The Bourbon Road

Welcome back to the Bourbon Road Bar, where Jim and Todd settle in for a five-bottle session packed with limited releases, aged expressions, and a little bit of everything the whiskey world has to offer right now. Tonight's lineup spans wheat whiskey, high-rye bourbon, east-coast rye, and some serious Beam family heavy-hitters — all barrel strength, all worthy of serious attention. On the Tasting...

Welcome back to The Bourbon Road, recording live from the Bourbon Road Bar in Simpsonville, Kentucky — better known as Jim's basement. Episode 502 brings another overflowing tasting mat, proof that the samples just keep arriving faster than the boys can pour them. This week the lineup spans the full spectrum, from a brand-new family-founded label making its debut on the show to a beloved Illinois...

Welcome back to The Bourbon Road, Episode 501! Todd and Jim are joined in the Bourbon Road Bar — aka Tim's Basement — by special guest Dan Mattingly, a Roadie since 2020, Frankfurt Bourbon Society board member, and all-around bourbon enthusiast. The occasion calls for glasses raised to the 250th anniversary of America, a theme that drives most of tonight's tasting lineup, plus one very fun outlier...

Episode 500 of The Bourbon Road is a milestone worth savoring, and hosts Jim Shannon and Todd welcome back the man who helped start it all — original co-host Randy Minnick. Randy joined Jim for the very first episodes of the show before life took him and his wife Julie to the mountains of Virginia, and tonight he returns to raise a glass and reminisce about the early days of one of bourbon podcast...

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter welcome Bill Straub back to the Bourbon Road Bar — aka Jim's basement — for a deep dive into some of the most talked-about new special releases from the industry's biggest players. Bill, the co-founder of Fourgate Whiskey Company and the longtime voice behind ModernThirst.com, brings his seasoned palate and encyclopedic knowledge of mash bills to the table, making for a...

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter welcome listeners back to the Corner Rickhouse for a special episode centered around the upcoming documentary  Spirits of Lawrenceburg: A Bourbon Legacy Forged Through Time . Joining them are Jerry Daniels of Stone Fences Tours — a Kentucky bourbon tourism expert and history enthusiast — and returning guest Bo Cumberland, the filmmaker behind the documentary. The conver...

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter welcome back two familiar faces to the corner of Rick House in Frankfort: Diane Strong, the driving force behind the Bourbon on the Banks Festival, and Bo Cumberland, the festival's videographer and distillery film maker. Together they settle in for a relaxed preview of the 2026 Bourbon on the Banks Festival — now in its seventh year — touching on new events, expanded p...

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter settle into the Bourbon Road bar for a warm-weather tasting session built around one unifying theme: light-proof, finished whiskeys perfect for summer sipping. The pair reconnect after Jim's trip to Branson and Todd's afternoon on the soccer sidelines, pouring five bottles that span maple syrup barrels, maple wood chunks, raw honey, port wine casks, and even an old fash...

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are back at the Corner Rickhouse in Frankfort, Kentucky, just down the road from Buffalo Trace, settling in for a heritage distillery tasting that spans from the hills of Lynchburg, Tennessee, all the way through the heart of Kentucky bourbon country. The guys kick off with the latest annual drops from Jack Daniel's before crossing the state line to visit some of the st...

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter welcome Stephen Corrigan — Barrel Master and Spirits Production Manager for Latitude Beverage LLC — for a four-bottle deep dive into two of the company's brands: Wheel Horse Whiskey and Copper and Cask Spirits. Stephen shares his winding path from organic farming and European viticulture to founding a DC craft distillery and ultimately landing at Latitude, where his foc...

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are back at the Bourbon Road bar for a dedicated rye whiskey night, working through five distinct expressions that showcase the breadth and character of American rye. From honey-finished blends to farm-strength single-grain pours, the lineup spans distilleries across Nevada, Ohio, Maryland, Kentucky, and Atlanta, giving listeners a wide-angle view of what rye whiskey lo...

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter welcome Devin Puckett, Brand Representative for Old Glory Distilling Co. out of Clarksville, Tennessee, to the Bourbon Road. Devin shares the remarkable origin story of Old Glory — from founder Matt Cunningham's days as a firefighter devising a distillery plan in his mid-twenties, through the COVID pivot to hand sanitizer that ultimately funded a towering 24-foot Vendom...

The Bourbon Road crew is back with an exceptional lineup of five premium pours that showcase the diversity of bourbon craftsmanship. Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter kick off with the 2025 Remus Gatsby Reserve, a 15-year-old 102.8 proof straight bourbon from MGP's Ross & Squibb Distillery, released to celebrate the 100th anniversary of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." This beauty delivers smok...

Welcome back to another exciting episode of The Bourbon Road! This week, hosts Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are broadcasting from the Corner Rickhouse at the Frankfort Bourbon Society. They are joined by a very special recurring guest and friend of the show, Drew Hannish. Drew is the creator of Whiskey Lore, a seasoned whiskey historian, and the author of the new travel guide Experiencing American...

Welcome back to another episode of The Bourbon Road! This week, hosts Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are broadcasting from the Corner Rickhouse at the Frankfort Bourbon Society. Joining them for his sixth appearance is a great friend of the show: Drew Hannush, the creator of Whiskey Lore and author of the upcoming travel guide Experiencing American Whiskey . Drew drops by during his trip to Kentucky...

Welcome back to another incredible episode of The Bourbon Road! This week, hosts Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are back in the studio together to host a true double-header featuring two fantastic guests and some phenomenal whiskey. We are honored to welcome bourbon royalty to the show: Wes Henderson, the visionary behind Angel's Envy, and Brian Gelfo, a true bourbon aficionado, founder of the Bourbo...

Welcome back to The Bourbon Road! This week, hosts Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are diving deep into the history and flavor of one of America's most iconic whiskey brands. We are keeping a long-overdue promise to our listeners by doing a side-by-side comparison of the highly sought-after extended age Old Overholt rye whiskeys. If you are a whiskey history buff, you know that Old Overholt holds the...

Welcome back to another episode of The Bourbon Road! After a brief hiatus, the man, the myth, the legend—Jim Shannon—is officially back in the host chair. Jim recently returned from a trip to Florida, where he experienced the wild swings of winter weather, going from 80 degrees down to 35. Of course, Kentucky wasn't about to be outdone, greeting him with 70-degree days followed immediately by thre...

Welcome back to another episode of the Bourbon Road podcast! This week, Todd Ritter is holding down the fort solo while Jim Shannon escapes to warmer weather. But Todd isn't drinking alone at the Bourbon Road bar; he's joined by two fantastic returning guests to celebrate the Bottled in Bond Act. Amsey Wenning, the "Alec Baldwin of the show" from the Frankfort Bourbon Society and Bourbon on the Ba...

Welcome back to The Bourbon Road! This week, Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are back in the Corner Rickhouse at the Frankfort Bourbon Society for a classic review episode. With a lineup of four highly distinct and highly anticipated expressions, the guys are ready to dive deep into some serious tasting, ranking, and blending. Before the tasting begins, Jim shares a quick story about a trip to the Per...

Welcome back to another exciting episode of The Bourbon Road! This week, hosts Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are joined by a special guest, Pete Marino, the President of Lofted Spirits. If the name Lofted Spirits sounds new to you, you aren't alone—but you definitely know their brands. Pete is here to pull back the curtain on this newly formed parent company that oversees two of the hottest names in...

Welcome to another exciting episode of The Bourbon Road! This week, hosts Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter hit the road, navigating a snowy and icy Kentucky winter to visit the historic Sugarbush Farm in Perryville, Kentucky. They are joined by special guests Lizzie and Aaron Haynes, the passionate founders of Peter E. Hart Spirits. The episode delves deep into the rich history of the farm and its name...

Welcome back to the Bourbon Road! The long wait is officially over—Jim Shannon has returned from his Dry January hiatus, and he's ready to make up for lost time. Rejoining Todd Ritter in the Bourbon Road bar, the duo wastes no time getting back to business. To celebrate the return of whiskey to Jim's glass, they've lined up a heavy-hitting "review show" featuring four distinct expressions that spa...

Bonjour and welcome to another episode of The Bourbon Road! With Jim still observing Dry January, Todd Ritter is flying solo in the host chair—but he's certainly not drinking alone. To help him navigate a deep dive into the world of French Oak finishing, Todd has recruited two heavy hitters from the local whiskey scene: returning guest Amzie "The Alec Baldwin of The Bourbon Road" Wenning and David...

Welcome back to the Bourbon Road! In this episode, your host Todd Ritter is flying solo while Jim takes a brief hiatus for Dry January. But don't worry—Todd isn't drinking alone. He has recruited two heavy hitters from the world of whiskey history and travel to fill the void and co-host a packed episode dedicated to the art of the distillery visit. Joining Todd in the studio is Drew Hannish, the v...