Bourbon Pursuit

Building a brand on sourced whiskey is difficult. When you’re not the one distilling the product, it’s hard to be price competitive. At the same time, you're at the mercy of the market on barrel availability so it's hard to determine the continuation of a product. In this episode, we're joined by McCauley Williams, CEO of Big River Distilling, who is behind brands like Blue Note Bourbon and Riverset Rye. We talk about how to run a large scale business that relies on sourcing and how you protect the brands flavor integrity for the future.Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about empty bottles. What game show would you want to be a contestant on? How did you get into this business? What was the first step to start a spirits business? How did you raise capital to make this happen? Tell us about your brands. Did you have a proof of concept? How do you select a distillation partner? Talk about the competitiveness of the sourced market. Tell us about the pricing of sourced whiskey. How do you differentiate your products? Why 93 proof? How do you get a brand to market? Any states you've seen success in that you didn't expect? Which is a better ROI, liquor stores or bars/restaurants? Do you experience any frustrations with acquiring packaging materials? Any other frustrations with the business? Support this Podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Heaven Hill 85th Anniversary. This 13 year old bourbon is 107 proof and $300 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

Today's podcast is looking forward in 2021. No one could have predicted the events of 2020, but let's look into our magic 8 ball and see what we think will happen to bourbon in 2021.Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about bottle closures. We discuss our 2021 predictions for the bourbon and whiskey market. 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 Blackened Cask Strength. This non-age stated whiskey is 110.7 proof and $55 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

Bourbon societies are becoming prolific across the globe. But here's the thing, they all do something different that makes them unique. In this episode, we are joined by representatives from the Dallas Bourbon Club, The Bourbon Society of Greater Cincinnati, and KOBBE (Kentucky's Original Black Bourbon Enthusiasts). We get a deeper understanding of how each society operates from a social, educational, and philanthropic perspective. If you're looking to start a society or grow your own, here's a chance to listen how these fellas do it.Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about StraightBourbon.com. We are joined by Jamar Mack (KOBBE), Pete Schmidt (Dallas Bourbon Club), and Todd Carnes (Bourbon Society of Greater Cincinnati). What's the weirdest food you've ever eaten? How are you trying to reach new members? How is your group different from other bourbon groups? Do you have a motto? How are you putting on events? How are you involved with charities? Do you do any bourbon education? How do you get people to present to your group? How many women do you have in your group? Talk about your barrel picks. Support this Podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Jefferson's Reserve Single Barrel. This non-age stated bourbon is 100 proof and $60 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

You all see and hear from Kenny, Ryan, and Fred, but there's a critical fourth member of this team. Lauren Coleman has been in the media space for her whole career and took the quality of Bourbon Pursuit episodes to another level. In this quick interview, get to know a little bit about Lauren.Show Notes: Tell us about your podcast editing process. How did you get into video editing? How many days a week do you miss working for Heaven Hill? Are you ever worried about Kenny spending too much on bourbon and not being able to pay the mortgage? What's one thing most people don't know about Kenny and Ryan that you think they should know? If you were to host a podcast, what would it be about? How do you keep a work/life balance? Support this Podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review The Last Drop XIX Buffalo Trace 1980. This 40 year old bourbon is 90 proof and $4,600 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

Today's episode features the Master Distiller from Barton 1792, Danny Kahn. Danny comes from a background of brewing beer that led him to working with some high profile names, that ultimately took him to whiskey. Danny brought some samples to try where the lowest proof was 125 and then they creep up to 160 proof! We talk about what happens when he finds barrels like these and our wishes for what we could do with them. Who wouldn't want a single barrel of it?Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about whiskey stories. Where are you from? Do you have any interesting scars? Tell us about the whiskey you brought today. Talk about your history in brewing beer. What were your early recipes like? Are you doing any distillery expansion or improvements? Tell us about Ridgemont Reserve. How long have you been at 1792? How does a bourbon get to 160 proof? Is it hard to take a high proof aged bourbon and proof it down? Tell us about your distilling process. How do you forecast the future bourbon needs? Support this Podcast on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Huling Station Straight Bourbon. This non-age stated high rye bourbon is 100 proof and $38 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