Rob Samuels, COO of Maker's Mark, talks about the operations behind Maker's and holding almost every job at the distillery since he was 9. Show Notes: We kick off the show talking about bourbon tourism numbers from 2015 Talk about your childhood and growing up in the family business What does the phrase mean “blow your ears off?” Maker's has a great relationship with Keeneland, talk about it. Where do you see Makers as a part of the growth of bourbon? What do you think kept Maker's alive 20-30 y...
Mar 11, 2016•39 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Turner Moore, President of Whiskey Obsession Festival, joins the show to talk about the festival and what to expect this year. It takes place 3/30/2016-4/1/2016 in Sarasota Florida. Show Notes: How did you get into bourbon or whiskey? Is there a certain bottle you would favor towards when you first began? Talk about your festival What do a lot of attendees coming away with at the end of the day and why do they love coming to your event? How does the panel session work? Talk about the tasting ses...
Mar 03, 2016•42 min•Season 1Ep. 38
(Part 2) Bernie Lubbers (@BernieLubbers), The Whiskey Professor and Brand Ambassador for Heaven Hill, continues in Part 2 talking about Heaven Hill bourbon brands, the removal of the 12 year Elijah Craig age statement and breaks out the guitar for a Bourbon Pursuit first. Show Notes: Let’s talk about some of the brands from HH, because there are quite a few of them. But we will focus on the bourbon, of course. I’ll give you a name and you give us a fun fact or tidbit. (this is awesome! must list...
Feb 20, 2016•41 min•Season 1Ep. 37
(Part 1) Bernie Lubbers (@BernieLubbers), The Whiskey Professor and Brand Ambassador for Heaven Hill, talks about his past, catchphrase, and overview of bourbon badges in Part 1. Show Notes Talk to us about how you first got into whiskey. You signature catchphrase or tagline is “Stay Bonded”. Tell the folks what you mean by that. http://www.whiskeyprof.com Bernie talks about the history of Bottled-in-bond Bernie talks about words on labels and how those are badges You do a lot of bourbon-related...
Feb 16, 2016•33 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Seth Thompson, of The Bourbon Classic, chats about all the awesome events being held from Feb 23-27th, 2016 and how you can get last second tickets. Show Notes: Tell us your story of how you got into bourbon? If your house is on fire, what’s the one bottle you grab? Give the high level pitch of The Bourbon Classic How has the event grown over the years? Let’s dive into the events. Talk about the key events on Friday and Saturday It’s awesome because consumers can take away knowledge about food p...
Feb 06, 2016•41 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Chad Hartsfield, Owner of ReWicked Candles, discusses the process of turning old bourbon bottles into works of art. Show Notes: Tell us your story of how you got into bourbon? Tell us about ReWicked Candles. What was the inspiration? How do you get around legal issues with brand names? Explain to us the process. How do you experiment with the scents in the wax? Where do you get all your bottles? What’s the reaction you get from bars or distilleries when you’re asking for empty bottles? How do yo...
Feb 05, 2016•36 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Greg Davis, Master Distiller at Maker’s Mark, talks about how is continuing the tradition that has been set and more about day to day operations. Show Notes: Today. we go on-site to Loretto to Maker’s Mark Distillery Breaking News: Users claim there is a bad batch of 2015 Elmer T. Lee. Barrels 256, 264, 266 and 267 are the “defective” barrels but Buffalo Trace has already responded. Tell us about your story What was your background before coming to Maker’s Mark? What are some of the key things y...
Jan 19, 2016•40 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Erik of @BourbonSeason joins the show to talk about the infamous bottle chase and the growing secondary market. Show Notes: Before we get started, there is a new December release coming from Kentucky Owl so be on the lookout for red, blue, and green ink bottles soon. Erik, how did you get into bourbon? Tell us what you do with your twitter handle, @BourbonSeason There’s a lot of ways to get allocated bourbons, have you found a good formula for getting special release bourbons? Have you seen spec...
Dec 18, 2015•46 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Reid Mitenbuler (@ReidMitenbuler), author of Bourbon Empire, joins Ryan and Kenny to talk about the history and psyche of bourbon, "a distinctive product of the United States". Show Notes: The Frazier Museum has a new Prohibition exhibit that will become a new or even a first stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Reid, what’s your coming to age tale of bourbon? What made you so fascinated that you took the time to become an author on the subject? Talk about the misquote of bourbon being a “distinc...
Dec 15, 2015•50 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Robert Mohr & Tom Johnson of Aroma Academy (@AromaAcademyUS) join the podcast to talk about the science behind using olfactory senses to know more about your bourbon and the key aromas. Show Notes: How do you store your extensive bourbon collection? Is it like storing wine? Give us a quick intro about how you are and how you got into bourbon The tagline is “a sensory training for DRINKS PROFESSIONALS” so talk about what is Aroma Academy Are the smells common between everyone or does everyone...
