Bourbon Pursuit

Mike Sherman, Owner of Vendome Copper and Brass Works, joins the show to talk about the art and craftsmanship that go into making the stills and how they have established being the best and #1 still maker after a century of being in business.Show Notes: Before we get into talk about what it is that you do here, let’s get your thoughts on bourbon. Do you drink it? or just love it because it means good business right now? For those listeners who have never heard of Vendome, give them an idea of what it is you all make here and why it’s important What else do you make here besides copper stills? Give us the history of Vendome and how you grew up in the business. Give us a break down of trial and error. Because at this point you are carrying on legacy, but the generations before you probably had to go through retooling, or refactoring of certain things to make the stills as reliable as they are. Terry Bone & Brent Melvin ask how customized are your products? do they start with a base design for the stills or is it entirely customized to the whiskey manufacturers desires? Is there any innovation thats going on or is pretty much copy/paste? Why is copper the element of choice when making a still? What makes Vendome stills unique? What’s the average time is takes to manufacture a still? I know that’s a loaded question but humor me. Follow @VendomeCopper and Like on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bourbon Community Roundtable #7 talks about their beginnings with bourbon. Where did it all start, the intimidating scenarios, tips for beginners, and even tips for veterans.Show Notes: What was your gateway bourbon? The one that started it all... Blake you started with a barrel-proof, why is that? Do you think it’s a smart idea to introduce people to bourbon with low proof vs high-proof? What bottles would you say are a must for a newb? I know this is very broad question, but if I was gonna start with 5 bottles, what would be on your list? What’s the most intimidating thing about being new to this? Tips to newbies getting into this Tips to veterans like us to help new people? What’s the first limited release bourbon that made you become a sucker for FOMO? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bernie Lubbers, Whiskey Ambassador for Heaven Hill and also known as The Whiskey Professor, joins the show to talk about bottled-in-bond and what makes these bourbons “bricks of gold”.Show Notes: Talk about Bern’s Corner and how you arrange your bottles What has made you so fascinated with Bottled-in-Bond. Talk about the issue or necessity behind bottled-in-bond When people were diluting whiskey or using tobacco spit, were people still buying it? Why 100 proof and not 90 or 80? Is the bottled-in-bond act still a binding piece of legislation? So you can have bottled-in-bond of spirits other than bourbon? There is an interpretation for bottled-in-bond corn whiskey Why did Issac Wolfe Bernheim against the bottled-in-bond act? Talk about Colonel Taylor and his involvement Were there any palms that were greased to make this happen? After this bill passed, did it put brands out of business? What’s the importance of having bottled-in-bond today? What is the responsible for the resurgence of bottled-in-bond? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Knittel, Bourbon Educator at Distilled-Living.com and a certified Stave & Thief Society Executive Bourbon Steward, kicks off "back to basics" month by giving an in-depth Bourbon 101 and 201 level knowledge bomb. You will learn something new, guaranteed or your money back!Show Notes: let's start from the top. What is bourbon? How's it made? What goes into it? What's the average proof coming off the distillate? Some people say that limestone water is a big reason why Kentucky bourbon taste better. Is that true or can I get the same effect out of a garden hose? Is anything stopping someone outside of America from making a bourbon or it just can't be called that? What advice do you give people of the first bottles to buy that give you a variable taste range? So people like us who think we know everything, what's a common misperception or falsification we tend to fall for? What’s the most common question you get asked at your tastings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brent Elliott, Master Distiller at Four Roses, talks about how he never owned a bottle of Four Roses until he interviewed and how the conversation went when he was tapped to be the new Master Distiller.Show Notes: Talk about growing up in Owensboro, your history and education What made you want to get into bourbon? Were you a Four Roses bourbon fan when you applied to work here? Was Four Roses the first place you looked at working? How long have you been working at Four Roses? Talk a little bit about working with Jim Rutledge under his tutelage. So talk about that phone call, when it’s usually depicted in the movies as being called up to the CEOs office on the 33rd floor to get that big promotion Why is there not a rye whiskey offered by Four Roses? What about the rage of barrel finishes or cinnamon whiskey? From Kevin Ragland on Facebook - How was the process for selecting 2016 LE went since it was the first time you would have done it without Jim. Why did you come out and call it Elliott’s Select instead of just the normal 2016 Limited Edition Single Barrel? From Travis Roberts on Facebook - Will FR continue their barrel selections in the future and if so, will they eventually be able to offer barrels aged 10+ years again to consumers? Talk about life outside of bourbon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bourbon Community Roundtable #6 discusses Beam sales tactics with OGD114 news, Buffalo Trace OFC conspiracy theories, and is there a bias towards NDP/MGP when buying off the shelf.Show Notes: Blake from Bourbonr.com, Nick from BreakingBourbon.com and Kerry from Subourbia.com. OGD 114 is here to stay. Another Beam ploy to drive shelf sales. There’s been no shortage of getting your chance to buy raffle tickets for the Buffalo Trace OFC bottles. They carry a suggested price tag of $8-10k. Is there a hidden motive here by Buffalo Trace? A clever coup by BT to bring a bottle to market valued at $10k then release more OFC to the general market at $1k and call it a bargain? NDP, MGP, and the bias. Do you hold a grudge against NDPs and refuse to buy? Or are you a believer that the flavor can come from aging and finishing rather than the distillate. Bruce Schwalm: Question for the panel: If we geeks are the 1% of the drinkers, why aren't we more focused on the art and less on the marketing? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Markert, author of The Angel’s Share, joins the show to share information about the first fictional novel based on bourbon that takes place in Twisted Tree, Kentucky on an old family distillery that was abandoned after prohibition.Show Notes: Talk about your brush with bourbon Let’s talk about The Angel’s Share, what’s the premise of the story? What are some distilleries where you got inspiration? Does it take a different kind of author to write something completely fictional? Do you have a fascination with the 1920’s gangster era? What does this book mean to you as you carve out a new mark in bourbon history? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elizabeth McCall, Sensory Scientist and Master Taster, Brown-Forman, joins the show to share what happens behind the white curtain and how people with a psychologist degree are recruited into bourbon.Show Notes: Talk about your past, growing up and your education What got you into brown spirits Did you have family influences or connections to the spirits industry? So I have to be honest, we have done the rounds with Master Distillers and they always give credit to people like you, but lets get an idea of your day to day responsibilities What else happens in the lab? we need to give our listeners an idea of what’s happening behind the curtain so-to-speak So why psychologists for being sensory scientists? go deeper there What’s the most important sense when it comes to making a product consistent? What does catching a cold have on the influence of the bourbon your doing that day? or do you have an addiction to Afrin nasal decongestant? What sort of training goes into becoming a master taster? From Matt Fisher on Facebook: Super nerdy and specific. With most bourbon drinkers using Glencairn glasses at home, why does the distillery use Copita Nosing glasses vs the Glencairn? Looking for an expert opinion of why they use the Copita. I watched part of your presentation of change and you gave a good explanation of why people mix their bourbon with coke, explain that Talk about your other passion of horses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ed Bley, Spirits and Beer Manager at Cork ’N Bottle, joins the show to talk about their historic past with bourbon, the importance of shopping small, and his process of doing barrel picksShow Notes: Dive into your past and some history to what led you into bourbon What’s the history of Cork N’ Bottle? Talk about how you deal with allocated releases What’s the importance to shop small and local? What’s your process for barrel picks? Anything special coming up? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bourbon Community Roundtable #5 dicusses the theories behind Old Scout, 2017 Predictions and Easily Obtainable Barrel Proof Choices.Show Notes: Joined by Blake of bourbonr.com, Jordan of breakingbourbon.com, and Kerry of subourbia.com So Smooth Ambler has discontinued their barrel program, which means no more private picks of SAOS. Thoughts? 2017 Predictions. What's going to happen? Are there any companies that will be bought up in 2017? Are we going to see more bottles lose age statements? Is there a consensus favorite among the more easily "obtainable" high proof? Stagg Jr, ECBP, EH Taylor BP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices