A Universal Whiskey Experience (BRC S3 E22)

AI Transcript - please excuse any typos: BRC S3 E22 Transcript

Kerry:
It is 5 o'clock somewhere and you've tuned into Season 3, Episode 22 of BRC. For those of you who'd like to watch this episode, I highly recommend it. You can view Season 3 on our website, YouTube, Spotify, WhiskeyNetwork.net and Zencastr. I'm Kerry Moynahan, and today I give you the inside look of the Nth, the world's premier whiskey and luxury spirits experience, which took place at The Wynn in Las Vegas earlier this year. I had the chance to speak with one of my idols, Master Blender Richard Patterson from The Dalmore, Deborah Stewart of Glen Parkless, Aberfeldy's Gareth Howells, Glen Grant's Alex Goody, and Bonington Distillery's founder, John Kennedy. Then later in the show, I sit down with Jim O'Connor from Western Spirits Beverage Company who introduced me to their premium bourbon line, Calumet Farms, as well as their flavored whiskey brand, Bird Dog. So kick off your shoes, pour yourself a dram, and join me for this episode of Barrel Room Chronicles. On season two of Barrel Room Chronicles, I embarked on an amazing journey through Ireland, from Cork to Belfast and nearly everything in between. Now I'm going to do it all over again, but this time you're invited. That's right. Join me this spring for a trip of a lifetime through the rich tapestries of Irish whiskey culture. We'll visit iconic locations such as the Titanic Experience and the new Titanic Distillery and tour through the lush Irish landscapes and visit filming locations from the hit TV series Game of Thrones. We'll also visit historic sites, including cathedrals, jails, castles, and more. Plus, we'll get to distill our very own batch of Clonakilty gin. To find out more or to book now, visit barrelroomchronicles.com and click on the Brock Tours photo. I am here at the Delmore booth with Richard Patterson, the Richard Patterson. Look at this. Love it. Richard, thank you so much for taking the time out to talk to us. And I see you have something you want me to try. What is that?

Richard:
Yeah, it's so good to be back here in Las Vegas, especially to see so many whisky enthusiasts. And that's what it's all about. All these people that are visiting the stands, whether it's Delmore or Garfarkas or Dewars or even Chivas or Johnny, it's all about working together. and having a great time. And whiskey, that's what it's all about, sharing all these wonderful whiskeys. So this is a particular one I really love. This is a Delmore King Alexander. The only single malt in the world with six different finishes. Bored Madeira Masala, Cabernet Sauvignon, Small Batch Bourbon, and Matusan Sherry. And like all the whiskeys, Bourbons, cognacs, spirits, you must give it respect. Yes. So it's a matter of putting the whiskey in the glass and not knocking it back. That's right. You say hello to it, then you go back and you say, how are you? How are you? Yeah. And then you go like that. OK. So what I want you to do, Carrie, this time, to really appreciate it, you must put it in your mouth. All right. So you put it in the top of the tongue, then underneath the tongue, back in the middle. The longer you keep it in the mouth, the more you'll extract the flavors.

Kerry:
This man is so intelligent.

Richard:
I love it. OK. Here we go. All right. There we go. So that's it. So top of the tongue. Just keep it there. Good. Good. Then underneath the tongue, a little bit of spiciness. Rich. Right. Don't swallow, whatever you do. Right. Hold it back up the top. Keep it there. Keep it there. Keep it there. And then swallow and then take a big deep breath. Wait for it. Wait for it. Here we go. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Hello there. First taste is important, but you've got to have just one more taste just to make sure you get everything in. That's it. Just keep it there. Keep it there. Keep it there. Keep it there. And then swallow. So when you go to bed tonight and brush your teeth, This is amazing.

Kerry:
So I have a story about this expression, actually. As I was telling you, I've been in entertainment for 20 plus years. And there was a point where, long story short, I had to take a full-time job instead of a gig work, so I got into entertainment news.

Richard:
Yes.

Kerry:
Pluses and minuses. I mean, it was nice having a steady paycheck, but it's a lot.

Richard:
But you're doing something that you love.

Kerry:
Well, not at that point. However, I moved into an online thing where we had popular stuff going on and they sent our producer of that section things to taste and things to try and products to do. I was in the video and photo section. And she said, oh, you like whiskey, right? And I said, yes. She goes, OK, well, I'm I'm more of a wine person. And they sent me this King Alexander and I need a review. And so you need to do the review. So I was like, yeah. So I did the review and I said, OMG, this is like, yes, well, yeah, I mean, I already had been tasting in my personal life, which is why I said, OK, but then the fact that she let me and she goes and I'm not a whiskey person, so you can take the bottle home.

Richard:
I'm like, OK, got it. And that's how he got into it.

Kerry:
Yeah.

Richard:
Yeah, it's like all the different whiskeys here, they all have a different story to tell. And that's why it's so important that you see, OK, 80% of the influence for a whiskey comes from the wood. But having all that influence and taking your time, you've got to take your time to distill it, take your time to mature it, but more importantly, take your time drinking it and sharing with the people that you love.

Kerry:
Richard, thank you so much. This has been amazing getting to meet the legend himself.

Richard:
Remember, love makes the world go round. That's true. Whiskey makes the world go round twice as fast.

Kerry:
Thank you. Wait, I got to tell you something. I was just in Washington at this small startup distillery and it's actually coming out next week, this episode. And like this, they did a bunch of tastings and then this woman came in and said, F you, I'm pregnant. And he's like, I didn't do it. And she's like, but I drank your whiskey so much that we got frisky. And now I'm pregnant. And then they now have like a bunch of people and they have a little door and the love is going around a lot up there.

Richard:
As long as you drink in moderation, right time, right place. That's important.

Kerry:
I agree. Richard, thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you.

Deborah:
So my name is Deborah Stewart. I work for Glenfarclas as one third of the international sales and marketing team.

Kerry:
How are you? I'm great, Max. How are you? I am so good. I just I'm wandering here around the end in Las Vegas, which was supposed to come in April of 2020. And we know how that turned out. So here I am. And I'm so excited to be here. And you are with Glen Farkless. I am, yes. And can you tell me a little bit about what you guys are promoting here and what your role is and all of that good goodness?

Deborah:
Absolutely. So obviously, Glen Farkless being one of the last truly independent family run distilleries, we're a small team. So literally, there are three of us who look after all of the sales, marketing, MPD, brand ambassador, hosting, all these fun things for the whole world. My job is the Americas and most of Western Europe. And this is my first time at the ETH as well, because I also took over the US and Canada during COVID. Before that, it was just in June.

Kerry:
What do you think about the event this year?

Deborah:
It's wild. Maybe that's just because it's in Vegas. It's my first time in Vegas as well. So that makes it even more crazy. It's not a place I've ever been. It's always a place I've wanted to go to. So hey, my friends at home think it's crazy that I call this work.

Kerry:
All right. Every cab and every Uber that I've gotten in since I've been here. So you're here for work or play? And I said, it's the same thing. All right, so Deb, what do you have that you want me to taste? And maybe it would be something more in the high-end year range?

Deborah:
Absolutely. So obviously, we're very lucky at Glyfarcus because our range is quite big and goes quite high. So the oldest whisky we've got on the stand today is our 40-year-old. Oh, wow. It's actually been on the market for a little while. But we also- It's almost as old as me. See, I love that. So I used to say that I only drink whisky that's older than me. It's too expensive for that to be the case all the time. But I do work with distillery where it's still possible. And not many people can say that. That's awesome. But the 30 is probably the highlight, simply because it's not available in the US yet. OK. We're working to get it here. So hopefully by the end of this year, it will be on this market. That's fantastic. It's been around in Europe, in Asia, but it's never been here. So that's a plus.

Kerry:
Because, you know, we have 50 little mini states. I mean, mini countries, because it's everybody.

Deborah:
Which is what makes it just a little bit complicated. I had to learn all that and I was like, I am so confused by that.

Kerry:
Yeah, I went to Ireland last year for season two and we shot almost the whole season there. And everyone's like, well, we're trying to get in. We're in like, you know, this many states, that many states, but it's like 50 different countries, which I, you know, thanks a lot, Prohibition.

Deborah:
Well, one advantage that we have is that the distributor here is Sazerac, and because they are available everywhere, that makes it easier for me. They're probably not mine. We've been working with them for like 30 years as well. So generally speaking, we like to work with other family owned independent companies. So Sazerac's not a small one, but it still fits the bill. Yep. Love Sazerac. They're some great people. Do you want to have a little taste of the 30? Sure. So 30 is one we would describe as limited release. So we do release some every year, but quantities are limited. So the 30, if I'm not mistaken, we did 9,000 bottles worldwide this year. Oh, that's fantastic. It's not bad, right? That's really good. The 40 is even more limited. So I think it was 2,400 bottles. We did get a little peat on the very end, on the finish. Is that supposed to be? So basically, we did used to use a little bit of peat and we malted ourselves. OK. And in the case of the 30, we did stop malting more than 30 years ago. But the casks get used a couple of times. So it's possible, like, you had a second fill cask in there where the first fill was old enough that they would have had some peat, so you get that tiny, tiny little... It doesn't, it's not on the front at all.

Kerry:
It's like literally after you swallow, you're like, oh wait, there's some peat. Yeah. Oh, it's lovely. See, that's my kind of peat. I'm not a big peat person.

Deborah:
I'm a Speyside girl, so... Me too.

Kerry:
Where's your glass? That's it. I'm a Speyside girl.

Deborah:
I mean... Absolutely. Even though, it's actually something I get asked a lot. Why does the label say Highland when it's a Speyside whiskey? Speyside was a sub-region of the Highlands. It wasn't its own region. That has changed now. But when you're the fifth generation of your family, it's only distillery, you say, I don't care that you've changed your rules. I'm not changing my label. So any Speyside could call itself a Highland, but not every Highland could call itself a Speyside.

Kerry:
It's funny is every time, like, again, when I'm, what are you doing here? And I tell them, oh, what's your favorite whiskey? I said, oh, You can't. I can't. That's not, no. There are too many things. There's too many things. And I said, here's what I can tell you. Almost everything in the Speyside region I like. And I will, if I'm somewhere and I'm looking at the stuff and they don't have a big selection, I will look for something in Speyside. Speyside is my favorite Scotch.

Deborah:
And have you been to visit? I have. Did you come to see us?

Kerry:
And if not, why not? Well, you know, we were out, I was on a tour and we, it was not one of the ones that we drove by it.

Deborah:
And I was like, next time, next time you have to let me know.

Kerry:
Yes. Well, this is fantastic. I love it. And Deb, thank you so much. Absolute pleasure. And would you like to tell our audience anything else that is like coming out or something?

Deborah:
So, yeah, 30, 35 and 50 are all destined for... 50, that's what I need.

Kerry:
Do you have a 50 here? You don't have a 50.

Deborah:
Not officially. Oh, you're not... Okay. Maybe we'll see. There might be a little, tiny, little dribble left. I think we're going to have a little 50. Shh, don't say. And the other one, which is really fun, that we're also doing the paperwork for just now, is 16-year-old 105. So limited edition 105. It is 60% ABV like all the 105s, but it's got a 16-year-old age statement on it. Wow. It's been out in the rest of Europe since about February. So it's still quite a recent one. And we will have that one, hopefully, but super limited. So please don't get too excited. If I'm not mistaken, there are 360 bottles coming to the US. All right. Everybody look for it. That's as much as any market got. That was the maximum allocation that any market got. That's amazing.

Kerry:
Deb, thank you so much. Absolute pleasure. Thank you. Cheers.

Gareth:
My name is Gareth Howells, and I'm the North American single malt whisky ambassador for Bacardi USA.

Kerry:
Gareth, it is so nice to meet you here.

Gareth:
Well, thank you very much for swinging by. We really appreciate it. I mean, we've got some phenomenal whiskey here, of course, Highland Single malt distillery from 1898. And I've actually just poured you a little something that maybe we can get on the shop, not released yet, but to be released in the next few weeks. That smells delicious. So this is a continuation of Stephanie McLeod and Aberfeldy's Wine Pass Finish Series. I've met Stephanie, she's fantastic. So for those of you who don't know, Stephanie McLeod is a Master of Malts for Aberfeldy, five times winner of the IWC Master Blender of the Year Award, first ever female recipient and still current holder. So to say she's top of her game would not be an understatement.

Kerry:
No, she is one of my idols, I must say.

Gareth:
But the one thing that Stephanie has been doing is releasing a series of whiskeys in between either at that 15 or 18 year old age statement with wine glass finishes. This is the latest iteration, soon to come out. It's a 15 year old Aberfeldy, which is then finished in a Cadillac. white wine casks. And for those of you who don't know, we're looking at a sweet white Bordeaux. So coming from the Entree de Mer region, but it really is quite, it's quite beguiling, this whiskey. Floral, toffee. I get like yellow stone fruits, like peach, but it really is something quite special. And I hope you enjoy it.

Kerry:
All right, here we go. Cheers. 43% ABV.

Gareth:
Oh, gee, that's good. Looking around about a seven month finish in those Cadillac costs. But what do you think?

Kerry:
Oh, this is one of the best rounds I've had tonight. This is really good. When is it available?

Gareth:
Well, we'll definitely give the feedback to Stephanie. But yeah, it's been very well received. And I really appreciate you coming around to say hi. Thank you. And also, I support you for the support on Spotify.

Kerry:
So good. So good. So how old is this one again?

Gareth:
So it's a 15 year old. which then has that white wine cast finish.

Kerry:
Stephanie has outdone herself again, as usual, because she's fantastic.

Gareth:
In case anyone was wondering, it's actually really difficult to represent her whiskeys. They're so good, they just speak for themselves. So really, I'm not needed to do anything, neither is the team in the US, other than just stand up and ball for people.

Kerry:
Yeah, so I met Stephanie at an event a few months back. And she was actually in LA, which was like, everyone's like, oh, she's going to be here for two days. You've got to come. And it was amazing. She hosted this tasting. It was great. And I got to meet her. And she's fantastic. And I love that you're here today with this. It was so good to meet you. Thank you so much. And cheers. Solange Vaughn.

Gareth:
Thank you very much.

Alex:
My name is Alex Goody. I'm the National Portfolio Ambassador for Campari's Luxury Division. I'm here representing the Glen Grants today.

Kerry:
Alex, it is so good to see you here.

Alex:
It's great to see you too.

Kerry:
Thank you so much for inviting me in. I see you have a bunch of stuff here that I would love to taste. But before we do that, tell me a little bit about the Glen Grants.

Alex:
Yeah, so today I've got the Glen Grants. We've got the core four, if you will. We've got our 12, our 15, our 18, and our oldest permanent expression as of today. the 21. We do have a 70-year-old that was released a few months ago that sold for about $100K a bottle. There are only seven of them made, so we don't really count that in the core range. Have you had any of our delicious Glen Grants? You said you had, right?

Kerry:
I have, but I have not had the one from today.

Alex:
OK, cool. So we're going to jump right up today to the Glen Grant 18. Now, the Glen Grant, is a little-known distillery with 183 years distilling history out of Rothes and Speyside. The 18 has won the best single malt scotch whiskey in the world three years in a row by Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible. We are a Speyside single malt, so we're not scotch-a-scotch scotch. We're not smacking in the face with any peat. It's a very approachable, very easy drinking.

Kerry:
Speyside is my favorite region of Spain.

Alex:
Well, cheers to that. I'll agree to that. What do you think? Somebody once said that not a single molecule in this juice is out of place. And I have to say, this is one of the most perfectly balanced single malts I've ever had. The 18, I would say, is the most emblematic of the Glen Grant. Again, it's a very light, it's very floral. Sometimes I get notes of ice cream. Do with that information what you will. But at $4.18, economically speaking, $150, it's not going to break the bank.

Kerry:
No, it's fantastic. It's really good.

Alex:
You know, our 12, I would say the 18 drinks obviously like a more mature version of the 12, it's six years older, of course. But I mean that, I think when you try the 12, it's lovely, it's sessionable, it's easy drinking. At 40, 50 bucks a bottle, you can't beat it. For $150 for an 18, I think this is probably one of the best bets on the market. Hey, the paparazzi over there. But yeah, I think this is really nice. I would love to taste you on the 21, if you have time. So this is the 21. This bottle is legal itself to drink. So where the 18 is 43% chill filtered, the 21 jumps that up. It's 46% and non-chill filter. It's a little creamier on your palate. This is going to be a, oh, absolutely beautiful nose. It's a lot. There's a lot going on in that one. There is. It's so good. It's bold. It makes no apologies for what it is. But yeah, but the biggest difference is this is going to jump up to 46% ABV. It's non-chill filtered. Also, it's a perfect blend, roughly 50-50, of a mix of Expoloroso Sherry and Second Felix Burger.

