

Bourbon Pursuit
Bourbon Pursuit
The Official Podcast of Bourbon! The best in news, reviews and interviews with people making the bourbon whiskey industry happen. Join hosts Kenny Coleman, Ryan Cecil, and Fred Minnick as they talk with prominent guests and provide insight on American whiskey 3 times a week. Catch all new episodes every Thursday with special Whiskey Quickie reviews on Tuesday and get caught up on bourbon news with This Week in Bourbon on Friday.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 19, 2022 • 1h 5min
358 - Should I Expand Production? How to Start Blending? How to Build a Social Following? Free Consulting Advice from Pursuit
We get lots of random emails. Most of the time it's recommendations for visiting kentucky, but if you are going to come just make sure you check out our Yelp list for of our recommendations. But every once in a while we get questions where people need our advice. This could be from brands or just individuals out there wanting to break into the industry. So I thought, how great would it be to have an episode where we give free consultation advice? In this episode we give our advice on sourcing, blending, and social media strategies. So stay tuned as you get to hear the Bourbon Pursuit team answer your questions about the whiskey business.Show Notes:
Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about experimenting with stainless steel barrels and staves
Phil Brandon of Rocktown: I've been distilling for 12 years, and won major awards for my bourbon, and sell all we make. Should I buy more stills to expand production or source new make from Kentucky distilleries?
Jason Miller: I am looking at blending, and creating a business based on blending. What are some of the beginning steps in this process?
@BarrelProofMarketing : What advice would you give to a new brand on how to build a social media following?
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May 17, 2022 • 6min
Whiskey Quickie: Puncher's Chance The D12tance Bourbon Review
On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Puncher's Chance The D12tance Bourbon. This 12 year old bourbon is 96 proof and $120 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

May 13, 2022 • 51min
TWiB: Kentucky Bourbon Festival Tickets Go On Sale , Longbranch Launches the Wonder What If Campaign, Goose Island Bourbon County Stout Gets NFTs
It's This Week in Bourbon for May 13th 2022. Kentucky Bourbon Festival Tickets Go on sale, Longbranch and McConaughey launch the Wonder What If Campaign, Goose Island Bourbon County Stout Enters the NFT space.Show Notes:
Kentucky Bourbon Festival Tickets are now on sale
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has signed a four-year distribution agreement with Beam Suntory
California Senate Bill 620 makes big changes to DTC language
North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission cracks down on illegal shipments
Liberty Pole Spirits will build a new distillery campus
Longbranch and McConaughey launch the Wonder What If Campaign
Maria Pearman CPA has written a new book called Distillery Finance
Chicken Cock's new limited-edition release of Island Rooster Rum Barrel Rye.
Traverse City Whiskey Co. announces American Lakeside Peach Whiskey
Balcones Distilling and ZZ Top re-release Tres Hombres
Westward Whiskey releases Westward American Single Malt Elements: High Desert to Klamath Basin
Brad Paisley launches American Highway Reserve Route 2
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout Enters the NFT space
@kybourbonfest @kybourbonfestival @visitbardstown @sgwinespirits @beamsuntory @libertypolespirits @longbranchbourbon @officialmcconaughey @chickencockwhiskey @tcwhiskey @balconesdistilling @westwardwhiskey @bradpaisley @americanhighwayreserve @gooseisland
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May 12, 2022 • 1h 7min
357 - A Brewing History Dives into Bourbon with David Coors of Molson Coors
When you think of Coors, you are probably like me and you get the image of the silver bullet and the cold blue mountains on the side of the can. Or perhaps you know Molson-Coors as one of the top beverage brands in the world. But you most certainly didn't think of Coors as a whiskey company, until now. David Coors joins the show to talk about the family business and going from a just beer company into a full beverage enterprise. David has a deep connection with whiskey that spans back to his childhood and he is spearheading the next phase of company expansion by releasing their first ever collaboration whiskey, along with Bardstown Bourbon Co, called Five Trail. Listen to David's story and how Coors is learning what it's like to get into the whiskey business.Show Notes:
Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about answering questions on industry news vs people's thoughts
Talk about your involvement with the family business and when you got into it
How has Molson-Coors grown over the recent decade?
At what point did you realize your name carries weight?
When did Coors diversify away from Banquet into other beers?
Why did your dad try to kill Blue Moon?
What internships did you have at the brewery?
What made Coors Banquet go to the stubby bottle?
Was Cobra Kai a paid placement or organic?
What lessons is failed marketing that you can apply to today?
Did you have a hand in the seltzer craze hit?
So what made you want to dive into whiskey?
Did you have to sell your dad on venturing into whiskey?
How did you figure out what kind of whiskey to do?
Can you scale and sustain the malt part of the blend?
How did you come to your proof point?
What are those hard lessons you've learned by entering the whiskey business?
Can your R&D team figure out how to make the barrel hoops blue when it's ready?
Do you yourselves going even further into the whiskey category?
What trends in the beverage alcohol space do you see happening?
What is your cannabis strategy?
@fivetrail @molsoncoors
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May 10, 2022 • 4min
Whiskey Quickie: Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey Review
On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey. This non-age stated rye is 115.2 proof and $70 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

May 6, 2022 • 40min
TWiB: $72M Contract Facility To Be Built in Etown KY, Buffalo Trace Fights Backlash of Local Residents, Jack Daniel's Reveals 2 New Line Extensions
It's This Week in Bourbon for May 6th 2022. A new state of the art $72M contract distillation facility will be built in Elizabethtown, KY, Buffalo Trace is fighting backlash from local residents of Peak's Mill as bourbon warehouse expansion begins, and Jack Daniel's introduces Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey and Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash Blended Straight WhiskeyShow Notes:
David Mandell and John Hargrove are building a new state of the art 72M contract distillation facility will be built in Elizabethtown, KY
Casey Jones Distillery will expand operations with a $1.9 million project
New proposals to establish a standard of identity for American Single Malt Whiskey
Buffalo Trace is fighting backlash from local residents of Peak's Mill as bourbon warehouse expansion begins
Shake Shack has unveiled its latest partnership, and it's with Maker's Mark
“The Real Housewives of New York City,” Bluestone Manor Bourbon
Blackened American Whiskey has announced the release of Rye the Lightning
Jeptha Creed Distillery is Re-Releases 90% Bloody Butcher Corn Straight Bourbon Whiskey
New Riff Sherry Finish 100% Malted Rye Whiskey, Barrel Proof and Without Chill Filtration and aged for at least six years
Blue Run Spirits announces Blue Run “Reflection I” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Jack Daniel's introduces Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey and Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash Blended Straight Whiskey
@mandelldavid @johnny.@whiskey @caseyjonesdistillery @buffalotracedistillery @shakeshack @makersmark @bluestonemanor_bourbon @blackenedamericanwhiskey @jepthacreed @newriff @bluerunspirits @jackdaniels_us
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May 5, 2022 • 1h 8min
356 - Why did Barton 1792 stop tours? What did VA ABC get right and wrong? What is one bar essential that isn't bourbon? on Bourbon Community Roundtable #68
A few weeks ago on TWiB we talked about Barton 1792 closing the doors for tours indefinitely, but now we get to speculate. Was this because Sazerac feels they can't make it stand up to the current standard people expect of tours? Or was it a way to put all their eggs into turning the distillery into a workhorse for it brands? The Virginia ABC moved to a new randomized system for their allocated bourbon releases. We examine what they got right and what they got wrong. Lastly, we know people are starting to build their own bourbon bars, but what's something you need for your bar that is not bourbon?Show Notes:
Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about bourbon on social media
What do we feel motivated Sazerac to stop offering tours at Barton 1792?
What did the Virginia ABC get right and wrong with the new randomized allocated bourbon drops?
What is one bar essential you need that isn't bourbon?
@bourbonr @breakingbourbon @sippn_corn
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May 3, 2022 • 5min
Whiskey Quickie: Heaven's Door Bootleg Volume 3 Bourbon Review
On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Heaven's Door Bootleg Volume 3. This 13 year old bourbon is 121.2 proof and $545 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

Apr 29, 2022 • 48min
TWiB: Heaven Hill To Build A New $135M Distillery, ACSA Elects All Female Board of Directors, Chattanooga Announces 10th Anniversary Blend
It's This Week in Bourbon for April 29th 2022. Heaven Hill will build a new $135M distillery in Bardstown,
the American Craft Spirits Association elects an all female board of directors, and Chattanooga Whiskey announces its Founder’s 10th Anniversary Blend.Show Notes:
Heaven Hill will build a new $135M distillery in Bardstown
American Craft Spirits Association elects an all female board of directors
Horse Soldier Bourbon will open a smart-casual dining and cocktail restaurant in Somerset KY
The Kentucky Turtle Derby returns this year on the first Saturday in May
Aaron Goldfarb of Vinepair tracked down an artists who uses Van Winkle bottles as a canvas
RStreet reveals new data on underage drinking not correlated to direct to consumer shipments
Amazon introduces "Just Walk Out" technology for wine stores
Green River Distilling Co. has announced a partnership with the Ohio River Foundation
Bulleit Frontier Whiskey has met its goal of planting one million trees by 2025
Popular clothing brand Troll Co. has launched its first bourbon, Five Nine Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Woodford Reserve introduces its first-ever ‘Derby In A Box’
PATRÓN Tequila and John Geiger, have teamed up to launch limited-edition GF-01 sneakers
@heavenhilldistillery @craftspiritsus @horsesoldierbourbon @woodfordreserve @aarongoldfarb @vinepair @greenriverdistilling @bulleit @bulleitwhiskey @trollcoclothing @patron @johngeiger_
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Apr 28, 2022 • 1h 6min
355 - The State of DTC Shipping and Three-Tier System with Alex Koral of Sovos ShipCompliant
Have you heard us talk about shipping bourbon on the show before? Of course you have. Heck, I know I sound like a broken record as we try to become more stewards for reform in this space by talking about it almost every week. But this time you get to hear from an Expert. Alex Koral is the Regulatory General Counsel for Sovos ShipCompliant, a pioneer in the space of alcohol beverage delivery and making sure companies stay compliant since every state is different. We ask why wine gets a lot more slack than spirits when it comes to shipping and what is keeping that back. We also get his opinion on the supreme court rulings over the past few years as it relates to the commerce clause and why change is so reluctant and slow. As you can guess, there's a lot of red tape and lobbyists involved but the good news is that we are seeing incremental positive change. And Alex gives us a few tips on what we can all do to make change happen at our local level.Show Notes:
Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about how long a bourbon can last in a small jar
How did you get into the world of spirits shipping?
Was the three tier system implemented after prohibition?
What is working in the current three-tier model that should be kept?
What does SOVOS and ShipCompliant do for producers?
Why does wine get a pass when it comes to these laws?
What percentage of sales does a winery do with direct to consumer?
Why do distributors and wine industry players not want to have spirit shipping equality?
Do you find it interesting that conservative states that want an open and free market like TX and TN but still hang on to these archaic ideas?
Are states that don't want shipping getting lobbied too much?
Why didn't the TN Supreme Court case have a wider and quicker effect for domestic shipping?
How disruptive could Amazon be to all this?
How are these law proposals being presented to decision makers?
Is the law of mandating selling through a distributor stifling growth?
@shipcompliant
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