At some point you will find yourself going to a bourbon festival. And rightly you should. It’s where people like us gather to try new things and meet a like-minded community. On today’s show, I’ve invited Diane Strong of Bourbon on the Banks and Drew Chostner of the St. Louis Bourbon Festival to come on the show to talk about throwing a bourbon festival that isn’t always the same. The goal is to make this a truly engaging event for bourbon lovers by bringing together an exciting mix of upstart distilleries and big brands for tastings. We talk about including educational seminars and the overall format. But then we dive into the nitty gritty of things like city permitting, access to water, and how to calculate ticket prices for attendees.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about operations after a master distiller leaves.
• What was your bourbon journey like?
• Was the reason for the festival to cash flow other projects?
• What are you trying to do to make your festival different than anything else?
• What types or permits do you need?
• Has the ABC ever showed up to one of your events?
• What approach do you take to get brands to sponsor the festival?
• Do you see attendees start venturing toward the startups vs the traditional distilleries?
• How do you make sure the distilleries are engaged with attendees?
• How do you promote responsibility?
• Why would you want to include educational seminars?
• How do you determine ticket prices for attendees?
• @stlbourbonsociety @bourbononthebanks
• Support this podcast on Patreon

After an impactful career at Brown-Forman, Marianne Eaves was ready for a new challenge which led her to join an exciting startup at Castle & Key. She departed ways with Castle & Key and focused on brand consulting but now her current focus is their new Forbidden release. I invited Marianne to come on the show to talk about her new projects. If you may recall from a previous This Week in Bourbon, we were confused about Forbidden because the press release left many questions unanswered. She takes the hot seat and provides some context and clarity around the name and even the price. We also talk about some malting and other distillation stuff as well because Fred is enamored with it.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about refreshing bourbon cocktails.
• What have you been up to the past few years?
• Why would you leave Brown Forman to go to a startup?
• How has social media influenced who you are?
• What are the challenges that women face in the industry?
• How do you maintain confidence through criticism?
• Why not get away from marketing being female-focused to just being a peer?
• What blending projects do you currently have going on?
• Why was the Forbidden press release so confusing?
• What year did you start distilling at Bardstown Bourbon Company?
• How did you all come up with the price point since it’s so high?
• What did you do to distill at Bardstown Bourbon Co when there is a whole team there?
• @mariannebmd @eavesblind @forbiddenbourbon
• Support this podcast on Patreon

Today’s Roundtable will take a deeper look into a trend I’ve been noticing and trying to figure out why, as influencers and a community, people keep talking about bottom shelf bourbon like it’s something special. If you are in this hobby, most of us would give it a C rating and consider anything in the sub $20 or $25 category as average. Why do we keep doing this? Who are we trying to convince to drink these bourbons? The people that listen to this show, pay attention to blogs or YouTube’rs, or take whiskey seriously probably aren’t buying $20 bottles and don’t drink just average whiskey. I feel it’s time to elevate the discussion and kill the bottom shelf promotion. If they aren’t average bourbons, then let’s figure out why and talk about criteria to be considered average. If it is a game of dollars, then is it a race to the bottom for the big 6 and why should this audience care if it’s just average whiskey?

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about his parents.
• Why do we keep promoting bottom shelf bourbons?
• Who are we trying to convince to drink these bourbons?
• What makes an average whiskey?
• Should this audience care if it’s just average whiskey?
• @breakingbourbon @fredminnick @drinkseelbachs
  @bourbonr @sippncorn
• Support this podcast on Patreon

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Every once in a while you run across a brand that has captured lightening in a bottle. For me, I see that as Old Carter. Mark and Sherri Carter join the show to talk about their extensive background in the wine industry, but how bourbon eventually captured his interest and became a new passion. Though he knew how to build a highly-rated wine brand, entering the bourbon world brought fresh challenges. Mark and Sherri connected with Dixon Dedman and launched Kentucky Owl until it sold. After the sale, they stayed focused on super premium bourbons to target whiskey aficionados. If a barrel didn’t suit their ideal flavor profile, they would put it back in the rick rather than compromise quality. But it’s not a complete story without a bit of legal trouble and the Carter name has been no stranger to lawsuits so stick around to hear that one.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about infinity blends
• You had a big background in wine but when did bourbon come into your life?
• Did you know how to build a wine brand and what attributes to a 100 point wine?
• How did you end up getting connected with Dixon Dedman?
• How do you compete in the wine world?
• What happens when you have a bad vintage?
• After Kentucky Owl sold to Stoli, when did you want to start your own brand?
• Why did you continue going with the super premium route?
• If a barrel doesn’t fit your profile and blend, what do you do with it?
• What was your marketing approach and how did you capture the whiskey geek?
• What’s your sweet spot for your releases and how you choose your whiskeys?
• How many times have you been sued with the Carter name?
• @oldcarterwhiskeyco @oldsherricarter @markcarter52
• Support this podcast on Patreon

You might be wondering if we’ve hit peak bourbon. Bottles are everywhere and people are flocking to Kentucky in droves trying to get a Napa Valley kind of experience. Sean Higgins joins the show once again to talk about the growth of tourism, and he should know. He started Mint Julep Tours back in 2008 after noticing a gap in tourism offerings surrounding the bourbon trail. At the time, Kentucky was not yet booming in tourism like it is today. Fast forward to 2023, and bourbon tourism has exploded, with Kentucky now being a hot spot and destination as it tops the AirBNB travel charts every week. Sean shares how his business has adapted and grown through the bourbon boom, what the pandemic did for tourism in the state. We also touch on the changing demographic of visitors and innovation he sees within the sector.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about dusty bourbon
• What was the background of Mint Julep tours?
• What state is now the highest for visiting the bourbon trail?
• Have you seen an increase in bachelor and bachelorette parties?
• Do you see smaller or larger groups trending?
• What did COVID do to your business?
• Are we back to pre-COVID tourism numbers or higher?
• What’s the demographic of people coming to visit now?
• Have you established the relationships at distilleries so spots are reserved?
• What innovation have you noticed in the tourism sector?
• Have we even hit mainstream yet for bourbon tourism?
• @mintjulepexperiences
• Support this podcast on Patreon

It’s everyone’s favorite, Bourbon Community Roundtable, and this is the 83rd edition. This episode gets, we’ll say passionate at times because this is tackling the craze of finishes. The first topic is the seemingly abundance of “cigar” blend or batch bourbons. Why is this so attractive? Can’t anything be called a cigar blend? I thought the whole point of a good cigar and a good bourbon is because they already naturally pair well. That of course spins into some amburana talk and you know how that ends up. In the second half of the show, I turn my attention to the major distilleries who are putting out finishes as limited or special releases. These distilleries have an abundance of really good bourbon, so why play the game of finished when you can rely on something like a special release with a double digit age statement?

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) having a whiskey trust.
• What does “cigar blend” really mean?
• Who here likes amburana?
• Why do the major distilleries release finished bourbon when they have a bunch of really good inventory?
• Support this podcast on Patreon

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What attracts you to a brand? It’s that unexplainable underpinning called Brand Mysticism. I’m joined by author, Aaron Goldfarb and brand icon builder Steve Grasse to talk about this very subject they happened to publish a book on called Brand Mysticism. Steve has a lot of feathers in his cap such as being the brains behind Hendrix gin and Sailor Jerry rum. These aren’t typical brands like we see in bourbon but this book is how to brand almost anything. It’s a teaser into figuring out how to transform an idea into a brand, evolve an existing brand, and even some of the best lessons to take away in the book. Plus, we even dive into the brand mysticism behind Pappy Van Winkle.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about other spirits to be curious about
• Give an update to your backgrounds and how you got into spirits
• How do you transform an idea, such as a tshirt, into a brand?
• Can you just make up a brand today without a deep story?
• Do we need celebrities in the alcohol industry?
• What was the basis of the book?
• How do you constantly evolve a brand and adapt to lifestyle changes?
• What are some of those great lessons you’ve learned from Steve?
• How does Pappy fall into Brand Mysticism?
• Support this podcast on Patreon

Back on episode 397 we talked about whiskey being an investment but now we are reevaluating the current landscape and if collectible whiskey, namely bourbon, is on the decline. We consider changes in the bourbon market, including the increased interest from the high net worth community. There is a nostalgia for the past when information about whiskey was more accessible but we recognize that changes are happening. After all, there is the other notion about the legality of selling alcohol without a license and the penalties of investing in whiskey.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about celebrity whiskey
• Discussion on the decreasing pool of people buying rare bottles
• Scotch Drinkers Switch to Bourbon Due to High Prices
• New Buyers in the Bourbon Market
• High Net Worth Community’s Bourbon Value Proposition
• High-end Whiskeys: Investment Potential and NFTs
• Selling Rare Bottles and the Investment Game
• Sean Brock, Bourbon and Bigfoot
• Bourbon’s Future with Newbies and the Economy
• Pandemic Impact on Bourbon Market and the Glass Case
• Buying from the Glass Case
• The Investment Value of Glass Case Bourbons
• The Future of Whiskey as an Investment
• The Value of Rare Bottles as an Investment
• The Future of Rare Bottles as an Investment: Branding and Market Trends
• Effects of Interest Rates on Banking and Real Estate Industries
• Support this podcast on Patreon

It’s another great episode of The Bourbon Community Roundtable and this is the 82nd edition. Over the past few weeks Jack Daniel’s has made its case against a dog toy manufacturer all the way to the Supreme Court. There’s no better time than the present to have Brian Harra of Sipp’n Corn break it down into what this means for parody law and for anyone else trying to infringe on a trademark. Then we dive in with our first topic with expensive bottles of bourbon. I’m not talking secondary, I’m talking like $500 bottles. The idea came to me when I saw lots of people dismissing the new Daniel Weller release because it’s 11 years old and only 4 proof points higher than Weller 12, but Buffalo Trace is putting a price tag that is 900% higher. Does bourbon need $500 bottles? In the second half we look at distillery tasting kits. Four Roses recently announced theirs and people are already getting amped up for it. However, many distilleries have done this in the past and failed. Has the time come when we could see this trend start to take off?

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about what distillery could overtake Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection.
• Talk about the Jack Daniel’s case against the dog toy manufacturer.
• Does bourbon need $500 bottles?
• Do you think distillery tasting kits will take off?
• Why have tasting kits failed in the past?
• @breakingbourbon
  @drinkseelbachs
  @bourbonr
  @sippncorn
• Support this podcast on Patreon

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If you’re looking for a bourbon that has been crafted by arguably the best distiller of wheated bourbon and blended by the most respected nose in the industry, then you’re looking for Wyoming Whiskey. The story of how Wyoming Whiskey got started is fascinating and that’s why I invited David DeFazio, one of the original Co-Founders, to come on the show and share how an idea of starting a winery turned into a distillery that failed on their first release, crawled its way back to greatness. David shares the story of buying a Vendome still but not having a distiller and took Steve Nally, the man responsible for decades of wheated bourbon production at Maker’s Mark and now serving as the Master Distiller at Bardstown bourbon Company, out of retirement to be the person who would set them up for amazing whiskey for years to come. But, that’s not all, David and his team also got Nancy Fraley to come in and be the person who would take their releases to the next level. Plus, stick around to the end to hear about some rye distillation fun.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about stonefruit
• What got you into whiskey and how did you carve your path in this industry?
• What did you want to come away with when you visited the Kentucky Bourbon Festival trying to start this business?
• What did you think Wyoming could offer to the whiskey landscape?
• How did you get connected to Steve Nally?
• When you started did you feel there was going to be a demand for bourbon?
• Did you tell Steve Nally what kind of bourbon to create?
• What’s the climate like for aging?
• Where did the relationship with Nancy Fraley start?
• What was your sales plan?
• How did you win people back when you failed in your first release?
• Did Edrington try to make things super luxury after the acquisition?
• Was there a reason that the backstory and founders haven’t been on the forefront of the brand story?
• @wyomingwhiskey
• Support this podcast on Patreon