The 31st episode of the Bourbon & Banter podcast – Bourbon…The BS Frontier - is now available for your listening and drinking pleasure. It’s a new year, but we’re still bringing you the same brutally honest commentary on the bourbon and whiskey world.
A part of the Drink Curious Community, the Bourbon & Banter Single Barrel Club hit the motherload at the end of 2022, with half a dozen fantastic picks released within a span of a few weeks. If you haven’t signed up to be a community member, we urge you to do so. The barrels we’ve selected are truly unique compared to what is regularly available. As a reminder, we are also able to ship NATIONWIDE now.
The WHISKEY NEWS kicks off with the big announcement that Elizabeth McCall will succeed Chris Morris as the new Master Distiller at Woodford Reserve. McCall, who has been training for the Master Distiller role for over a decade, will oversee quality and innovation efforts and bring new Woodford Reserve products to market. She will lead the brand’s special, rare bourbon releases, including the Master’s Collection and Distillery Series, bringing her unique touch and point of view to new whiskies.
We look forward to seeing what Elizabeth’s tenure will bring to the brand.
Never one to shy away from lawsuits, we’re intrigued to see Sazerac on the other side of the gavel, as they’re under a suit for misleading customers with their Fireball Cinnamon brand. Is it a malt beverage? Is it whiskey? Does anyone care?
Canada is under new alcohol guidelines, which we think may be influenced by our archenemies in South Africa. We also discuss the top ten percent of drinkers in the United States who consume around three cases of beer a week, eighteen bottles of wine, or four 750ml bottles of whiskey. That’s a lot of drinking, and we’re wondering how anyone would have time to do anything else.
Our look at new releases includes Heaven Hill’s announcement of a twenty-year-old corn whiskey as part of their Heritage Collection and a barrel-proof Bernheim wheat whiskey. Our friends at Breckenridge Distillery in Colorado announced their 2023 release of Sexy Motor Oil, a beer barrel-aged bourbon, and Yellowstone has announced an American single malt whiskey.
The Bourbon and Banter FUCKS team (forensic under-cover knowledge seekers) have uncovered the next line extension from New Hampshire’s Tamworth Distillery, which infuses bourbon with a truly unique item that we haven’t seen used in whiskey before.
The CRAFT SHOOT takes a break this episode as we take a closer look at Alan Jackson’s Silverbelly Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Where does this fall in the celebrity whiskey pantheon? Will it rock the jukebox? Or is it better poured out in the Chattahoochee River?
We close the episode with the most honest segment in all of bourbon podcasting…BOURBON BULLSHIT. Brace yourself folks, and maybe turn your speakers down a notch or two, because Bob gets worked up pretty good this month. The title of this episode is inspired by the first story here on Mystic Galactic bourbon. This is a bullshit encounter of the worst kind. Three-year-old whiskey is thrown up into space for a year. Sounds like a recipe that only Charmin Ultra Strong can accommodate.
We go from space-aged bullshit to a whiskey that was left someplace for fifty years and forgotten about. 78 Legends is rolling out whiskey they couldn’t sell the first time, now aged even longer. It tasted like dirt and wood the first time, now it’s…older dirt?
Blue Run Spirits has announced a new single barrel program, which comes at a price that nobody we know could ever afford. At double the price of a good barrel of Four Roses, we imagine the lines will be as long as our patience when hearing about this ridiculousness.
As the most honest podcast in bourbon, we don't pull any punches and we tell it as we see it. If you've been searching for a bourbon podcast that provides honest commentary, to-the-point information, and doesn't take itself too seriously – welcome home!
Here’s the breakdown for Episode #31 – Bourbon…The BS Frontier.
- 12:05 Whiskey News
- 46:14 Celebrity Bourbon Tasting
- 53:17 Bourbon Bullshit
Are you ready? Pour yourself a drink, get comfortable, and listen to Episode 31 using the player above or via your favorite podcast player.
Warning: If you're not comfortable with unapologetic, independent thinking, plus a healthy dose of swearing, you might want to skip this one folks. It's recorded at barrel strength with full-throttle banter.
Listen via your preferred podcast player
We sure hope you enjoyed Episode 31 of the official Bourbon & Banter podcast and that you'll consider sharing it with your friends. We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below or by emailing us.
Have a great weekend and remember to stay safe while you're spreading the bourbon gospel and learning to #drinkcurious.
Hey, wait a minute. You have listened to all our previous episodes, right? If not, head on over to our Bourbon & Banter Podcast page to get caught up.
The fifteen months Bob Bennett spent living in Lebanon, KY, as a child may have laid the groundwork for what would happen years later (something in the water…literally). Originally from Corning, NY, he grew up in a household where happy hour was celebrated every night. Surprisingly, Bennett didn’t start drinking until he was 23 years old. He quickly made up for lost time, gravitating to bourbon as his preferred libation immediately, and proudly filled the bar that was passed down from his father. In the years that followed, not only did he develop a deeper appreciation for bourbon, but began to cherish the opportunity to talk about the spirit he has grown to love. As the Artistic Director for Jazz St. Louis, Bennett has become the unofficial bourbon ambassador of jazz, spreading the gospel of good taste to musicians everywhere. It also helps endear him to the St. Louis community, which is needed, as bleeding Dodger Blue tends to rub those Cardinal fans the wrong way.
Read Bob's full profile.
Patrick Garrett, "Pops" as he's known to his friends, is the founder of Bourbon & Banter, LLC and claims the title of Chief Drinking Officer (CDO). A long-time marketing professional and photographer, Pops hopes to use his professional experience and love of Bourbon to spread the Bourbon Gospel and help everyone realize the therapeutic power of having a good drink with friends. Read Patrick's full profile.
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