Bourbon Pursuit

Cracking the can on a warm day sounds like something out of commercial. Over the past year we talked about the RTD or ready-to-drink category beginning to explode because of High Noon and now major bourbon brands are moving into the ready-to-drink space since the canned cocktails' accessibility, lower alcohol content, and mixability make them an appealing gateway for newcomers while still leveraging whiskey's premium status. Though launching requires significant investment, the potential for brand awareness and category growth is alluring. In this episode, Ryan, Fred, and Kenny sip on 5 different bourbon-based RTDs and give our theories on canned cocktail popularity, health concerns, ingredients, and where the category could expect to go. Show Notes: Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about the best rickhouse in the industry. Drinking Jim Beam Highball Why do brands decide to get into the RTD category? Drinking Jack Daniel's Honey Lemonade How important is sugar content in the RTD? Can RTDs be a gateway to more bourbon drinkers? Is it better to have brand recognition before starting a RTD? Drinking Home School Blood Orange Manhattan Is it too expensive to get into the RTD game? What is the shelf life of a RTD? How do you define a RTD? Drinking CANVAS Bourbon Lemon Spice Is Bourbon Cream a RTD? Do prefer carbonation or no carbonation? Drinking Thomas Ashborn Classic Old Fashion Does it matter what kind of bourbon you put into it? Where is this category going to go? Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Ironroot Harbinger Tribarrel Blend Bourbon. This bourbon is 132.8 proof and $86 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 January 19th 2024. Uber is shuttering alcohol delivery service Drizly, Woodford Reserve has partnered with award-winning gourmet chocolate brand for Valentines Day, and Old Forester® announces the newest release in its Whiskey Row Series 1924.Show Notes: Woodford Reserve partners with Compartés for Valentines Day RD1 Spirits has unveiled plans for its $4.8 million brand destination Uber Technologies is shuttering alcohol delivery service Drizly The States That Drink the Most Alcohol in America Diageo and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs have settled their legal disputes Staghorn is opening its first distillery, Garrard County Distilling Co. Old Forester 1924 Garrison Brothers 2024 Guadalupe six-year-old Rabble Rouser Bottled-in-Bond Rye Whisky from Catoctin Creek @woodfordreserve @rd1spirits @compartes @vinepair @oldforester @garrisonbros @catoctincreek Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that we have our own bourbon with Pursuit Spirits, we're learning first hand how distributors can make or break your brand. There's a huge learning curve to understanding the lingo and just being able to communicate on the same page. But this can be maddening if you choose the wrong distributor that doesn't give you any attention and let's your brand go stale. We invited Johnny Foster to come back on the show to give us insights on how to work best with distributors. Johnny was a guest back on Episode 227 when he was a part of Smooth Ambler but now he's at Ragged Branch and leads their sales and distribution. He gives the pros and cons of selecting large versus boutique distributors, how to spend smartly on incentives, and targeted marketing funds. Ultimately though, motivating partners comes down to building authentic relationships through regular visits and communication. Show Notes: Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about the export market. What are you doing today at Ragged Branch? How do you motivate distributors without losing your damn mind? How do you tell a story and justify a higher price tag versus the big 6 staples? What can smaller distillers do to appeal to distributors? How do you guide people on choosing a distributor that is big or small? How do you spend money with a distributor through incentives and programs? What does it cost to get in-store displays? What dollar amount per case do you put towards programming? What makes a company look attractive for acquisition? What are successful methods for marketing and getting product off the shelf? Where do you put focus on chains vs independent stores? How do you protect yourself from contracts? Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Heaven's Door Bootleg Volume V Bourbon. This 18-year-old bourbon is 114 proof and $600 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 January 12th 2024. A new bourbon documentary comes out today called Bourbon Blaze, Rebel Bourbon has signed a sponsorship agreement with Richard Childress Racing, and Templeton Whiskey Unveils their Templeton Straight Bourbon.Show Notes: Spec's had their massive drop. So camping is alive and well. Bourbon Blaze: The Night That Tested America’s Spirit Banks Festival demonstrates its commitment to community impact Artisanal Spirits Company (ASC), owner of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), has acquired US-based independent bottler Single Cask Nation Middle West Spirits has completed a new world-class distillery in Columbus, Ohio Rebel Bourbon has signed a sponsorship agreement with Richard Childress Racing Traveller Whiskey Templeton Straight Bourbon @specs1962 @bourbononthebanks @singlecasknation @middlewestspirits @rebelbourbon @templetondistillery Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the first roundtable of 2024 and, as usual, we want to pack it with our best 2024 predictions of the year. Some may seem obvious, some may seem way out of left field, and some are even dreary. Yet, the current landscape of bourbon has changed so we're in for another wild ride in 2024!Show Notes: Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about drinking too much water. Our 2024 Predictions. Sorry, no spoilers. Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Little Book Chapter 7: In Retrospect Whiskey. This non-age stated whiskey is 118.1 proof and $150 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 BrandWe’ve talked for awhile now that as we’ve been bringing people in for tastings and experiences at the distillery, and it has been an amazing time to bring people in, that Kenny and Ryan have lead all those experiences. As fun as that is, it isn’t scalable to the business for that to always take place and we needed people to be an extension of Kenny and Ryan. People who can speak on their behalf, know the product, and can show folks a great time when they visit. As a fan suggestion to the podcast, today we are going to meet the new additions to the crew: Joe, Sarah, and Tim. There are so many directions we went with this episode, so don’t miss a minute of it. We hit on: What is everyone’s back story?  How did everyone get into the industry?  What led you to bourbon specifically?  What does it look like to go through the University of Louisville’s Distilled Spirits program? How does Joe feel about being the most advanced Cicerone in Kentucky?  Is there something about the brand, the guys, or the whiskey that surprised you about Pursuit Spirits?  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

There was a huge buying frenzy during the pandemic, but where is the secondary market of bourbon headed? We saw a huge boom and that bubble is starting to deflate a bit. Nata Gana originally started as a whiskey-focused Instagram account and worked directly with brands, but has since evolved into a writer covering the entire spirits industry and has also began curating his own sample packs out in the market called Bevridge. As secondary whiskey market values skyrocketed the past decade, iconic bottles like Pappy Van Winkle became difficult to obtain, yet seem poised to stall. Nate gives his opinion on the state of collecting and what allocated bottles are worth the chase and where he sees the bottom falling out. Show Notes: Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about present day prohibition on our economy. How did you initially monetize your Instagram account? Are the guidelines changing for how brands have to interact with influencers? When did the transition change from Instagram to bring a writer? What is your philosophy on collecting and holding to sell versus flipping? What is the current state of the secondary market and will it rebound to where it was? Will Pappy Van Winkle sustain its current value? What whiskey category do you think has room to grow in value? Talk about your Bevridge sample packs. Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices