Bourbon Pursuit

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Latest Episodes:

094 - No One Is Safe: Non-sense Marketing, Price Increases, and Hoarders with Bourbon Truth, Blogger Apr 14, 2017

Show notes

Bourbon Truth, the infamous blogger and twitter persona known as Lloyd Christmas, gives a Bourbon Pursuit exclusive where no one is safe. He tells it like it is and let's you know not everything smells like roses.

Show Notes:

What made you start blogging? (spoiler alert, he has bone to pick with the Van Winkles)
Let’s talk about distilleries and their non-sense tactics. Which ones stand out the most and why?
Your latest blog post talked about the issues behind private barrel picks. Let’s talk because people are moving to these as the limited edition market is now flooded with people.
Let's talk about marketing over the value of the bottles. What do you see consumers continually falling for?
Distillers are continually pushing the envelope of cost. Bottles are increasing in price and even limited editions that were once $50 are now $350 at retail. These were always 15 year bourbons. What’s the long-term effect?
Should a person that never drank Bourbon before 2017 take the precious bottles from those drinking it for 5 or 10 years? Are they worthy?
Is there a problem with people “collecting” bourbon?
Does Craft Whiskey stand a chance?

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093 - Tom Bulleit of Bulleit Distilling Co at the Derby Museum Legend Series Apr 06, 2017

Show notes

Fred Minnick interviews Tom Bulleit of the Bulleit Distilling Company for the Kentucky Derby Museum's Bourbon Legends Series.

Show Notes:

Listen as Fred tries to pry information out of Tom about family history, stitzel-weller, age statements, and more

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092 - Building the Barrels at Brown Forman with Michael Nelson Mar 31, 2017

Show notes

We are going back and revisiting episode #056 about building the barrels at Brown Forman. This is a great to wrap up back to basics month. Michael Nelson, Plant Director at the Brown-Forman Cooperage, gives a step-by-step and inside look to the barrel making process.

Give us your bourbon story.
Before we dive into the ins and outs of technicalities of barrel char. give us a history lesson about where we are.
So this is my first encounter being at a cooperage. give me the 101
We saw one barrel that was cross cut. Talk about that.
What’s the average number of discarded barrels that don’t meet some sort of quality assurance?
Talk about char levels for a bit because it’s something that is always said, but never really explained about in depth.
Is the barrel making process getting more expensive on a yearly basis because of demand and material supply?
For everyone that missed the episode with Chris Morris where we talked briefly about the cooperage, talk about what it means to have a cooperage dedicated to their private whiskey
The release of Cooper’s Craft happened recently. And it was named after the location of where we are recording today. What does that mean to you?

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091 - Making Whiskey Stills and Vendome Copper and Brass Works with Mike Sherman, Owner Mar 24, 2017

Show notes

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

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090 - Our Beginnings, Gateway Bourbons, and Newbie Tips on Bourbon Community Roundtable #7 Mar 17, 2017

Show notes

The Bourbon Community Roundtable #7 talks about their beginnings with bourbon. Where did it all start, the intimidating scenarios, tips for beginners, and even tips for veterans.

Show Notes:

What was your gateway bourbon? The one that started it all...
Blake you started with a barrel-proof, why is that?
Do you think it’s a smart idea to introduce people to bourbon with low proof vs high-proof?
What bottles would you say are a must for a newb? I know this is very broad question, but if I was gonna start with 5 bottles, what would be on your list?
What’s the most intimidating thing about being new to this?
Tips to newbies getting into this
Tips to veterans like us to help new people?
What’s the first limited release bourbon that made you become a sucker for FOMO?

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089 - Deep Dive into Bottled in Bond with Bernie Lubbers, Whiskey Ambassador for Heaven Hill Mar 10, 2017

Show notes

Bernie Lubbers, Whiskey Ambassador for Heaven Hill and also known as The Whiskey Professor, joins the show to talk about bottled-in-bond and what makes these bourbons “bricks of gold”.

Show Notes:

Talk about Bern’s Corner and how you arrange your bottles
What has made you so fascinated with Bottled-in-Bond.
Talk about the issue or necessity behind bottled-in-bond
When people were diluting whiskey or using tobacco spit, were people still buying it?
Why 100 proof and not 90 or 80?
Is the bottled-in-bond act still a binding piece of legislation?
So you can have bottled-in-bond of spirits other than bourbon?
There is an interpretation for bottled-in-bond corn whiskey
Why did Issac Wolfe Bernheim against the bottled-in-bond act?
Talk about Colonel Taylor and his involvement
Were there any palms that were greased to make this happen?
After this bill passed, did it put brands out of business?
What’s the importance of having bottled-in-bond today?
What is the responsible for the resurgence of bottled-in-bond?

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088 - Back to Basics with Bourbon 101 and 201 with Tim Knittel, Bourbon Educator at Distilled-Living.com Mar 03, 2017

Show notes

Tim Knittel, Bourbon Educator at Distilled-Living.com and a certified Stave & Thief Society Executive Bourbon Steward, kicks off "back to basics" month by giving an in-depth Bourbon 101 and 201 level knowledge bomb. You will learn something new, guaranteed or your money back!

Show Notes:

let's start from the top. What is bourbon?
How's it made?
What goes into it?
What's the average proof coming off the distillate?
Some people say that limestone water is a big reason why Kentucky bourbon taste better. Is that true or can I get the same effect out of a garden hose?
Is anything stopping someone outside of America from making a bourbon or it just can't be called that?
What advice do you give people of the first bottles to buy that give you a variable taste range?
So people like us who think we know everything, what's a common misperception or falsification we tend to fall for?
What’s the most common question you get asked at your tastings

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087 - From Never Owning a Bottle to Being The Master Distiller at Four Roses with Brent Elliott Feb 24, 2017

Show notes

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

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086 - Old Grandad 114 Stays, Buffalo Trace Launches OFC, and Holding Grudges Against NDPs on Bourbon Community Roundtable #6 Feb 17, 2017

Show notes

The Bourbon Community Roundtable #6 discusses Beam sales tactics with OGD114 news, Buffalo Trace OFC conspiracy theories, and is there a bias towards NDP/MGP when buying off the shelf.

Show Notes:

Blake from Bourbonr.com, Nick from BreakingBourbon.com and Kerry from Subourbia.com.
OGD 114 is here to stay. Another Beam ploy to drive shelf sales.
There’s been no shortage of getting your chance to buy raffle tickets for the Buffalo Trace OFC bottles. They carry a suggested price tag of $8-10k. Is there a hidden motive here by Buffalo Trace? A clever coup by BT to bring a bottle to market valued at $10k then release more OFC to the general market at $1k and call it a bargain?
NDP, MGP, and the bias. Do you hold a grudge against NDPs and refuse to buy? Or are you a believer that the flavor can come from aging and finishing rather than the distillate.
Bruce Schwalm: Question for the panel: If we geeks are the 1% of the drinkers, why aren't we more focused on the art and less on the marketing?

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085 - The Angel's Share is the First Fictional Novel on Bourbon with James Markert, Author Feb 10, 2017

Show notes

James Markert, author of The Angel’s Share, joins the show to share information about the first fictional novel based on bourbon that takes place in Twisted Tree, Kentucky on an old family distillery that was abandoned after prohibition.

Show Notes:

Talk about your brush with bourbon
Let’s talk about The Angel’s Share, what’s the premise of the story?
What are some distilleries where you got inspiration?
Does it take a different kind of author to write something completely fictional?
Do you have a fascination with the 1920’s gangster era?
What does this book mean to you as you carve out a new mark in bourbon history?

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