Kerry:
It's fantastic. Delicious.

Alex:
Thank you so much. Absolutely. Lovely chatting with you. Cheers.

Kerry:
Hi there, how are you?

John:
I'm very well, thanks, how are you?

Kerry:
I'm good, what is your name, sir?

John:
I'm John Kennedy. John Kennedy. And I'm a director at the Bonington Distillery.

Kerry:
Tell me about the Borrington Distillery.

John:
So the Borrington Distillery is in Edinburgh, in Scotland. So it's one of the three new distilleries that have opened up in the capital city in the last few years. So ourselves, Holyrood and Port of Leith. Fantastic. So the owner of the brand initially was John Crabby. John Crabby co-dates back to 1801. So that's where we can trace our whiskey roots all the way back to 1801. That's awesome.

Kerry:
Can I trace some whiskey down?

John:
Certainly.

Kerry:
I've got to try some here.

John:
Brought to you for the inaugural. So this was our first ever bottling from a distillery. It's been matured in a ruby port cask. Oh, yum. So I think it's 52% ABV. So because it's matured in ruby port, it's very sweet.

None:
Oh, wow.

Kerry:
That's got a beautiful look.

John:
It's got a lovely sort of pink tint to it as well because of the cask.

Kerry:
It's hard to tell with this glass. This glass is gorgeous. But yes, look at that. All right, let's see.

John:
So it's laid down in 2020, so it's quite a young whisky, but because it's been matured in Ruby Port, it's got a lot of the flavours from the cask, so we're ready to bottle it. And that was our very first release from the Borington Distillery. The other one we have with us is the second bottling. That only got bottled last week. Oh, wow. That's a sherry cask release. So it's four casks of Pedro Ximenez sherry that have been bottled. You see, 47%. It's a non-chill filter. OK, hold on. Let me try to focus. So again, it's not finished. It's matured in the sherry.

Kerry:
This is really good. Thank you. Well, that's lovely, too.

John:
Very sweet, yeah. I can smell the sherry a lot. Like I say, because it's been matured, it's about four years old, I think. Wow. I know.

Kerry:
Those are both delicious. So tell me a little bit about how you guys started the company after all these years.

John:
So we actually bought the brand back, and it was known for its ginger wine, John Crabby ginger wine. It wasn't until we delved into the archives we found all these amazing stories dating back to 1801. Oh wow, that's fantastic. So it was initially very much like the Johnny Walker story. John Crabby was a green grocer from Edinburgh. He then moved into importing and exporting spices like ginger, etc. And that's where there's the symbol of the company is an elephant. It's because the elephants used to load on the spices to the boats in India. Then he became a whiskey blender, so started exporting whiskey. And then he actually built his own distillery in Edinburgh back in the 1830s. So we're just trying to bring back that John Crabby story. Barrington's the area in Leith where the distillery's built. So that's why we called it the Barrington Single Mall.

Kerry:
I love it. I wish you guys the best. Thank you very much. This is really, really good. And I hope all the luck with everybody running around here today. And I hope you go home with nothing left, because everybody's going to drink it.

John:
Thank you very much. Thanks.

Kerry:
Thank you. Don't touch that device. We'll be right back with Jim O'Connor.

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Kerry:
We are here to talk about Western spirits, which I've never heard of until I got here today. So Jim is going to tell me all about it. Jim, tell me about Western spirits.

Jim:
Well, Western Spirits is a top 40 U.S. spirits supplier. We're headquartered out of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Our primary focus is our whiskey, although we do have some ready to drinks. We have some vodkas, probably the two best known brands of ours for a premium whiskey. We do a flavored line called Bird Dog made with Kentucky straight bourbon, natural flavoring. And then as a super premium, we have Calumet Farm. Oh, Calumet Farm. Calumet Farm is one of these fantastic bourbons that offers a wonderful drinking experience. We're available at really exciting age statements. Our opening level is an eight-year-old, 90 proof. Fantastic. It's a delicious whiskey. We go up through a 10-year-old, through a 15-year-old, to a 16-year-old. Wow. I think the bourbon drinking communities enjoyed us because they've been able to get nicer, well-aged bourbons that were available, that they didn't have to stand in line for, that they could enjoy, and that they could go back and get another one when they were done with it.

Kerry:
So here's a question. First of all, can you get this in California?

Jim:
You can. Yes, absolutely. We're in all 50 states.

Kerry:
Wow. That's a feat in of itself right there with the triple tier business, whatever. Now, how long has the company been this particular brand? How long has this particular brand been?

Jim:
been out for about 12 years now. So when it started out it was just a small batch bourbon and over the years as our stores have aged and gotten more depth to their flavor we've added different extensions to the lineup. So our opener now is an eight-year-old and again our current oldest is a 16-year-old.

Kerry:
That's fantastic. 8 plus 8 is 16. So there you go. So now did this, do you guys have your own distillery or do you source or do you work with a contract?

Jim:
We work with a contract. We have it made to our mash bill, which is 74% corn, 18% rye, 8% malted barley. And then we have a team of master blenders in Bowling Green who will go through the barrels. We have our own warehouses up there and they'll make the batches and make these fantastic bourbons.

Kerry:
Fantastic. So can we taste some of this good stuff?

Jim:
Absolutely. So let's start with this eight-year-old. What I enjoy about this eight-year-old is, in of itself, this is a very well-aged bourbon.

Kerry:
We're very classy here with our Caesars paper cups.

Jim:
We had not quite set up yet.

Kerry:
I know. I surprised these guys. I just knocked on the door. Hey, can I come in and try some stuff? Talk to Jim?

Jim:
This is the way to enjoy it anyways. So what I think you'll find in this, you'll have these wonderful, bright, lovely caramel and butterscotch notes up front. At 18% rye, you are knocking on what they would call a high rye bourbon's door. You're not quite there, but it really pops. These have been aged in deeply charred barrels, level four, they call it the alligator char, where the wood begins to crack, resembling an alligator's skin. Now, is it the same mash bill for all of these? It is, yes. It was all the same whiskey, just as it got older.

Kerry:
I'm going to taste it. It's not a really good sniffing cup. See, I'm a rye lover, so when I get to the high rye bourbons, that's when I'm like, yes. That's very delicious.

Jim:
Very, very delicious. To go from the eight now, we go to a ten-year-old. Again, the same whiskey, but now it's two years older. We go up to a hundred proof. One of the things I really love about this line is it is mellowed so nicely in the barrels that I don't think one of these drinks at its proof. I think when you drink these... What was the proof on the first one? What? Yeah. I mean, it's surprising. It's just... Fantastic mouthfeel. It's got a full flavor. Calumet Farm for us is really important. We are a company out of Kentucky. We love the state. We love everything about it. Calumet Farm has an actual tie-in to our brand. It is, in its heyday, was the champion race farm in the world. There have been eight Kentucky Derby winners, eight Preakness winners. There's been two Triple Crown winners. So we also try to kind of romanticize a little. Which Triple Crown winners were they? Oh, it was Whirl-A-Way and Citation. Okay, nice, nice. And we have commemorative models on that. Our 15-year-old is a Whirl-A-Way edition. The 16-year-old, which we'll try last, is the Citation edition, probably the most famous horse to come out of Calumet Farm. This horse on the 10-year-old is Bull-Lee. Bull-Lee was more famous as a stud horse and breeding championship thoroughbreds. Bull-Lee is the father of Citation.

Kerry:
Of course. See, that's how you got to get the gene going on there.

Jim:
Absolutely. And I think it's kind of cool to highlight that with the whiskey because it's just bourbon is such a part of America. Obviously, it can be made anywhere in the U.S., but there's just an affinity for Kentucky and there's just something about Kentucky straight bourbon and there's something about Kentucky and horses.

Kerry:
Definitely something about Kentucky and horses for sure. All right, let's try the 16.

Jim:
Americana and it's so delicious on top of it. So now we go up to 106 proof, 16 years old. A wonderful cherry note starts to emerge now that really isn't in the 8 and the 10, and if it is, it's in there a little faintly.

Kerry:
So now again, not that the nose is really easy on this paper cup, but I mean, yeah, it's definitely got a different nose for sure.

Jim:
You know, and the fun thing about the Calumet Farm line, I think in general, is it shows the wonder that wood does to whiskey over the years. Because again, you're looking at the same mash bill, you're looking at the same water sources, the same yeast strains, and you're just seeing what happens over time with that mash bill. That is amazing. I can't remember if I poured one yet. I may not have. Any excuse?

Kerry:
I don't know. I can't, I can't decide if I like the 10 or the 16 better. They're both different, like really different compared, you know, even though it's the same mash bill.

Jim:
I think six years is a very long time.

Kerry:
Do you use, do you only have the one barrel that you put it in or do you have a finishing barrel? Or how does that work?

Jim:
We don't do any finishing strictly yet. Right. We just take those level four, you know, charred virgin oak and just let, uh, The weather and the woodwork, it's magic. They're all have been aged in. They start out in just traditional barn like Kentucky rickhouses. Some of the 16 towards the end of its life was more in a moderated climate control facility. And it's just it's done wonders for it. It's. And what are the price points on these bad boys? You're looking for the eight year old $49 for the 10 year old $79 and for the 16 year old $159. Wow, that's a big jump. Yeah. Well, it's, you know, six years is a lot of time in whiskey. And, and don't forget in that six years, there's been really substantial loss of product.

Kerry:
There's a lot of angel share stealing.

Jim:
Yeah. I remember talking to one of our master blenders and I'd asked him with the 16 in particular, where we were probably currently sitting in these barrels. And he said, some of the barrels at 30% or less, you know, meaning 70% or more was gone from the barrel already. So.

Kerry:
That's days like that I wish I was an angel, just so that I could be taking that. I'm kind of happy to get this side of it too, though. Well, I mean, I'm hoping that when I go to heaven, I'm hoping that I go to heaven, that I will get to come back and be an angel share stealer. And wouldn't that be the best?

Jim:
I'd rather do that than be a guardian angel. I'd rather just sit around all day.

Kerry:
Guardian angel's too much work. That's too much work. Like you work all your life. You should get to retire when you're in heaven, right? Absolutely.

Jim:
Yep. So this one, I do agree with you. It's just, It's got just such a, they all start out bright, you know, and they all start out with this robust kind of like sweet kick at first where you're like, ooh, that's really nice. They never approach cloying. They're just sweet and lovely. And then you always get kind of that wood spice and that rice spice comes in on the tail end and they just linger on their finish. So.

Kerry:
That's fantastic. Now tell me a little bit more about a bird dog.

Jim:
So now bird dog, we start out with a Kentucky straight bourbon. and then we naturally flavor it. It's a really fun brand. Let me see. I'll go grab one here. So let's see what we got just coincidentally sitting back here. We have a s'mores, which is really, let's just do this one. Let's yeah, let's do this one. S'mores. Let's have some more s'mores. You know, one of the things that I like about this is the category itself, flavored whiskey. When we started the company, we started out with a blackberry and then a year later, a peach whiskey. Blackberry sounds lovely. Really good. You put it in lemonade just on its own. It's fine, but it's fantastic. And I remember going into stores And you would show these to guys, and the buyers just were like, that's never going to be a thing. Flavored whiskey is never going to be, because nothing had really blown up yet, even some of the biggest brands.

Kerry:
Well, vodka can do it. If vodka can do it, then whiskey can do it. Wait, wait, wait. If vodka can do it, whiskey can do it better.

Jim:
That's what I thought. Because vodka is wonderful, right? I mean, obviously, there's a reason people like drinking it. But I always say what vodka tends to do is it makes something non-alcoholic into an alcoholic beverage, where whiskey has flavor. We're like the pinnacle of a fantastic vodka was always, not to allude to a brand, just but the height of a fantastic vodka was that it was odorless, colorless, flavorless, where flavored whiskey, you do taste the whiskey. And I think it's brought people into the category who then enjoy it and then go on to some of the straight whiskeys.

Kerry:
Do you have statistics? Would you say that there's more women trying the flavored whiskeys than men?

Jim:
We do have some statistics. I can't recite them right off the top of my head, but there's no question.

Kerry:
You mean you didn't prepare for this interview? Not at all.

Jim:
I'm just drinking right now.

Kerry:
No, I mean, hey, it's it's day set up. If I had given him more than, um, hi, my name is Carrie.

Jim:
Notice then, you know, we are, uh, the blenders who work for us are amazing. One of the things I like in one, Oh, that toasted smell, right? Cause you're going to have multiple flavors in this. You should taste the graham cracker, the marshmallow, the marshmallow should be toasted the chocolate. You taste them all. And the bourbon.

Kerry:
I could just sit around smelling this all day. I don't even know if I'm gonna like it, but smelling it, I mean, I smell s'more. I mean, this is what smells like last summer when I was having a barbecue and at the end of the night we made s'mores with the kids and the parents were, not the parents, the single, all the single ladies, whoop, were drinking whiskey with their s'mores and that's exactly what this reminds me of.

Jim:
Oh, it's ridiculously good. You know, and there's no reason that there can't be softer, gentler, easy ways to get into whiskey, right? Winner winner chicken dinner. It's crazy good. You could literally just make a milkshake with this and it would be like the perfect adult milkshake.

Kerry:
One of our customers. And wait, it actually tastes like whiskey and s'mores.

Jim:
It's whiskey. It's what it is. It's whiskey and s'mores. It's fantastic.

Kerry:
Cameraman is nodding. Yes, it does.

Jim:
Bourbon is flavorful, right? I mean, it just is on its own. And there's a sweet element to bourbon. I think that's why it's such a good base for doing some fun flavors. And we had a customer had done these and had done a s'mores white Russian using, this is the base, a little bit of chocolate drizzle on the glass. I think even like a graham cracker crushed rim. Yeah, this is just fun, right? It's just a good time.

Kerry:
So out of all the bird dogs, which one is your favorite?

Jim:
Boy, I'm a fan of the black cherry. And I'll tell you, the reason I love it is cherry in general is a very difficult flavor to match up to alcohol because you just have that childhood memory of when you weren't feeling well and your mother gave you cough syrup, cherry was a common flavor. And you just, there's that hard to fight correlation in your mind. You're like, this just reminds me, and ours doesn't. But that's what I like about it. I like that it's just delicious on its own. But if you put it in a mule, It is so good with ginger beer. If you're ever at a bar and they have Bird Dog Black Cherry, order a Black Cherry Mule. It is silly good. It's just one of those things that just works perfectly. I think our fan favorite by far to the consumer is our peach. People love Bird Dog Peach. Bird Dog Peach is our number one seller by a country mile. And, you know, we have accounts that have a lot of luck just doing peach teas, you know, simple, easy drink. And what's more fun than a peach tea on a nice summer day?

Kerry:
I mean, peach to me, peach is very summery and spring and could be into the fall.

Jim:
The s'mores is fantastic. After this, these are really profoundly nice whiskeys, right?

Kerry:
They are. But that's just this is just fun. Right.

Jim:
I mean, it's supposed to be a little snobbery where like

Kerry:
No, it's, you know what, this was our main entree and this was dessert. This is dessert. So fantastic. Well, Jim, it's been fantastic getting to know you and this beautiful lineup of food, food, see, s'mores, food, beautiful lineup of beverages. And I wish you guys all the luck. Thanks for walking in. I appreciate it. I appreciate you very much. That does it for today's show. To read notes on this episode or learn more about our guests, please visit barrelroomchronicles.com. Want to interact with the show or have questions for our guests? Then ask them on our socials or send us an email. Or better yet, leave us a voicemail on our website. If you like what you heard, please rate and subscribe to the podcast. If you really liked it and you want to show your support, buy us a whiskey through our Ko-fi site at ko-fi.com slash BRC or become an exclusive member of the Barrel Room Parlor. If you work in the whiskey or spirits industry or just have a deep passion for whiskey and want to share your spirits journey, register to be a guest through our website. Last but not least, please enjoy your spirits responsibly. Thanks for joining me. Until next time, so long.

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