It’s This Week in Bourbon for April 21st 2023. The city of Bardstown fights back and stops new distillery construction, Old Elk Distillery announced its 2023 Single Barrel Program, and Booker’s Bourbon is releasing the first batch of the 2023 Collection.

Show Notes:

• The city of Bardstown fights back and stops new distillery construction
• The Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep
• Woodford Reserve is creating a sensorial experience at John F. Kennedy’s Internal Airport
• Global bourbon market value cap by Allied Market Research
• Sotheby’s has sold a five-bottle set of American whiskeys from closed distilleries for US$187,245
• Old Elk Distillery announced its 2023 Single Barrel Program
• Jefferson’s Bourbon launches the Marian McLain and Entrepreneurial Fund with Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran
• Bardstown Bourbon Company will release its latest in the Collaborative Series with Foursquare Barbados Rum barrels
• Milam & Greene Whiskey is proud to unveil Bobcat Single Barrel Bourbon
• American rapper Nelly has entered the spirits industry with the launch of a moonshine brand, called MoShine
• RD1 Spirits announces two new line extensions
• Dixon Dedman releases The Innkeeper’s Blend
• 15 STARS releases Triple Cask and First West Rye
• Sagamore Spirit’s national release of its Orange Crush Craft Canned Cocktail
• Booker’s Bourbon first batch of the 2023 called Charlie’s Batch
• Furman University launched a straight bourbon whiskey, named FU All The Time
• @woodfordreserve @alliedmarketresearch @sothebys @oldelkbourbon @jeffersonsbourbon @barbaracorcoran @bardstownbourbonco @milamandgreenewhiskey @nelly @rd1spirits @dixon_dedman @15starsbourbon @sagamorespirit @furmanuniversity
• Support this podcast on Patreon

If you google for anything BBQ related on YouTube, I can guarantee you will see a video pop-up of our guest. Matt Pittman is the founder of Meat Church, he’s one of the most well-known BBQ personalities in the industry. But Matt wasn’t always talking about brisket and ribs with his infamous Holy Cow rub, that was his passion project. In this episode we talk about his career and what it took to make a pivot from a comfy position in IT to going all-in with Meat Church. But this isn’t all about BBQ. Matt is turning his sights into another discovered passion, bourbon. He discusses how is eyes were opened during a bottle share and with the help of the Dallas Bourbon Club, he is starting to build out his very own collection.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about tasting mats.
• Where did you grow up and how did you get into tech?
• Did you have any pit master idols or people you looked up to?
• Were you accepted by people in the industry or did they just look at you as a YouTuber?
• Why did you choose to not open a restaurant?
• Did the product or the media and education come first?
• What was the tipping point when you could leave your career to chase after BBQ?
• What tactics did you use to grow the business when you went full time?
• How did the idea of cooking classes start?
• Where did the name Meat Church come from?
• At what point did bourbon start making an influence on you?
• Bourbon producers have generations of distillers, does that exist in BBQ as well?
• Who bestowed upon you the title of pit master?
• @meatchurch
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 20-Year-Old Corn Whiskey. This 20 year old corn whiskey is 115 proof and $290 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 April 14th 2023. Campari Group plans to add a second distillery at its Wild Turkey campus in Lawrenceburg, Sotheby’s unveiled The Rare American Whiskey Selection
, and Father Jim Sichko marks the 10-year anniversary of the election of Pope Francis with a rare release of 10-year Willet.

Show Notes:

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has begun an antitrust investigation into Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits
• Heaven’s Door plans to open The Last Refuge, a whiskey bar and live music venue, in downtown Louisville
• Campari Group plans to add a second distillery at its Wild Turkey campus in Lawrenceburg
• Castle & Key 502 is officially opening within the Fall City Market in the Omni Hotel
• Edrington has increased its shareholding in the Wyoming Whiskey brand
• Bourbon with HeART announces Bowtied Together
• Give 270 has announced the kickoff of its latest series of charity whiskey raffles
• Sotheby’s unveiled The Rare American Whiskey Selection
• The two Virginia men won’t face any active jail time
• Jennifer Lopez has launched her own line of ready-to-drink bottled cocktails
• a new app called The Kentucky Hug
• The Dancing Goat Distillery releases a 21-year-old light whiskey
• Lawrenceburg Bourbon Company releases the Ten x Ten Small Batch Rye Whiskey
• Knob Creek Rye brings back a 7 year age statement
• Wilderness Trail releases a 7 year rye
• Maker’s Mark Keeneland commemorative bottles
• Proof & Wood Ventures launched The Globe
• Father Jim Sichko marks the 10-year anniversary of the election of Pope Francis with a rare release of 10-year Willet
• @heavensdoorwhiskey @wildturkey @castleandkey @wyomingwhiskey @bourbonwithheart @give270 @sothebys @jlo @dancinggoatdistillery @lawrenceburgbourbon @knobcreek @wildernesstraildistillery @makersmark @proofandwood @jimsichko
• Support this podcast on Patreon

Master Taster. It just sounds like a really cool job. But what does it take to become a Master Taster? Old Forester is a brand that has a history of hiring people for this role and their newest is Melissa Rift. Ryan and I have had the pleasure of getting to know Melissa over the years but it was in different roles she held in the industry. Yet, thanks to notifications on indeed.com, she was able to apply and land this role. We talk about her history and career in the industry and then we dive into the position and what it takes to be a Master Taster. We also dive into consumer demand and where she sees trends changing over time.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about water contamination.
• What is your background and how you got into the industry?
• How do you stay invigorated when you have to give the same tour over and over again?
• Do you feel tours are an entry point into the industry?
• Tell the story of the stolen catalytic converters
• How involved were you with quality control and single barrels at Bulliet?
• How did you find out about the Master Taster position after Jackie left?
• What were the pre-requisites for this position?
• Did you feel confident going into this role or was it scary when it became real?
• When the press release was announced it highlighted your personal life being openly gay. Was this your idea?
• Did you taste through all product offerings so you can pick them all out?
• Do you think consumers will change their opinion on proof?
• Do you have some ideas on how you will change things to meet consumer demand?
• How does your wife feel about the amount of travel that will now be involved?
• @oldfomastertaster
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Old Forester King Ranch Bourbon. This non-age stated bourbon is 105 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 everyone’s monthly favorite, the bourbon community roundtable where we invite some of the brightest minds in bourbon media to come on and go deep on some topics. And up first is the story that keeps on giving. Earlier this year Sazerac came out of the gate putting a $38.6M lawsuit in front of Republic National Distributing Company (known as RNDC). Now here we are a few weeks later and we get RNDC’s response where they are countersuing for Sazerac’s attempts at undermining the three-tier system and claiming over $10M in damages. In the second half of the show we dig into the increase of counterfeit bourbon bottles on the market and these bottles aren’t even super rare. We’re talking Four Roses Single Barrels and Weller Full Proof. Should distilleries step up and have more tamper-proof seals or is this a buyer beware type of situation? We’ve said it a million times on the show before, if you want to help combat the spread of these fakes, throw away your bottles by putting sharpie on the label or even go as far as breaking them. Don’t be that person selling empties on eBay.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about single barrel programs.
• What impact will the Sazerac/RNDC lawsuit have on the bourbon industry?
• When will we see more anti-counterfeit seals?
• Who is responsible for preventing counterfeits?
• @breakingbourbon @fredminnick @drinkseelbachs @bourbonr @sippncorn
• Support this podcast on Patreon

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On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon #2. This 10 year old bourbon is 144.5 proof and $100 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 31st 2023. Elijah Craig is the Official Bourbon and whiskey supplier of the PGA, Chicken Cock Whiskey has released a Double Oak Kentucky Whiskey, Rock Town introduces the Column Still Collection.

Show Notes:

• Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) urges Congress to legalize cannabis at the federal level
• Regenified Certification to Star Hill Farm
• New York wine and spirits shop owners traveled to Albany, New York to challenge Amazon
• Elijah Craig is the “Official Bourbon” and whiskey supplier of the PGA
• Traverse City Whiskey Co unveiled The Finishing Series
• Coors Whiskey Co. has unveiled Barmen 1873 Bourbon
• Rock Town introduces the Column Still Collection
• Chicken Cock Whiskey has released a Double Oak Kentucky Whiskey
• @starhillprovisions @makersmark @elijahcraig @tcwhiskey @coorswhiskeyco @rocktowndistill @chickencockwhiskey
• Support this podcast on Patreon

If you’ve listened to our show long enough you would know that it’s Kenny versus Fred and Ryan when it comes to coffee. Kenny isn’t not much of a coffee drinker but those guys can’t live without. But I’m sure there are lots of other coffee and bourbon drinkers out there and you see things like “barrel aged” coffee and immediately gravitate towards it. I mean, how could you not? We should be barrel-aging everything! But there are more correlations between coffee and bourbon that I never knew of so that’s why we invited Brian Beyke on the show. He’s the Director of Coffee for Quills in Louisville and has been all-in on coffee and bourbon for a long time. In this episode, we scratch an itch to ask all the questions about coffee that we’ve always wanted to know such as the difference in beans from small versus large scale producers, the “rare” coffee scene, buzzwords to watch out for, and Brian gives us the low-down if barrel-aging is a gimmick.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about palette fatigue.
• How did you find your path into coffee?
• Do you need to spit coffee while tasting?
• What notes in coffee are you looking for when tasting?
• Is there a three-tier system with coffee?
• What’s the difference in the beans that you get versus the big name brands?
• Is there a “rare” coffee scene?
• What are the buzzwords in coffee that you need to watch out for?
• If bourbon is synonymous to Kentucky then what is the coffee equivalent?
• What’s the professional consensus of Keurig?
• Does roasting line up with toasting or charring of barrels?
• What’s best method for barrel-aging coffee?
• How do you adapt the coffee for a cold brew or nitro?
• Is there a secondary market for rare coffee?
• Is the coffee flavor wheel different than the bourbon flavor wheel?
• @abandoncoffee @abandonbourbon
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Old Elk 2022 Infinity Blend Bourbon. This non-age stated bourbon is 114.1 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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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