Bourbon Pursuit

MGP has been in the news recently with their acquisition of Luxco and on the last roundtable we discussed how this will enable MGP's brands such as Remus to gain a nationwide presence with a bigger salesforce. We're joined by Andy Mansinne, Vice President of Brands for MGP, to learn more about their brands and the impact of other brands winning awards based on product sourced from them. We also ask about acquiring brands and their thoughts on the current contract distillation marketplace.Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about how to clean glencairns. Where would you travel if you knew there was a chance you would have to stay there for up to a year? Tell us about your background. What do you think about other brands getting awards with your distillate? Do you feel like your brands are more accepted in the whiskey world now than when you first started? When you were looking at creating a brand, what were your thoughts on building from the ground up vs. acquiring an established brand? What do you think about MGP rye having such a big impact on the market? What are your thoughts on your contract distilling competition? How do you forecast? Tell us about your brands. Support this Podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Widow Jane The Vaults 2020. This 15 year old bourbon is 99 proof and $200 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.Support this Podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Single barrel picks are the new unicorns. And if you add a fancy sticker, after market wax or some glitter, bourbon nerds can't control themselves. For this podcast, the team thought it would be a fun idea if our audience sent us samples from their New Riff barrel selections and we put them in a bracket challenge. We decide who selected the best barrel and gets Bourbon Pursuit bragging rights.Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about tipping for high end pours. Why did we pick New Riff for this bracket? New Riff Tasting Cleveland Bourbon Club - “New Riff Passed Elijah” - Ryan Lintz Charred Barrel - “Happy Little Riff” - Chris Perugini Knoxville Beer & Brown Water Society - ”Kings of Grain Jackpot" - Jimmy Tucker Sacred Sippers - “Holy Water 19:1" - Mike Utech Brown Bunker Coalition - “The Colin Bottle"- Dirk Glahn Wright-Patt Whiskey Club - Andy Hostetter Kentucky Bourbon Brotherhood - “Ken Riffey Jr” - Todd Hall Great Lakes Whiskey Club - “Riff Ross" - Mike Schuette Support this Podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Thomas S. Moore Port Cask Finish. This non-age stated bourbon is 98.9 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.Support this Podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MGP, the major powerhouse distillery in Indiana, has purchased Luxco who owns Lux Row distillers in Bardstown that produces legacy and heritage brands such as Rebel Yell, Ezra Brooks, Davies County, and many more. But what does this mean? The roundtable gets together and speculates on what we can expect for these brands as well as MGP's existing brands such as Remus. But what does this ultimately mean for brands that have been sourcing MGP bourbon and rye for decades? Have we just witnessed the end of one avenue for sourced markets?Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about pairing bourbon with Girl Scout Cookies. MGP buys LuxCo. What does this mean for the largest supplier of contract whiskey? Was this a good move? What will happen to the MGP sourced brands? What do you think will happen with Yellowstone? Will Luxco use MGP distillate? Do you think Luxco will do contract distillation? Thanks to Blake from Bourbonr.com, Nick from BreakingBourbon.com, and Brian from SippnCorn.com for joining. Support this Podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Blue Run Bourbon 13 Year Winter Release. This 13 year old bourbon is 113 proof and $169 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.Support this Podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Pat Heist blew our minds back on episode 121 going deep on yeast. If you haven't listened to that episode yet, go listen to that one first before starting this, I promise it will be worth your time. Pat has one of the most unique backgrounds in bourbon and has even had the opportunity to do a TED Talk which is amazing for our industry. We discuss the crazy growth at Wilderness Trail.Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about blind tastings. What's your title? Would you rather travel back in time to meet your ancestors or the future to meet your descendants? Any new products in the pipeline? How do you forecast? How much are you producing per day? Who's idea was it to invest so much in the business? Tell us about your TedX talk. What's your next milestone? Where can people buy Wilderness Trail? How have you and your bourbon been received across the country? How do you chose a yeast variety for your product? How does your process compare to other distilleries? What happens when people dip their finger in the fermentation tanks? Can you recreate whiskey from the 70s? Support this Podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Remus Repeal Reserve IV. This 12 year old bourbon is 100 proof and $80 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.Support this Podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gregg Walker joins the show to share some inside stories about the history at Maker's Mark. Gregg was the second salesperson hired by Maker’s Mark and took part in 3X growth. Hear some of his stories about the struggle of growth, but also how him and Bill Samuels Jr. had a lot of fun as well.Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about raffles. What song would you pick for karaoke? When did you get into the liquor business? Did you have to take the personality test before working at Maker's Mark? Were you part of any of the Maker's taste offs? Tell us about traveling for Makers. How do you plan for aggressive growth? What was the tipping point? How many cases were they selling? Talk about Maker's marketing. Were you there when the did the special edition UK bottle in 1996? Any memories with Bill Samuels that you'll never forget? What was your sales force like in the later years? What do you do today? Support this Podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition. This non-age stated bourbon is 90.4 proof and $2,000 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.Support this Podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices