Are you looking for an in-depth story on the Beam family history and how Fred and Freddie Noe are cementing their place in it? Look no further than the 2018 Kentucky Derby Museum's Legend Series. This episode will cover some of the fun times that were had by Booker, Fred, and Freddie and how the new release of Little Book is coming to be a yearly distribution. Fred Minnick is the host of the show as he covers many of the aspects of the family business, how they came up in the ranks, and tries to get them to divulge information time and time again. Show Notes: I didn't take any notes while I was listening. So you'll have to listen to this one for yourself and find out how awesome it is.

Will Longbranch slowly phase out Wild Turkey 81? Did you know that 92% of the entrants in the 2017 San Francisco World Spirit Awards won a medal? Did Buffalo Trace start aiming too high? We examine all of these topics much more in depth in this edition of the Bourbon Community Roundtable. Show Notes: Who's excited for the Matthew McConaughey bourbon? Was Longbranch a smart move for Wild Turkey because the Wild Turkey brand name is getting stale? Could this be the slow decline and phasing out of Wild Turkey 81? Does Wild Turkey lose something in your mind for letting Matthew put his name next to Eddie’s on the bottle? Henry McKenna wins the 2018 San Francisco World Spirit Awards as best bourbon. Was anyone surprised this wins out of 300+? Let's talk about anti-spirit award show topics. (refer back to episode 144) Do you feel it's a honey barrel and nothing that just magically showed up? A Buffalo Trace rep said no one is talking about the Four Grain or the OFC press release. Should we? Is this unimpressive news? Booker's 30th is 16 year we are all eager to try. Watch all the roundtable episodes Thanks to Blake from bourbonr.com, Nick from BreakingBourbon.com, Kerry from Sobourbia.com, Wade from tater-talk.com, and Brian Harra from Sippncorn.blogspot.com

Maker's Mark is easily the most iconic brand in bourbon. But did you know the brand would have probably ceased to exist if Bill Samuels Jr didn't try and sell his Dad's whiskey? Get ready to hear the untold history of how Bill Samuels Jr turned his Dad's hobby of making whiskey from a few barrels a week into the powerhouse it is today. Show Notes: So Bill let's start from the beginning. Did you and your Dad butt heads a lot? What was your Dad's original vision? What was the original investment? At what point was your Dad "All in"? How were the hard decisions made? Talk about the next stage for you and what you were doing with Aerospace? Why did you Dad want you to be "un-engineered"? You were a summer intern in the White House? What was it during that 1 year with your Dad that made you want to stay around? Where did you fit in this puzzle? You had your first publication in the Wall Street Journal, what's next? At what point did you start taking over after your father began exiting? Talk about the growth when Rob started coming into the scene Do you get a feeling of accomplishment when you look at the distillery now? What's your idea of still being involved and enjoying retirement? So 46 was your baby Where is this industry trending? Talk about strategic pricing with supply and demand Do you see a reason why bourbon couldn't be $1000 a bottle? What niche do you think craft whiskey is solving in the market today? Is there a way they can have continued success? Listen to all of our Maker's Mark Podcasts

The threats of a global trade war have been looming over the past few months. Sparked by an EU attempt to lower the tariff on steel imports, they targeted American products such as peanut butter and bourbon. What sort of economic impact would a bourbon tariff have on exports to other countries? How does that trickle back into Bardstown, KY and the growing market? Does it even matter? On this episode, we are joined by University of Louisville's Economic Professors, Conor Lennon and Keith Teltser, to explain the intertwined global economy and the effect a tariff has from the bourbon producers to the grain suppliers. Show Notes: How did you all get into bourbon? Explain what is a tariff? This all started as a retaliatory effort from the EU as an opposition to the US putting tariffs on imported steel. Can you give some more information to set the scene? Could this be a much ado about nothing? Could something actually never happen? Is big European growth even a target? Does the tariff even have an effect when you look at the abundance of the excise tax? When people say "Alright! More bourbon in America!" is that even a sentiment that should be encouraged? Or is that narrow-minded? What protection do you not like about Bourbon from a economist's perspective? There isn't a shortage of bourbon on the shelf. Are there other markets that haven't been tapped? Who has the biggest dog in the fight? Brown-Forman with Jack Daniels? What are those other aspects we haven't touched on that this impacts? Voters? Constituents? What other countries could remove their tariffs to bring more imported goods there? You all find the secondary market much more entertaining The academic work on bourbon prices over the last 3-4 years is on Conor's site.

What does a bourbon that receives double gold actually mean? Are the whiskies judged blind? We learn all this and more as the Executive Director of the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Anthony Dias Blue, joins the show to give us an inside glimpse to the bourbons that can be entered and dispels some myths if it's a "pay to play" atmosphere. Show Notes: What sets your competition apart from the rest? How many different categories do you have at the event? Are all tastings done blind? Are they shelf bottles (from a standard distributor) or do distillers get to choose specific bottles they send in? Why not Jack Daniels and other major selling brands? How medals are awarded, and what those medals actually mean when we see them on a bottle? How many judges are there and how many need to rate a bourbon as Gold for it to receive a Gold Medal? Most of the time when I see a sticker on a bottle saying that this bourbon was rated as Gold or Double Gold, it doesn’t have a date on the sticker. If a bourbon is awarded a medal does it have that medal forever? Is it or can it be evaluated ever again? Does the producer have to do anything to maintain that medal? Is the "same" product is entered over multiple years and judged independently each year? How much weight should we consumers put on these awards when we see them on a brand we’ve never heard of or tried? Why have a competition at all? Is it "pay to play" and your entrance fee will automatically score you a medal? Do you see cases of "bait and switch"? Products/Sellers submit “honey” barrels to the competition to get a higher award, and then using that award to promote an inferior product.

Do you snuff at $100 MGP bourbon and will sourced Dickel be the next wave of NDPs? What does House Bill 400 really mean when it comes to shipping booze from Kentucky? And finally Buffalo Trace announced their new line of CYPB but who really wanted 95 proof Weller? We touch on all these topics and more on this Bourbon Community Roundtable episode. Show Notes: What's everyone drinking tonight? Are we getting tired of seeing $100 MGP bourbons? Bourbonr and BreakingBourbon have Doc52, let's hear it Any good April fools out there? Let’s talk shipping. HB400 passed The new W. L. Weller Bourbon, CYPB edition (short for Craft Your Perfect Bourbon), is, according to those behind it, made from a wheat recipe, aged eight years on the top floors of the warehouses, and bottled at 95 proof. It is the bourbon which best fit into what over 100,200 bourbon drinkers voted most for over two years –  a wheated bourbon recipe aged for eight years that’s been matured on the top floor of the bourbon warehouse and bottled at somewhere between 90-99 proof. Although very limited, one batch of this new bourbon will be released each year, beginning this summer. The recommended price is around $40 for a 750ml bottle. First off, who said we wanted 95 proof weller? Kerry visited Bowman and Jack Rose Dining Saloon Thanks to Blake from bourbonr.com, Jordan from BreakingBourbon.com, Kerry from Sobourbia.com, and Brian Harra from Sippncorn.blogspot.com

Dave Pickerell is well known in the bourbon world, he was former master distiller at Maker’s Mark and owns a consulting business, Oak View Spirits, where he has designed equipment, systems and processes for about 100 distilleries worldwide including WhistlePig, Hillrock, Corsair, and many others. This episode dives into to the distilleries themselves, the pricing behind Boss Hog, and questions we would want to know from a master distiller like grain sourcing. Show Notes: As usual, lets start from the beginning. Do you remember your introduction into whiskey or bourbon? Did you think chemical engineering would lead to spirits? First off, do you get tired of talking about your past at Makers? Do you think Maker’s put you on the map? Do people still ask you to sign Maker’s stuff? It seems that consulting is becoming a pretty big business because there’s the likes of you, Jim Rutledge, Nancy Fraley, Greg Metze, and the list goes on. Is there that much demand? Are you training new distillers? Do they get off track? Master distillers today are seen is high regards as a big marketing tool and the face of the brand relies on that one person. However, you’re wearing the badge of many distilleries at one time. Are you asked to go to places to talk about a specific brand? Do you play favorites? You’re still heavily involved with WhistlePig still, correct? Talk about the brand a bit because it’s one we typically don’t talk about on the show. It’s just sourced MGPi, right? So what are you doing that’s adding a bit of pizzazz to it? Tell me, what’s up with the pricing on Boss Hog? What sort of magic are you doing that makes a $500 bottle of whiskey? You are working with craft distilleries every day, what’s the biggest challenge you see facing them? Are you trying to produce the same product at all these places? Because when I think about it you could just have the Dave Pickerall SKUs where you say here’s your 3 options, choose one and we will put everything in that bucket Whats your theory on sourcing grains? Are chewing on them? Or after distillation? Discuss year to year variation of crops affect on flavors. Discuss how sourcing grains from different parts of the world makes a difference in the finished product.

Can you name all the distilleries in Lawrenceburg? How is it possible that a straight bourbon is only 70 proof? Wade Woodard, blogger at tater-talk.com and witty comedic relief on Facebook forums, leads us through a series of bourbon brain teasers to see if we really know our stuff. Wade is an advocate for bourbon laws and makes sure that everyone is playing by the rules so he knows them inside and out. Listen to see if we get stumped and see if you can answer the questions before we can. Show Notes: None! Because I want you to listen and try to guess the answers for yourself!

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 role at Joseph A. Magnus & Co and how she mirrored the current distribution to one that was found in a family closet from pre-prohibition as well as her exploration in the Jos. A. Magnus Cigar Blend! Show Notes: This is the second Master Blender we’ve had on the show. Back on Episode 103 we featured Drew Mayville. If you didn’t get a chance to listen to it, you really should. It’s an impossible decision to wonder if the master distiller or the master blender is the real star of the show. Our guest today is renowned in the industry and gets the ever so attractive nickname “the nose”. Lets talk about you for a bit. Do you remember your first experience with whiskey or bourbon? Talk about your education and how you got your nick name When did you realize you could start a business with this? What do you do when you get a head cold? So you currently freelance for many big names in the industry as well as craft distilleries out there. What services are you offering for many of these places? What are some of the most common mistakes distillers make? Talk me through nosing new make or white dog and how you can criticize or tweak it because in my opinion it’s damn near impossible. are there certain aromas? Any examples of when you can sense something is wrong and how to fix it? What’s the worst case you came across and had to salvage something. We can keep the names innocent, but what went wrong? What else besides whiskey do you consult in? I read somewhere you’re a big fan of armagnac. Do you use the same method for judging different spirits or is there a playbook for each one? Lots of craft distilleries are looking at you to help perfect their products. How does you determine the amount of each different whiskey that goes into a blend? Does that always translate when your mixing small amounts in a lab then try to use the same percentages on a batch from barrels? Lots of people do home blending with after market products. Perhaps it’s something as simple as an infinity bottle where you take the last ounce or two from every bottle and put it in a decanter, and others that buy these small 1 gallon barrels. Is there any recipe or formula you use to know what should go into a blend? Do you find it odd or interesting that distilleries don’t do limited edition blendings with barrels from each respective distiller to form a collaboration? Talk about Jos A Magnus and what you are doing there I’ve got access to the single barrels as well as some of the infamous Cigar blend finishes. I want you to talk me through your involvement with single barrels, the standard Magnus release, Murray Hill, and we’ll finish it off with Cigar Blend Do you see barrel finishes as the future of the industry?

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 being $100 is the new norm, and Kenny gets snobby a bit. Show Notes: What are your initial thoughts on the new release of NEAT at thebourbonfilm.com? We've got our own bourbon film come out. You will love the cheesy graphics. It's fun to watch. There was release for James Thompson & Brother Final Reserve 45 year old bourbon here in Louisville. 250 total bottles. only 150 to the public. It was $1800 + tax. People camped out in the rain. First few sold and then the reviews came out. It’s terrible. What’s the likely future outcome for pricing of this bourbon? and the subsequent 43 and 41 year old releases? The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board admitting that it's pricing Booker's Rye with secondary in their online lottery. This is state run. Is this legal? What's to make of this? Heaven Hill is releasing their Old Fitzgerald BIB Decanter at $100. Will you be buying it? What will happen to the bottom shelf Old Fitz? Are $100 NDP MGPs the new norm? We used to scuff at this like 2 years ago saying you wouldn't pay these prices for something you knew was made in Indiana. Now with things like Mic.Drop. people are doing it. And keep in perspective that GTS is only $89. Is it a problem with hype? What's the next SAOS MGP be the new stitzel weller...all these up and coming distilleries are going to switch to their own distillate and their mgp bottlings will become more valuable Is it worth buying bottles over $50 now? What's up with all the Wathen's Barrel Proof recently? When did this become a sought after item? Because it's barrel proof? a single barrel pick? Wathen's has been around forever but just now became something that continually shows up on my feed. How about an additional topic: Blake hates Single barrel bourbons...thoughts?

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 touch on apple brandy. He's back with another no non-sense episode about the harsh reality we often overlook. Show Notes: Also appeared on Episode 094 How has bourbon changed since we last talked? How dumb are people getting that they are buying partial bottles? What are your thoughts on WhistlePig and their pricing strategy? What bottles are collectibles for you? You said that you hate people that buy bottles as investments but it actually worked out for you. Do you think you sold your collection too early? Are prices just at the top ? Are unicorns going to go up? What are some of those bottles you would sell already open? You mentioned KY Owl and it's pricing, do you see that as a long term investment for that particular brand after their Stoli funding? Why do you think people feel the need to sell half-open bottles? You had a funny tweet that said "Reviewers have so many different ways of saying 'the booze sucks'" The Whiskey Advocate changed their whiskey review system with their original score and panel score so it's flawed. Are those spirit awards just BS now? Because the most favorited spirits don't enter anymore Is the problem that they are sending single barrels or limited expressions most people won't have access to? What do you see as the movement of craft? Are bad ones ruining the reputation for the majority of them? Are you jumping on the rum train too? We haven't heard people talk about brandy much How bad has Van Winkle quality gone down in recent years? Allocations are becoming very scandalous  

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 history and process when constructing. Donald also talks a bit about the superiority of a rickhouse versus stacking barrels on pallets. Show Notes: First let's give an overview of the company and then we will dive into the history. So do yo know about the history of storing barrels before the idea of rick houses? There's all different kinds of ways to store barrels. But you all are pretty much renowned for it. Talk about how that came to be. Why wood? Talk about the design of the rick itself Why is your design better than pallet? More economical? Does it make it easier to move barrels in and out? Is a rackhouse made to survive acts of nature? What sort of maintenance is involved? You also have a patented process, right? Give us the basic idea of why a rick house is constructed the way it is What man power is involved? I hear you all have a machine that is beginning to automate a bit? How long to get one stood up? What's the sustained weight? Why is there hardly ever electricity ran to these? Do people ask for other amenities like running water? How has the engineering of the construction changed over the years or are they just getting bigger?

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 Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey and putting an end to their sourced whiskey years down the road. What else is in their future? Listen and find out! Show Notes: Kyle, You haven’t been back on the show since episode 13 back in May of 2015. Before we dive into what’s new, talk about you again for a moment. How you came up in the ranks, became a part of the family lineage, etc? You’re also not a newbie to the bourbon scene. I know you have quite a collection so talk about that too. How has your role changed now that this distillery is up and running? Now that you have your own distillery, could we see an Angel's Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey? That’s no where near the amount needed for sustaining supply of your product so sourcing is still a big means. Is there a future plan to cut off sourcing? What has it taken for you to get up to speed to now understand distillation as well as outgrowing the co-packer? Did you all have input on the design of your stills? Talk about on-boarding and finding the right people Talk about clocking barrels real quick What was the benefit of the Bacardi buy out? How many barrels are you pumping out a day? That’s no where near the amount needed for sustaining supply of your product so sourcing is still a big means. Is there a future plan to cut off sourcing?

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 around the country that have Blanton's scarcity, where did it all go? But more importantly, who cares? Show Notes: We picked our first barrel together. Let's talk about the process a bit more. Everyone has a different strategy Blake can you give your tasting notes on it Video will be posted on perfectpourtv.com in the future Everyone passed on barrel #6 but someone will eventually take that barrel. Or do you think that goes to stores who don't select and ask the Master Distiller to pick on for them? Wade Woodard who has started his new blog at tater-talk.com had an article called Diageo done screwed up. He talked about the Crown Royal Bourbon Mashbill release we discussed in the roundtable. Wade is a consumer advocate and whiskey law sleuth and discovered they are in violation. Can you take any guesses to what this product will be called after the 1 year period is over? Why are consumers still the ones doing all the legal hurdles? Does the TTB not care? Does it really matter at the end of the day since it's not a real crime? OKI announced the end of their line with a bunch of 12 year barrels being dumped soon but people are cleaning out shelves. In addition, the standard Old Scout is being cleared too. Not even store picks. Is there a panic mode being set in right now? People are continually complaining about finding Blanton's. Is it just me or does regular Blanton’s not do it for you all anymore? Is Buffalo Trace manufacturing demand? Thanks to Blake from bourbonr.com, Nick and Jordan from BreakingBourbon.com, and Brian Harra from Sippncorn.blogspot.com Listen to all the Bourbon Community Roundtables

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 got into bourbon. Learn about his journey into the crazy hobby that can be very frustrating at times. Show Notes: What first attracted you to bourbon? Talk about the tequila and beer chase for a bit. Before you started really getting into it, was there anything that made you anxious or nervous? What made you want to know more? How did you start exploring high rye vs low rye vs wheated bourbon? Did you even know these different kind of bourbons existed before you dove in? What made you go with something barrel proof when you first started getting your few bottles? Being new to the scene, what's your take on non-distilling producers? When you go to a store and see a hangtag or sticker that says "Won Double Gold", does that influence your decision? How did you come to find out about Facebook groups or reddit? What was the most surprising thing you saw when you started reading more into bourbon? It took me almost 6 years until I found out about limited edition bourbons. How did you find out? Am I creating the problem or are new bourbon drinkers the problem when it comes to the allocation issue? So talk about your first reactions when you see an acronym like WLW. Are you like what the hell are these guys talking about? Now that you are getting into the bourbon scene, what's the most frustrating part? What advice can you give to seasoned veterans of bourbon when all the new people are coming into the hobby? Are you surprised people are waiting in lines and lotteries for bourbon? Have you found yourself sneaking bottles in the house from your significant other? You can read more about Darin at mempxl and on Instagram at @mempxl

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 experiments are happening from partnering with other distilleries and how the wood effecting the barrel is the next frontier for unique concepts and spirits. Show Notes: Ryan, let's talk about you for a minute. Talk about your background and if you grew up around spirits. How old are you and your brother? When did you get the bug to really dive into this venture? Your known as one of the bourbon brothers that changed prohibition-era state law in Iowa, so talk about the history of Iowa and the meaning behind this title. Before we dive into it, give us an overview of Mississippi River Distilling Company Talk about the origins and how the name Mississippi River came to be or did you look out your office window and saw the Mississippi River and said "that's it!" So the whole grain to glass thing is something we hear very often now. It's almost counterintuitive to what some of the big titans in the industry do. They feel that sourcing the best grains are the most efficient way to create a quality product, no matter the distance. But they also have to buy from multiple farms for the same grain. So talk about your view of having grain to glass distillation and what it brings. Talk about some of the brands and spirits you all are doing. Ok what's an "artisan spirit"? I'm intrigued Let's be honest, you're on a bourbon podcast but do you have a particular spirit you enjoy distilling more than it? What states are your products distributed so our listeners can be on the lookout? Talk about the tours and what's unique? Talk about Iowa for a bit. You're our first guest from this state so what's bourbon growth been like in regards to the market? You started this 5-7 years ago - How has your own operation grown from where it started? How many barrels are you aging? You’ve got a lot of experimental barrels going on but what is your primary age you shoot for in your bourbon whiskey? Size of barrels being used? Where do you get your barrels? Where are you located so people can visit you and some social media locations to learn more about you

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 of a series of events on the bourbon industry in the college this semester . The bourbon theme included an economics reading group which read and met to discuss Reid’s book. They also took field trips to Buffalo Trace and Peerless distilling. In addition, the economics senior capstone class is focused on the economic history and importance of the industry. Students in the class are writing a variety of research papers on the bourbon industry for their senior projects. Show Notes: We will first attempt to wrap our heads around the size of the boom What consumer and federal or state-level regulatory trends might be facilitating the recent resurgence. We will be considering the economic impact on KY, including investment, job creation, tourism, and exports. I’ll have the panelists dwell on the recent investment announcements by BBC, Lux Row, Stoli, and Heaven Hill plus the revival of whiskey row (Old Forester, Michter’s, and, by extension, Peerless, Angel’s Envy, Rabbit Hole, and so on). What about the marketing strategy of old brands and distilleries being brought back from the dead (Peerless, Kentucky Owl, and Old Taylor/Castle & Key). Given it is fall release season, discuss the surging popularity of the boutique brands from the big distillers and the associated retail price increases, shortages, production timelines, and the “ethics” of the secondary market. What is your opinion on the future? Can the boom last and what opportunities are out there for UofL students interested in the industry?

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 favorite wheated bourbons of all time. Show Notes Blake are you going to be coming out with a whiskey inspired cookbook? It is now (as of Jan 1) legal in Kentucky for people to sell their vintage spirits to liquor stores (and bars), which can then sell them to the public. What are our speculations on what will happen? It looks like the flood gates have opened up again and eBay has seen a rise of bourbon being sold. Is this just eBay not paying attention? The Crown Royal Bourbon Mash Blended Canadian Whisky Your favorite wheated bourbon ever. Listen to all the Bourbon Community Roundtables.

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 deeper dive into grains and how this distillery has been aging product for almost 4 years and still hasn't released a bourbon yet. Show Notes: Tell us a bit about Wilderness Trail? Where are you located? Do you use the same yeast strain in all your different mash bills? Adam Kessell I'd like the hear about all crop yield, and the agricultural footprint of bourbon/whiskey and what safe guards we take for the long term success of the product. Can you continue to keep it local? How often do you turn away grains? What do you think about the bourbon boom from a craft standpoint. what needs to be done to maintain this momentum? Aged stock vs making money. where’s that balance? What advice to give to other craft distillers? What in your opinion is the biggest factor in distilling/aging? Mash?,distillation temperature?, entry proof?, barrel type or aging location? Chris Scott I want to hear more about sourcing grains. We already heard Jimmy Russell say he must source rye from Europe. That blew my mind. Dustin Charles Herr Discuss year to year variation of crops affect on flavors. Steven Granger Discuss how sourcing grains from different parts of the world makes a difference in the finished product.

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 compliment different types of bourbon. You will want to rush outside and smoke a cigar after listening to this one! Show Notes: Let's start from the beginning and talk about the types of cuts How do you pick the ring gauge or size of cigars? Talk about the wrappers and what flavors each type release What's the difference between tobacco in Nicaragua and Honduras versus in Kentucky? Talk about hand-rolled versus machine-rolled. Bourbon drinkers have a progression from mixing to neat, what about cigar smokers? What do you mean by tasting a cigar by "thirds"? It's moving from cigars and scotch to cigars and bourbon. What's the initiative? Describe the different shapes of cigars When you're smoking a cigar do your taste buds or receptors change rather than drinking bourbon alone? What's the sweet spot for the third in your opinion? I'm going to throw some bourbons at you and you tell me what cigars would pair well. Talk about higher in proof bourbons like Stagg Jr and barrel proof bourbons and the cigars that pair well It seems like Four Roses pairs well with any cigar Talk about barrel aged cigars What about something super light like 80 proof Basil Hayden Rye whiskey is growing in popularity. How does rye whiskey stand up in cigar pairing? How about something that's super oaky like Elijah Craig 23? How about finished bourbons like Angel's Envy port finished bourbon? The craft market is booming but what do you pair with something that has a grain forward flavor? Talk about the Van Winkle Cigars. Are they good or are they hype? I see a lot more Barrel aged cigars on the market and I am curious for recommendations and also some info on the technique and how it imparts the flavor from the barrel to the tobacco. Are Cubans really that much better? Get 15% off at Jake's by mentioning you heard about them on Bourbon Pursuit!

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 technology in this episode. Show Notes: How did you get involved with bourbon and got you here today? Do you have any good stories with being around Booker and Fred? Tell us a bit about the property here in Owensboro How bad of shape was this Old Medley Distillery when you got here? I was surprised at the size, it seems like you're pumping out a bunch of product What is creating all this expansion especially when you are so new? Explain the TerrePURE process because you're expediting the aging So it's not just marketing BS? Do you worry about bourbon purists not enjoying this when you talk about age statements and the like? If it works so well, why wouldn't the big boys want to license this? Talk a bit about the O.Z. Tyler Brand Will there be other brands to come out? So it has to be barreled for at least a year to be labeled Kentucky bourbon I was blown away by the taste. It actually tastes like a 4 year old bourbon. Where is Terressentia focused for the future?

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 savviness of bourbon markets. Show notes: Talk about Bourbon Bonanza and Jeeps for Joy What is hunting like now? How is value perceived on a certain bottle when the seller is looking at asinine market prices? Is dusty bourbon supply now able to meet demand and not as hard to find? How do you protect yourself from fakes in the secondary market? Do laser codes even matter? How do you find those value pours at your establishments? View all our other Bill Thomas episodes

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 for bourbon. I’ve traded landscape work. I know Ryan has traded his services for boxes of Jefferson’s before. But the new trend is bitcoin. So before we get into the pros and cons of doing a bourbon trade with bitcoin, who has taken the leap and bought some? It’s really hard these days to find a good forum that doesn’t start lashing out or people that post their life’s collection of pappy that create a whirlwind of comments. At one point Bourbon Info Exchange and Bourbonr were good places you could go for just normal discussion. But lately, it’s become a game of who can make the poster feel like a douche. I’m honestly a bit appalled by it all. It has ruined the sense of community. there was once a time when you could try and become educated but everyone is quick to jump on ridiculing people now. It’s certainly not a friendly community any longer. Ok.. the time has finally come. Our Bourbon of the year choices. lets have a discussion about this because I know not everyone has tasted everything. Surprise Barrel for our fans!!!

