Bourbon Pursuit

Starting a distillery is no easy task and figuring out how to bank roll it is even harder. Do you tie up all your money into equipment and wait a few years and hope the whiskey is good or is it smarter to supplement that with some sourced product? But beyond that, how do you scale, distribute, and sell? Scott Schiller from Thoroughbred Spirits Group has launched 30 distillers, designed over 50 brands, and facilitated 3 successful exits. He joins the show to talk about everything I just mentioned, but Scott also has a fascinating family history with spirits where he learned how to distill with his grandfather at an iconic Chicago tavern called Bucket O Suds.Show Partners: Catoctin Creek has been honoring that tradition of small craft rye whisky since 2009. Learn more at CatoctinCreekDistilling.com. Smooth Ambler builds on the traditional roots of American whiskey in West Virginia. Visit SmoothAmbler.com to learn more. Wilderness Trail is Sweet Mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Rye Whiskey distilled, aged, and bottled in Danville, Kentucky. Learn more at WildernessTrailDistillery.com. You can now buy Barrell Craft Spirits products online and have them shipped right to your door. Visit BarrellBourbon.com and click Buy Now. Spirits of French Lick is delivering the finest hand crafted Bottled in Bond bourbons. Check out SpiritsofFrenchLick.com. Savor every drop of summer at Total Wine & More! You’re sure to find cool prices in-store or online at TotalWine.com. Heaven Hill Distillery has been lifting America’s spirit since 1935. Check out educational resources and sign up for their newsletter at HeavenHillDistillery.com. Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about QR codes. How did you get into this industry? What company did your family start in Chicago? What is Bucket O Suds? Tell us about the distillery. Talk about one of your early successes. How do you approach the conversations with clients about scaling? Do you see a lot of NDPs that previously bottled older whiskey and now can't get it? Are a lot of people starting to scramble because there isn't as much access to aged whiskey? How do you advise someone on distribution? Do you ever have to tell clients sourcing might not work for them? How do you start conversations with potential clients ? Talk about bottle pricing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this special edition of Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review the 2021 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. The collection includes: Eagle Rare 17 Year, William Larue Weller, Thomas H. Handy, and Sazerac Rye 18 Year. Each bottle has a suggested retail price of $99. What's our favorite this year? Watch to find out. Cheers!Whiskey Quickie is brought to you by Barrell Bourbon. Learn more at BarrellBourbon.com.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 22nd 2021. Here's the headlines for this week. Heaven Hill will start hiring permanent replacement workers. The Kentucky Distillers Association welcomes two more members. New Riff launches Red Turkey Wheat bourbonShow Notes: Heaven Hill said it will start hiring permanent replacement workers for bottling and warehouse operations. Brown-Forman is committing to 100% renewable electricity by 2030. The Kentucky Distillers’ Association announced that Augusta Distillery and RD1 Spirits are joining. Supreme Court Declines to Review 8th Circuit Ruling for Missouri on Retail Shipping Case TTB put out an article that Federal law strictly prohibits individuals from producing distilled spirits at home. New Hampshire House Bill 416 is about production of liquor for Personal or Family Use. Brother’s Bond has purchased regeneratively farmed grain. Molson Coors Beverage Company has released of its first-ever whiskey, Five Trail Blended American Whiskey. Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye 2021 release is returning to U.S. Wyoming Whiskey’s Single Barrel Bourbon is available once again. Bookers \"Bardstown Batch\" is the 3rd release of 2021. WhistlePig has revealed the eighth edition of The Boss Hog: LapuLapu’s Pacific. New Riff announces limited release Red Turkey Wheated Kentucky Straight Bourbon @kentuckybourbontrail @heavenhilldistillery @brownforman @brothersbondbourbon @molsoncoors @albertadistillers @wyomingwhiskey @jimbeamofficial @whistlepigwhiskey @newriff Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I read a meme one time that as soon as a man enters his 30s, there are two hobbies he picks up. It's whiskey and smoking meats. Well, I'm guilty for it and I know Ryan and Fred are too. There's nothing better than starting the fire in your grill and preparing for the long night ahead making sure your brisket is done. I know when I started cooking on my grill, I went to the resource where you go to learn everything on internet and that's YouTube. Immediately, I was hooked on the channel called How To BBQ Right. I learned the 10 different ways to cook ribs, game day burgers, and even a delicious pot roast from our guest today, Malcom Reed. Malcom has made a name for himself in the BBQ competition circuit and has turned it into one of the largest BBQ places on the internet. You can find him on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and more talking how to BBQ crazy good meals. Malcom joins us to talk not only about BBQ, Wagyu steaks, dry rub vs sauce, but he's also a big bourbon fan and you can catch him drinking Buffalo Trace or EH Taylor frequently on his channels. Don't forget to to subscribe to his podcast called, you guessed it, How to BBQ Right.Show Partners: Catoctin Creek has been honoring that tradition of small craft rye whisky since 2009. Learn more at CatoctinCreekDistilling.com. Smooth Ambler builds on the traditional roots of American whiskey in West Virginia. Visit SmoothAmbler.com to learn more. Wilderness Trail is Sweet Mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Rye Whiskey distilled, aged, and bottled in Danville, Kentucky. Learn more at WildernessTrailDistillery.com. You can now buy Barrell Craft Spirits products online and have them shipped right to your door. Visit BarrellBourbon.com and click Buy Now. Spirits of French Lick is delivering the finest hand crafted Bottled in Bond bourbons. Check out SpiritsofFrenchLick.com. Savor every drop of summer at Total Wine & More! You’re sure to find cool prices in-store or online at TotalWine.com. Heaven Hill Distillery has been lifting America’s spirit since 1935. Check out educational resources and sign up for their newsletter at HeavenHillDistillery.com. Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about working for distributors. How did your passion for BBQ grow into a business? How did you get into BBQ competitions? Are there rivalries in the BBQ community? Were you nervous when you first started putting out content? How did you get into bourbon? What bourbon pairs well with specific meats? Do you prefer dry rub or sauce? Do you ever get tired of cooking at home and prefer to go out? Are Costco prime steaks as good as other butcher shops? What do you think about wagyu beef? What is your favorite way to cook tomahawk steaks? What do you think about health organizations encouraging society to eat less meat? You are stranded on an island and can only pick one cooking apparatus, what do you choose? How do you chose what grill to use? What do you think about Blackstone griddles? What BBQ pit is your go to? Do you like to turbo cook or low and slow? Is using a pellet grill cheating? What's your go to bourbon cocktail? @howtobbqright Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Blackened x Willett Straight Rye Finished in Madeira Casks. This non-age stated rye is 109.6 proof and $140 MSRP. Let us know what you think. Cheers!Whiskey Quickie is brought to you by Barrell Bourbon. Learn more at BarrellBourbon.com.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 15th 2021. Here's the headlines for this week. Elijah Craig is having its second annual Old Fashioned Week. Breaking Bourbon takes over the BTAC Release map. Angel's Envy announces their limited edition cask strength releaseShow Notes: Elijah Craig recently announced its second annual Old Fashioned Week, posts will be automatically entered into the Old Fashioned Week Sweepstakes when tagging @elijahcraig. The TTB approved 180K Products over the last 12 months through September 2021 Woodford Reserve is celebrating 25 years Saddlestone Distillery has joined the KDA Distilled Spirits Council of the United States says luxury market is growing Breaking Bourbon carries the torch of owning the BTAC release map New fakes in the secondary market now targeted towards dusties Widow Jane Distillery announced that Decadence, finished in maple barrels, will return to retail shelves. Restoration Rye 2021 Batch 2 and Batch 3 can be purchased at Castle & Key Distillery Angel’s Envy announces its 2021 limited edition cask strength Jos A Magnus has new 6 new Cigar Blend batches coming out Old Elk Distillery out of Colorado is now going into cask finished variants Lost Lantern has 3 new releases coming up Elijah Craig has unveiled its latest Barrel Proof bourbon, C921 TX Whiskey announces the launch of TX Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Cognac Casks Whisper Creek Spiked Coffee cocktails coming from Pennington Oak & Eden Whiskey has announced a new chapter of its celebrity collaboration product, called the Anthro Series @kentuckybourbontrail @oakandeden @penningtondistillingco @txwhiskey @lostlanternwhiskey @oldelkbourbon @josamagnus @breakingbourbon @woodfordreserve @pennyandsparrow Support this podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the final episode in our 4 part series of "Is Bourbon Broken?" based on the Bourbon and Banter blog series. We've looked at the consumer, secondary market, distribution and retail, but this time we are looking back at the consumer from a different angle by evaluating purchasing trends. The market is changing and now there are craft distillers, younger age statements, and NDPs with price tags 10x the cost of what the original producer charges. So what continues to drive this behavior?Show Partners: Catoctin Creek has been honoring that tradition of small craft rye whisky since 2009. Learn more at CatoctinCreekDistilling.com. Smooth Ambler builds on the traditional roots of American whiskey in West Virginia. Visit SmoothAmbler.com to learn more. Wilderness Trail is Sweet Mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Rye Whiskey distilled, aged, and bottled in Danville, Kentucky. Learn more at WildernessTrailDistillery.com. You can now buy Barrell Craft Spirits products online and have them shipped right to your door. Visit BarrellBourbon.com and click Buy Now. Spirits of French Lick is delivering the finest hand crafted Bottled in Bond bourbons. Check out SpiritsofFrenchLick.com. Savor every drop of summer at Total Wine & More! You’re sure to find cool prices in-store or online at TotalWine.com. Heaven Hill Distillery has been lifting America’s spirit since 1935. Check out educational resources and sign up for their newsletter at HeavenHillDistillery.com. Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about pour spouts. Are we seeing an overabundance of options on the market? Why are consumers drawn towards brands that are selling younger MGP? Are consumers being manipulated? As bourbon enthusiasts, why are we compelled to try new products even though they might not actually be new? Why is bourbon so polarizing? Is there a reason that more distilleries or NDPs shouldn't be putting out new products at a higher price point? As the bourbon pie grows larger, will there be more room for super premium bourbons that hit that $300+ price point? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review King of Kentucky 2021. This 14 year old bourbon is 130 proof and $250 MSRP. Let us know what you think. Cheers!Whiskey Quickie is brought to you by Barrell Bourbon. Learn more at BarrellBourbon.com.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 8th 2021. Here's the headlines for this week. MGP gets a somewhat rebrand to Ross & Squibb Distillery, Stoli hires David Mandell to lead KY Owl construction, and Buffalo Trace releases the details for the 2021 Antique Collection, but there's a big hitter missing this year.Show Notes: MGP gets a pseudo-rebrand to Ross & Squibb Distillery Shout out to @barrelproofmarketing for the inight on brand confusion ADI has released two new books targeted for distillers Vinepair gives a history lesson in Blanton’s toppers Kentucky now has over 10,000,000 barrels of bourbon aging Stoli hires David Mandell to lead the KY Owl Distillery and Park contruction JustDrinks.com predicts drink trends to come in the next few months Diego has opened the first carbon neutral facility in Lebanon, KY Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board puts limits of bourbon purchases Good Deeds releases their first malt whiskey Daylight Wine and Spirits releases Ammunition Straight Bourbon whiskey Westward Whiskey introduces their barrel strength expression Redemption rye has a new ex-cognax cask release Peg Leg Porker releases Pitmaster Reserve 15 year Kentucky Peerless releases their double oak Woodford Reserve releases Chocolate Malt Whisper High West unveils Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 Sazerac is releasing is second edition of Mister Sam 2021 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is missing George T. Stagg @mandelldavid @kentuckyowl @diageo @kentuckybourbontrail @westwardwhiskey @redemptionwhiskey @peglegporker @kentuckypeerless @woodfordreserve @drinkhighwest Support this podcast on Patreon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Part 3 on our series of "Is Bourbon Broken?" as we analyze the multi-part blog series from Bourbon & Banter. This episode is one that many have been waiting for as we evaluate the variable that is completely out of our control as a consumer and that's distribution and retail. We've challenged this system multiple times and I'm not sure if we'll ever figure out the correct answer, but how do we make sure it's always working in favor of the consumer? How should distributors reward stores differently? What does the future of commerce look like? And should distributors and retailers be wary of the digital age?Show Partners: Catoctin Creek has been honoring that tradition of small craft rye whisky since 2009. Learn more at CatoctinCreekDistilling.com. Smooth Ambler builds on the traditional roots of American whiskey in West Virginia. Visit SmoothAmbler.com to learn more. Wilderness Trail is Sweet Mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Rye Whiskey distilled, aged, and bottled in Danville, Kentucky. Learn more at WildernessTrailDistillery.com. You can now buy Barrell Craft Spirits products online and have them shipped right to your door. Visit BarrellBourbon.com and click Buy Now. Spirits of French Lick is delivering the finest hand crafted Bottled in Bond bourbons. Check out SpiritsofFrenchLick.com. Savor every drop of summer at Total Wine & More! You’re sure to find cool prices in-store or online at TotalWine.com. Heaven Hill Distillery has been lifting America’s spirit since 1935. Check out educational resources and sign up for their newsletter at HeavenHillDistillery.com. Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about celebrity whiskey. Each state has its own laws on distribution, is this presenting a lot of challenges for the industry? How do you reward stores without making them take on a bunch of inventory in order to get allocated items? Do you feel that wholesalers and elected representatives are working for the benefit of the consumers? Do you think that it's fair that retailers own the product and can charge whatever they want? At the end of the day, everyone is still making their margin so why do retailers choose to mark it up? Why don't more retailers push back on distributors? Should distributors and retailers be scared about the future? Should we move to a system where highly desirable releases only happen through a distillery website?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices