Schilling with a grin, adding that he missed the previous year's festival only because he was out of town."I think it's great thing to raise money, the Rotary's raising money with it, and I think it's a good way to do it. They obviously have a lot of people that enjoy Scotch."Ten distributors were set up at tables around a large room at the Westerly Hotel offering a wide array of Scottish whiskeys, but also some from Ireland, and Canada, and even Japan and India.Wheels for Wellness and Comox Valley Dodge provided complimentary rides at the end of the night to ensure festival-goers arrived safely home after sipping away the evening. And the Westerly Hotel offered discounted room rates for out-of-towners. Judge said the hotel was instrumental in making the festival a success."This hotel, the staff, the management, have been amazing," said Judge, adding that the hotel's discounted rates on things like food helped more money go to the two recipient organizations.Judge said the festival will happen again next year "without a doubt" and she believes it will for many years after, too."I can't wait 'til we're doing the 20th annual, I really can't," she said with a smile.writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com