Bourbon Pursuit

Blending is an art. We've discussed it many times before and our guest today would be considered the Queen. She provides Nosing Services, meaning she is a blood hound in human form. Listen about Nancy Fraley's past and how she has carved a path as one of the world's best blenders for whiskey, rum, armagnac, and many different spirits. In the second segment of the show, we talk about her current ro...

We have a loaded show today with some hot topics hitting the boards. This episode touches on recent releases of NEAT, the less than stellar James Thompson & Brother incredibly overaged bourbon made its way out, we discuss the practices by Pennsylvania liquor control board setting lottery prices at secondary prices, thoughts on the new Old Fitzgerald release, we wonder if NDPs sourced from MGP bein...

He might be the angriest man in bourbon and ruffles a lot of feathers along the way, but he's been enjoying the spirit longer than most of us. Bourbon Truth, or known as Lloyd Christmas on twitter, is well known for his jabs at the industry. In this episode, we talk about his disdain for shelf trophies, if the current market is overinflated, his opinion on how spirit awards are rigged, and even to...

The Rickhouse. A place where bourbon allows father time and mother nature to do its magic. Have you ever wondered who is behind all these rickhouses? Donald Blincoe, President of Buzick Construction, is carrying on his family's legacy of being the top name in bourbon business for rickhouses. Their patented ricking system is easily identified when entering a rackhouse and Donald talks about their h...

We revisit with Kyle Henderson to talk about the past and current production of Angel's Envy with their new distillery and all the decisions and mistakes that came along with it. Kyle has a great excuse to build a bunker with "competitive tasting" that has amassed him over 1600 bottles of spirits and now he's getting into barrel aged beers and cigars. Kyle hints at a future of bottled-in-bond Kent...

Everyone has a different strategy when it comes to picking barrels and we talk about each of ours. We also touch on the topic of a "group pick" versus a "store pick" when something is selected by the Master Distiller. Crown Royal Bourbon Mash has violated the TTB, but does the TTB even care? Why are consumers still regulating this? And we talk about bourbon FOMO and the ridiculous amount of people...

Many seasoned bourbon drinkers know all too well the climate of things, but rarely ever stop to think how newcomers to this hobby view it. This episode takes an outside look in from experimenting with high rye, low rye, and wheated bourbons as well as a look into how our guest views allocated items. Darin Mellor, a spirits enthusiast, has been on the beer and tequila chase in the past and recently...

The grain to glass movement isn't new, but it's a way for brands to differentiate themselves as they have complete control of the distillation process from all locally sourced products. It sparks pride in your area and builds relationships across the process until it hits the consumer. Ryan Burchett, Co-Owner and Distiller at Mississippi River Distilling Company, joins the show to talk about new e...

What happens when you get Bill Samuels, Mike Veach, Reid Mitenbuler, and Susan Reigler in front of an economics class? You talk about the growth of bourbon, the economic impact of it, and how to get jumpstarted into a career. Thanks to the John H. Schnatter Center for Free Enterprise at the College of Business, University of Louisville for hosting and allowing us to record. This event is just one...

The community did a pretty quick 180 in regards to treating people more fairly in facebook groups. We discuss how banning unopened bottles has settled the drama and also evaluate the definition of the new vintage spirits law that has passed in Kentucky. Taking a speculative look at the success and if it has the potential to go mainstream across the country. Lastly, we wrap it up talking about our...

You may remember of Dr. Pat Heist of Ferm-Solutions back on episode 121 talking about the science of yeast. This episode feature his counterpart Shane Baker, Master Distiller of Wilderness Trail Distillery, as he answers all the questions you ever wanted to know from a Master Distiller. These guys are very well known in the bourbon world amongst distillers who know what they are doing. We take a d...

Enjoying a glass of bourbon while smoking a cigar seems like an average Friday night to some people. However, pairing a bourbon and cigar can be more complicated than you think. We sit down with Jake Glancy and Jeremy Kendrick of Jake's Cigar Bar to get a complete cigar 101 lesson on everything from cuts, types, leaf varieties, and more to understand how the unique flavor of a cigar will complimen...

It's a controversial topic amongst bourbon purists. Can you replicate all the effects Mother Nature and Father Time add to the bourbon that rests inside a barrel? Jacob Call, Master Distiller at O.Z. Tyler, comes from a long family lineage of distillers and decided to do take on an industry with Terressentia using TerrePURE technology. Learn about the growth of this startup and small bit about the...

This new episode is a flash back to an interview Ryan performed while at Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2017 while sitting with one of the shows all-time favorite guests, Bill Thomas. In addition we're joined by the likes of Mike Jasinski, Jared Hymen, and Mike Miller of Delilahs in Chicago. This is a regular who's who in bourbon and it's great take on the industry of high-end bourbon pours, and the sa...

In this final Bourbon Community Roundtable of 2017 (it's the 15th edition) we look at the unique rise of trading bourbon for bitcoin weighing out the pros and cons, a look back into how the bourbon community has changed for the worse in 2017 and we cap it off talking about our favorite Bourbon and Rye releases of the year. Show Notes: In recent news, we’ve talked about different ways of trading fo...

If you think the bourbon frenzy has gotten bad here in the US, well you don't know what it's like to live outside the borders. This episode features Ed Rosie and Andrew Watson, members of the British Bourbon Society, as we we discuss the transition of scotch drinkers to bourbon, the European search for dusties, and how it's nearly impossible to get your hands on store picks which we take for grant...

Have you ever wondered what these bourbon barrel picking groups like The Bourbon Mafia, 1789b, T5C, and The Bourbon Cartel are all about? Eddie Noel, who has a history of founding multiple groups, will guide us into what it takes to form a barrel picking group with the types of individuals needed, the commitment of joining one, and the secret to getting private barrel selections when you don't hav...

In Episode 109 we featured two retailers and discussed if there is such a thing as MSRP pricing and how square footage, location, loyalty, and clientele all boil down into how rare bourbon is priced and sold. Eric Darland, a buyer in the D.C. area sent us an email and told us we completely missed the mark. Eric gives insight into the legalized mafia that is distribution, allocation of store picks,...

There's been some sneaky releases lately from Diageo and Jefferson's so we tackle those. If you're short on Christmas gift ideas, we talk about some of those things you can give the bourbon lover in your life. Shoe Notes: In recent news, the folks at Diageo slid in a brand new Orphan Barrel release called Entrapment 25 year Canadian Whiskey. Anyone have thoughts on it yet? Jefferson's also release...

Many of us understand Bourbon 101 and 102 knowledge, but what about level 400? Dr. Pat Heist of Ferm Solutions joins the show to explain what is chemically happening when you're producing bourbon and gives an in-depth look at yeast and how it becomes one of the most critical components of the process. You will learn all about the breakdowns of enzymes during mash cooking and species of yeast for d...

Retailers need an edge to stay competitive in today’s market. Listen to Louis Dachis of Ace Spirits and David Driscoll of K&L Wine Merchants on how technology is making their business grow on national level and you get a lesson on distribution and why there are shipping restrictions to different states in the US. Show Notes: Talk about your stores and the markets you serve How have you seen the bo...

With the current climate of overpriced rare whiskey, how do you turn that into a profitable business? Matt Landan talks about pivoting his coffee shop into Haymarket Whiskey Bar, a staple of bourbon country and Top 40 whiskey bar. Show Notes: Everyone who has visited Louisville probably knows but we are going to talk about the history of the bar Do you think this is becoming a new landmark on the...

Recent whiskey news has really been depressing. There hasn’t been much good that’s come of it so the roundtable spends an hour and complains. We hit on everything from the sadness that is EH Taylor Four Grain being named Whiskey of the Year to the depressing news of no more Eagle Rare store picks in 2018. Read more sorrowing news we talk about in the show notes below Show Notes: Whiskey Of The Yea...

Is the madness ever going to end? Are those unicorn bottles going to continue to climb in price for the future? How did we end up here? Past guest Chuck Cowdery, a bourbon authority, enlightens us to how the history of bourbon being an unwanted commodity created stocks of well aged whiskey that led us to the market we see today. Show Notes: Let's talk about the past and the bourbon, crisis, was it...

Have you ever visited the Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown or the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience in downtown Louisville? It's time you meet Jeff Crowe who is the General Manager of Visitor Experiences for Heaven Hill. Jeff takes us through what each locations have to offer and gives some insight into how he can fairly distribute Parker's Heritage and William Heaven Hill releases Show Notes:...