It’s This Week in Bourbon for March 17th 2023. RNDC fights back against the Sazerac lawsuit. Blue Run Spirits today revealed the first look at its planned whiskey distillery and headquarters in Georgetown, Kentucky.Pinhook Bourbon has debuted their Vertical Series Rye 7-Year.

Show Notes:

• RNDC fights back against the Sazerac lawsuit
• Fermenting Change has launched outlining the various ways Three-Tier System harms the alcohol industry
• direct-to-consumer shipping become a reality in Illinois at ShipMySpirits.org
• Coors Light introduced Coors-icles
• Pernod Ricard has buys majority stake in Skrewball
• Blue Run Spirits today revealed the first look at its planned whiskey distillery
• New Riff Distilling will begin a US$3 million renovation of its public areas
• Lux Row Distillers announce Rebel 100 Straight Rye Whiskey
• Wolves announces its first-ever American Single Malt whiskeys
• Ragged Branch Distillery announces a special bourbon celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown win
• Pinhook Bourbon has debuted their Vertical Series Rye 7-Year
• @rndcusa @shipmyspirits @buffalotracedistillery @coorslight @skrewballwhiskey @pernodricard @bluerunspirits @newriff @luxrowdistillers @raggedbranch @pinhook_bourbon
• Support this podcast on Patreon

Bourbon’s rise in popularity has been a monumental shift in consumer behavior, but the reality is that it could all come crashing down really quick. Ryan, Fred, and Kenny spend some time on this episode and think about what are those threats to bourbon? We all have ideas on why it became so popular but what are those outside influences that we have no control over? Fred gives a brief history on the bourbon glut era and that starts spurring other ideas that could hurt bourbon’s popularity such as overzealous health advocates, new spirits on the rise, government taxes, or the next generation of consumers?

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about heritage brands.
• Is there an issue with grains, raw material, and barrel shortages?
• How has the lack of staffing in the service industry impacted bourbon?
• What caused the first glut and what can we do to prevent that?
• Did tariffs make an impact on bourbon or was it not really hindered?
• Are health reports becoming a scare tactic to reduce alcohol consumption?
• Is there any spirits that could be the next rise of vodka and kill whiskey?
• Could taxes be a big burden on stifling bourbon?
• Could the next generation just not like bourbon and kill it off?
• What happens if bourbon producers have too much greed or there is consumer fatigue?
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Jack Daniel’s Twice Barreled American Single Malt. This non-age stated single malt is 105.7 proof and $70 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 March 17th 2023. Kentucky lawmakers passed House Bill 5 phasing out a state tax on aging bourbon barrels. Jack Daniel’s announced the release of its new 12-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey along with Batch 2 of its 10-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey. This month, Green River will introduce two brand new expressions.

Show Notes:

• New bottle tracking app called Whiskey Shelf
• Humble Baron, home to the world’s longest bar, opening at Nearest Green
• Chattanooga Whiskey named Tiana Saul as Head Distiller
• Ship my Spirits coalition calls for spirits shipping laws in New York
• Data shows how much people are spending while intoxicated
• Kentucky lawmakers passed House Bill 5 phasing out a state tax on aging bourbon barrels
• ChatGPT has passed the Master Sommelier theory examinations
• Jack Daniel’s announced the release of its new 12-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey along with Batch 2 of its 10-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey
• Puncher’s Chance The UNDISPUTED
• New Bhakta 2013 Bourbon finished in Armagnac casks
• Four Gate Whiskey Company announced the very limited Majestic Wood series
• Jim Beam has launched Kentucky Coolers
• Green River will introduce two brand new expressions
• @unclenearest @chattwhiskey @shipmyspirits @jackdaniels_us @puncherschancebourbon @bhaktaspirits @fourgatewhiskey @jimbeamofficial @greenriverdistillingco
• Support this podcast on Patreon

