You know when people say “I miss the good ‘ol days”? Guthrie McKay is one of them. He has seen the bourbon renaissance flourish as he’s been nestled in a small little liquor store in downtown Bardstown called Toddy’s Liquors. Toddy’s has almost become a stop on its own as people visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Listen as Guthrie tells stories of taking customers to visit Booker and Parker, his run in with Bill Thomas, and how the current boom has made him adapt business.

Show Notes:

• Talk about the store. How did you get into the liquor business?
• Why didn’t you name it after yourself?
• Talk about Bardstown 30 years ago and the bourbon scene and how it has changed
• Was there a premium brand back then?
• Did you have a hard time selling stuff like Booker’s or Maker’s Mark?
• Talk more about those early relationships with first entrants in the market?
• I’m sure you aren’t sending people to the Beam’s house any longer
• Is your store becoming another stop on the bourbon trail?
• What’s your most annoying Pappy story?
• Talk about your history with Bill Thomas
• How do you deal with distributor games now?
• Are you looking forward to seeing Bardstown grow with reinvestments into infrastructure for keeping bourbon booming?
• How do you deal with shelf space on craft brands?
• Are you major buyers on the bourbon trail or everyday consumers?
• So you don’t feel bad about pricing above secondary?
• Are gift shops taking away from your bottom line?
• What can big distilleries do to help support you?
• Can Bardstown support any more business? Are there enough people?
• You’ve talked about lot of gripes, but tell us what are some of the positives