Bourbon Pursuit

Our typical guests range from Master Distillers to other industry experts and pundits, but on the rare occasion I find a guest that breaks our norm and gives another view into the world of bourbon. Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke make up the folk music duo Penny & Sparrow. Their original appearance on the show was on Episode 228 where we got to know the guys and their love of bourbon. This time I caught them on their post-pandemic tour through Louisville and had them do their first ever Pursuit Series barrel selection. We talk about lyrical inspiration and video games and I lead them through five whiskey samples as they narrow down their choice. Without giving too much of it away, if you are interested in a bottle from this selection it's available on Seelbachs.com for a limited time until it's sold out. It is a single barrel after all!Show Notes: Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about why bourbon is called bourbon How did your project go with Oak and Eden? Do you get a good mix of bourbon and rye in the green room before a show? Talk about Need You on your latest album Do you record a riff or write down a lyric and then find a match between the two? Why did you choose to use claymation for your Cheyenne music video? Did you take the pandemic as a time to reconnect with music or decompress? How does video game soundtracks inspire you? What's the best video game console ever created? How do you narrow down a barrel selection? @pennyandsparrow Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this special edition of Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review the 2022 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. The collection includes: Sazerac Rye 18 Year, Eagle Rare 17 Year, Thomas H. Handy, William Larue Weller, and George T. Stagg. Each bottle has a suggested retail price of $99. What's our favorite this year? Watch to find out. 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 November 4th 2022. Campari Group has agreed to acquire a 70% stake in Kentucky-based Wilderness Trail Distillery for $420 million. Old Forester and King Ranch are releasing a limited-edition whisky called Old Forester King Ranch Edition. Lux Row Distillers announced the newest variant in the Ezra Brooks brand family: Old Ezra 7-Year Straight Rye Whiskey.Show Notes: Campari Group has agreed to acquire a 70% stake in Kentucky-based Wilderness Trail Distillery for US$420 million Jane Bowie and Denny Potter are announcing a new distillery in Washington County, Kentucky Pol Roger Portfolio is acquiring Leiper’s Fork Distillery Old Forester and King Ranch are releasing a limited-edition whisky called Old Forester King Ranch Edition The return of the George Dickel x Leopold Bros Collaboration Blend Log Still Distillery is introducing Monk’s Road Wheated Bourbon Wyoming Whiskey announces this year’s annual and limited release offerings of Barrel Strength Bourbon, Outryder Straight American Whiskey and Single Barrel Angel's Envy is releasing their annual cask strength edition Booker’s Bourbon Releases Third Batch of 2022 Collection "Kentucky Tea" HIRSCH Selected Whiskeys announces The Cask Strength Finished in Cognac Barrels Lux Row Distillers announces Old Ezra 7-Year Straight Rye Whiskey @campariofficial @wildernesstraildistillery @lfdistillery @oldforester @kingranchinc @georgedickel @leopoldbros @logstilldistillery @monksroad @wyomingwhiskey @angelsenvy @hirschwhiskey @luxrowdistillers Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starting a brand is no easy task. There will be a lot of fails before you ever see your first success and there's a lot to the industry that have to be taken into account from a regulatory aspect, supply chain, sales, and distribution. Mike Paladini and Danny Polise from Penelope Bourbon join the show to talk about how a wild idea to start a whiskey company grew into one of the hottest new brands on the market. They traveled to MGP after reading an article about how that craft whiskey you like is actually from a factory in Indiana. From there it's been a roller coaster of emotions and now they are working on new projects to reach more bourbon enthusiasts.Show Notes: Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about the aging climate of Texas Can you talk about your wildest high school party that you threw? What started you down the path of drinking bourbon? Are more people in New Jersey finding bourbon and becoming drinkers? What were you doing before Penelope? What made you want to quit your day jobs and pursue a whiskey career? What research did you do for starting a brand and sourcing? Talk about that first day at MGP? Did MGP help you with creating your proprietary blend? Were you trying to maintain consistency or try different blends? How are you figuring out how to scale the business with bottles in 29 states and 4 countries? Are you finding it harder to buy directly from MGP with the explosion? Why go into the light whiskey category? Do you have any finished whiskey horror stories? @penelopebourbon Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C922. This 12 year old bourbon is 124.8 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

