Bourbon Podcast

The guys partnered with the WVU Hospital Foundation in a barrel pick for charity. Cheers!

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Heritage Barrel Tennessee Whiskey is a permanent line extension that was announced in August 2025, first reaching United States markets and expanding into international markets thereafter. The release follows limited edition bottlings of the whiskey in 2018 and 2019. For the initial release, a total of 400 barrels were dumped. However, barrels will be dumped on an ongoing basis, with the intention of making the product readily available.

Buffalo Trace Distillery announced two super-premium wheat whiskey innovations from the Original Wheated Bourbon brand, including Weller 18 Year Old, the brand’s oldest age statement to date. Meticulously crafted to push the boundaries of maturation and blending, these releases boldly demonstrate the exceptional aging potential and versatility of wheat in American whiskey production. Cheers!

The guys get a chance to pick a barrel of Elijah Craig Toasted. Listen to what the guys like! Cheers! Made to honor the innovative spirit of Elijah Craig, this twice-barreled expression takes their award-winning Small Batch Bourbon to new heights. After it’s fully matured, they finish it in a second, custom toasted barrel, where it picks up an added layer of sweet oak complexity.

2025 Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Vol.5. Inspired by tequila’s distinct production process, their Master Distiller set out to innovate beyond fortified wine and explore barrels from a new continent and spirit category. What he discovered was an extraordinary find—Patrón French Oak Extra Añejo Tequila barrels that had held agave distillate for four years. Exceedingly rare for both their French Oak construction and extended aging, these barrels lend a rich, spiced finish to their Straight Rye Whiskey.

For someone who wants a more complex bourbon experience, Four Roses Single Barrel embodies the uniqueness of an individual barrel hand-selected by our Master Distiller. It achieves a pronounced yet elegant flavor that is worth savoring. This bottle is the inspiration behind the Single Barrel Collection. Cheers!

Rick and Ricky Johnson return to show to talk some bourborn with the guys! Cheers!There was a time when craft, courage, and character shaped the American frontier. First West is created in that same spirit. These bourbons are made for those who don’t follow the map, but chart their own course. Your journey begins with First West.

In 1753, Swiss Mennonite farmer John Shenk founded Shenk’s distillery, which was later renamed Bomberger’s Distillery in the 1800s before having its name changed once again to Michter’s Distillery in the mid-20th Century. It is this great heritage that we honor with the release of Bomberger’s Declaration and Shenk’s Homestead which comprise our Michter’s Legacy Series.

Eagle Rare 12-Year Bourbon Whiskey continues Eagle Rare's endeavor to offer enthusiasts innovative new expressions on its journey to make the world's best whiskey. This bourbon is aged for a minimum of 12 years in a meticulously-monitored warehouse and is hand-selected by the distillery's expert team. Eagle Rare is a bourbon that lives up to its name with its lofty, distinctive taste experience.Eagle Rare Bourbon Whiskey is masterfully crafted and carefully aged for no less than ten years. Every barrel is discriminately selected to offer consistent flavor but with a seemingly individual personality. Eagle Rare is a bourbon that lives up to its name with its lofty, distinctive taste experience.

The first release of their new Cigar Sessions series—crafted to elevate the cigar experience, one pour at a time. Chapter 1 is a masterful blend of Straight Bourbon, American Single Malt, and American Light Whiskey, aged six years and bottled at 101 proof. Developed in collaboration with master cigar blenders, this rich and balanced expression was designed to complement medium-bodied cigars with depth, complexity, and harmony. Cheers!

Michter's US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey is made from a mash comprised primarily of fresh, plump rye grains. Once the grains are harvested, they are sheared so that during fermentation, the grains are saturated with more flavor. After the grains have been fermented, they are distilled through a copper-pot still before being matured in charred, American oak barrels. The barrels are allowed to rest in a heat-cycled warehouse, which forces the wood to expand and contract as the temperature rises and falls. This heat cycling causes the whiskey and wood to mingle with each other, and contributes notes of marmalade and light caramel to the rye. Cheers!

Old Fitzgerald Bourbon has a long history of excellence, dating back to 1870. Today, this 7-Year-Old expression is made under the exacting standards of the Bottled-in-Bond Act, with a whisper of wheat. Rich and viscous, with notes of brown sugar, baking spices, and oak—this Bourbon is worth sharing. So, make it Your Key to Hospitality. Cheers!

Born in the shadow of the first Old Stubborn, the rye bourbon release had a lot to live up to. A little sibling rivalry was all it took to have this release pushing itself to deliver big. And boy howdy, it’s no slouch. In the spirit of kinship - this release was magically identical in proof to the first, 123.8. It could not have been planned. Like its sibling, it is a hand marriage of 11 barrels, this time comprising of 10, 11, and 12 years, producing just over 1,400 bottles. It has the namesake complexity and long finish you have come to expect. Cheers!

Rare Character's Brook Hill 10-Year is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey known for its rich flavor profile and connection to the legacy of Brook Hill Whiskey, which was originally produced by Joseph L. Friedman. This single barrel expression is aged for a decade in charred oak barrels, resulting in a deep amber color and a complex taste. It features notes of vanilla, caramel, toasted oak, dark chocolate, and dried fruit, with a long, warming finish. The high proof (often around 129.92 or 64.96% ABV) contributes to its robust and full-bodied character. Cheers!

As the third oldest operating distillery in the world, with roots dating back to 1773, Buffalo Trace Distillery (as it’s known today) has been honing its craft since Kentucky was a wild, untamed frontier and the United States was just an idea. In the centuries that followed, the Distillery changed hands numerous times, but one thing always remained constant; it was a homeplace for the creation of authentic American whiskey.At the turn of the millennium, the Distillery was amid a period of transformation once again and looked to its forebearers for inspiration. As a trailblazer in the industry, the distillation team chose to pay homage to W.L. Weller by setting aside some of the first whiskeys distilled in the new millennium for the sole purpose of creating this extraordinary innovation.A blend of vintage straight bourbon and wheat whiskeys distilled in 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2006, Weller Millennium highlights the impact that wheat has on the whiskey’s flavor: the softness imparted by the wheat creates a smoother, sweeter, more approachable expression. By marrying these exceptional spirits together, the whiskeys further harmonize with each other, creating a cohesive, balanced final product that is greater than the sum of its parts.

The 2025 Woodford Reserve Chocolate Whisper Redux Bourbon is a decadent small-batch release that weaves together rich cocoa, toasted oak, and warm baking spice. Its velvety texture and balanced sweetness make it a standout pour for dessert pairings or slow sipping indulgence. Cheers!

The Keepers Release celebrates those who craft their handmade bourbon at Star Hill Farm. It is inspired by the people who oversee the maturation of their whisky, the true "Keepers" of Maker's Mark.
This bold expression features hints of seasoned oak and brûlée sugar, offering a long and enveloping mouthfeel with notes of dried fruit and roasted sweetness. Cheers!

Paul Smith’s deeply ingrained love of both cooking and West Virginia can be traced back to his earliest days — standing alongside his grandfather helping stir the sauce for the large Sunday dinners so common among Italian families who had settled in the coalfields. From those beginnings, Paul’s passions for food and his Appalachian home have taken him on a culinary journey that he is proud to share with his community. After graduating from Charleston Catholic High School, Chef Paul immersed himself in learning the hospitality industry and the finer points of great cuisine. With his BA from West Virginia State University, he formally trained at New York’s prestigious Culinary Institute of America (graduated with honors) and CIA’s Greystone campus in Napa Valley, California, where he studied pastries and wine and graduated as Valedictorian.Paul has worked around the country, from The Ritz Carlton Resort in Naples, Florida, to the world-renowned Biltmore Estates in Asheville, North Carolina, to The Windsor Club in Vero Beach, Florida. Taking the tastes and techniques of every stop along his culinary journey he longed to return to his roots and tell these culinary stories through the traditions and flavors of Appalachia. When the Mountain State pulled at his heartstrings, he returned to West Virginia where he served as the Executive Chef at the University of Charleston, and Corporate Chef for Buzz Food Service.Today, he has multiple restaurants in Charleston, West Virginia’s capital: The Pitch Sports Bar & Grill, and 1010 Bridge Restaurant & Catering, which quickly gained a reputation as one of the state’s premiere dining destinations.He believes strongly that a rising tide will lift all boats, and has served as an advisor to multiple food and hospitality businesses in West Virginia. Paul’s ultimate vision is to give back to the state he has always considered home through his gifts of great food and warm hospitality.Chef Paul was named a Semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef of The Southeast Award and became an official nominee the same year and is the first West Virginia chef to receive that honor. He was also named West Virginian of the year in 2023.In 2024 he was honored again with a nomination for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef of The Southeast Award and on June 10th 2024 in a ceremony in Chicago he became West Virginia’s very first James Beard Award winner. He continues to champion West Virginia and his community in all he does, and loves few things more than the way food brings people together.

Julie is a New York City businesswoman and a passionate entrepreneur. A graduate of the University of Virginia, she had an impressive multi-decade career in the finance industry, running large consumer portfolios for hedge funds like SIGMA and Millennium Management and currently under Macklowe Capital.Julie always had a vision to operate a company, and in 2011, she founded the luxury skincare line Vbeauté. Vbeauté launched at Bergdorf Goodman and became one of the fastest-growing brands on the TV shopping network HSN until it was sold to QVC in the fall of 2018.In 2019, inspired by her expansive collection of the world’s finest whiskies, Julie started The Macklowe, the first luxury American Single Malt. She began laying down her own liquid in Kentucky with the help of Master Blender Ian MacMillian. In December 2022, the Private Collection debuted, with the signature release of the Kentucky Edition being launched in May 2023.

Larceny Barrel Proof was launched in January 2020, and each year Heaven Hill releases three numbered batches identified by a specific batch code. Batches range in age from 6-8 years and vary in proof, though it is possible for batches to be the same proof as previous batches from time to time. This first batch of 2025, designated by batch code A125 - A (for the first of the year), 1 (for January release month), and 25 (for 2025 release year) - clocks in at exactly 125 proof. Cheers!