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Bourbon Pursuit
The Official Podcast of Bourbon! The best in news, reviews and interviews with people making the bourbon whiskey industry happen. Join hosts Kenny Coleman, Ryan Cecil, and Fred Minnick as they talk with prominent guests and provide insight on American whiskey 3 times a week. Catch all new episodes every Thursday with special Whiskey Quickie reviews on Tuesday and get caught up on bourbon news with This Week in Bourbon on Friday.
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27/04/2017

096 - Bourbon Lodge Gets Bigger at Forecastle Festival with JK McKnight, Founder

JK McKnight, Founder and Captain of Forecastle Festival, talks about running a music festival and how their Bourbon Lodge has become a festival of itself. Show Notes: If you’re a music lover, you’re going to enjoy this episode. We’ve been to forecastle a few times and we’ll talk about why our guest is here talking about Bourbon a bit later, but music festivals are just fun. There’s no better way to put it than that. Explain to everyone who isn’t up to speed on music festivals, what is Forecastle. I went to Forecastle back in 2008 to see Counting Crows and 2010 to see Widespread. What’s the history? Why did you start it, what was the idea? How big has it grown? I know you also are starting to get a little bit of growth in the EDM tent. I believe this is the 5th year in a row you all are featuring the “bourbon lodge”. talk about what it is. What was the idea behind drinking bourbon in 100 degree weather in the middle of July? How has the lodge progressed from when you first started it? - It seems like you’ve got everyone on board now. There’s bulleit, woodford, four roses, jim beam, larceny of heaven hill, maker’s mark, michaels, old forester, and wild turkey. pretty much all the big guns. Instead of a beer garden, you all have a bourbon garden. Cocktails sound more up my alley in the July heat. i see there is a mixology station and signature cocktails. Talk about the food because you have a friend of the show taking care of that for you. Lastly is a rarities bar sponsored by Liquor Barn. forecastlefest.com/bourbonlodge
46m
02/02/2017

084 - How A Psychologist Became a Sensory Scientist at Woodford Reserve with Elizabeth McCall, Master Taster

Elizabeth McCall, Sensory Scientist and Master Taster, Brown-Forman, joins the show to share what happens behind the white curtain and how people with a psychologist degree are recruited into bourbon. Show Notes: Talk about your past, growing up and your education What got you into brown spirits Did you have family influences or connections to the spirits industry? So I have to be honest, we have done the rounds with Master Distillers and they always give credit to people like you, but lets get an idea of your day to day responsibilities What else happens in the lab? we need to give our listeners an idea of what’s happening behind the curtain so-to-speak So why psychologists for being sensory scientists? go deeper there What’s the most important sense when it comes to making a product consistent? What does catching a cold have on the influence of the bourbon your doing that day? or do you have an addiction to Afrin nasal decongestant? What sort of training goes into becoming a master taster? From Matt Fisher on Facebook: Super nerdy and specific. With most bourbon drinkers using Glencairn glasses at home, why does the distillery use Copita Nosing glasses vs the Glencairn? Looking for an expert opinion of why they use the Copita. I watched part of your presentation of change and you gave a good explanation of why people mix their bourbon with coke, explain that Talk about your other passion of horses
58m
15/12/2016

077 - More Than “Plain Ol’ Jimmy” with Master Distiller and Legend at Wild Turkey Jimmy Russell

Jimmy Russell, Master Distiller and Legend at Wild Turkey, sits down to tell his story. He thinks he’s “Plain Ol’ Jimmy” but once you hear his stories about childhood, befriending the likeness of greats in the industry, and sharing his wealth of knowledge you will see he really is an icon. Show Notes: I want to talk about your history before Wild Turkey. Talk a little bit about your childhood and upbringing. Sports, basketball, track, baseball. I know your father and grandfather were in this whiskey business, is that why you got into the bourbon industry? Were you always around bourbon? What made you come to Wild Turkey in beginning? What was the state of Wild Turkey when you joined? How big was the operation? Who were your mentors? How have you embraced a lot of modern distillation techniques with computers and automation taking over? What was life like for you before the boom? Did you ever make any radical changes to Wild Turkey? You were best friends with the greatest minds in the industry before bourbon was cool. Talk about the comradery between people like you, Elmer, Booker, and the like. Now that bourbon is in the spotlight, are you hesitant on taking a backseat because at 82 years old, you won’t stop and you continue to travel to talk about Wild Turkey. Your son Eddie now has taken the spot light. What’s it mean to you that you get to trust the business to him? From @bourbonooga: Do they wish the old distillery was still down by where Warehouse A sits? From @Primo55: The eternal debate: Cheesy Gold Foil 12yr or Split Label 12 yr? What do you think is the best product that ever came out of here? Give us your thoughts on the 6-8 vs older aged bourbons? From @BreakingBourbon: Share a drink with anyone past/present/future who would it be and why? What are some of those things that you want to leave as a legacy?
1h 10m
10/12/2016