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 granted. Show Notes: How did you get into bourbon What is the British Bourbon Society all about? Talk about the current state of affairs with bourbon in the UK. How much have you seen the EU pick up on this? Are there dedicated bars? Are bartender cocktails changing? Is it cheaper to have your booze imported from a different country? Have you taken all the dusty bourbon out of Europe? I have friends from the UK and when they visit they tend to bring extra suitcases for shopping because things are just cheaper here. How do the prices compare to the US with taxes? How often are you making pilgrimages to go shopping? At this point, Trump is making more enemies across the globe and within our own country. Back in July, the European Union talked about a retaliatory tariff on steel imports. They said there would be heavy taxes on American whiskey. And the senate majority leader is Mitch McConnell who represents Kentucky, so it’s no wonder why they would go straight for the groin. As bourbon begins to boom and flourish in export markets this could really hit home as every distillery is in hyper-growth phases. Fred Minnick had an article on the NYTimes that really touched on the subject. I want to get your opinions on what this tax could potentially do What’s the difference in the legalities? still a 3 tier system? You also have some interesting export only bourbons you have access to. Wild Turkey 12 year. Blantons SFTB and Gold and Reserve. But what do we have in the US you wish you had every day access to?

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 have a store to get you in. Show Notes: Eddie, how did you get started with bourbon? Before we dive in, explain what a barrel picking group does. It should be self explanatory but you know. We've talked about barrel selections being a great avenue for terrific bourbon, do you agree? Talk about your history with barrel picking groups Lets talk about the mentality of barrel picking groups. What do you need to know going into creating one? How hard is it to create one? Is it difficult when stores want to keep the barrel themselves? What do store owners get out of it? Who are the types of individuals you seek out? Do they need to be in the same area? Does it help if the members are from Kentucky? (Local to the distilleries) Does having a connection to a store owner make it break it? If you do have that connection, how big should a store be or the volume that needs to be sold to determine how often they can be selected? Is there ever an over abundance of selections? Could it hurt your pockets if you aren't careful? Can you split barrels with a store so half go to the group? Are there ways to get barrels without knowing a store owner? What are some of the rules of the group? Amy Halter from Patreon: For Eddie Noel, are there ever differences of opinion on which barrel to select, and if so, how does a large group handle that? Are there certain distilleries that treat barrel picking groups in favor versus traditional store owners? Talk about some distilleries you are visiting outside of Kentucky What do you think about finished barrels? Are craft distilleries easier to get on their select list rather than the big dogs like Wild Turkey, Four Roses or Buffalo Trace etc?

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, and pricing fairly. Show Notes: Let's start with store picks and why are they so hard to get outside of Kentucky? Do you think it's unfair that if a store sells more lower tier bourbon they should have a shot at choosing barrels? Are you losing customers if your store doesn't have the top-tier stuff? Do liquor stores really make that much money on limited releases by selling at 2-5x MSRP? What's the difference is pricing in the D.C. area vs Kentucky vs NYC? So you are firm believer in supply and demand and pricing accordingly So your store reaps the benefit of getting 2-3x value. What happens when Buffalo Trace ups their cost to you by 2-3x? How are you going to feel? Would new MSRP pricing end the secondary market? Would we see BTAC bottles lined on the shelf at $600 a piece if that happened? Booker's Rye and WhistlePig Black Prince releases are good examples of proper pricing Do distiller's even care? The ultra-premium is less than 1% of their actual revenue. Do you think it's an unfair fight in regards to passion for someone that lives in KY vs DC? Distribution is problematic. Some people suggested having Amazon being the centralized liquor store. What is an idea of how distribution can be fixed that levels the playing field across state lines? What's the future of how supply will equal demand?

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 released their 16year Presidential Selection. I heard about this release almost a year ago and completely forgot about it. But this is a unique one because it's not like any other Presidential release. this one has some of the Jefferson's flair where its been double barreled and they call it Twin Wood. Twin Wood got its name after Master Distiller Trey Zoeller chose an 11-year Bourbon to be re-barreled in freshly charred oak for another 5 years. Around 10,000 bottles are available today in markets across the country at an MSRP of $199. The bloggers on the roundtable did their sleuthing and found out that PVW15's red foil this year was a bottling line mistake. Blake had a special name for it. The holidays mean one thing, as "the bourbon connoisseur" of your family, your obligated to bring a few bottles over to share with family. What are those bottles? Christmas season is quickly approaching. Each person gets to discuss what they believe are the top gifts. This could be from a specific bottle, to ice molds, to clothing. Be on the lookout for a special Black Friday deal on the Bourbon Pursuit facebook page as well!

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 distilling. If you're a science buff, this episode is for you. Show Notes: What does Ferm Solutions do as well as how big Wilderness Trail Distillery? What was your first real job out of college and how did that get you into spirits? Are you tailoring yourself to craft whiskey or do you help with big names on the market as well? Talk about the science behind corn Is there really a difference between red corn or blue corn vs the traditional white/yellow corn? Difference in flavor? Economical? Talk about pesticides and GMO for the grains What about barley, rye, or wheat? Is the breakdown of the pathogens different or the enzymes? Go a bit more in depth about what the scientific differences between sour vs sweet mash How does yeast compete? What about the sanitary levels and how that contributes? What are the differences in the species of yeast and which ones are typically used in beer and spirits production? True or False. Does yeast contribute 15% to the flavor of a bourbon? What are the differences between low-gravity and high-gravity fermenters? What is the cause of a mutated yeast? Jim Rutledge discovered it at one time when it was a part of some limited edition offerings at Four Roses When you're monitoring the yeast during fermentation, what are you looking for? When I was at Castle and Key they talked about doing yeast forensics to find a closely resembled strain. Is this actually possible or just marketing hype? Gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. What does this even mean? When does the yeast stop playing a roll? When it's in the barrel? out of the barrel? in the bottle? Is yeast like a fungi where it can reproduce when it get puts back into a normalized environment? What about beers that go bad? One last question about corn, how long do you age corn in a silo to dehydrate corn and remove moisture?

