Now THESE are experiences worth paying for. Personally, I'd be interested in both the whiskey tasting with Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and the lottery (and subsequent price tag) to have him prepare a seven-course meal for you. Both I would consider to be once-in-a-lifetime events. Not as interested in the beer tasting but if Morimoto is there it would at least pique my interest.
I expect the whiskey tasting will sell out quickly (there were still tickets available for the 5pm December 2 tasting as of a few minutes ago). If I were in town, I'd definitely do it.