Is the madness ever going to end? Are those unicorn bottles going to continue to climb in price for the future? How did we end up here? Past guest Chuck Cowdery, a bourbon authority, enlightens us to how the history of bourbon being an unwanted commodity created stocks of well aged whiskey that led us to the market we see today.

Show Notes:

• Let’s talk about the past and the bourbon, crisis, was it an overall understanding that bourbon might be extinct?
• At what point did you come in to see some of this first hand?
• How did advertising work for bourbon? How did you get it into the hands of elders?
• How did no one see this coming? Like literally no one.
• You talk about the resurgence of bourbon was partly because of the lack of drinkers because it led to the unintentional benefit of very well-aged whiskey
• What were distillers doing with this better aged whiskey?
• Do you think exports are the biggest benefactor?
• What were bourbon brands doing at the time to appeal to the Japanese and European markets?
• So people are buying whiskey again, how are distillers ramping up production?
• Was there a surge of more NDPs and independent bottlers buying sourced whiskey?
• Why do you call this a “not so attractive” trend?
• At what point did we start seeing the “shortage”? or is there really a shortage?
• Have NDPs died off because they can’t source or contract distill now?
• Will craft distillers put a dent in the market or are they just looking for their piece of the pie?
• Do you think any of these companies will be “under water” on their investments when the bourbon matures for sales in 4-12 years? Especially when they have to compete with the big boys as they are expanding.
• Do you think we are going to see people drop off because we don’t have a lot of well-aged whiskey now? We have distillers and craft distillers removing age statements. How will that effect the future?
• What’s the key to making this trend last?

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Fred Minnick, multi-appearance guest on the show and author of the new book Rum Curious, educates us bourbon drinkers on why rum isn’t so bad and how the rum industry needs the passion of the bourbon community.

• Back in February you had a article named “For Rum’s Sake”, an open letter to bourbon drinkers. Was it a plea?
• Why rum? There’s lots of other spirits
• Name a few brands that are accessible in parts of the US that are trustworthy.
• So what’s wrong with Captain Morgan and those typical ones we all think of?
• We know bourbon has 3 main ingredients, but what are some of the main ones going into rum?
• We also have corn whiskey, rye whiskey, etc, any variants?
• So people want to learn more about rum, besides your book, where are the rum fanatics?
• Talk about the laws and labels for rum producers
• What do you think about those companies that say they can create an aged rum in less than 7 days using technology?
• Thanks to Emmet Klocker that sent us some samples from Lemon Hart, Havana Club, and 1931/

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Reid Bechtle & Emerald Adair of 1789b join the group to talk about the fascinations with the better things in life, how they started 1789b, how barrel selections have changed in 7 years, and the barrel picks they have still yet to do.

• Introduce yourselves, your background and how bourbon got into your life
• What are those coins you have in your hands?
• Explain what 1789b is
• Where does the name 1789b come from?
• Do distilleries roll out the red carpet for you?
• Have the advent of prolific Facebook groups influenced the group?
• Talk about those early Reid & Emerald picks
• How has the barrel selection process changed now that you don’t get the pick of everything in the rick house?
• When newcomers are in the market and they see Billions with Michter’s 20 year and they get caught up in the chase. Do you all get caught up seeking limited releases too?
• Is there a bourbon pick you haven’t done yet that would be on your bucket list?
• Listen to the barrel pick we all did back on Episode 105

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Retail Pricing Wars! Does MSRP really mean anything? How do stores price their products relative to their size, customer base, and geographic location? We’re joined by Ed Bley of Cork N Bottle and Angelo Ingrati of Peppino’s Liquors & Wine to discuss both sides of the story. Read Show Notes Below.

Show Notes:

• What’s your reason on why your stores can sell above MSRP?
• Why would any store NOT sell at secondary pricing?
• How does geography play a role into this with Kentucky vs NYC?
• Is Buffalo Trace or the distillery the real culprits of the problem?
• Don’t most liquor stores make their money on volume rather than limited releases? So how do you keep your customers happy after this bubble bursts?
• Small mom & pop shops are losing allocation and reps are favoring big box stores, do you see this as a problem on the distributer side?
• Do store owners get tired of hearing “Do you have any X?”
• What do you think is the effect of square footage of your retail space? What are their advantages?
• How do you buy enough fireball to get any limited release bourbon?
• Are everyday items priced higher in NYC like Maker’s Mark?
• By raising the retail price, then do you feel like you are cutting out the distributor and the distillery of their fair share?

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Wild Turkey Barrel Selection Exclusive with Ed Bley of Cork N Bottle, Reid and Emerald of 1789b, Nick Dikeos of The Bourbon Mafia, and Jimmy Russell of Wild Turkey. Get an inside look at how these connoisseurs of bourbon choose barrels while Jimmy is rattling off more information and history than we knew before. This is a Bourbon Pursuit first, bringing you inside on a private barrel selection.

Show Notes:

• Everyone introduce themselves
• Ed, what’s your mentality going into a barrel pick?
• Jimmy, what hasn’t been tried in this business?
• Jimmy, you said Wild Turkey doesn’t produce anything outside of their own brands but what about Old Ripy and Bond and Lilliard?
• Emerald, what’s bourbon like in Arizona?
• Jimmy, talk about Chill Filtering
• Ed, do you feel like we could be choosing barrels that have been passed on by others?
• Jimmy talks about MGP, Schenley, and more
• Nick, talk about off-profile picks and why they are desired
• Emerald, how has barrel picking changed since bourbon has become so popular because you can’t get things like private ETL?
• Reid, talk about the differences between choosing barrels at Four Roses
• Jimmy, talk about the oak that goes into making the barrels
• Jimmy, when it comes to local farmers, does farm to bottle really mean anything?
• Jimmy, how did you get in trouble with the Wild Turkey pewter tops?
• Ed, Reid, and Nick, what do you think collaborations of different stores and groups coming together to make something special?
• Jimmy, talk about Parker Beam from Heaven Hill
• These bottles will be in stores very soon!

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A combination of 10 interviews all done at WhiskeyLive in Louisville. This podcast features Fred Noe and Beth Burrows of Jim Beam, Joe Beatrice of Barrell Bourbon, Brian Gelfo of Rabbit Hole, John Foster of Smooth Ambler, Josh Hollifield of Barton 1792, Kelly Ramsey of Art Eatables, Winston Edwards of Balcones, Greg Roshkowski of Cooper’s Craft, and we wrap it up with Bill Thomas of Jack Rose.

Show Notes:

• Thanks to WhiskyLive during the Bourbon Affair for letting us come and record these interviews. Make sure you attend a future WhiskyLive event.

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JK McKnight, Founder and Captain of Forecastle Festival, talks about running a music festival and how their Bourbon Lodge has become a festival of itself.

Show Notes:

• If you’re a music lover, you’re going to enjoy this episode. We’ve been to forecastle a few times and we’ll talk about why our guest is here talking about Bourbon a bit later, but music festivals are just fun. There’s no better way to put it than that.
• Explain to everyone who isn’t up to speed on music festivals, what is Forecastle.
• I went to Forecastle back in 2008 to see Counting Crows and 2010 to see Widespread.
• What’s the history? Why did you start it, what was the idea? How big has it grown?
• I know you also are starting to get a little bit of growth in the EDM tent.
• I believe this is the 5th year in a row you all are featuring the “bourbon lodge”. talk about what it is.
• What was the idea behind drinking bourbon in 100 degree weather in the middle of July?
• How has the lodge progressed from when you first started it? – It seems like you’ve got everyone on board now. There’s bulleit, woodford, four roses, jim beam, larceny of heaven hill, maker’s mark, michaels, old forester, and wild turkey. pretty much all the big guns.
• Instead of a beer garden, you all have a bourbon garden.
• Cocktails sound more up my alley in the July heat. i see there is a mixology station and signature cocktails.
• Talk about the food because you have a friend of the show taking care of that for you.
• Lastly is a rarities bar sponsored by Liquor Barn.
• forecastlefest.com/bourbonlodge

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Mike Sherman, Owner of Vendome Copper and Brass Works, joins the show to talk about the art and craftsmanship that go into making the stills and how they have established being the best and #1 still maker after a century of being in business.

Show Notes:

• Before we get into talk about what it is that you do here, let’s get your thoughts on bourbon. Do you drink it? or just love it because it means good business right now?
• For those listeners who have never heard of Vendome, give them an idea of what it is you all make here and why it’s important
• What else do you make here besides copper stills?
• Give us the history of Vendome and how you grew up in the business.
• Give us a break down of trial and error. Because at this point you are carrying on legacy, but the generations before you probably had to go through retooling, or refactoring of certain things to make the stills as reliable as they are.
• Terry Bone & Brent Melvin ask how customized are your products? do they start with a base design for the stills or is it entirely customized to the whiskey manufacturers desires?
• Is there any innovation thats going on or is pretty much copy/paste?
• Why is copper the element of choice when making a still?
• What makes Vendome stills unique?
• What’s the average time is takes to manufacture a still? I know that’s a loaded question but humor me.
• Follow @VendomeCopper and Like on Facebook

Ed Bley, Spirits and Beer Manager at Cork ’N Bottle, joins the show to talk about their historic past with bourbon, the importance of shopping small, and his process of doing barrel picks

Show Notes:

• Dive into your past and some history to what led you into bourbon
• What’s the history of Cork N’ Bottle?
• Talk about how you deal with allocated releases
• What’s the importance to shop small and local?
• What’s your process for barrel picks?
• Anything special coming up?

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Bill Thomas (@MashBill_Thomas), Owner of Jack Rose (@JackRoseinDC), tells his history of turning a passion for whiskey and 20 years of dusty hunting into the single largest collection of epic bourbon that is available for sale at Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Washington D.C.

Show Notes:

• Talk about your history and your love affair with bourbon?
• Explain to the listeners, what is Jack Rose?
• How many bottles do you have in inventory?
• Is it safe to assume that every bourbon bar in the nation aspires to be Jack Rose?
• How do you source all of your older vintage whiskey?
• Do you think most of your patrons prefer older or newer stuff?
• How do you keep your personal vs business bunker separate?
• If you were to share a drink with one person, past or present or fiction, who would it be?
• What’s the best find you’ve ever had?
• Talk about choosing barrels that have leaks
• You have a crazy amount of Willetts. So talk about how you got connected with Drew
• You can see the passion is there for you. Do you ever get burnt out always having to chase?

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