The stock market and the bourbon market share one thing in common. They are both impossible to time. If you get in at the right time, maybe you don’t have to wait tens of years to make a return on your investment, but if you’re too late then you could see a decline. However, in bourbon, there seems to be one person that has time working in his favor, and that’s Dixon Dedman. We invite Dixon to come on the show for a third appearance to talk about a few things because it seems like his timing is always perfect. He sold Kentucky Owl to Stoli after being on the market a short period of time, but now that he is officially done with Kentucky Owl we ask him about how he feels and what he learned through the process. After leaving Stoli, he worked with The Brindiamo Group, who we also had on the podcast back on episode 182, and he worked for them for a short period of time where he got an inside glimpse into brand and investment consulting. And now, he’s launching his own brand called 2XO which is perfect in this current climate when bourbon is hot and double barreling might be even hotter.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about rubbing whiskey on your hands to nose.
• Are you still making fried chicken on the weekends?
• Do you have any regrets after selling Kentucky Owl to Stoli?
• What did you take away and learn from working with Stoli?
• How did your relationship with Brindiamo begin?
• How many barrels are there on the open market where people are flipping them?
• What profiles or types of bourbon do you like to work with?
• Is 2XO and Kentucky Owl going to be similar or different?
• Is there a healthy pipeline of barrels to continue building the brand?
• @dixon_dedman
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon. This 6 year old wheated bourbon is 100 proof and $50 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 March 10th 2023. The whiskey fungus at Jack Daniel’s makes national headlines. A leaked document from Amazon show’s they are trying to change liquor laws. Laws Whiskey House announced the 2023 release of their Bottled in Bond Four Grain Bourbon.

Show Notes:

• The whiskey fungus at Jack Daniel’s makes national headlines
• A German brewery is set to release the world’s first ‘complete’ beer in powdered form
• A leaked document from Amazon show’s they are trying to change liquor laws
• Bourbon:30 from Kentucky Bourbon Fest is available on YouTube
• Laws Whiskey House announced the 2023 release of their Bottled in Bond Four Grain Bourbon
• Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey has unveiled its second annual release of Diamond Peak
• Former Rutgers football player recently launched LeGrand Whiskey
• @jackdaniels_us @brownforman @lawswhiskey @stranahans @ericlegrand52
• Support this podcast on Patreon

This episode is another Bourbon Pursuit milestone. It’s episode 400! Well, it’s technically number 668 if we include Whiskey Quickie and This Week in Bourbon, but let’s not get into the details. On this Bourbon Community Roundtable we cover two topics in depth. First is the news blitz of the whiskey fungus articles focused on Jack Daniel’s. If you’ve driven past any distillery in the past 100 or so year, you would have seen this everywhere. It also pops up in the news every year, but why is it just now making national headlines? I also ask the group if there is anything the distilleries can do to get in front of this to avoid any negative PR. The second half of the show dives into House Bill 5 that attacks the Kentucky Ad Valorem tax, in which Kentucky is the only state that taxes barrels aging and resting. We look at what this means for citizens that benefit from the tax and if we feel distilleries are already taxed enough.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about teeth staining.
• Why is the whiskey fungus just now making national news even though it’s been around for years?
• What can distilleries do to make sure this argument of bad PR doesn’t happen next year?
• What could the distilleries provide to residents to make them more comfortable?
• What do you think of the Ad Valorem tax on aging barrels?
• What would the removal of the tax mean for citizens?
• @breakingbourbon @fredminnick @drinkseelbachs @bourbonr @sippncorn
• Support this podcast on Patreon

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On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Doc Holliday 8 Year Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey from the World Whiskey Society. This 8 year old bourbon is 131 proof and $134 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 March 3rd 2023. Washtucky is suing Wilderness trail for failing to make contract barrels. Acker Wines has agreed to pay a maximum fine for selling counterfeit bottles. Two new Kentucky Derby bottles are being released.

