Let’s say you want to start a new bourbon brand but you don’t have generations of family heritage or an existing legacy to promote. So how do you get consumers to try something new instead of reverting to something like putting horses or barns on the labels? Branding today seems to require more storytelling than focusing just on the whiskey. One modern brand trying to break that mold is Frank August. I invited their CEO and Co-Founder, Johnathan Crocker on the show to talk about navigating this challenge and how they are reinventing branding in a crowded bourbon market without relying on a legacy. They’re focused on creating an authentic modern brand that resonates with consumers. It’s an interesting case study on building a bourbon brand from scratch in today’s industry.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about will the bourbon boom ever end?
• How did you get tied into whiskey and with Drew at Willett?
• Why create a new bourbon brand during COVID?
• How do you see yourself and brand fitting into this industry?
• What does the name Frank August mean?
• At what point does it feel like overthinking vs simple strategy?
• Would a consumer just like to buy a bottle with a horse on it instead of new labels?
• Does a brand have to speak directly to a specific demographic or can brands adapt?
• Historical brands like Old Forester and Heaven Hill sourced their whiskey at first so how did they adapt?
• Can you change the mindset of a whiskey drinker away from the staples like a horse or a barn?
• Do you have to talk about the story instead of the whiskey?
• Are any legacy brands that have successfully pivoted to tell a new story?
• @thefrankaugust
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this special edition of Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review the 2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. The collection includes: Sazerac Rye 18 Year, Thomas H. Handy, Eagle Rare 17 Year, William Larue Weller, and George T. Stagg. Each bottle has a suggested retail price of $125. What’s our favorite this year? Watch to find out. 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 November 17th 2023. There was an attempt to reroute 21 pallets of bourbon from the Glenmore Distillery, Dixon Dedman releases Gem of Kentucky, and Michter’s is dropping a 25 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

Show Notes:

• Allied Market Research new report on bourbon growth
• Owensboro Police Department says there was an attempt to reroute 21 pallets of bourbon from the Glenmore Distillery
• 10th Anniversary of the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience
• J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery opened its distillery in Frankfort
• Lost Lantern opens a tasting room
• 15 recipients of the American-Made Heroes Foundation Fund grants
• Conecuh Ridge Distillery is planning for a May 2024 opening
• KY state lawmakers being pushed for self-distribution
• Dread River Distilling Co. is releasing Master Series Batch 2
• Dixon Dedman proudly presents Gem of Kentucky
• 291 Colorado Whiskey’s three new limited releases
• Westward Whiskey Milestone
• Great Lakes Distillery will be releasing its Still & Oak Black Friday Bourbon
• Frey Ranch American Single Malt Smoked Whiskey
• HIRSCH Selected Whiskeys debuts the third edition of The Single Barrel and the second edition of The Single Barrel Double Oak
• Dickel Bourbon Aged 18 Years
• Michter’s 25 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• @alliedmarketresearch @evanwilliamsbourbon @jmattingly1845 @lostlantern @westwardwhiskey @greatlakesdistillery @freyranch @michterswhiskey @lostlanternwhiskey @clydemayswhiskey @2xowhiskey @dixon_dedman
• Support this podcast on Patreon

It’s Bourbon Community Roundtable #87 and this one dives into a single topic that has perplexed me over the past few months. It seems that there are only a handful of brands people talk about yet there are over 2000 distilleries across the US. I would like to think the stigma of craft is changing but my newsfeed is always talking about the same select few.  What makes us always gravitate to the big 6 or perhaps we should refer to as the big 7 now? Is it accessibility because it’s on the shelf or could be on your shelf pending allocation? Is it marketing and the big brands can throw their weight around at the distributor level? Or is Big Bourbon just better than craft?

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about mocktails
• Is big bourbon just better than everything else?
• Support this podcast on Patreon

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On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Still Austin Red Corn Bourbon Whiskey. This 4 year old bourbon 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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The trend of cask finished whiskey is here to stay. It’s run rampant over the past few years to the point that every single company has one. But how are barrels sourced? How many times can a barrel be used before it longer gives off those different flavors? To answer these questions and a lot more, I’ve invited Jessica Ann from H&A Barrel Management on the show. We’ve had the pleasure of knowing Jessica for many years. She recently got herself into the market of brokering barrels for different cask finishes. Jessica gives us the low-down on wine and exotic oak finishes and how difficult they can be to attain. There’s a lot to break down such as types of oak, toast level, and if cooperage reputation has any prestige. With the wide variety available, we’re going to see even more trends hit the market soon.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks if Pappy is a NDP.
• How did you and Fred connect?
• How many times can a barrel be used for wine aging?
• Why is French Oak the preferred type for wine?
• If I need barrels, what do you have readily available?
• What does STR mean?
• How are different barrels valued?
• How many times can those barrels be re-used?
• In the used barrel market are there cooperages that have more prestige?
• What are some of the newest barrels people want that aren’t common?
• Do customer’s ever request different toast and char levels?
• How do you properly read a wine barrel?
• Talk about your barrel leasing program.
• How do you find out about the various oak species available?
• @bourboninsider
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Dragon’s Milk Origin Bourbon. This 5 year old bourbon is 95 proof and $45 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 November 11th 2023. A new distillery is coming that is aging barrels in coal mines, Rabbit Hole Distillery announced the release of Seasong, and Buffalo Trace Distillery today announces the release of Eagle Rare 25.

Show Notes:

• A new distillery is coming that is aging barrels in coal mines
• Rabbit Hole Distillery announced the release of Seasong
• Hard Truth Distilling Co.  announced the release of Barrel Finished Reserve
• Wild Turkey has released a new whiskey that combines three generations of Bourbon making. The launch of Generations
• Proof & Wood Ventures has launched The Cabinet
• Buffalo Trace Distillery today announces the release of Eagle Rare 25
• @rabbithole @hardtruthspirits @wildturkey @proofandwood @buffalotrace @buffalotracedistillery @brotherswrightdistillingco
• Support this podcast on Patreon

Bourbon and charity go hand-in-hand. There has been millions of dollars raised thanks to donations and the willingness of others to purchase for a good cause. However, doing it legally is not an easy task. I invited Eric Clements and Kenny Rambo of Give 270 on the show to talk about being legit. They started Give270 by raffling rare bourbons in Elizabethtown, Kentucky to raise money for local charities. Their mission is to make participation affordable and fun through bourbon raffles. This model has proven successful, but required getting licensed for charitable gaming. The founders discuss how they transitioned from a 501C3 nonprofit to operating legally, as well as how they source rare bourbons, select beneficiary charities, do real paper raffles, and handle taxes. While rewarding, they note challenges in navigating regulations and finding inventory amidst secondary market demand.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about single barrels not being regulated.
• Why did you all want to start doing alcohol reform in Elizabethtown, KY?
• What was the mission behind Give270?
• Do you feel the success of raffles are because of the secondary market?
• How did you move from a 501C3 to getting a charitable gaming license?
• Does the pool get bigger by having a raffle versus an auction?
• Do you really cut up names on a piece of paper and put them in a tumbler?
• Has there ever been a situation where you are underwater on a raffle?
• How do you discover and choose the charities you work with?
• What are the biggest challenges of trying to do all this the legal way?
• Are people letting you buy from their private collections?
• What sort of taxes are involved?
• Is there anything about the current system you would change?
• @give270
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Thirteenth Colony Southern Bourbon. This 4-6 year old bourbon is 95 proof and $45 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 October 27th 2023. Bardstown Bourbon Company’s new tasting experience is now open in Louisville, Frank August has two new releases, and Knob Creek releases a skillet collaboration

Show Notes:

• The Federal Trade Commission brings Total Wine & More into the Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits investigation
• Ky ABC threatens Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse & Raw Bar
• Bardstown Bourbon Company’s new tasting experience is now open in Louisville
• 2023 DtC Report shows more people want craft spirits shipped
• Flag Hill Distillery Releases New Hampshire’s First 10-Year-Old Bourbon
• Frank August has two new releases
• Michael Buble announces the launch of Fraser & Thompson
• Knob Creek partners with Smithey Ironware
• The Hardin’s Creek Kentucky Series
• @@totalwine @@doccrows @@bardstownbourbonco @@flag_hill @@fraserandthompson @@knobcreek @@thefrankaugust
• Support this podcast on Patreon

Today’s guest is no stranger to the show. We’ve had the privelege of knowing Blake Riber of Seelbach’s for many years. However, before he had Seelbach’s he was a past guest on episode 007 when he was running one of the premier bourbon blogs on the internet called bourbonr. I wanted to invite Blake on the show to talk about the past few years because building an e-commerce business on bourbon, is no easy task. We talk about legal licensing, his first Purchase orders, and being scrappy by growing into his warehouses. Now he helps kickstart brands’ success by giving them an online presence. He finds new customers through content marketing and builds loyalty through customer service. It’s a story about passion, knowledge, and a little bit of luck.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) asks if barrel proof will last in the bottle over time
• Are you going to give us an updated shirtless picture we can use on our website?
• What opportunity presented itself to go from a blogger to a whiskey e-commerce business?
• What was some of those early hurdle of getting people to order online?
• How are you finding new customers?
• What legal hurdles have been the toughest to overcome?
• Can you share what your warehousing situation was like versus today?
• Is it gratifying to look back and think about what’s like to help kickstart some brand’s success?
• How do you figure out inventory management and the challenges of doing this on e-commerce versus brick and morter?
• Were you searching for brands or are brands coming to you now to have that online retail presence?
• How are you trying to connect the brands and the consumers?
• How are you building customer loyalty?
• Can you share your initial investment to get your licenses and first POs to get your first sales?
• Are you see a trade down with de-premiumization and how consumers are shifting?
• What does growth look like now?
• Support this podcast on Patreon

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Rare Hare Lucky Bastard Whiskey. This 30 year old Canadian whiskey is 89 proof and $600 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 October 20th 2023. The Whiskey House announces its operation date, American Whiskey exports could face a 50% tariff soon, and King of Kentucky is returning this year with the release of its sixth edition.

Show Notes:

• The Whiskey House announces its operation date
• The 10 most-consumed alcoholic drinks in the world
• Burglars used tractor trailers to steal more than $1.6 million worth of alcohol from Republic National Distributing Company
• BAXUS has announced the launch of its whiskey and wines marketplace
• It’s Bourbon Night announces the first ever BIG Bourbon Night
• American Whiskey Exports Could face a 50% tariff soon
• Pinhook Artist Series No. 3 Double Blended Bourbon
• Laws Whiskey House Special Finish Series release: Honey Cask Finished Bourbon
• Barrell Foundation Bourbon
• Booker’s Batch 2023-03 Mighty Fine Batch
• New Riff dual release of two 8-year-old whiskeys
• Woodford Reserve 2023 Master’s Collection release – Sonoma Triple Finish
• King of Kentucky is returning this year with the release of its sixth edition
• @rndcusa @baxus.@co @itsbourbonnight @pinhook_bourbon @lawswhiskey @barrellbourbon @newriff @woodfordreserve
• Support this podcast on Patreon

Is the daily drinker dead? I take this roundtable into the direction of deep thoughts once again. At some point in our bourbon journey, someone has asked you “what’s your go to?” and maybe you had an answer, but today you may be uncertain about it. I ask everyone on the roundtable if we’re living in the golden age of american whiskey and if they feel there’s too many options on the shelf to be living in the bubble of only a few bottles.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about bourbon legislation.
• Is the daily drinker dead?
• Are we living in the golden age of American Whiskey?
• How do you break away from the daily drinker?
• @breakingbourbon @fredminnick @drinkseelbachs
  @bourbonr
• Support this podcast on Patreon

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