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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Drew Mayville, Master Blender at Buffalo Trace / Sazerac, has one of the most important jobs and that’s making sure the blended products meet a flavor profile. We dive into the differences between tanked and non-tank Sazerac 18 year and even talk about his involvement with the Old Rip 25 year.

Show Notes:

• Talk about your past because I did some LinkedIn sleuthing last night and come to find out you’re no spring chicken.
• Talk about what it means to be a master blender because we talk to master distillers all the time but we don’t get to see this side very often
• Talk about the panel and the process
• Would you say blenders are under appreciated in this business?
• Talk about some of the labels you are blending for
• Let’s take Eagle Rare as an example, what are some of the characteristics you are looking for to have it’s consistency?
• Are you using a previous batch or set of samples and comparing that to new samples?
• Did I read somewhere that BT’s Buffalo Cream is your baby?
• What else are you or your team responsible for?
• Fireball?
• Harlen has his vodka. If you have your way, what sort of spirit do you want your name across?
• Everyone knows that warehouse X is part of the experimentation projects. Do you have some of your own things over there as well?
• Don’t you think experimentation of everything has been done already? Many consumers are just looking for good bourbon from a good distillery with a rich history.
• Personally, the EHT 4 Grain was a way to build the EH Taylor hype but, of BT knew the 4grain bourbon was better than 3, then all bourbons would have been 4grain from the beginning. am i wrong?
• Is the single barrel, barrel proof explosion going to put you out of business?

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Brent Elliott, Master Distiller at Four Roses, takes us through the creation of Al Young’s 50th Anniversary bourbon at an exclusive session during WhiskyLive.

Show Notes:

• Listen as Brent talks about every individual bourbon and how it blended all together to make Al’s commemorative bourbon.
• Listen to Al Young’s podcast and all the past Four Roses episodes at http://bourbo.nz/4R
• Special Thanks to WhiskyLiveUSA for letting us share this information with you during WhiskyLive Louisville. Show your support for WhiskyLiveUSA by liking their page and attending one of their events.

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Charlie Downs, Artisanal Distillery Manager at Evan Williams Bourbon Experience (a part of Heaven Hill Brands) talks about the operations, his mentorship with Parker Beam, and the recollection of events that took place at the Heaven Hill fire of 1996.

Show Notes:

• Before we dive into it, people have to know about you. As most people may know, my wife works at HH and I was at the company Christmas party this year where you were honored by spending your 40th year at HH.
• What has this business taught you?
• Talk about how you carved your path in HH and who was your mentor and who gave you those lucky breaks?
• Do you have a favorite memory with Parker?
• Lots of people like to just call this a tourist center, but this is actually a functioning distillery as well
• Is it just Evan Williams or a different mash bill are you distilling?
• How many barrels a day?
• And you’re about to hit that 4 year mark, what’s the plans for the first few barrels?
• Talk about the fire of 1996 and where were you
• Other than amount, what the difference between you here and Denny over at the Bernheim plant
• Do you often feel like a hamster in a cage?

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Brent Elliott, Master Distiller at Four Roses, talks about how he never owned a bottle of Four Roses until he interviewed and how the conversation went when he was tapped to be the new Master Distiller.

Show Notes:

• Talk about growing up in Owensboro, your history and education
• What made you want to get into bourbon?
• Were you a Four Roses bourbon fan when you applied to work here?
• Was Four Roses the first place you looked at working?
• How long have you been working at Four Roses?
• Talk a little bit about working with Jim Rutledge under his tutelage.
• So talk about that phone call, when it’s usually depicted in the movies as being called up to the CEOs office on the 33rd floor to get that big promotion
• Why is there not a rye whiskey offered by Four Roses?
• What about the rage of barrel finishes or cinnamon whiskey?
• From Kevin Ragland on Facebook – How was the process for selecting 2016 LE went since it was the first time you would have done it without Jim.
• Why did you come out and call it Elliott’s Select instead of just the normal 2016 Limited Edition Single Barrel?
• From Travis Roberts on Facebook – Will FR continue their barrel selections in the future and if so, will they eventually be able to offer barrels aged 10+ years again to consumers?
• Talk about life outside of bourbon

John Little, VP and Head Distiller at Smooth Ambler, talks about the how the whole operation started from a note his father-in-law gave him from Time magazine. John dives into the roots of his current distillation and the single barrels seen on the market.

Show Notes:

• Talk a little about your past and how you got into Whiskey
• What made you want to start a bourbon company a long time ago outside of KY?
• Talk about Smooth Ambler for a bit and what you offer
• Talk about the name behind it as well. Smooth Ambler, Contradiction, Old Scout, etc;
• So how did you learn about the distilling process since you didn’t have a background in it?
• You all don’t hide the fact that a lot of what’s on the market today is sourced from MGP. But there was a question that was brought up by Ryan Lintz that asked “Why Does SA MGP sourced bourbon taste so much better than others? Is it because it’s bottled at Cask Strength? Or is it a mental hype train thing?”
• The Old Scout store picks have had wild success. It seems like people can’t get enough of them
• Are we ever going to see Very Old Old Scout again?
• The biggest news as of late was Pernod Ricard has taken a majority stake in your company. First off, congratulations. I hope we’re going to see a new ferrari in your driveway soon, but what does this mean for your business.

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Jimmy Russell, Master Distiller and Legend at Wild Turkey, sits down to tell his story. He thinks he’s “Plain Ol’ Jimmy” but once you hear his stories about childhood, befriending the likeness of greats in the industry, and sharing his wealth of knowledge you will see he really is an icon.

Show Notes:

• I want to talk about your history before Wild Turkey.
• Talk a little bit about your childhood and upbringing. Sports, basketball, track, baseball.
• I know your father and grandfather were in this whiskey business, is that why you got into the bourbon industry?
• Were you always around bourbon?
• What made you come to Wild Turkey in beginning?
• What was the state of Wild Turkey when you joined?
• How big was the operation?
• Who were your mentors?
• How have you embraced a lot of modern distillation techniques with computers and automation taking over?
• What was life like for you before the boom?
• Did you ever make any radical changes to Wild Turkey?
• You were best friends with the greatest minds in the industry before bourbon was cool. Talk about the comradery between people like you, Elmer, Booker, and the like.
• Now that bourbon is in the spotlight, are you hesitant on taking a backseat because at 82 years old, you won’t stop and you continue to travel to talk about Wild Turkey.
• Your son Eddie now has taken the spot light. What’s it mean to you that you get to trust the business to him?
• From @bourbonooga: Do they wish the old distillery was still down by where Warehouse A sits?
• From @Primo55: The eternal debate: Cheesy Gold Foil 12yr or Split Label 12 yr?
• What do you think is the best product that ever came out of here?
• Give us your thoughts on the 6-8 vs older aged bourbons?
• From @BreakingBourbon: Share a drink with anyone past/present/future who would it be and why?
• What are some of those things that you want to leave as a legacy?

Eddie Russell, Master Distiller at Wild Turkey, joins the show to discuss growing up around the distillery, apprenticeship, and what tradition has taught him about the business.

Show Notes:

• Talk about your childhood. What was your upbringing like?
• What sports did you play?
• You were also going to play college ball at one point
• How did you get roped into this operation?
• In 2015 you were named Master Distiller here at Wild Turkey. Talk about your job now.
• Did your formal education prepare you for being a Master Distiller?
• What are some of the biggest lessons your father taught you?
• What was life like before the bourbon craze?
• Do you and your dad have the same flavor pallet?
• Your dad has said time and time again he’s hard-headed and old fashioned. What are some of the traditions here at Wild Turkey you intend on keeping?
• Do you feel a sense of pressure?
• From Erik Hasselgärde on Facebook: Bourbon is rooted in tradition, some from 200 years ago, some from 50. What are they learning about bourbon today, that they hope to pass on to future bourbon producers?
• From Ryan Oberleitner: Why has their entry proof been raised over the years? What affect do they think that has had?
• Do you plan on bring the 13yr age stated export here stateside?
• From Jack Johnson on Facebook: When they reach 100 years (total together) as Master Distillers (which will occur in less than 18 months), can we expect some outstanding special editions?
• From- Will T @iamwillt: Can we please get age and warehouse info on private and single barrels? It would give us reason to buy multiples.
• What’s one thing that annoys you in the bourbon industry?
• Do the ladies pay attention to you when Matthew McConaughey is around?
• Last year you all came out with Russells Reserve 1998. Talk about that release because I’m mad at myself I didn’t drop the money on it and people are raving it’s one of the best things to come out of Wild Turkey
• What’s next for Eddie Russell?

Trey Zoeller, Founder and Master Blender of Jefferson’s Bourbon, shares his story with some new information about a new Presidential special release.

Show Notes:

• Your family history is going to play a large part in this, talk about how you got into bourbon.
• Quickly talk about your dad for a bit
• How did you start the Jefferson’s Brand
• For our listeners out there just now getting into bourbon, give us your pitch of Jeffersons.
• Give some history on why it’s called Jefferson’s Bourbon and not Zoeller’s reserve
• You’ve been a non-distilling producer since 1997 up until last year. Talk about the current operations
• The Jefferson’s Presidential line hasn’t been seen on the shelves around the country in a few years. Any chance of those higher aged bourbons making a return?
• We also haven’t seen any of the Jefferson’s Rye
• You’ve been doing quite a bit of experimenting lately. The Jefferson’s Wood Experiment, Chef Collaboration, the Groth Cask finish, the Oceans. are there any other’s I’m missing? Anything on the horizon?
• There is actually a pretty great story behind the Oceans and I think the listeners would get a kick out of it. So talk about that
• Ocean’s Cask strength is making its way out there. We’ve seen many start going that route and offering barrel strength expressions
• Follow along with Jefferson’s Journey
• What’s the life of Trey like outside of bourbon?

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