Happy 15th Anniversary!

Fifteen years ago today, I put up the first Bourbon & Banter post on Facebook. I had to look it up to know what I posted, but I know I had a drink in my hand while I wrote it. The pour I enjoyed way back then wasn't the one I'm drinking in the video below. Today's pour is our recent Green River Single Barrel pick, and it didn't even exist 15 years ago. Neither did the majority of bourbons on shelves right now. That alone tells you how far this thing has come.

I go into the whole story in the video below, including the part most of you have never heard. Bourbon & Banter didn't start as Bourbon & Banter. It started as Bourbon Club, back in 2008, inside a media company where a few of us watched too much Mad Men and figured if they could drink at work, we could too. We call 2011 our official "publishing" start date. The real one goes back further than that.

There's also an update on the new headquarters here in St. Louis. A 25-plus person lounge, my whole collection on the wall, a space built for members and nobody else. Not a bar. Not open to the public. A place you've earned just by sticking around this long.

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. Bourbon & Banter has never paid a family/personal bill in its life. DrinkCurious does that. This is still the passion project, and it stays honest because of that and because of you.

Watch the full video below. Grab a pour first. It's more fun that way.

Building out the new HQ isn't cheap, and we're doing it on a passion project budget. If you've got a few extra dollars sitting around, the tip jar is open right here: bourbonbanter.com/tip-jar. No pressure. Reading and sharing have always counted for plenty, but it would be nice to have more than 2 outlets at the HQ.

Here's to 15 years. Raise a glass tonight, whatever's in it.

Cheers,

~ Pops 🥃