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 bourbon market effect your business? What's the good what's the bad? How does having a very prominent online presence given you an advantage? Do you see your barrel picks making its way out of state because of online orders? Do you feel that impacts locals? We know allocated items in bourbon are coveted right now. How are you dealing with this surge? Do you reward continual shoppers, even online shoppers that are out of state? Is there a better way to get products into the hands of consumers other than the three-tier system? Why are there so many law restrictions on shipping alcohol across state lines? Why can't we have a uniform federal ruling that allows shipment across state lines? This goes into global shipping. For example: A Malt like Springbank 21 (700 ml) at Masters of Malt retails for $220ish. Even if I bought only one bottle and paid $40 for ship on the 1 bottle, it is still cheaper than purchasing the 750 ml US version for $390ish. Where do you think a savvy consumer would buy? How will US retail stay competitive in the global marketplace at this rate? In an ideal world where you can sell more volume online, what do you want to see changed?

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 bourbon trail How are you appealing to the local bourbon community? You also do something unique with the price of your Van Winkles too People on the forums also thought you ruined bourbon for maybe 30 minutes last year too Talk about the new Vintage spirits law and what that means You’re keeping up with it. what’s the latest news with it and where are they? What are some potential pit falls? How do retailers or people like yourself protect themselves from frauds? What mistakes have you made trying to run a whiskey bar? What advice would you give to someone? How do feel about increased competition?

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 Year according to Jim Murray is the EH Taylor Four Grain Did anyone actually like it? Is this a ploy to sell more books? How is this going to effect next year’s release? There is a new Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Kerry isn’t a fan but Eric does like it. They discuss David J Montgomery from Professor Cocktail is a moron. He tried selling his BTAC samples on the Secondary Market. Will Buffalo Trace change their sample distribution process now? Do relationships matter when you live in a control state? There will be no Eagle Rare store picks in 2018. Kerry explains. What are UofL fans going to do now with their Pitino and Jurich Maker's bottles?

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 an overall understanding that bourbon might be extinct? At what point did you come in to see some of this first hand? How did advertising work for bourbon? How did you get it into the hands of elders? How did no one see this coming? Like literally no one. You talk about the resurgence of bourbon was partly because of the lack of drinkers because it led to the unintentional benefit of very well-aged whiskey What were distillers doing with this better aged whiskey? Do you think exports are the biggest benefactor? What were bourbon brands doing at the time to appeal to the Japanese and European markets? So people are buying whiskey again, how are distillers ramping up production? Was there a surge of more NDPs and independent bottlers buying sourced whiskey? Why do you call this a “not so attractive” trend? At what point did we start seeing the “shortage”? or is there really a shortage? Have NDPs died off because they can’t source or contract distill now? Will craft distillers put a dent in the market or are they just looking for their piece of the pie? Do you think any of these companies will be "under water" on their investments when the bourbon matures for sales in 4-12 years? Especially when they have to compete with the big boys as they are expanding. Do you think we are going to see people drop off because we don’t have a lot of well-aged whiskey now? We have distillers and craft distillers removing age statements. How will that effect the future? What’s the key to making this trend last?

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: Did you come from a hospitality background or whiskey? Was life a bit less hectic in 2013? How has bourbonism grown since you have been around? Has it put more stress on your job Talk about each theEvan Williams Bourbon Experience EWBE and theBourbon Heritage Center BHC and what you will see in each Heaven Hill is unique that you don’t actually ever get to tour where the majority of the bourbon is made. Is there plans to open up Bernheim for visitors? I’ve always told people that they need to visit EWBE to break up the distillery visits because it’s more like a mix of a museum with video projectors. Most distillery visits get pretty repetitive but this breaks the mold. Do you know whose idea it was to build it this way? Talk about the history of this building because it was owned by the Shapiros at one point too. What is the wildest thing you’ve seen happen at either location? Someone trying to dive into the large glass of Evan Williams at the entrance? You also spend time at the BHC in Bardstown. Even though these locations are only an hour away from each other, is there a different vibe or feeling the visitors get from each? Is there something one offers that the other can’t?

Freddie Johnson has a long resume. Previous guest on episode 59, 3rd Generation Employee at Buffalo Trace, and Tour Guide Extraordinaire. He joins to talk about Bourbon Pompeii, who was Thomas H Handy (THH) and other tidbits of random knowledge you only get from Freddie. Show Notes: What’s been going on since the last time we talked? You haven’t been getting a bigger head by reading all those 5 star TripAdvisor reviews have you? Lets give everyone a little refresher about you and your family history at BT So who’s going to continue the family tradition and be the 4th generation? What are the ABCs of bourbon? What is the origin of “the shot”? Who was Thomas H. Handy? Alright, this Bourbon Pompei, lets talk about it. For some other geeks out there besides whisky geeks, you also took part in a new Buffalo Trace virtual reality tour. talk about that.

The bourbon community roundtable does a blind tasting with samples sent in by a fan of the show. The best bourbon bloggers out there are put to the test to see if they can figure out where it came from. You won’t believe what happens. Show notes below… Show Notes: We’ve got a full house tonight with Blake from bourbonr.com, Nick from BreakingBourbon, Kerry of subourbia.com, Brian of SippnCorn, and Michael with @flightofbourbon as our special guest Blake talks about tasting blind all the time What do you do about wanting to sample limited releases, but you may not get the opportunity if you only have that 1 shot to buy the bottle? Throughout the show we try samples A, B, C, and D.

Fred Minnick, multi-appearance guest on the show and author of the new book Rum Curious, educates us bourbon drinkers on why rum isn’t so bad and how the rum industry needs the passion of the bourbon community. Back in February you had a article named “For Rum’s Sake”, an open letter to bourbon drinkers. Was it a plea? Why rum? There’s lots of other spirits Name a few brands that are accessible in parts of the US that are trustworthy. So what’s wrong with Captain Morgan and those typical ones we all think of? We know bourbon has 3 main ingredients, but what are some of the main ones going into rum? We also have corn whiskey, rye whiskey, etc, any variants? So people want to learn more about rum, besides your book, where are the rum fanatics? Talk about the laws and labels for rum producers What do you think about those companies that say they can create an aged rum in less than 7 days using technology? Thanks to Emmet Klocker that sent us some samples from Lemon Hart, Havana Club, and 1931.

Beau Beckman, Barrel Select Manager at Buffalo Trace, is now a 2nd time guest! We talk about how the program has matured, why you only get to taste 4 barrels rather than more, how the barrels are chosen for the program versus the regular blend, and how you can get your own. Show Notes: So what’s been happening since the last time we chatted back on episode 009? You’ve managed to stay off the news radar it seems like except there was a good article Forbes put out recently and our good friend Bourbon Truth was talking about good private barrels and said you basically had to lick someone’s balls (especially Beau beckman) to get anywhere So we just did a pick and you said you can have the barrel or we can send it off to Mexico For anyone that doesn’t know and didn’t catch them up to speed on your family heritage that you bashfully don’t like to talk about I was actually out here today doing a barrel selection of Buffalo Trace, talk me through the process of what I experienced today The numbers have been dwindling at every place for barrel selections. Where it was once fruitful to try 12 or more barrels, sometimes it’s down to three. Is this just lack of mature whiskey? Or is it lets dwindle down these remaining barrels for single selections and then we will pull out new ones How often does it happen someone will pass on a barrel and then the next group or the group after says something ridiculous like “oh man, that’s the honey barrel!” speaking of honey barrels, do you really believe there are such a thing and how often do those go to single select? how are the barrels chosen for single select, randomly? by a group of tasters? I've had some very off profile barrels too Coming and doing a barrel pick for new whiskey geeks is like the ultimate experience. What do you attribute to the success of a single barrel program? Any advice for those stores who are itching to get on the program or know of a shortcut?

Reid Bechtle & Emerald Adair of 1789b join the group to talk about the fascinations with the better things in life, how they started 1789b, how barrel selections have changed in 7 years, and the barrel picks they have still yet to do. Introduce yourselves, your background and how bourbon got into your life What are those coins you have in your hands? Explain what 1789b is Where does the name 1789b come from? Do distilleries roll out the red carpet for you? Have the advent of prolific Facebook groups influenced the group? Talk about those early Reid & Emerald picks How has the barrel selection process changed now that you don’t get the pick of everything in the rick house? When newcomers are in the market and they see Billions with Michter’s 20 year and they get caught up in the chase. Do you all get caught up seeking limited releases too? Is there a bourbon pick you haven’t done yet that would be on your bucket list? Listen to the barrel pick we all did back on Episode 105

The roundtable is back with a new panel member. Some of us got cursed by making fun of the eclipse while others are being cursed by the Old Forester vapor gods by stealing some extra alcohol for OFBB 2017. Show Notes: Thanks to Maxwell Christy of SuperflyBourbonClub, Blake from bourbonr.com, Jordan from BreakingBourbon, and a brief appearance from Kerry of subourbia.com Who watched the eclipse today? Anyone else underwhelmed? OFBB is releasing their 2017 Birthday Bourbon How about Old Forester Statesman? Has anyone tried it yet? Why is it people are ok with higher prices on private label bourbons however it’s not like that in any other industry? Quinn English asks “I’d like to hear more about distribution and alternatives for the three tier system” Vlad Belchinsky asks “I would like to see a discussion about 'store picks", are they really and why does someone's opinion of 1 barrel drive the price up over a standard release?” Adam Kessell asks “Another topic is what you drink when you don't drink bourbon. And it's connection to bourbon. Or bourbon barrel aged tequila/rum, etc.” https://youtu.be/D7TxC0b6B0k

Retail Pricing Wars! Does MSRP really mean anything? How do stores price their products relative to their size, customer base, and geographic location? We’re joined by Ed Bley of Cork N Bottle and Angelo Ingrati of Peppino's Liquors & Wine to discuss both sides of the story. Read Show Notes Below. Show Notes: What’s your reason on why your stores can sell above MSRP? Why would any store NOT sell at secondary pricing? How does geography play a role into this with Kentucky vs NYC? Is Buffalo Trace or the distillery the real culprits of the problem? Don’t most liquor stores make their money on volume rather than limited releases? So how do you keep your customers happy after this bubble bursts? Small mom & pop shops are losing allocation and reps are favoring big box stores, do you see this as a problem on the distributer side? Do store owners get tired of hearing “Do you have any X?” What do you think is the effect of square footage of your retail space? What are their advantages? How do you buy enough fireball to get any limited release bourbon? Are everyday items priced higher in NYC like Maker’s Mark? By raising the retail price, then do you feel like you are cutting out the distributor and the distillery of their fair share?

Denny Potter, Master Distiller and VP of Operations at Heaven Hill, talks about his past handling dangerous chemicals, answers if bourbon production is green, touches on age statement removals and the market for higher age statements. Show Notes: Thanks to Linden Ferguson for being the guest co-host The man behind many of the famous brands we talk about on the show like Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Henry McKenna, Larceny and much more. Former Master Distiller and now VP of Operations at Heaven Hill, Denny Potter Talk about your history and how you came to Heaven Hill Talk about your old jobs dealing with dangerous chemicals. Talk about the environmental impact of bourbon production. So you have a history of rum. What do you think about this newborn uptick in Rum interest? How many barrels is Heaven Hill producing per day? What once was impossible to get rid of and now HH has been known for their high aged premium products by whiskey geeks. From Martin Mills 24 to EC18 and 23 and WHH 14 and 15 years, do you anticipate the future whiskey drinkers 10 years from now to still be wanting higher aged products? There's a little known gem here in KY and that's the 6 year BIB white label. When you travel do people ask you about how they can get their hands on some? What are some of those labels people are always wanting to know more about or how they can get their hands on?

Joseph Magliocco, President of Michter’s Distillery and CEO of Chatham Imports, joins the podcast to talk about the rebirth of an American Whiskey brand and how he used to sell it growing up. He talks about why he rebooted Michter’s in Kentucky rather than Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania and we talk through each of their whiskeys and ryes including their extreme high end expressions and whether or not the barrel proof bourbon will be a line extension. Show Notes: Lets talk about the beginning because you’re an odd type of guest for us. We’re typically getting Andrea Wilson or Pam Heilmann on to talk about brands, but you my friend are the business end. Talk about how you carved your path in this wine and spirits world I’m glad to hear you call it Michter’s because i hear people call in “Mishters” and i cringe. Talk about the history of Michter’s and where you come in What legal hurdles did you have to overcome when taking the name? You could have created a new brand. You didn’t need the name. But why use the Michter’s name anyway? Why did you decide to revive the brand in Kentucky vs the history in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania I mean, that distillery in PA had one of the greatest iconic runs of all time with AH. Hirsch. Can you comment on that? You are also reviving other brands like Bombergers and Shenks. All of these brands have origins in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania You know I wish I was smart enough to get my hands on M25 Rye and even more bottles of M10. Those older vintages are out of this world I’m going to put you on the hot seat here for a minute. How do you justify the price tag of your Celebration bourbon? What’s future expansion looking like for Michter’s? Where are you planning to take the brand next? During the week of the KY Bourbon Affair you released a barrel strength Michter’s. Is this going to be a line extension? Listen to all the Michter's Podcasts.

BCR is back again with more questions than ever coming from our viewers. We talk about Sazerac’s devious marketing tactic with age statement removal, the regrets of past purchases, will we see a buying increase of pre-sourced NDP after their stills are running, and how our buying habits have changed Show Notes: So Who's shipped their samples from the last roundtable? The picture BCR made famous. Old Charter 8 vs 8yr. Was there a case to be made? Lucas asks: With the bourbon boom in full effect, many of the large NDPs have really focused over the last few years on getting their own stills set up. Many of these brands have loyal followings from people that know what an NDP is . As these brands start to bottle their own juice, will we see a shift along the same lines as the hunt for stitzel weller juice or old heaven hill stock. Brands like Bulleit, Michters, Angels envy, and Luxco have plenty of money to pay chemists and tasters to keep flavor as close as possible but bourbon nerds are notorious for wanting what they no longer can get. What are your thoughts on the possibility of a subculture being created for people that really want Four Roses Bulleit or Heaven Hill Ezra brooks instead of what these companies are actually producing on their own? Will brands suffer as they change sources? Will we not notice it at all because the blending process is so key to major bourbon labels? Will consumers notice at all? Eric, who has yet to make an appearance from Breaking Bourbon, posted an article about changing our buying habits. Have you all slowed down? Amped up? Do you have more bourbon than you can drink in your lifetime? http://breakingbourbon.com/a-different-persepective-changed-my-buying-habits.html Rick Noland asks: You guys talk about FOMO. I also occasionally have FOBR (Fear of Buyer's Remorse). How about an open discussion for the next Roundtable for the bottle(s) everyone regrets buying?

Wild Turkey Barrel Selection Exclusive with Ed Bley of Cork N Bottle, Reid and Emerald of 1789b, Nick Dikeos of The Bourbon Mafia, and Jimmy Russell of Wild Turkey. Get an inside look at how these connoisseurs of bourbon choose barrels while Jimmy is rattling off more information and history than we knew before. This is a Bourbon Pursuit first, bringing you inside on a private barrel selection. Show Notes: Everyone introduce themselves Ed, what’s your mentality going into a barrel pick? Jimmy, what hasn’t been tried in this business? Jimmy, you said Wild Turkey doesn’t produce anything outside of their own brands but what about Old Ripy and Bond and Lilliard? Emerald, what’s bourbon like in Arizona? Jimmy, talk about Chill Filtering Ed, do you feel like we could be choosing barrels that have been passed on by others? Jimmy talks about MGP, Schenley, and more Nick, talk about off-profile picks and why they are desired Emerald, how has barrel picking changed since bourbon has become so popular because you can’t get things like private ETL? Reid, talk about the differences between choosing barrels at Four Roses Jimmy, talk about the oak that goes into making the barrels Jimmy, when it comes to local farmers, does farm to bottle really mean anything? Jimmy, how did you get in trouble with the Wild Turkey pewter tops? Ed, Reid, and Nick, what do you think collaborations of different stores and groups coming together to make something special? Jimmy, talk about Parker Beam from Heaven Hill These bottles will be in stores very soon!

A combination of 10 interviews all done at WhiskeyLive in Louisville. This podcast features Fred Noe and Beth Burrows of Jim Beam, Joe Beatrice of Barrell Bourbon, Brian Gelfo of Rabbit Hole, John Foster of Smooth Ambler, Josh Hollifield of Barton 1792, Kelly Ramsey of Art Eatables, Winston Edwards of Balcones, Greg Roshkowski of Cooper’s Craft, and we wrap it up with Bill Thomas of Jack Rose. Show Notes: Thanks to WhiskyLive during the Bourbon Affair for letting us come and record these interviews. Make sure you attend a future WhiskyLive event.  

Drew Mayville, Master Blender at Buffalo Trace / Sazerac, has one of the most important jobs and that’s making sure the blended products meet a flavor profile. We dive into the differences between tanked and non-tank Sazerac 18 year and even talk about his involvement with the Old Rip 25 year. Show Notes: Talk about your past because I did some LinkedIn sleuthing last night and come to find out you’re no spring chicken. Talk about what it means to be a master blender because we talk to master distillers all the time but we don’t get to see this side very often Talk about the panel and the process Would you say blenders are under appreciated in this business? Talk about some of the labels you are blending for Let's take Eagle Rare as an example, what are some of the characteristics you are looking for to have it’s consistency? Are you using a previous batch or set of samples and comparing that to new samples? Did I read somewhere that BT’s Buffalo Cream is your baby? What else are you or your team responsible for? Fireball? Harlen has his vodka. If you have your way, what sort of spirit do you want your name across? Everyone knows that warehouse X is part of the experimentation projects. Do you have some of your own things over there as well? Don’t you think experimentation of everything has been done already? Many consumers are just looking for good bourbon from a good distillery with a rich history. Personally, the EHT 4 Grain was a way to build the EH Taylor hype but, of BT knew the 4grain bourbon was better than 3, then all bourbons would have been 4grain from the beginning. am i wrong? Is the single barrel, barrel proof explosion going to put you out of business?

Brent Elliott, Master Distiller at Four Roses, takes us through the creation of Al Young’s 50th Anniversary bourbon at an exclusive session during WhiskyLive. Show Notes: Listen as Brent talks about every individual bourbon and how it blended all together to make Al’s commemorative bourbon. Listen to Al Young’s podcast and all the past Four Roses episodes at http://bourbo.nz/4R Special Thanks to WhiskyLiveUSA for letting us share this information with you during WhiskyLive Louisville. Show your support for WhiskyLiveUSA by liking their page and attending one of their events.

The Bourbon Community Roundtable #9 talks about the recent news of one man who has defrauded the secondary bourbon market with counterfeit bourbon. We wrap up the show talking about the Weller 12 craze. Show Notes: The biggest reveal in secondary market history. A seller with 2+ years worth of building up sales reveals that he's been counterfeiting bottles. Hear the story unfold How does this impact bourbon going forward? How do you trust you seller? How can you trust anything in bars? What has happened with Weller12? It’s madness

Charlie Downs, Artisanal Distillery Manager at Evan Williams Bourbon Experience (a part of Heaven Hill Brands) talks about the operations, his mentorship with Parker Beam, and the recollection of events that took place at the Heaven Hill fire of 1996. Show Notes: Before we dive into it, people have to know about you. As most people may know, my wife works at HH and I was at the company Christmas party this year where you were honored by spending your 40th year at HH. What has this business taught you? Talk about how you carved your path in HH and who was your mentor and who gave you those lucky breaks? Do you have a favorite memory with Parker? Lots of people like to just call this a tourist center, but this is actually a functioning distillery as well Is it just Evan Williams or a different mash bill are you distilling? How many barrels a day? And you’re about to hit that 4 year mark, what’s the plans for the first few barrels? Talk about the fire of 1996 and where were you Other than amount, what the difference between you here and Denny over at the Bernheim plant Do you often feel like a hamster in a cage?