Banter

Dennis Nelson – Bourbon & Banter Member Spotlight

June’s Member Spotlight features Dennis Nelson from Belleville, IL. I was lucky to meet Dennis at a local Bourbon tasting almost a year ago.

Banter

Old Taylor Bourbon Manhattan Advertisement Circa 1970

Last night I went out with some colleagues to celebrate a new client win. I started the evening out with some Pappy 15-year, but for some unexplained reason, I got a hankering for a Manhattan. So I had a few of them and realized just how great they can be in certain company.

Banter

Beam’s 1795 – Trendy Isn’t Always Cool

Yesterday I read on Chuck Cowdery’s blog about the controversy brewing over the similarities between Jim Beam’s 1795 limited edition bottle and the familiar 1792 Ridgemont Reserve bottle.

Cocktails

Wild Turkey American Honey & A Beautiful Redhead

What does Wild Turkey American Honey have in common with a beautiful redhead?  That’s a good question. Lucky for you I’m going to answer that question and share one hell of a recipe for some summer sipping bourbon iced tea. Take a seat and let me begin my story… Meet Kate. She’s the beautiful redhea

Gear

Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Pint Cup

We like to say “Bring Your Own Steel (BYOS)”, but the pint cup isn’t only great for beer. Whether it’s water, iced coffee, juice, smoothies, milk or any other beverage, it’s a multi-use cup for any occasion. Take it to your next concert, barbeque, beach trip, or just your own backyard.

Banter

Ancient Age Bourbon Advertisement Circa 1956

Happy post-National Bourbon Day or as some people call it, “Friday”! I hope everyone enjoyed yesterday and did their best to spread the bourbon gospel. I welcome you into the weekend with an Ancient Age Bourbon Advertisement from 1956. Ancient Age chose a pretty bold line for this ad.

Banter

Top 5 Things To Do On National Bourbon Day

Today’s the day I’ve been waiting for all year. One day that I can drink bourbon all day and have an honest excuse for my excess. That’s right, folks, it’s National Bourbon Day!!!

On The Road

Bourbon Across America

Today I’m excited to announce a new project I’m under taking here at Bourbon & Banter. I’m calling it Bourbon Across America. The project’s goal is to explore how people across the country are experiencing bourbon in their daily lives both personally and professionally. w

Food

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Chocolate Milk Shake

There are two food/drink items that I dearly love in this world. Bourbon & Ice Cream.  So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that on occasion I get a hankering for both of them at the same time. So what’s a guy supposed to do when this happens? Yep, you guessed it. Make a bourbon chocolate shake.

Banter

Old Taylor Bourbon Advertisement Circa 1961

Welcome to Friday, everyone. I trust that you survived the week relatively intact. Let’s start the weekend with this Old Taylor Bourbon Advertisement from 1961. They put a ton of Old Kentucky imagery into this ad.

Gear

Brandy Smuggler Walking Cane Flask (a.k.a. quick kick me in the shins)

I’m not going to go out and run a marathon tomorrow but then again I’m not quite ready to spend the rest of my days in a rocker on the front porch of “the home”. But I have to tell you though that I’ve never been so inclined to get myself a cane in my life. You know…for medicinal purposes.

Banter

Barrel-Strength Bourbon – The Readers’ Point of View

About ten days ago, I posted a poll on the site (and our Facebook page) asking readers’ opinions of barrel-strength bourbon. Below you can see the results of that poll. 70% of our readers were overwhelmingly in favor of barrel-strength bourbon.

Banter

Crab Orchard Bourbon Advertisement Circa 1934

Awesomeness! That’s what you get when you combine a Crab Orchard Bourbon advertisement (circa 1934) with a comic strip treatment. Sure, the comic is clearly aimed at the adult male, but can you imagine someone trying to use that excuse these days?

Banter

Grant Johnson – Bourbon & Banter Member Spotlight

May’s Member Spotlight features Grant Johnson from Franklin, WI. Grant’s been a member of our community for a long time and is a frequent commenter and contributor on our Facebook page.

Banter

Let Us Never Forget

We walked among the crosses where our fallen soldiers lay. And listened to the bugle as TAPS began to play.

Banter

Jim Beam Advertisement Featuring Ripley’s Believe It Or Not

I’m pulling out all the stops in celebration of Memorial Day Weekend. Here’s a fantastic example of co-op advertising. Two iconic brands – Jim Beam & Ripley’s – come together to promote each other in this 1975 Jim Beam advertisement. God Bless America!

Banter

Celebrity Booze Commercials

In what seems as a lifetime ago I lived in Japan for a few years. During that time one of my favorite things about watching Japanese television was seeing American celebrities in commercials for things like booze and cigarettes. Since those types of commercials were banned or limited in the US it wa

Events

May 2012 Bourbon Dinner & Tasting Recap

Thanks again to everyone that joined us for our first-ever Bourbon & Banter Dinner Tasting event at Blood and Sand. It was a great evening, and I enjoyed getting to see everyone. (Many for the first time!) I’d also like to thank our host, TJ, from Blood and Sand, for a beautiful dinner.

Banter

G & W Straight Bourbon Whiskey Advertisement

Today’s featured Bourbon ad is for G & W Straight Bourbon Whiskey circa 1936.  Take a close look at the bottles in the ad. Notice anything odd?

Gear

U.S. Whiskey Map Infographic

Came across this fantastic whiskey map infographic from the folks over at SloshSpot. I’d been thinking about the need for something like this specific to just Bourbon, but I lack the necessary design skills to pull it off.

Food Reviews

Bourbon Truffles – Proof that God Exists

Maybe it’s the Catholic upbringing, but I must confess.  I’ve never been a fan of liquor-infused chocolates or candy. I can't say I've been a fan, whether it’s liquor cordials or bourbon balls. I’ll eat them, but you won’t find me seeking them out.

Banter

Bourbon Makes The Best Holiday Drinks Advertisement

Today’s vintage Bourbon ad comes from The Bourbon Institute. This 1959 advertisement shows just how versatile Bourbon can be when making various mixed drinks for the holidays.

Gear

Affordable Ice Balls For Your Bourbon

Okay. I admit it. I enjoyed typing the title for this blog post. Juvenile…perhaps? But I don’t think people want “ice spheres” to add to their Bourbon. I’m just keeping it real for the common Bourbon folk interested in finding ice balls to chill their drink.

Banter

Glenmore Kentucky Straight Bourbon Advertisement

Today’s Bourbon advertisement is a circa 1938 Glenmore Kentucky Straight Bourbon Advertisement. I did a search and found this interesting Glenmore timeline courtesy of Mike Veach over on BourbonEnthusiast.com. I’ve come to learn that Bourbon’s heritage is nothing if not convoluted and intertwined.

Banter

Chocolate for Adults – Twice The Vice

I stumbled across a new chocolate product on the web today called Twice The Vice. They mix chocolate with top-shelf liquors for a product banned in 32 states. As if that wasn’t enough to get my attention, it turns out that they offer The Kentucky Bourbon Collection.