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?