076 - History of Stizel-Weller and IW Harper with Kevin Didio, Manager at the Bulleit Frontier Experience

Kevin Didio, Manager of Kentucky Visitor Experience at Bulleit Frontier Experience, talks about his career in bourbon with multiple distilleries, dives into the history of Stitzel-Weller and IW Harper, and talks about the visitor attractions you can see at the reinstated Stitzel-Weller Distillery. Show Notes: Talk about your role here at the Bulleit Frontier. Before we talk about some of the other positions you've held, Talk about how you got into bourbon. I found my calling in college, what about you? Talk about your career with various players in the industry Talk about more about your time at Jim Beam and what you were doing This is also the historic site of the Old Fitzgerald / Stitzel-Weller Distillery. Now, we do have a lot of people listening for the education, so talk about the history of the distillery itself. Can you comment on what you think made people Stitzel-Weller crazy? Talk about what's happening on the grounds here today. Distillation? Aging? Bottling? Brands? Is there a possibility that Bulleit can have the same product as the famed Stitzel-Weller? Talk about the bottling happening here Give people the small run-down of Bulleit history Talk about Blade and Bow It's a bit of an odd duck here because this is owned by Diageo. You've got a whole heap of brands that you can talk about. Bulleit, IW Harper, Orphan Barrels, blade and Bow etc. Talk about which one of those you have a bigger fascination with and why At this point, I guess we never talked about some IW Harper history. Can you school us there? Talk about a typical tour done here? How can people schedule tours?
39m
24/11/2016

074 - Apprenticeship and Tradition at Wild Turkey with Master Distiller Eddie Russell

Eddie Russell, Master Distiller at Wild Turkey, joins the show to discuss growing up around the distillery, apprenticeship, and what tradition has taught him about the business. Show Notes: Talk about your childhood. What was your upbringing like? What sports did you play? You were also going to play college ball at one point How did you get roped into this operation? In 2015 you were named Master Distiller here at Wild Turkey. Talk about your job now. Did your formal education prepare you for being a Master Distiller? What are some of the biggest lessons your father taught you? What was life like before the bourbon craze? Do you and your dad have the same flavor pallet? Your dad has said time and time again he’s hard-headed and old fashioned. What are some of the traditions here at Wild Turkey you intend on keeping? Do you feel a sense of pressure? From Erik Hasselgärde on Facebook: Bourbon is rooted in tradition, some from 200 years ago, some from 50. What are they learning about bourbon today, that they hope to pass on to future bourbon producers? From Ryan Oberleitner: Why has their entry proof been raised over the years? What affect do they think that has had? Do you plan on bring the 13yr age stated export here stateside? From Jack Johnson on Facebook: When they reach 100 years (total together) as Master Distillers (which will occur in less than 18 months), can we expect some outstanding special editions? From- Will T @iamwillt: Can we please get age and warehouse info on private and single barrels? It would give us reason to buy multiples. What’s one thing that annoys you in the bourbon industry? Do the ladies pay attention to you when Matthew McConaughey is around? Last year you all came out with Russells Reserve 1998. Talk about that release because I’m mad at myself I didn’t drop the money on it and people are raving it’s one of the best things to come out of Wild Turkey What’s next for Eddie Russell?
53m
22/10/2016

069 - Bourbon History through The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American Whiskey with Fred Minnick, Author

Fred Minnick, acclaimed bourbon author who also happens to have the Amazon #1 Best Selling book in the Whiskey Category Bourbon: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American Whiskey, shares his history before bourbon, dive into chapters of bourbon history, and get his opinion on barrel finishes if it’s still a bourbon and age statement removals Show Notes: Acclaimed bourbon author and media pundit on all things bourbon who is always dressed to the 9s and who also happens to have the Amazon #1 Best Selling book in the Whiskey Category Bourbon: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American Whiskey Now lets talk about life before bourbon. What were you doing before then? What was the turning point that got you into bourbon or just whiskey in general? Let’s talk about your latest book Bourbon: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American Whiskey and I want to read everyone the first line from it so they have an idea what they are in for. “Bourbon is more American than Apple Pie, existed before baseball, and has built more roads, schools, and government infrastructure than any other non-petroleum domestic product” and you finish off the thought with “Bourbon is good for America. And it’s time we understand the historic intricacies that make it so unique” Talk about the inspiration behind writing this piece. I want to learn a bit about some of the individual chapters without giving too much away. So i’ll give you the title for a few of them and give the listeners an idea of what they can expect when they read What did you learn through the process of writing? Last week there was a pretty interesting discussion happening online and everyone has to weigh their own opinion. It was an argument that a bourbon finished in a different barrel can no longer be considered a bourbon and should have it’s own category defining itself. What’s your thoughts on finished bourbon in regards to the technicality of their category? You can find all of Fred’s books including Bourbon Curious, Whiskey Women and more on Amazon and links on his website fredminnick.com
1h 4m
02/09/2016

063 - Why is it called Jefferson’s Bourbon? With Trey Zoeller, Founder and Master Blender

Trey Zoeller, Founder and Master Blender of Jefferson’s Bourbon, shares his story with some new information about a new Presidential special release. Show Notes: Your family history is going to play a large part in this, talk about how you got into bourbon. Quickly talk about your dad for a bit How did you start the Jefferson’s Brand For our listeners out there just now getting into bourbon, give us your pitch of Jeffersons. Give some history on why it’s called Jefferson’s Bourbon and not Zoeller’s reserve You’ve been a non-distilling producer since 1997 up until last year. Talk about the current operations The Jefferson’s Presidential line hasn’t been seen on the shelves around the country in a few years. Any chance of those higher aged bourbons making a return? We also haven’t seen any of the Jefferson’s Rye You’ve been doing quite a bit of experimenting lately. The Jefferson’s Wood Experiment, Chef Collaboration, the Groth Cask finish, the Oceans. are there any other’s I’m missing? Anything on the horizon? There is actually a pretty great story behind the Oceans and I think the listeners would get a kick out of it. So talk about that Ocean’s Cask strength is making its way out there. We’ve seen many start going that route and offering barrel strength expressions Follow along with Jefferson’s Journey What’s the life of Trey like outside of bourbon?
45m
29/07/2016

058 - Learning more about “Frontier Whiskey” with Bulleit Bourbon Global Ambassador Tim Judge

Tim Judge, Global Ambassador for Bulleit Bourbon, dives into the Bulleit Bourbon origination and all the new expansion taking place. Show Notes: Tell us about your journey into whiskey Why did you choose Bulleit as your spirit of choice in the portfolio? What lessons did you take away from Tom after meeting him? We’ve had plenty of ambassadors on the show that talk about going around to different places and telling bartenders about their bourbon or attending events and handing out cocktails. but you’re a “global” ambassador, what more does that entail? You also have passion outside of spirits, talk about that For those folks who are unfamiliar, which I think would be pretty hard to do at this point, tell people about Bulleit bourbon. Also let’s talk individually about the different expressions that are available. and what makes each unique or special. sort of the pitch that you would do during a tasting event. Bulliet Bourbon has the tagline that says “Frontier Whiskey”. The thing of it is, you would probably never want to drink Frontier Whiskey And marketing plays a heavy role in the label positioning as well, talk about that. Bulleit is now owned by Diageo and is hypothesized to be distilled by Four Roses. However, mistake me if I’m wrong, I believe that the agreement or contract with Four Roses is going to be coming to an end and distillation is going to be moving to the Bulleit Frontier experience at the acclaimed Stitzel-Weller Distillery. Do you see a change in the flavor profile coming as new operations come online? We had Carol Perry back on the show back in episode 23 and you had the opportunity to meet with him. What did you think? Back to you, a lot of people here in the states are starting their own bourbon and whiskey collections, trying to round up as many as they can for the fun of tasting and even for potential profit, do you have a big collection yourself? This is a question from Blake @ bourbonr.com - if you want to make some classic bourbon cocktails, what are some of the ingredients you should always have on hand?
50m
22/07/2016

057 - Creating Louisville's First Full Service Bourbon Themed Restaurant Bourbon's Bistro with Jason Brauner

Jason Brauner, Owner of Louisville-based restaurant Bourbon’s Bistro, talks about his family history at National Distillers and running a full serviced bourbon-themed restaurant. Show Notes: Once again, thanks to Adam Johnson…..., we are making our first podcast on the Urban Bourbon Trail. For those not familiar, the Urban Bourbon Trail is sponsored by the Louisville Vistor’s Center as a way to show attractions relating to bourbon right here in the heart of the city. It has a majority of bars and restaurants but you can download the Urban Bourbon Trail app for yourself to find out more. Or you can pick up a Passport at any Urban Bourbon Trail location or at the visitors center on 4th street downtown. So there’s more to the bourbon trail than heading out to bardstown. What’s your history with bourbon? Did you have the foresight to stock away a bunch of National Distiller’s products? We met at WhiskyLive and you were wearing your great uncle’s watch. talk about that and your family history in the bourbon business. Give everyone the scoop about Bourbon’s Bistro Talk about the connection between bourbon and France. How did you decide to get into the restaurant business? What did it mean at the time to investment in something that was on the bandwagon and take that risk? Back in 2014 your restaurant was names on of the world’s best whiskey bars, talk about that You’re also a stop on the Urban bourbon trail. How has that effected business What’s your favorite thing on the menu because mine is the shrimp and grits You have quite a whiskey collection and lots of dusties. talk about it. Are you in favor of KY changing their laws to be a more relaxed like DC where you can source a bottle from anywhere to sell at your establishment, cutting out the distributor and giving your patrons a chance at tasting bourbons that you have amassed? Any advice to others out there looking to open a bar?
44m