Reid Mitenbuler (@ReidMitenbuler), author of Bourbon Empire, joins Ryan and Kenny to talk about the history and psyche of bourbon, “a distinctive product of the United States”.

Show Notes:

• The Frazier Museum has a new Prohibition exhibit that will become a new or even a first stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
• Reid, what’s your coming to age tale of bourbon?
• What made you so fascinated that you took the time to become an author on the subject?
• Talk about the misquote of bourbon being a “distinctive product of the United States”.
• Talk about the beginning with the “Big Bang of Bourbon”.
• In the book, you talk about myths behind the labels.
• Let’s jump ahead in history, there was a lot going on in 1964. Can you talk about what was going on during that time period?
• What was the result of The Bourbon Institute in overseas markets?
• There is a concept of marketing that has changed the way in what you think you’re drinking.
• You said (paraphrasing) “Rosenstiel presided over vicious consolidation rounds that made many distillers and brands extinct, but is also a part of the reason why many bourbons today taste as good as they do”. Talk about that. How come his name isn’t as prominent as EH Taylor for Bottled-in-Bond?
• How come we don’t see a bourbon or whiskey brand named Rosenstiel?
• Within the prologue, you talk about bourbon being a “comfort food”. Talk about that.
• If you want to buy Bourbon Empire, it’s available on Amazon.

Erik of @BourbonSeason joins the show to talk about the infamous bottle chase and the growing secondary market.

Show Notes:

• Before we get started, there is a new December release coming from Kentucky Owl so be on the lookout for red, blue, and green ink bottles soon.
• Erik, how did you get into bourbon?
• Tell us what you do with your twitter handle, @BourbonSeason
• There’s a lot of ways to get allocated bourbons, have you found a good formula for getting special release bourbons?
• Have you seen special hunting groups that have formed?
• Have you seen more camp out situations in other parts of the country?
• There’s camping, lotteries, and being a “best” customer but is there a fair way to distribute allocated bottles?
• In Louisville the secondary market is starting to take its effect. Small shops are selling bottles for secondary prices. Are you seeing this in other parts of the country as well?
• When you think about the secondary market there are fingers to point. Are people flipping the bottles or buying the bottles the culprit of the problem?
• How do you feel about seeing the flipper “crotch shot”?
• Some people on forums are selling 2 or 3 full verticals of Pappy or BTAC, so how are these people feeding the secondary market?
• In Louisville, we have a few restaurants that have fantastic selections, but they are price gouging. No question about it. Do you see restaurants as contributing to the secondary market as well?
• Are the distilleries going to start charging more to combat and make more money for themselves?
• This week, Buffalo Trace sent out an email responding to the mass inquiries about secondary market pricing and they intend on trying to shut down secondary markets. Can Buffalo Trace successfully shut it down?
• Would you like to see Buffalo Trace crack down on stores and restaurants that price gouge since the three-tier system is the only way a consumer can get a bottle?
• Quick PSA on breaking your empty bottles
• Is there such a thing as “bourbon karma”?

Nino Marchetti (@WhiskeyWash), Founder at TheWhiskeyWash.com, joins us today to announce a new partnership between us. We talk about his news outlet, the authors, products, and most importantly, his bunker!

Show Notes:

• Starting the show off by drinking Kentucky Owl Batch #2. Add it to the collection if you have the money to spare
• Talk to us about the TheWhiskeyWash.com
• We’re proud to announce a partnership between our two brands
• Nino has an offsite, undisclosed location, for his bunker
• Talk about the authors on the site
• Talk about some of the most popular articles
• One of the most popular articles is about the $75,000 Whiskey
• In regards to reviewers, what walks of life do they come from so we trust them?
• There are lots of reviews on food pairings
• Your apartment is on fire, what’s the one bottle you grab?

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Brian Haara (@SippnCorn), Attorney and blogger at Sipp’n Corn, joins the podcast to talk about the history of the bourbon industry through the lens of lawsuits. Listen to find out how Colonel Taylor loved getting himself into trouble as well as the real story behind Ezra Brooks.

Show Notes:

• Do you have a favorite office bourbon?
• What’s your bourbon story?
• How did you get into bourbon?
• The one thing I love how blog is such an interesting angle into the past. You stumbled upon this, now are you going through archives in Lexis Nexis to search for keywords like “EH Taylor”.
• Do you think more people are looking to become educated consumers?
• You have an article on your blog on how to read the Four Roses single barrel label
• Talk about Copycat Whiskey with Jack Daniels and Ezra Brooks
• Who is the most notorious for being in legal trouble with bourbon?
• Talk a bit about Taylor and the bottle-in-bond act
• What about the lawsuits between George Stagg and Taylor? What did that mean about the brands and the distilleries?
• Is there more legal trouble about Taylor’s Signature?
• You’ve got another article called Kentucky Isn’t Big Enough for Two Colonel Taylors. Talk about that.
• Did you see a lot of cases based off copyright or brand infringements?
• Churchill Downs Distilling vs Churchill Downs Inc.
• Were there any cases involving Stitzel-Weller?
• Are there any recent laws or cases that are interesting?
• Give me your favorite bourbons you have reviewed recently

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Maggie Kimberl (@LouGirl502), author of everything bourbon for Louisville.com, joins the duo to talk about bourbon in the news and media.

Show Notes:

• What was your first bourbon memory?
• How do you perceive Master Distillers spending their time in liquor stores?
• Talk about your job for writing about bourbon industry news and culture for Louisville.com
• Has your following grown over the past year?
• Favorite barrel proof bourbons & Bottled-in-bond
• Talk about Bottled-in-bond
• Uncle Jemima’s Pure Mash Liquor
• What are your tips for traveling to bourbon country?
• Any bourbon bars you can suggest?
• Talk about being a woman in the whiskey world

Blake Riber, author of bourbonr.com, talks about the popularity of his blog, his ideas and the release of a brand new app!

Show Notes:

• How did you get into bourbon and how did it lead to the blog?
• You have almost two websites. The Blog and My Whiskey Cabinet.
• Where does inspiration for content come from?
• What are the most popular articles?
• Where did poor man’s pappy spawn from?
• What does your current collection look like?
• There is a brand new bourbonr.com app coming to the market

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Al Young, Brand Ambassador of Four Roses, talks about the rich history of the brand and his story

Show Notes:

• What’s your story of how you got into the bourbon industry?
• What are some of your daily or weekly duties as a “Brand Ambassador”?
• Tell everyone about Four Roses: The Return of a Whiskey Legend
• What was the book writing process like? How long?
• Who was Paul Jones Jr and how did the name “Four Roses” come about?
• Where was Four Roses during prohibition?
• What role did Seagram’s play in Four Roses?
• What are your favorite vintage advertising pieces?