Show Notes:

• March 3rd 1897 is when the The Bottled-in-Bond Act changed the bourbon world forever
• Washtucky is suing Wilderness trail for failing to make contract barrels
• Statement from Kentucky’s Bourbon Industry on House Bill 5
• The St. Louis Bourbon Society will host the 2nd Annual Bourbon and Brews Festival on June 10th
• Yellowstone will donate $250,000 to National Parks Conservation Association
• Acker Wines has agreed to pay a maximum fine for selling counterfeit bottles
• Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon with a commemorative 51st Edition Gold Pegasus Pin sealed in teal wax
• Woodford Reserve will release its 2023 commemorative Derby bottle
• @wildernesstraildistillery @stlbourbonsociety @yellowstonebourbon @ackerwines @evanwilliamsbourbon @woodordreserve
• Support this podcast on Patreon

Love it or hate it, spirit competitions are here to stay. They have such an important impact on marketing and can put a small shimmer of light on a new and upcoming brand, or it changes the course and turns a brand such as Henry McKenna into an unobtainable. In this episode, Fred Minnick and Kenny Coleman talk about multiple facets of spirits competitions because we have now lived it. We’re both enthusiasts like you so we care what bourbons come out on top, Fred has been a judge forever and now has his own competition called the ASCOTs, and we have our own brand with Pursuit United that has been entered and done favorably in many competitions. Fred and I analyze all these angle about talk about the “pay to play” scenario and how people are selected to be judges along with the best way to enter a competition as a brand owner.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about the meaning of allocation.
• Fred, how long have you been a part of spirit competitions?
• Why weren’t media members typically invited to be judges?
• Why is this considered “pay to play”?
• Why is there so much confusion based on what category to submit when it’s straight bourbon vs small batch?
• Why would a bourbon society enter a spirits competition?
• What makes someone worthy enough to be a judge at a competition?
• Should you put batch numbers on your competition entry or just the brand?
• Why does MGP always perform well in competitions?
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Old Fitzgerald Fall 2022 Edition. This 19 year old bourbon is 100 proof and $240 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 February 24th 2023. Tourism at distilleries is bigger than ever. Old Forester launches its inaugural Sleepeasy. Michter’s Distillery will begin releasing its 10 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Show Notes:

• HB 2200 will modernize Texas laws to provide fair treatment for spirits-based ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails
• Tourism at distilleries is bigger than ever
• Old Forester launches its inaugural Sleepeasy
• Lost Lantern announces the release of their ninth single cask collection
• Michter’s Distillery will begin releasing its 10 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• @oldforester @lostlanternwhiskey @michterswhiskey
• Support this podcast on Patreon

Wild Turkey is one of the premier bourbon brands. We’ve had the pleasure of having all the Russell’s on the show in previous years and it’s always heartwarming to have any member of this family on to share stories. It’s fun to hear the generational changes and how bourbon has developed. We had Bruce Russell on the show for the first time in 2019 on episode 199 with his cousin, JoAnn Street, but this time Bruce joins the show to talk about his journey in these last few years. Bruce has shown tremendous growth in a short period of time and we get to know more about him and how his time as a global brand ambassador really immersed him into the company and the culture. We ask Bruce about the current whiskey market and how he is carrying on a legacy and how he thinks he will leave his everlasting stamp on Wild Turkey.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about oxidation in the bottle.
• Did you know as a child you were going to get into whiskey?
• How is it different for you all being the face of the brand but not the owners of it?
• When you started as a global brand ambassador was that a way to get an immersive learning experience?
• Did Jimmy or Eddie ever tell you about being on the road before bourbon was cool?
• What have you seen change since you started in 2011?
• Why do you keep changing your packaging?
• What international markets is Wild Turkey getting entrenched into?
• Have you thought about how you are going to put your own stamp on the Wild Turkey brand?
• If you have ideas to implement, how do you go through your creative process?
• Do you think the market is ready for blending to start making more traction?
• Why do you keep making me hammer out bungs during single barrel picks?
• @russellsryeguy
• Support this podcast on Patreon

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On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review the 16th Edition of the Parker’s Heritage Collection. This 13 and 15 year old bourbon blend is 132.2 proof and $175 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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