Bourbon Pursuit

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This one is going to be a heater in December! Join Bourbon Pursuit along with bloggers from Bourbonr, Subrourbia, and Sipp'n Corn to talk about these following questions and a 2016 Year in Review:Show Notes: Let's bring the heat. What the hell is Beam doing?! On the last episode we talked about gifting bourbon in the $50 or $100 range. Now, what bourbons do you "want" to be gifted if you had the choice? Was 2016 a year of dud bourbons? What was one thing you were happy about and one thing that pissed you off in 2016? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin Didio, Manager of Kentucky Visitor Experience at Bulleit Frontier Experience, talks about his career in bourbon with multiple distilleries, dives into the history of Stitzel-Weller and IW Harper, and talks about the visitor attractions you can see at the reinstated Stitzel-Weller Distillery.Show Notes: Talk about your role here at the Bulleit Frontier. Before we talk about some of the other positions you've held, Talk about how you got into bourbon. I found my calling in college, what about you? Talk about your career with various players in the industry Talk about more about your time at Jim Beam and what you were doing This is also the historic site of the Old Fitzgerald / Stitzel-Weller Distillery. Now, we do have a lot of people listening for the education, so talk about the history of the distillery itself. Can you comment on what you think made people Stitzel-Weller crazy? Talk about what's happening on the grounds here today. Distillation? Aging? Bottling? Brands? Is there a possibility that Bulleit can have the same product as the famed Stitzel-Weller? Talk about the bottling happening here Give people the small run-down of Bulleit history Talk about Blade and Bow It's a bit of an odd duck here because this is owned by Diageo. You've got a whole heap of brands that you can talk about. Bulleit, IW Harper, Orphan Barrels, blade and Bow etc. Talk about which one of those you have a bigger fascination with and why At this point, I guess we never talked about some IW Harper history. Can you school us there? Talk about a typical tour done here? How can people schedule tours? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bourbon Community Roundtable #3 - we discuss best bottles for the dollar, holiday sharing, hunting stories, and Kerry’s #pappyslapShow Notes: Max Gordian on Bourbonr Facebook: Just curious, how long do you usually let your bourbon breathe after you pour a glass? What's the -cheapest- bottle worth having? The holidays are coming up with the family. We've all got family members who like bourbon but not on our level. Do you bring the goods or some of the regular stuff you want to deplete? What's your favorite $50. That cuts out things like OWA as well as pretty much any LTO What's the furthest you've traveled for a bottle and what did you get? So this past week on Twitter, Kerry finally got Julian to drop a bomb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Kokoris, author of The Big Man of Jim Beam: Booker Noe And the Number-One Bourbon In the World, joins the show to talk about the life of Booker Noe and the impact he made on the industry. How did you get into writing about bourbon? What kind of man was Booker Noe? What was Booker doing as a Master Distiller before that term became skewed - over the years? How did Booker have the foresight of single barrel and small batches is where the market is headed? Did Booker embrace the fame? What memorable stories stick out from your travels with Booker? What would Booker think of the certain state of bourbon affairs? Where did Booker start at the distillery? Where can you get the book? Perhaps as a stocking stuffer this christmas. Amazon www.jimkokoris.net is where you can learn more about Jim   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jay Erisman, Vice President, & Hannah Loween, General Manager, from New Riff Distilling talk about the unique bourbon they are making while being in an urban setting.Show Notes: Jay Erisman, Vice President - Distiller - Strategic Development Hannah Loween, General Manager Tell us how you got started with brown spirits? Talk a bit about the history of New Riff. What's the story behind the name of New Riff? Talk about all your different stills Talk about your milling process Talk about your water source Where are all the computers? Talk about OKI because it might be the most well known. What's the ranger program? What's it mean to have a distillery like this in Newport which is right next to Cincinnati? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Trevino, the YouTube sensation known as Liquor Hound, talks about the intricacies of reviewing whiskey ranging from the type of glass to even the water used to dilute it.Show Notes: How did you get started with whiskey Talk about what you do. How many videos do you have and how many whiskies have you reviewed? Lets talk about your process of tasting because a simple tasting with you on your youtube videos takes a solid 10 to 15 minutes - Liquor Hound Back on episode 30 we talked with Rowbert and Tom from Aroma Academy Sensory training. i want you to talk about your aroma training and how do you pull out all these scents? When you review bourbons, do you get tired of always saying, it smells like caramel and vanilla. Talk about the glasses you use to taste. After you take a sip you almost roll your tongue. are you trying to get more tastes out of it? You also will add water at times. Talk about the water you use and the amount of drops you put into a whiskey You talk about wood and oak, but explain to our listeners what is a tannin? What i’ve noticed is that you aren’t rating the whiskey. why not? Since you have a good palette, do you do your own barrel picks for stores? Do you prefer scotch or bourbon or just any whiskey? Any reviews coming up we can look forward to View all his videos at Liquor Hound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bourbon Community Roundtable #2 - we discuss bourbon regrets, thoughts on bottle signings, what brand markets best, and weller special reserve.Show Notes: Watch it on Bourbon Pursuit's YouTube Page Joined by Blake from Bourbonr.com, Jordan from BreakingBourbon.com, and Brian from Sipp'n Corn. What's your biggest bourbon regret? Getting bottles signed. your thoughts? What distillery or brand does the best job marketing their products? Why do people really give a shit or go crazy for regular weller special reserve? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices