Bourbon Pursuit

The barrel is where the magic happens and it takes years for your whiskey to achieve it's optimal flavor. Most of us are familiar with the standard american white oak barrel with a char 4. Yet, there are hundreds, if not, thousands of combinations that go into creating a barrel from the wood species, stave seasoning, char, toasting and how it ages based on location in a geography or a floor in a warehouse. There's one guy that does all this research and that's Andrew Wiehebrink from Independent Stave. This is his third time on the show and this time he brings different aging experiments for us to taste through. We taste the same whiskey from different levels of a warehouse and even the same american single malt aged in texas and scotland. We also dive into the state of the barrel shortage, our shared distain of amburana, the shift to char 1, and what new innovations are coming from the barrel and oak alternative market. Show Notes: Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about will today's bottles be a new dusty. Talk about what stave seasoning does for the whiskey Why does Kentucky have more extraction than Texas? What does elevation from levels on a warehouse do to the aging process? How often do you revisit experiments? Does the mashbill make a difference to your experiments? Would American Single Malt make more sense to use new vs used barrels? What did the location differences for American Single Malt experiments make? Has the barrel shortage been resolved? Do you research the human element and what consumers are looking for in taste? What do you think of Amburana and exotic wood species? How are you smoking barrels? Why is Char 1 creating a darker whiskey and are there diminishing returns? Does pot vs column still play a role? Where are oak alternatives heading? How do you design a barrel correctly for double oaking? Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Hayner Path of Totality Bourbon. This 10 year old bourbon is 100 proof and $90 MSRP. Let us know what you think. Cheers!DISCLAIMER: The whiskey in this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy of the spirit producer. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is our honest opinion based on what we tasted. Please drink responsibly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's This Week in Bourbon for June 7th 2024. A new record for the highest price bourbon bottle ever sold at auction, Chicken Cock Whiskey has announced the grand opening of its brand home, Circa 1856, and Green River Launches Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.Show Notes: Breaking Bourbon turns 10 Camp Runamok for 2024 H.K. Young Bourbon Co launch Peg Leg Porker Spirits blending and bottling facility Ross and Squibb Distillery announced enhancements to their barrel program Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) fines 5 retailers for illegal shipping Diageo vs W.J. Deutsch & Sons is over Chicken Cock Whiskey has announced Circa 1856 RECORD BREAKING SALE Curry’s Gentleman’s Cut is releasing a 15-year-old straight bourbon whiskey branded Player Exclusive Heaven Hill B524 of Elijah Craig and Larceny Knob Creek 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Bear Fight Kentucky Reserve Frank August partners with Jane Bowie and Denny Potter Rebel 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon Buckner’s 17 Lost Lantern is release nine whiskies Barrell Bourbon Batch 036 FEW Smashing Pumpkins Bourbon Green River Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon @breakingbourbon @camp_runamok @h.@k.@youngbourbonco @peglegporker @rossandsquibb @chickencockwhiskey @unicorn_auction @stephencurry30 @heavenhillbrands @elijahcraig @larcenybourbon @knobcreek @bearfightwhiskey @thefrankaugust @rebelbourbon @augustakydistillery @lostlanternwhiskey @barrellbourbon @fewspirits @smashingpumpkins @greenriverdistillingco Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of us scoff at celebrity whiskey because let's be honest, most celebrities don't care as much about the product as they do sales. But on a past whiskey quickie we reviewed Whiskey JYPSI and that one changed our mind. It wasn't until we started diving into it that we discovered Ari Sussman. He's a whiskey maker for many brands like Whiskey JYPSI, Three Chord, and Mammoth Distilling, but his history with spirits will fascinate you. He's truly a student of the art where he spent years overseas bartending, discovered vintage cocktail books, and was an integral part of the first ever university distilling program at Michigan State. We talk to Ari about his past and then dive into the Whiskey JYPSI brand and how Eric Church and himself are trying to change the face of celebrity booze. Show Notes: Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about finding better bourbon in the Netherlands. How did you get to this point in your career? What old school cocktails and liqueurs fascinated you? Were you trying to use the University of Michigan distilling program to innovate new things? Can you talk about blending 50ml bottles? What brands did you help build? Why would a company want to ghost blend? How did you get hooked up with Whiskey JYPSI? Why is this celebrity brand different than others? How have you added in Canadian whiskey and light whiskey into a blend? What do you feel is more innovative in world whiskey that's not happening in American whiskey? Why are you trying to be different in this celebrity world? Why JYPSI? Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Town Branch Straight Rye Whiskey. This non-age stated rye whiskey is 100 proof and $55 MSRP. Let us know what you think. Cheers!DISCLAIMER: The whiskey in this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy of the spirit producer. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is our honest opinion based on what we tasted. Please drink responsibly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe to Behind The Pursuit: From Bourbon to BrandWill consumers become tired of Kentucky bourbon? With the rise of non-Kentucky brands gaining recognition for their quality whiskey, Kentucky bourbon still holds a strong position in the market due to its long-established reputation and consumer perception of safety and acceptance. While Kentucky will likely continue to hold the cache of consumer preferences, today we debate whether consumers will move past the big six Kentucky brands, or Kentucky in general, and latch on or explore other options. We'd love to hear from you on this!We hit on: Non-Kentucky brands like Ben Holladay, JT Meleck, Still Austin and Frey Ranch gaining recognition for their quality whiskey. Kentucky bourbon still holds a strong position in the market due to its long-established reputation and consumer perception of safety and acceptance Consumers may be hesitant to move past the big six Kentucky brands due to familiarity and brand recognition The cache of Kentucky will likely continue due to marketing and consumer preferences Are there Kentucky Bourbons being made that are still riding the 'Kentucky Badge of Honor' that aren't very good? As a blender, why does Kentucky matter as a point of inclusion if that isn’t a focus of the product (or even on the label)? and much more.Be sure to visit pursuitspirits.com and click on Visit Us to book a tasting or barrel selection experience. For questions or topic requests on upcoming episodes, email us at podcast@pursuitspirits.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exploring the decline in whiskey sales and future forecasts, the podcast delves into whether the bourbon peak has been surpassed. Discussing the need for category growth and strategies to reignite interest in bourbon among consumers.

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review High Bank Distillery Whiskey War Double Double. This 5 year old whiskey is 116 proof and $100 MSRP. Let us know what you think. Cheers!DISCLAIMER: The whiskey in this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy of the spirit producer. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is our honest opinion based on what we tasted. Please drink responsibly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's This Week in Bourbon for May 24th 2024. The maker of Ozempic is investigating its effect on desire to drink alcohol. Woodford Reserve releases Toasted Bourbon, and the oldest Beam bourbon ever bottled will be an astounding 20 years old.Show Notes: Howler Head continues as the Official Flavored Whiskey of UFC The maker of Ozempic is investigating its effect on desire to drink alcohol US government dietary guidelines may say that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption Uncle Nearest acquires Square One Organic Spirits Burton James Uniquely American Whiskey Single Barrel Selection – Wheated Bourbon Woodford Reserve releases Toasted Bourbon The oldest Beam bourbon ever bottled will be an astounding 20 years old @howlerheadwhiskey @ufc @unclenearest @squareoneorganicspirits @burtonjameswhiskey @woodfordreserve @beamdistilling @jimbeamofficial Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us make pivots in our career. I had my own where I had really was focused on networking in tech early on but then after I did my first presentation to a room of 500 people, I discovered I really liked it and found a new role in technical marketing. Our guest has a similar story where he wanted to get into distilling, made a successful gin brand then tried to build a whiskey brand, but realized how hard it was and thought, how can I get more people to try our products? And that's how Whiskey Riot was born. Bobby Finan is the Founder and Organizer of Whiskey Riot Festivals across the country and we get into his past of getting into the distilling business and how he took on personal debt to hold his position at his first company and launch Whiskey Riot simultaneously. Now Whiskey Riot is expanding to more cities so if you're looking for a new event to attend, put this one on your list. Show Notes: Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about distilleries creating music halls. Before there was a festival, you had your own brand and forged your way into spirits early on. When you wanted to start a distillery did you have a business plan? What was it about your Tommy Rotter gin that really took off? Why didn't your whiskey business ever take off? Did you think you could make people come to you instead of going out to stores? How were you funding Whiskey Riot? What was your return on investment for a typical event? How do you evaluate a city for a new festival? Why would a legacy brand vs a new brand want to go to whiskey fest? Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices