The Bourbon Life

This week on The Whiskey Trip Podcast, Big Chief takes listeners on a ride back to New Orleans, Louisiana and chats with Tracy and Barbara Napolitano, Founders of the New Orleans Bourbon Festival.

Tracy and Barbara take the Big Man through the lineup of events for this year’s festival. From all the seminar speakers, Bourbon Dinners around The Big Easy, to the two-night Grand Tasting of over 80 distilleries. This is hands down the most educational whiskey festival you will ever experience.

This year Big Chief will have two seminars, one with Denny and Jane from Potter-Jane Distillery on Friday and then on Saturday he will be talking to Texas distilleries in attendance about the Texas Whiskey Trail while sampling Texas Whiskeys.

In this Episode the trio samples some of the brands that will be at the NOLA Bourbon Festival like Seven Three Distilling, Giant Texas Distillery, Dark Arts Whiskey House, Penelope, Still Austin and Four Roses.

This ride on The Whiskey Trip showcases how one couple turned their passion for whiskey into an amazing Festival in a magical city.

 Cheers!

In this Episode of The Bourbon Life Podcast presented by Liquor Barn, Matt and Mark spend some time hanging out together in The Bourbon Life Studios, sharing some great pours and even better conversation. It’s been a while since it’s just been the two of them together in the studio.

The guys talk about a few brands that they believe might be flying under everyone’s radar but that are putting out some great whiskey, the several different events that Mark has recently attended, including the Bonded Spirit Bluegrass Festival, the Bourbon Classic, and the Bulleit American Single Malt Release Party, and they wrap it up with some tips and suggestions for getting your bar stocked for this year’s 150th Kentucky Derby.

They also taste and review the brand new New Riff 8-Year Old Bourbon, Middle West Spirits Dark Pumpernickel Rye, and Old Overholt Cask Strength 10-Year Old Rye.

This Episode of The Bourbon Life Podcast is presented by Liquor Barn and is also sponsored by Limestone Farms, James E. Pepper Distillery, Bluegrass Distillers, The Stave Restaurant, Three Chord Bourbon, Pappy & Company, The Kitchen Table at James B. Beam Distilling Co., and Keeper’s Heart.

Check out all of our amazing sponsors online at: 

www.liquorbarn.com 

www.limestonefarms.com

www,jamesepepper.com        

www.bluegrassdistillers.com                  

www.thestavekentucky.com 

www.threechordbourbon.com

www.pappyco.com

www.visitthekitchentable.com

www.keepersheartwhiskey.com

This week on The Whiskey Trip Podcast, Big Chief takes listeners on a ride back to Austin, Texas and chats with Laura Papa, Director of Sales, and Marie Perez, Distiller, from Fierce Whiskers Distillery.

Laura and Marie take the Big Man through the name and history of this grain to glass craft distillery. From a quote of Rutherford B. Hayes, “Austin is an inconsiderable village with Large Expectations…full of discharged ‘Rangers’…costumes of every variety. … Fierce Whiskers, gaming and drinking very abounding in all quarters” came their name that speaks truth to Austin.

This beautiful Texas Distillery has embraced Austin’s pioneer spirit and taken the steps to do it right with a beautiful Vendome Still and a Kentucky Style Rick House right in the heart of Austin.

They start the show with their standard Texas Rye Whiskey that has a mash-bill of 70% rye, 20% wheat, 10% malted barely. With hints of Earl Gray tea it’s a beautiful sipper. They move on to one of their special releases, HAM CHO’I Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in Cabernet Casks. They finish the first half with a Smoke & Mash Collaboration that was smoked at Snow’s BBQ. 

In the second half they start with Single Barrel Rye which was released to support a local charity, which highlights the distillery’s commitment to community. They finish the show with a celebration expression, Summer Heat that’s 109 proof to match the Austin summer heat.

This ride on The Whiskey Trip showcases women in whiskey and their amazing contributions in the industry.

Cheers!

In this Episode of The Bourbon Life Podcast presented by Liquor Barn, Matt and Mark spend some time hanging out with Amir Peay, Owner, and Cody Giles, Head Distiller, at the James E. Pepper Distillery in Lexington, Kentucky. Amir was a prior guest on Episode 106 back in February 2022.

The guys talk with Amir and Cody about their respective backgrounds and how they both got into the Bourbon industry, the incredible history of the James E. Pepper Distillery and Amir’s relentless efforts to see it re-established, and the current state of the single malt industry in the US and what the future of that industry might look like over the next few years.

They also taste and review the 2023 James E. Pepper Decanter Barrel Proof Bourbon, a James E. Pepper Single Barrel Rye, and a yet to be released blended James E. Pepper Peated American Single Malt.

This Episode of The Bourbon Life Podcast is presented by Liquor Barn and is also sponsored by Limestone Farms, James E. Pepper Distillery, Bluegrass Distillers, The Stave Restaurant, Three Chord Bourbon, and District 7 Social.

Check out all of our amazing sponsors online at: 

www.liquorbarn.com 

www.limestonefarms.com

www.porchlouisville.com      

www.bluegrassdistillers.com                  

www.thestavekentucky.com 

www.threechordbourbon.com

This week on The Whiskey Trip Podcast, Big Chief takes listeners on a ride to Austin, Texas and chats with Jason Harry, Brand Experience Manager, and Christian Wilhoft, Single Barrel Program Manager, from Still Austin Whiskey Co.

Jason and Christian take the Big Man through the history of Still Austin, talking about using a 42-foot column rum still to make whiskey, their labels that are works of art, and their new Single Barrel Experience located in Lockhart, Texas.

They start the show by sipping on some Still Austin Cask Strength Bourbon that has a mash-bill of 70% Texas White Corn, 25% Brasetto Rye, and 5 % Wildfire malted barley. They finish the first half with Still Austin’s flagship, their Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

In the second half they start with Still Austin Cask Strength Rye which is made with 100% Brasetto Rye which brings back memories of horehound rock candies for Big Chief. They move on to the newly released Bottled in Bond Rye which always a feat in Texas. They finish out the show with a single barrel rye to highlight their single barrel program.

This ride on The Whiskey Trip showcases unique Texas grown grains that is a requirement for certified Texas Whiskey.

Cheers!

In this Episode of The Bourbon Life Podcast presented by Liquor Barn, the entire Bourbon Life Crew spend some time hanging out together in The Bourbon Life Studios enjoying some great pours and even better conversation.

The Crew talk about the recently announced Garrard County Distilling Co. (which was built completely under everyone’s radar over the past couple of years) and their hiring of the one and only Lisa Wicker as their Master Distiller, the difference between palatized and ricked barrels and the impact that each storage technique can have on maturation and the final product, and whether young Bourbons/Ryes are getting a bad rap for no good reason these days.

They also taste and review Fighting Cock Bourbon (a surprise blind pour from Philip), the brand new Old Forester 1924 (courtesy of Mark), and Kings County Distillery’s Empire Rye Batch 6 (courtesy of Mr, Rye himself, Matt).

This Episode of The Bourbon Life Podcast is presented by Liquor Barn and is also sponsored by Limestone Farms, Porch Kitchen & Bar, Bluegrass Distillers, The Stave Restaurant, Three Chord Bourbon, and District 7 Social.

Check out all of our amazing sponsors online at: 

www.liquorbarn.com 

www.limestonefarms.com

www.porchlouisville.com      

www.bluegrassdistillers.com                  

www.thestavekentucky.com 

www.threechordbourbon.com

This week on The Whiskey Trip Podcast, Big Chief takes listeners on a ride to chat with fellow podcasters and hunters, the Bayou Dragons.

The Bayou Dragons and Big Chief talk about growing up as country boys and their first experiences with whiskey. These guys show the big man that they love life to the fullest.

Big Chief pulls out several allocated bottles like Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, Weller CYPB, Maker’s Mark Celler Aged and Old Fitzgerald 19 year to sip on throughout the show.

To end the show the Big Man shares his infinity bottle of wheated  bourbon which the guys all agree is spectacular.

This ride on The Whiskey Trip showcases another podcast and young whiskey drinkers.

Cheers!

In this Episode of The Bourbon Life Podcast presented by Liquor Barn, Matt and Mark spend some time with the one and only Mike Rowe, Descendant (his title not ours) of Knobel Whiskey. You might recognize Mike from his wildly successful hit TV Show, Dirty Jobs, or his incredible Podcast, The Way I Heard It, or his Best-Selling book of the same name.

The guys talk with Mike about his background and growing up just outside of Baltimore, Maryland next door to his Pop, Carl Knobel, who had a huge influence on Mike and for whom the whiskey is named, his foray into the wonderful world of whiskey which was done originally as a fundraiser for his Foundation, mikeroweWORKS, but has grown into an incredibly successful brand featuring four different expressions (with a 5th in the works), as well as what the future of Knobel Whiskey looks like.

They also taste and review Knobel Tennessee Straight Rye, Knobel Tennessee Whiskey, Knobel Rickhosue Edition Straight Tennessee Whiskey, and Knobel Barrel Strength Tennessee Whiskey.   

This Episode of The Bourbon Life Podcast is sponsored by Liquor Barn, Limestone Farms, Porch Kitchen & Bar, Bluegrass Distillers, The Stave Restaurant, Three Chord Bourbon, and District 7 Social.

Check out all of our amazing sponsors online at: 

www.liquorbarn.com 

www.limestonefarms.com

www.porchlouisville.com      

www.bluegrassdistillers.com                  

www.thestavekentucky.com 

www.threechordbourbon.com

This week on The Whiskey Trip Podcast, Big Chief takes you on a ride to Lexington, Kentucky and introduces listeners to RD1 Spirits. He chats with Co-Founder and Shareholder, Barry Brinegar.

Barry and Big Chief sit down in front of a live audience at Longhorn Liquor in Beaumont, Texas to discuss how RD1 Spirits got started and discuss the history of the name. They also sample five single barrels with the help of the audience and pick a barrel to be released at Longhorn Liquor locations across Southeast Texas.

They start the show with a dram of RD1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon and the Big Man gets a hint of Corn Pops on the nose from this one. They finish the first portion of the show with an RD1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon finished with French Oak that seems to tame the spice.

In the second half, Barry and Big Chief start with the RD1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon finished in Brazilian Amburana cask which the Big Man said was finished to perfection. They then move on to the RD1 Maple Finished Bourbon which is spiced dessert in a glass.

To finish the show Big Chief invites the audience to help him pick a barrel from five different expressions. A barrel strength Amburana finish won the day.

This ride on The Whiskey Trip gave 30 whiskey enthusiasts an experience they had never had in picking a barrel.

Cheers!

In this Episode of The Bourbon Life Podcast, Matt and Mark spend some time recording on location at Porch Kitchen & Bar in downtown Louisville, Kentucky with Dan McKee, Master Distiller of Michter’s. Dan was previously a guest on Episode 71 back in June 2021.

The guys talk with Dan about his background and prior work experience, both inside and outside of the Bourbon industry, that eventually led him to Michter’s in 2014; the rich history of Michter’s which traces its original roots all the way back to 1953 in Pennsylvania; and the amazing facilities that Michter’s has, including the wonderful visitor experience that awaits guests at the downtown Louisville Ft. Nelson Distillery, as well as what the future looks like for Michter’s.

They also taste and review their US*1 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye, US*1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon, and their 10-Year Kentucky Straight Rye.

This Episode of The Bourbon Life Podcast is sponsored by Liquor Barn, Limestone Farms, Porch Kitchen & Bar, Bluegrass Distillers, The Stave Restaurant, Three Chord Bourbon, and District 7 Social.

Check out all of our amazing sponsors online at: 

www.liquorbarn.com 

www.limestonefarms.com

www.porchlouisville.com      

www.bluegrassdistillers.com                  

www.thestavekentucky.com 

www.threechordbourbon.com