Dec 08, 2015•46 min•Season 1Ep. 30
John Kowalczyk reveals how he started a Bourbon Christmas Gift Exchange that grew from just a handful of friends to an event that is sponsored by liquor stores and distilleries. Show Notes: Overview of the past few bottles to come out and Ryan is becoming a dusty hunter after attending Whiskey Pig at Willett Distillery. What’s your bourbon story? How did you get into it? Tell us about your Bourbon Gift Exchange Are there rules to your gift exchange? Throw out some of the names of the brands you ...
Dec 04, 2015•41 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Matt Jamie, Founder and Owner of Bourbon Barrel Foods, talks about how he started a company with Bluegrass Soy Sauce into a brand that does everything to promote "Eat Your Bourbon". Show Notes: We’ve taken a hiatus and we apologize. Sometimes life just gets in the way… and bourbon hunting. lots and lots of bourbon hunting. What's your bourbon story? I know you are a Louisville native, has bourbon always been in your blood like ours? Tell us the story of Bourbon Barrel Foods and how it got create...
Nov 24, 2015•41 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Dixon Dedman, Owner Operator of Beaumont Inn & Partner in Kentucky Owl, joins us to talk about his family history and how they revitalized a brand that died during prohibition. Show Notes: Fantasy teams are now using high valued bourbons as entrance fees Let's talk about you. Who are you and what have you been doing up to this point? Let's talk about your bourbon. What got you into dealing with the brand? Why the tag name “The Wise Man’s Bourbon”? What made you go with a barrel proof bourbon...
Oct 09, 2015•39 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Mikael Mossberg, Co-Founder & CEO of Distiller, talks about his whiskey recommendation app and how his whiskey passion led him to be in the startup world. Show Notes: Kick off the show talking about Parker's Heritage Collection #9, The Malt Whiskey Release What has your past been that led you up into Distiller? Tell us more about the app, what would you categorize it as? How did the idea spawn? We really like the "trending bottle", how did that idea come about? Walk us through the recommenda...
Oct 02, 2015•44 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Nino Marchetti (@WhiskeyWash), Founder at TheWhiskeyWash.com, joins us today to announce a new partnership between us. We talk about his news outlet, the authors, products, and most importantly, his bunker! Show Notes: Starting the show off by drinking Kentucky Owl Batch #2. Add it to the collection if you have the money to spare Talk to us about the TheWhiskeyWash.com We’re proud to announce a partnership between our two brands Nino has an offsite, undisclosed location, for his bunker Talk abou...
Sep 24, 2015•41 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Kris Comstock, the Bourbon Marketing Director at Buffalo Trace, talks about how he made his way to Kentucky and gives us insight into the brands and even the new 2015 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (sorry about the horrible audio on this one). Show Notes: Firenado/Bourbonado Tell us your bourbon story What led you to Buffalo Trace? What do you do in your current role? Give everyone a bit of insight on how you do forecasting for production? Since you are in charge of packaging let's talk a bit ...
Sep 18, 2015•39 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Carol Perry, or just Perry, is a legend in his own right. Perry has worked at the Stitzel-Weller distillery in Shively for 45 years. He has held about every job you could possibly have and is currently working security and head greeter for the Bulleit Frontier Experience. Show Notes: Give us an idea of what you have been doing here for the past 45 years Talk about what life is like working at the warehouse Why did they have windows open only during the day? What other kinds of experiences did yo...
Sep 10, 2015•32 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Your hosts, Kenny and Ryan, take a look back on the past 21 episodes. We talk about the guests and what is still to come with the remaining part of the year. Show Notes: Have we had some guests that have stood out more than others? Great history lesson with Brian Haara of Sipp'n Corn Learned a great deal about pot still vs column still with Brent Goodin of Boundary Oak Have you had any favorite bourbon releases this year? Lots of distilleries are having unique and rare releases for big money If ...
Sep 03, 2015•39 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Brent Goodin, Master Distiller at Boundary Oak Distillery, discusses his new startup distillery and how his first bottle of bourbon off the line sold for $28,000. Show Notes: What’s your bourbon story? Do you have an earliest moment with bourbon? Are you picking up the family lineage of getting back into the bourbon industry? What led you to becoming a Master Distiller? Any influencers along the way? How long have you been practicing your trade? Where does the name Boundary Oak come from? Where ...
Aug 11, 2015•42 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Brian Haara (@SippnCorn), Attorney and blogger at Sipp’n Corn, joins the podcast to talk about the history of the bourbon industry through the lens of lawsuits. Listen to find out how Colonel Taylor loved getting himself into trouble as well as the real story behind Ezra Brooks. Show Notes: Do you have a favorite office bourbon? What’s your bourbon story? How did you get into bourbon? The one thing I love how blog is such an interesting angle into the past. You stumbled upon this, now are you go...
Jul 29, 2015•45 min•Season 1Ep. 20
David Mandell, CEO of the Bardstown Bourbon Company, talks about the beginning of one of the newest and largest distilleries to ever hit Bardstown, KY. We talk about the present and future of this up and coming distillery. Show Notes: David tell us about your background Tell us about the spirits you will be distilling Give us your bourbon story. What led you into the spirits business? Talk a little bit about the operation you are currently building What edge does this give you compared to Heaven...
Jul 22, 2015•41 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Marianne Barnes, Master Distiller at The Distillery Formally Known as Old Taylor, discusses her new role, what everyone can expect coming from this revitalization, and insights into what it takes to be a master distiller. Show Notes: Tell us a little bit about your past How does chemical engineering play into this role? Talk to us about why we have you on the show Are you going to keep the name Old Taylor name or will it be renamed? What’s being invested into restoring the distillery? Where is t...
Jun 26, 2015•38 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Ewan Morgan, National Director for the Diageo Masters of Whiskey, joins us from DC to talk about his past with whiskey, scotch, and bourbon. We dive deeper into the Orphan Barrel releases as well as the latest, Blade and Bow. Show Notes: Tell us about your love story with bourbon. How did you get into the industry? Give us an idea about the differences you see in scotch vs whiskey vs bourbon Talk about your role at Diageo as a Master of Whiskey How would you even begin in that career path? Talk ...
Jun 12, 2015•44 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Marianne Zickuhr, Executive Director of Preservation Louisville, talks about the history of Whiskey Row and her involvement with preserving this iconic landmark in downtown Louisville, KY. Show Notes: What was your first memory or first bottle of bourbon? What’s your role at Preservation Louisville? Did you study history in college or have you been a history buff? What is Whiskey Row in Louisville, KY? How did you get involved with it? Can you recall any of the names that might have inhabited Wh...
Jun 04, 2015•43 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Sean Higgins, Chief Fun Officer of Mint Julep Tours, talks about the array of tours they offer with customized trips with their tag line “the purpose of fun is to have some”. From bourbon to horses to zip lines, Sean is your Louisville concierge. Show Notes: Tell us a bit about Mint Julep Tours How did you get into the bourbon industry? You helped drive Makers Mark into Southern California. Was this pre-Ambassador Program? What are in the catalog of products you offer? Can you just hop on a tour...
May 27, 2015•33 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Adam Johnson, Director of the KY Bourbon Trail & Bourbon Affair, joins us as the first ever two-time guest! This time we talk about the Kentucky Bourbon Affair that will be taking place June 3rd-7th 2015. Show Notes: What’s your elevator pitch of the Bourbon Affair? Tell us about some of the events that take place The hype video shows the polo players getting bathed in bourbon? It’s the hardest event to pack a suitcase for How do you respond to “what’s the best?” Fred Minnick says this is an...
May 14, 2015•37 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Kevin Curtis, Distillery Operations Manager, and Kyle Henderson, Production Manager and grandson of Lincoln Henderson, from Angel’s Envy join to talk about their roles and the new distillery in the works. Show Notes: Kevin, how did you get your start? What was your role while you were at Brown-Foreman? How did your time at Brown-Foreman prepare you for role at Angel’s Envy? Kyle, talk about your family lineage with Angel’s Envy. Kyle what’s your day to day operation? When you’re analyzing the ma...
May 09, 2015•49 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Jim Rutledge, Master Distiller at Four Roses, joins us for Part 2 of this 2-Part podcast and discusses his travels, limited edition releases, one floor warehouses, and how he’s shaping their future. Show Notes: What experiences stand out from your travels? Talk about your super premium releases such as the Single Barrel and Small Batch Limited Editions What goes into the process of selecting the premium limited edition barrels over regular bottling barrels? Do you look at limited editions as a f...
Apr 30, 2015•43 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Jim Rutledge, Master Distiller at Four Roses, joins us for Part 1 of this 2-Part podcast and talks about his education, job history, his love for bowling, and how he brought Four Roses straight bourbon back to the US. Show Notes: What was your first experience with bourbon? What was your journey from different roles with Seagrams and your path into Four Roses? Who gave you the opportunity to get back into distillery operations? Blended Whiskey by Seagrams were top shelf at one time What impact d...
Apr 23, 2015•45 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Martha Carlin, Great Great Granddaughter of George T. Stagg, talks about her gaggle of Stagg bottles up for auction, her family history in the bourbon industry, and how much George T. Stagg really loved to fish. Show Notes: Pappy Spring Release in Louisville Bourbon auction: A gaggle of Stagg on thebourbonbabe.com What’s the auction currently priced at? Did you grow up around bourbon or did you just recently discover it all? Sour Mash smells like home Do you still have any family in the bourbon ...
Apr 15, 2015•45 min•Season 1Ep. 10
