Bourbon Lens

2021 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown. This year aims to be better than ever. We are joined by Randy Prasse, Bourbon Festival President, to unveil some big changes for 2021.  Learn about the new events, general admission tickets, once in a lifetime bourbon tasting opportunities, and the immersive bourbon experiences planned for 2021. Mark your calendars for September 16-19, 2021.

General Admission Tickets go on sale on at 11:00 am ET - March 15th, 2021 - CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOURS! A 1-Day Pass is available for only $10; 3-Day Pass is $20 and Sampling Passes include 5 Pours for $25. VIP Tickets are SOLD OUT and they anticipate selling out general admission tickets also.  Tickets include a unique, branded Glencairn tasting glass and 30th Anniversary challenge coin. And finally, head to our Instagram to learn HOW TO WIN a pair of 3-day General Admission tickets with two sampling wristbands (a $90 value)

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Overall Festival information:

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival Great Lawn Hours:

• Friday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 19, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

MUST BE 21 OR OLDER TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Tickets are extremely limited, so get yours now!

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival is an outdoor, rain-or-shine event. No ticket cancellations or refund requests will be honored. Guests must be 21 or older to purchase tickets and to attend the Kentucky Bourbon Festival unless otherwise noted in the event schedule. A comprehensive list of allowed and forbidden items will be distributed prior to the festival. There will be a check-in location at the festival.

*This episode is brought to you by Premium Bar Products. Thanks for their support in producing this week's podcast. To customize glassware for your home bar, visit: PremiumBarProducts.com

We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podcast.  If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your podcast app, leave us a review, or tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.  And, NEW THIS MONTH, please check out our Patreon page to learn how you can support our endeavors and be part of future barrel picks and more. 

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected]. Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts, or even purchase your own Bourbon Lens tasting glass or t-shirt.

Cheers,
Scott, Michael & Jake
Bourbon Lens

On this episode, we sit down with the Master Distiller of Barton 1792.  Danny Kahn is a wealth of knowledge in the distilling and brewing industries and we were fortunate enough to be invited to the distillery. We started our morning off with some of Barton's newest releases, Thomas S. Moore cask finished bourbons.  And after the podcast, we selected our very first Bourbon Lens single barrel pick, a Full Proof 1792 Bourbon.  You aren't going to want to miss this release when it hits SharedPour.com in a few months.  Be sure to follow our Patreon for more details in the near future.  

* Please note:  this podcast was recorded live in a large, active distillery. You will experience some of the noise from the distillery, but hope you enjoy the content of this show.

We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podcast.  If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your podcast app, leave us a review, or tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.  And, NEW THIS MONTH, please check out our Patreon page to learn how you can support our endeavors and be part of future barrel picks and more.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts, or even purchase your own Bourbon Lens tasting glass or t-shirt.

Cheers,
Scott, Michael & Jake
Bourbon Lens

If you've listened to the Bourbon Lens podcast over the last two years, you've heard from some of our favorite craft bourbon and whiskey distilleries, blenders, and brands. In this episode, we discuss some of our standout craft distillers and brands that we are excited for in 2021 and beyond. As always, we'd love your feedback and hearing what distilleries are your favorite Craft Whiskey producers. We may even feature them on the Bourbon Lens in the future!

We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podcast.  If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your podcast app, leave us a review, or tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts, or even purchase your own Bourbon Lens tasting glass or t-shirt.

Cheers,
Scott, Michael & Jake
Bourbon Lens

How many "best of" lists have you read and laughed to yourself? We are putting our own spin on things and have challenged each other to start a new home whiskey bar for $50. Will we grab one expensive bottle and max out our limited budget? Or try to squeeze in two or three solid budget bottles?  Scott and Jake may have different philosophies on buying whiskey, but they had a great time comparing notes and choices in this week's podcast.  

What strategy would you use to buy yourself or a friend some good whiskey with some variety? 

We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podcast.  If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your podcast app, leave us a review, or tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts, or even purchase your own Bourbon Lens tasting glass or t-shirt.

Cheers,
Scott, Michael & Jake
Bourbon Lens

Links:

KentuckyBourbon.com - Hosting a Bourbon Tasting

Liquor.com - Best American Whiskey under $50

WideOpenEats.com - 10 Best Whiskeys under $50 to Gift

Men'sJournal.com - Best Affordable Whiskies

GearMoose.com Best Bourbon Under $50

TheBroBasket.com - 22 Best Budget Bourbons

GearPatrol.com - Bourbon Whiskeys under $50

Paste Magazine - Best Whiskey for your Bar Cart

StirAndStrain - Outfitting a Home Bar: Whiskey Edition

WhiskyAdvocate.com Build Your Whisky Bar

Combining a passion for spirits, industry knowledge, and blending expertise, Phenomenal Spirits has released its first whiskey. RY3 Whiskey (Pronounced "Rye 3 Whiskey") is a rum cask finished whiskey that was carefully crafted from this blending house. Phenomenal Spirits, Karthik Sudhir and Matt Witzig, joins Bourbon Lens to talk whiskey. Karthik is the Founder / CEO of Phenomenal Spirits and drives product development, strategy, brand positioning, market expansion, and investor relations. Matt was the Co-Founder, Master Distiller, and Head Blender at Joseph Magnus Whiskey prior to joining Phenomenal Spirits as Master Blender and COO. You learn more about the origins of the brand and blending house as well as where they wish to take this brand next.  

We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podcast.  If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your podcast app, leave us a review, or tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts, or even purchase your own Bourbon Lens tasting glass or t-shirt.

Cheers,
Scott, Michael & Jake
Bourbon Lens

In this week's podcast, we learn some family and Tennessee Whiskey history from Charlie Nelson of Nelson's Green Brier Distillery. Charlie, along with his father and his brother Andy, stumbled upon a bit of family history while out on the road one day. This discovery led them down a long and winding path to resurrection of the family distillery, DSP-TN-5. Nelson's Green Brier Distillery dates back to 1880, though it wasn't revived by Charlie and Andy until 2009. We found the stories of the family history to be fascinating and the whiskey was the perfect accompaniment. We hope you enjoy this episode featuring the original Tennessee Whiskey and Belle Meade Bourbon.

We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podcast.  If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your podcast app, leave us a review, or tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts, or even purchase your own Bourbon Lens tasting glass or t-shirt.

Cheers,
Scott, Michael & Jake
Bourbon Lens

Links:

• Discover the History of Nelson's Green Brier
• Green Brier Distillery Official Website
• Belle Meade Bourbon Official Website
• ChicagoTribune.com Feature
• NashvilleScene.com Feature
• TimesNews.net Feature
• Liquor.com Names Nelson's Green Brier Among the Best Tennessee Whiskeys

Image Credit: Nelson's Green Brier Distillery

The crew is back together and we've got a blind bourbon tasting ready to go! This time, it's Buffalo Trace and we line up 3 single barrel store picks against an off-the-shelf bottle of Buffalo Trace. Which will come out on top? Are single barrels better than what you can find on any store shelf?  We share our opinions and the results of our blind tasting.

We also discuss Michael's upcoming plans to move to Florida and even get into a little debate about pizza.  We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did recording it together. Cheers!

Spoiler Alert - the single barrel picks are:

A: Bottles Unlimited in New Albany Indiana
B: Novio's Bistro in Bangor Maine
C: Buffalo Trace (off-the-shelf)
D: Beverage Warehouse - Louisville KY (Now Evergreen Liquors)

We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podcast.  If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your podcast app, leave us a review, or tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts, or even purchase your own Bourbon Lens tasting glass or t-shirt.

Cheers,
Scott, Michael & Jake
Bourbon Lens

Photo Credit: Buffalo Trace Distillery

It's National Irish Coffee Day on January 25th and we couldn't have asked for a better guest to celebrate the occasion. We're joined by Alex Conyngham from Slane Distillery in Ireland. Slane Irish Whiskey is the perfect accompaniment to the classic Irish Coffee and they've put their own spin on the cocktail to celebrate.  Partnering with Red Bay Coffee, they've developed their own roast which pairs perfectly with Slane Irish Whiskey.  Be sure to check out the full recipe below and be sure to let us know if you try it. 

We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podcast.  If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your podcast app, leave us a review, or tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts, or even purchase your own Bourbon Lens tasting glass or t-shirt.

Cheers, 
Scott, Michael & Jake
Bourbon Lens

Slane Irish Coffee Cocktail:

• 1 part Slane Irish Whiskey
• ⅔ parts vanilla-infused demerara syrup
• Freshly Brewed Double Espresso
• Boiling water
• Double Cream (lightly whisked)
• Dark Chocolate Orange Shavings
• INSTRUCTIONS
  • Preheat your glass
  • Brew your espresso. Make it a double!
  • Half fill your glass with boiling water
  • Add syrup, double espresso and whiskey, then stir it up
  • Top with double cream float
  • Sprinkle on a little chocolate
  • ENJOY!

About the Distillery and Slane Castle

• Alex Conyngham who, together with his father Henry Mount Charles – the man behind the legendary Slane Castle concerts – decided to set up the Slane Distillery in 2015.
• Slane Castle first got into the whiskey business in 2009. At the time, it sourced liquid from Cooley, a nearby distillery, for what it called "Slane Castle Whiskey". When Cooley was acquired by Beam in 2012, the castle's supply of whiskey was cut off.
• 2012, Slane Castle Whiskey went off the market, and Conyngham went to the drawing board to design the future distillery—and to search for a partner, one he eventually found in Brown-Forman. The company—owner of brands such as Jack Daniel's and Woodford Reserve—acquired the business in 2015, before its first drop of whiskey was made, and the distillery's construction began in January 2016.
• "Triple cask," in this instance, means that the whiskey is aged in three distinctively different barrels: 
  • virgin oak barrel that has never contained whiskey, 
  • seasoned barrel that once contained Tennessee whiskey or bourbon, and
  •  a sherry cask.
• Slane Irish Whiskey, as it exists now, officially launched in 2017 with that triple-casked liquid bought from another distillery and aged in those triple casks for two years. Around the same time that the whiskey hit the market, Slane started producing its own liquid at the new, operational distillery on the Slane Castle grounds, using barley it grows on a family-owned farm across the river.
• Slane Irish Whiskey is now available across the U.S., and the distillery is open to visitors, along with the castle.

Links:

• Slane Irish Whiskey Official Irish Coffee Cocktail Recipe
• Slane Irish Whiskey - The Story
• RedBayCoffee.com
• Fortune.com Featuring Slane Irish Whiskey
• HotPress.com - Rock n Roll at Slane Castle
• A Hotel Life Feature on Slane Distillery
• CocktailsDistilled.com Feature

Castle & Key Distillery has resurrected a giant in the Kentucky Bourbon industry, the Old Taylor Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky.  And after many years of restoring the fabled location, Castle & Key has released their first whiskey. Restoration Rye, an aptly named whiskey, is the first rye whiskey to be released from this location as well.  We are joined by co-founder Wes Murry and Blender Brett Connors to discuss the distillery's history, its whiskey, and their plans for the future.  We taste through Batch 1 of Castle & Key's Restoration Rye during the episode and find that it was well worth the wait.

We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podcast.  If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your podcast app, leave us a review, or tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts, or even purchase your own Bourbon Lens tasting glass or t-shirt.

Cheers, 
Scott, Michael & Jake
Bourbon Lens

Castle & Key As a Destination: 

• Located at 4445 McCracken Pike, Frankfort, KY
• Popular travel destination for spirits and history enthusiasts alike as it offers experiences of the many historical parts of the property including, the Boiler Room, Taylorton Station, Counter 17, the Springhouse and the Botanical Trail, as well as explorations of its production process and guided tastings.
• The distillery is currently open for guests to explore the grounds at their leisure from Friday - Sunday from 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm. Note that currently, guided tastings and production experiences are not available due to COVID-19.
• For information about Castle & Key please visit https://castleandkey.com or follow on Instagram and Facebook

Libsyn photo credit: Castle & Key

Maker's Mark is going on a tear with their Wood Finishing Series and Private Selection Bourbon program and people are starting to take notice. This week, Scott and Jake crack the wax on their brand new bottles of The CommUNITY Batch by Maker's Mark.  Jake and Scott also chat about early New Year resolutions and plans for making 2021 a better year for both.

The CommUNITY Batch is a special release bourbon created to support trade and hospitality partners around the country by benefiting The LEE Initiative. The special release is a unique batch of bourbon was created from the unique expressions of 37 Private Selections by industry partners. By combining the stave profiles of their Private Selection barrels, this limited release reflects the remarkable strength – and distinct taste profile – of each community, resulting in an exceptional blend. This limited release was ONLY through various LEE Initiative events held across the country. The tickets for this bourbon and events were available through donations to The LEE Initiative.  More details on the LEE Initiative can be found in the links below.

Links:

• LEE Initiative Official Site About Maker's CommUNITY Batch
• About The LEE Initiative
• The LEE Initiative on Facebook
• Michael Veach Discusses The CommUNITY Batch
• Kentucky.com Feature
• DistilleryTrail.com Feature

We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podcast.  If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your podcast app, leave us a review, or tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts, or even purchase your own Bourbon Lens tasting glass or t-shirt.

Cheers,
Scott, Jake, & Michael
Bourbon Lens