Patrick "Pops" Garrett

Founder and Chief Drinking Officer of Bourbon & Banter. I've been drinking, writing, and arguing about bourbon professionally since 2011.

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Virtual Tasting

Replay: Copper & Cask Virtual Tasting

Last night we had Steven Corrigan, Barrel Master for Copper & Cask out of Rhode Island, join us for a virtual tasting, and I'll say this upfront: he was more than worth the invite. Four samples on the table, and every one of them had a story behind

HQ Build-Out

HQ Build-Out: Episode 5

This week: the last wall finally gets painted, the building tells us a secret we didn't ask for, and a five-shelf science cabinet joins the collection.

This Round's Mine

Happy 15th Anniversary!

Mostly, though, this one's a thank you. To everyone who's read something, shared something, emailed me, become a member, or just kept showing up.

HQ Build-Out

HQ Build-Out: Episode 4

This week: hammered copper gates finished, walls painted, and two Facebook Marketplace scores that saved us close to $10k. Plus a peek inside the office.

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BITB Club

Replay: BITB Live Tasting #19

HQ Build-Out

HQ Build-Out: Episode 3

In this episode, I walk you through the wall prep in all its unglamorous detail, the hammered-copper gate reveal (genuinely exceeded expectations — one coat of Rust-Oleum and I was standing there, a little stunned), and the new window treatments.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Wooler Whiskey Review: A bottle that hits the lower proof, lower price bullseye

This is a prime example of the type of bottle I'd recommend to someone looking to drink lighter, lower-proof bourbon without breaking the bank.

HQ Build-Out

HQ Build-Out: Episode 2

In this episode, I walk you through everything that happened in week one — the carpenter who knocked out the office and pantry build in about a day and a half, the wall repairs I tackled myself (manage your expectations), and where things stand on the whiskey wall.

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BITB Club

Replay: BITB Live Tasting #18

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Virtual Tasting

Replay: Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. Virtual Tasting

Last night, John Wadell joined us from Peerless for a virtual tasting, and if you've never met John, the guy could talk bourbon for six hours straight, and you'd want a seventh. Been with Peerless since before there was a product to taste, and that kind

HQ Build-Out

HQ Build-Out: Episode 1

We're locked in for at least 4 years, and the renovation is officially underway. Come take a look at what we're building — before the walls go up and the bottles find their home.

American Whiskey Reviews

Japan Meets Kentucky: BBC Mars Single Malt Japanese Whiskey Blend Review

It's not a pairing that many folks are probably sitting around hoping someone would put some effort behind. But once it's in the glass, it's pretty clear that BBC and Mars figured it out.

New Brand Releases

Four Roses Is Swinging Big With Their New Anthology Series

Everything I've heard says it delivers. I'd love to get my hands on a bottle and tell you exactly where it lands. But $500 is where my enthusiasm and my wallet part ways. A lot of people who fell in love with Four Roses Yellow Label or Small Batch know exactly what I mean.

This Round's Mine

How Do You Like These Apples? — A Cautionary Tale for Brands Who Can't Handle Honest Reviews

So no, we're not keeping this one quiet. When someone drags one of our people through the mud in front of an audience, we're going to respond. Not out of spite. Not to manufacture drama. But because staying silent has a cost too, and we've already paid it once.

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This Round's Mine

Did Wild Turkey Just Pull A Springsteen?

Here's the thing about Wild Turkey. The brand has always meant something. Not just good whiskey — accessible good whiskey. Wild Turkey 101 is one of the best values in bourbon, full stop.

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Virtual Tasting

Replay: Log Still Distillery Virtual Tasting

Last night, we had Wally Dant from Log Still Distillery out of Gethsemane, Kentucky, join us for a virtual tasting, and I'll say this upfront — he was more than worth the invite. Big thanks to Steven Edds for making it happen on their end, and shoutout to Bob

Stave & Thief Society

The First B&B Associate Bourbon Steward Class Is in the Books

Twenty people walked into B&B HQ on Saturday morning. All twenty are now Certified Bourbon Stewards. That's a 100% pass rate, which I'll take — though I'll also admit I was rooting hard for everyone in that room.

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Virtual Tasting

Replay: Barrell Craft Spirits Virtual Tasting

Industry News

The Neck Pour Debate Might Be Over—Thanks to a New Packaging Innovation

“There’s a lot of interest in premium bourbon, but not everyone wants to hunt or pay secondary prices. A format like this gives people a legitimate way to engage with the brand.”

This Round's Mine

Before Bourbon & Banter, There Was Bourbon Club

October 2008 to now is nearly a third of my life. That's a weird sentence to sit with. A joke about Don Draper's bar cart set off a chain of events that became a business, a community, a podcast, a content platform, tastings across the country, and whatever comes next.

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HQ Update

HQ Update: 2nd time's a charm?

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Virtual Tasting

Replay: Michter's Virtual Tasting

Members only

This Round's Mine

Your High-Proof Habit Might Be Wrecking Your Palate

This Round's Mine

Fourteen Years of Not Selling Out

So tonight, wherever you are and whatever's in your glass — raise it. We made it fourteen years. That deserves at least a few pours.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Strange Raven 6-Year: A Bourbon Worth Paying Attention To

Compared to many of the sourced NDP releases launched over the last six months, this is one of the better ones I've tasted.