It's This Week in Bourbon for October 28th 2022. Master Distiller Lisa Wicker is leaving Widow Jane. The National Association of Wine Retailers is taking another shipping case to the Supreme Court. The details have finally been released for this year's Buffalo Trace Antique CollectionShow Notes: Whiskey Thief Distilling Co joins The Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour B. H. James Distillers announces the opening date in Adairville, Kentucky The FTC has ordered Drizly to destroy unnecessary data Skrewball's social media posts have violated the DISCUS Code The Bourbon Barrel Taxation Task Force is looking to remove barrel aging taxes Frazier Museum announced Bourbon Limited, an online Bourbon subscription membership service Widow Jane announces that Master Distiller Lisa Wicker will leave the company The National Association of Wine Retailers is taking another shipping case to the Supreme Court Jackson Purchase Distillery will increase its distilling operation investment nearly $26 million Kings of Leon has partnered with Willett to launch Kiamichi Whiskey Chattanooga Whiskey releases Experimental Batch 027: Moscatel + Sauternes Barrel Finished Penelope Bourbon announces the limited-release of Valencia The details have finally been released for this year's Buffalo Trace Antique Collection @whiskeythiefdistilling @drizlyinc @skrewballwhiskey @frazierhistorymuseum @widowjane @lbwicker @kingsofleon @willettdistillery @chattwhiskey @penelopebourbon @buffalotracedistillery Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's quite apparent that cask finished bourbons are continuing to push the envelope. Every company and producer is utilizing different barrels to create new flavors and new SKUs. We sit down to analyze secondary cask finished bourbons from a legal and producer perspective. Why isn't there legal wording for recharging barrels? What are the various wine types that create better taste profiles? Is finishing a whiskey an excuse for covering up bad barrels? Can brands hide behind a whiskey speciality and do consumers even care?Show Notes: Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about today's market growth and the bourbon boom From a judging standpoint, should secondary cask finished bourbons not be in the bourbon category? Do most consumers know Angel's Envy is not a bourbon or do they even care? Is there a label sprawl problem with every brand coming out with different finishes? What are the best types of barrels to finish a bourbon? What are the differences between the types of barrels used for various wine types? Is finishing a whiskey an excuse for covering up bad barrels? What level of risk can you take with finishing whiskey that could turn our terrible? Should there be a definition of recharging a barrel? Does age of the whiskey matter when secondary finishing? Should producers try to disclose the winery where the barrels are sourced? Do you ever get bourbon fatigue and feel like changing things up with a finished whiskey? Are barrel finishes added-value and should charge more per bottle? Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse. This 10 year old bourbon is 112.4 proof and $250 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 October 21st 2022. Old Forester announced that Melissa Rift has been named Master Taster. New Riff debuts two new malted whiskeys. Blue Run announces  a biannual series of “micro batch” whiskeys.Show Notes: Fred Minnick To Host Blind Bourbon Live In Washington D.C. For The Uso On November 10 Wolverine and Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery unveils the Wolverine 1000 Mile x Old Rip Van Winkle Cap-Toe Batch III boot Old Forester announces Melissa Rift has been named Brand Ambassador/Master Taster Arcane Distilling introduces its second flagship whiskey, Arcane Imperial New Riff debuts the Maltster T50 Crystal Malt Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Aroostook Malted Rye Whiskey Michter's 20 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon The Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2022 release Alberta Premium announces the Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye Blue Run Flight Series is a six-whiskey micro batch collection Chicken Cock Whiskey has released Chicken Cock Chanticleer Ross & Squibb releases Remus Gatsby Reserve Old Dominick launches Straight Tennessee Whiskey Wyoming Whiskey announces 1872 9-year-old straight bourbon whiskey Dr Pepper Bourbon Flavored Fansville Reserve Arby's and BrainBrew announce Arby’s Smoked Bourbon @fredminnick @theuso @wolverine @oldforester @newriff @michterswhiskey @garrisonbros @albertadistillers @bluerunspirits @chickencockwhiskey @olddominick @wyomingwhiskey @drpepper @arbys @brainbrewwhiskey Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's another month and another Bourbon Community Roundtable and we've got a great list of topics in #73. The first is stickers. I know, it seems like we talk about them all the time but now it's gotten serious. A Louisville bourbon club and liquor store chain was sued by Bob Baffert for almost $70k over a sticker, and yes, they paid up. So now, have we gone too far with stickers? Every year it seems like there are a few acquisitions that happen. Recently, we've seen Heaven Hill acquire Samson & Surrey, Pritzker buy Bardstown Bourbon, and last year MGP purchased LuxCo. These were all strategically different plays. So what do we think makes a good acquisition target in today's market? Following on that last question, those were all very high dollar buys. Is this a trend that we will see continue or is there a chance that smaller brands on the upswing could be gobbled up?Show Notes: Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about storing bottles. Bob Baffert sued a Louisville liquor retailer for almost $70k over a sticker. Have we gone too far with stickers? What do we think makes a good acquisition target in today's market? Is there a chance that smaller brands on the upswing could be gobbled up? @breakingbourbon @fredminnick @drinkseelbachs @bourbonr @sippncorn Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices