It’s This Week in Bourbon for July 26th 2024. A judge in texas agrees that you should be able to distill at home, Austrailia is under fire for labeling some whiskeys as bourbon, and Knob creek releases a bourbon and rye blend.

Show Notes:

• A judge in texas agrees that you should be able to distill at home
• Australian distillers are misleading consumers by wrongly labelling products as bourbon or whiskey
• Speyside Bourbon Cooperage will invest $16.85 million to build a new stave mill
• Larceny announced new packaging
• Pernod Ricard establishes North American Distillers
• Buffalo Trace Distillery Paris pop-up shop
• Extended Stave Warehousing joins KDA
• Rebel Bourbon sponsorship with the Premier Lacrosse League
• Penelope’s Straight Rye Whiskey Toasted Series
• Booker’s The Beam House Batch
• Knob Creek Bourbon x Rye
• Buzzard’s Roost bottled-in-bond bourbon
• Elijah Craig Toasted Rye
• Jack Daniel Distillery Series Selection #13
• @larcenybourbon @buffalotracedistillery @rebelbourbon @penelopebourbon @knobcreek @buzzardsroostwhiskey @elijahcraig @jackdaniels_us
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this roundtable we talk about an article published on Breaking Bourbon and talk about the next era of bourbon. Are finishes over? Is wood experimenting coming next? Or are we looking at beyond the big six?

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about the types of glasses he uses to drink
• Are we done with finishes?
• Are there any left?
• What is the next era?
• Support this podcast on Patreon

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On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Heaven’s Door Exploration Series 1. This 5 year old finished bourbon is 108 proof and $80 MSRP. Let us know what you think. Cheers!

DISCLAIMER: The whiskey in this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy of the spirit producer. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is our honest opinion based on what we tasted. Please drink responsibly.

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Starting a whiskey company is no easy task. And making youself stand out from everyone else, it’s even harder. There are a handful of companies that supply most of the bourbon we see on the shelves and many of us fall into the trap of buying based off the packaging. However, with this show, we’re able to go and find brands who are finding new fans based off their whiskey. Broken Barrel is one of those companies that is forging a new path and finishing their whiskey in such a unique way by rebuilding barrels that we needed to have them on the show. Today we get to talk to Seth Banheim who is the Founder and their Global Brand Manager, Nick Roady about how to stand out in a crowded market. As a brand we have to find new ways to be different and find a way to capture the mindshare of consumers on a whole new level. We also talk about brand education hurdles and how far can you go until you’ve completely lost a customer. There’s a lot to unpack here, especially for those budding whiskey brands who are looking to make a name for themselves.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about eliminating toasted barrels for finishing.
• What were you doing with a vodka brand and how did it get into whiskey?
• Where did you see the opportunity to find new types of staves?
• Do you hate making money?
• Why was is so important to have a differentiator compared to what has been done already?
• How does the conversation change when talking to retailers and distributors on being different?
• What did you learn from Ol Smokey and what they did different?
• How far can you go before you lose a consumer with brand education?
• Is there something to a model like yours that can capture consumers of all levels?
• At what point does differentiation go too far?
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review World Whiskey Society 10 Year Straight Bourbon Finished in Port Casks. This 10 year old bourbon is 102 proof and $165 MSRP. Let us know what you think. Cheers!

DISCLAIMER: The whiskey in this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy of the spirit producer. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is our honest opinion based on what we tasted. Please drink responsibly.

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It’s This Week in Bourbon for July 12th 2024. Whiskey House of Kentucky begins operations, Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame will induct 5 new members, and Buffalo Trace Distillery announces Colonel E. H. Taylor, Jr. Barrel Proof Rye Whiskey

Show Notes:

• Bespoken Spirits joins The Kentucky Distillers’ Association
• Tequila Matchmaker founders raided by Consejo Regulador de Tequila
• Consumers are filing lawsuits against spirits influencers
• Whiskey House of Kentucky begins operations
• Eastern Light Distilling breaks ground
• Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame will induct 5 new members
• Hidden Barn is releasing a seven-year-old double-barreled bourbon
• Colonel E. H. Taylor, Jr. Barrel Proof Rye Whiskey
• Old Forester 117 Series: Rum Finish
• 15 STARS Triple Cask II Fine-Aged Bourbon
• Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled in Bond Vintage Series Spring 2020
• New Riff Distilling’s Headliner special edition
• @bespokenspirits @tequilamatch @easternlightdistilling @hidden_barn @oldforester @ricky_15stars @chattwhiskey @newriff
• Support this podcast on Patreon

If you’re a liquor store owner, there are 3 words you hate to hear, “Got any Blanton’s?”. For today’s modern whiskey consumer, we know about the iconic bottle shape, the collectible letters, and there’s a few different expressions. However, Blanton’s played a critical role in the history of bourbon and there are a lot of super rare expressions you will never get a chance to see in your lifetime. To tell this history, Dominic Guglielmi who’s the author of Warehouse H comes on the show. He has the one of the most renowned collections of Blanton’s on the earth and he even refers to himself as the Ultimate Tater. Beyond just collecting the most coveted bottles around, he has taken the knowledge he learned and the complete history of the brand and put it into a fascinating book that will make you respect it’s past and what it has done for the current bourbon landscape.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about palletized warehouses.
• What’s your coming of age tale with Blanton’s?
• What was your first rare Blanton’s bottle?
• What’s the most limited bottle ever released?
• Why was Blanton’s created as a product?
• Who owns the brand?
• Where did the bottle come from?
• What releases go into different markets?
• Is the demand as strong internationally vs domestically?
• Does the price remain at SRP internationally?
• What are the secondary prices on the most rare bottles of Blanton’s?
• What do you think of today’s typical Blanton’s releases?
• Where are the best Blanton’s ending up across the world?
• What is new Blanton’s culture like?
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Blackened x Rabbit Hole Bourbon Finished in Calvados Casks. This non-age stated whiskey is 106.59 proof and $150 MSRP. Let us know what you think. Cheers!

DISCLAIMER: The whiskey in this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy of the spirit producer. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is our honest opinion based on what we tasted. Please drink responsibly.

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Every year there is a distillery that catches the headlines because they have sold for hundred of millions of dollars. Sounds like a dream for many but to make that dream become a reality, you’ll have to know how to value your distillery. For that reason I’ve invited Kris Bohm on the show. He’s the founder of Distillery Now Consulting where he helps folks buy, sell, and install distillery equipment, but he’s also found himself in the midst of multiple merger and acquisition conversations. He joins the show to talk about how to value a distillery in the case someone like Diageo or a private equity firm comes knocking. We talk about case sale volumes, the value of aging whiskey in barrels, equipment, brand recognition, and where the trajectory growth curve comes into play.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about the rise of AI and being a writer.
• What made you want to get into distilling as a teenager?
• What’s the difference in distilling alcohol vs ethanol?
• Why would a client choose pot vs column?
• How do you gauge consumer demand and look at sales for calculating value?
• What does the pool of buyers look like?
• What is the threshold of a case volume to start the discussion?
• What’s the value in the brand vs the equipment and production?
• Beyond physical assets, what other factors play into a valuation?
• How are barrels valued?
• What’s the process for selling a business?
• Any value in having current distribution?
• What are roadblocks that often kill deals?
• Does it matter if case volume happens in the market or at the tasting room?
• If you can’t afford Vendome, where do your point people?
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review High West Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey. This 4 year old rye whiskey is 100 proof and $80 MSRP. Let us know what you think. Cheers!

DISCLAIMER: The whiskey in this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy of the spirit producer. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is our honest opinion based on what we tasted. Please drink responsibly.

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It’s This Week in Bourbon for June 28th 2024. The world-famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour is getting a bold new look. Justin’s House of Bourbon is back with unicorns on the shelf. Heaven Hill Distillery announced today the highly-anticipated launch of Heaven Hill Grain to Glass.

Show Notes:

• Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour is getting a bold new look
• Four Roses will fix a labeling mistake on Father’s Day bottles
• Justin’s House of Bourbon is back with unicorns on the shelf
• Milam & Greene Whiskey has 2 new releases
• Rolling Fork The Wheated Cask Wonder
• Michter’s Distillery will be releasing its Legacy Series
• Remus Babe Ruth Reserve
• Old Potrero Toasted Barrel Whiskey
• Wyoming Whiskey Independence Rock
• Heaven Hill Grain to Glass
• @kentuckybourbontrail @fourrosesbourbon @houseofbourbonky @milamandgreenewhiskey @rollingforkrum @michterswhiskey @wyomingwhiskey @heavenhilldistillery
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this roundtable we talk about the updates to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail with a rebrand and what updates are happening. We discuss how everyone has to change from the standard distillery tour to something more immersive. Then we wrap up the show talking about our hidden gems when you visit Kentucky.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about Evan Williams Single Barrel leaving and coming back.
• What has changed with tourism in KY?
• What are your favorite hidden gems?
• Support this podcast on Patreon

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On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Highline Triple Rye. This 5-10 year old rye whiskey is 97 proof and $80 MSRP. Let us know what you think. Cheers!

DISCLAIMER: The whiskey in this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy of the spirit producer. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is our honest opinion based on what we tasted. Please drink responsibly.

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It’s This Week in Bourbon for June 21st 2024. Hard Truth adds Moonshiner’s Experience, Heaven’s Door wants to know what’s better Kentucky or Tennessee Bourbon?, Maker’s Mark announced the latest in its Wood Finishing Series.

Show Notes:

• Hard Truth adds Moonshiner’s Experience
• Heaven’s Door wants to know what’s better Kentucky or Tennessee Bourbon?
• Penelope re-releases their Rose cask
• Silverbelly Whiskey Batch #4 entitled I’d Love You All Over Again
• Russell’s Reserve 15 Year Old
• Wyoming Whiskey Outryder Straight American Whiskey
• Maker’s Mark announced the latest in its Wood Finishing Series
• @hardtruthspirits @heavensdoorwhiskey @penelopebourbon @silverbellywhiskey @russellsreservebourbon @wyomningwhiskey @makersmark
• Support this podcast on Patreon

I remember the first time I saw a bottle of WM Tarr. I didn’t know much about it except that is was from a company in Lexington and there was well-known football coach supporting the brand. Fast forward a few months and that bottle disappeared from the shelves and was replaced with a new brand called RD1 and it specialized in finished bourbon whiskeys. To help share more of this story, we’ve invited Barry Brinegar on the show. Barry is a Co-Founder and National Brand Ambassador and gives us the scoop on how their business plan that was only going to focus on gift shop sales got completely disrupted by covid and they had to look at new ways of doing business. We talk about their mission as a company and how they are taking a modern approach to whiskey to find new customers and how a that football coach I talked about landed them a premier placement on ESPN’s college football gameday coverage.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about Maker’s Mark and the proof change.
• How did you get started in the whiskey industry?
• How did you get connected with Mark Stoops?
• Why release WM Tarr?
• How did you adapt when covid shut down your business plan?
• What is the goal of how you are trying to be different?
• Did your cutover happen overnight and was the plan to switch over already in place?
• Why go with a modern brand vs traditional?
• How did you land on your core four products?
• How involved is Mark Stoops with the brand?
• Why have so much transparency when it comes to the wood finishing process?
• Why did you use amburana?
• Support this podcast on Patreon