Men Who Made American Bourbon by Dude Poole + JD Fritzges from The Bourbon Hunters Podcast; Ep. 97

Dude and JD: Pretty much anyone. Well he pulled that catch from behind him too. That was insane.

 

Dan and Bob: Well he pulled that ba catch from behind him too, one handed, it was insane.

 

Dude and JD: yeah, the one by the sideline in the end zone. Ridiculous. Yeah. Well, gentlemen, good evening.

 

Dan and Bob: Off handed, yeah. It's yeah. Well, gentlemen, good evening. Welcome to bourbon brass and beyond. This is a a quite an interesting night for us because I'm normally listening to you guys.

 

Dude and JD: I'm sorry. We just have to listen to you now in person. Yeah, right? Now

 

Dan and Bob: We just have to listen to you now in person.

 

Dude and JD: you can cut us off. Can any

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: can anybody cut me off? I mean we can many have tried.

 

Dan and Bob: Ha ha ha.

 

Dude and JD: All have failed.

 

Dan and Bob: I'm pretty excited. I did finish reading your book and I did leave a couple reviews. It's it's a fantastic book. It's up my alley that I love the history. I'm so to read it and then understand it the way you've put it, i I think that it clarifies a lot of things and a lot of misconceptions.

 

Dude and JD: I'm pretty excited. I did finish reading your book and I did leave a couple of reviews. It's it's a fantastic book. Thank you. It's up my alley that I love the history. I'm the same. So to read it and then understand it the way you've put it, i I think that it clarifies a lot of things and a lot of misconceptions. Yeah, I mean that was kind of my idea when I started it. I think for me it was hearing all of the marketing, you know, mechanism at at work, not knowing what was real and what wasn't. And for me, th I I don't know if I'm alone in this or at least in the minority in this, but I like to hear the real stories. I for whatever reason I feel like they're more interesting. I I just do. I you know, the Elijah Craig, j I just love the fact that he you know, went to jail. You don't hear about that. You know,

 

Dan and Bob: Mm-hmm.

 

Dude and JD: like th that's pretty cool though. Like if if anything, I feel like that actually is something that these brands should embrace. Like Elijah Craig, the rebel. Like, you know the I mean he's one of us. Yeah, w not only was he a Baptist minister, but he was a rebel Baptist minister, you know? Like that just that just sounds badass to me. Like and I apologize. Am I okay to speak you can say whatever you want in any tongue. Yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: You can say whatever you want. Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: but no, I mean that to me that's cool. And and just getting setting the record straight on a lot of things and and what's interesting to me is even even when writing this book, as I was about to publish and I found out new information, some of which like was the opposite of what I was writing. And so I had to scramble and fix some things before it went to print and and I'm still learning as we go. So there may have to be a second edition of this that corrects some things that I've may find out in a month or may find out in a week or whatever. I mean and I'm sure there's going to be something, but because a lot of what is written is my I guess, a point of view based off of the public record that I could find. And there may be more that I haven't found. Like you know, the Philsen a is a resource that I I'm getting to now. so taking a step back i just to talk about this book, I actually wrote a much larger book. But the price of this one was was a little cost getting I guess it was getting toward cost prohibitive for people to buy, in my opinion. so I split it in half to make it more affordable. and then I kind of took out some details b so so e eventually there's going to be a volume one and volume two. Volume one pretty much ends at prohibition. Volum there are some things it talks about you know, after that. but that's kind of more like landing the plane. Sorry for the analogy. It's appropriate.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. It's appropriate.

 

Dude and JD: and then basically though, the second volume is from Prohibition on. and so it basically starts when the stills are turned back on, basically is the idea after Prohibition. I've got that book pretty much written. I'm I'm checking my sources because of some things that happened during the first book. And but out of that I also have an E. H. Taylor book that is three fourths written. and then now because of you, I actually have started researching J.W. Dant and I have a ton of stuff that I've gotten from I I I couldn't believe like the first time I looked, I just must not have looked properly and it just kind of evolved to me. So instead of it being about JW Dant it's going to be about the brand and it's going to be about what the family's not even allowed to write about, basically. Because they they

 

Dan and Bob: Right.

 

Dude and JD: are legally not allowed to, but it doesn't say anything about other people writing about it. So so that's kind of my

 

Dan and Bob: Right.

 

Dude and JD: idea behind another book. So I so the E. H. Taylor book is going to be basically a biography. The J. W. Dant book is I think going to be more of a family story, if you will. I biography is probably not the right word because it's going to cover, you know, the the battle for the for the actual brand. It's going to cover the family. just a lot of things in there that are just I I mean there's a ton of information. And there's a lot of interesting information in my opinion about just the legal battles, the the the brand struggles, the you know, just a lot of things that I've come across already. that I feel like could easily be a nice companion piece to the Bourbon Baron series. So Yeah. Well I think and I should back up. Are we drinking by the way? Yeah. yeah. What are you guys drinking? What are we starting with?

 

Dan and Bob: Well i and I should back up. Are we drinking by the way? Yeah. W number one, what are you guys drinking? What are we starting with?

 

Dude and JD: I mean we can do any of the ones you've got in front of you. I've got here as well. So we've got the

 

Dan and Bob: Which one?

 

Dude and JD: So you choose. That's one thirty six.

 

Dan and Bob: That's one thirty six.

 

Dude and JD: You want to do them in order of proof? Yeah. Then it'd be the old Forester hundred proof right there.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. One fifteen. Yeah, the black. Yeah, yeah. It's gonna be this one. So I wanna say

 

Dude and JD: So I wanna say

 

Dan and Bob: welcome. This is Dude Pole from the Bourbon Hunters with JD Fritterpoor Fridges.

 

Dude and JD: Shady fritter poor. Fridge. You choose whatever handle you want to give him. He's

 

Dan and Bob: Mm-hmm.

 

Dude and JD: got he's got plenty. Well we're waiting on our T

 

Dan and Bob: While we're waiting on our T shirt.

 

Dude and JD: shirt. Yeah, I'm actually so I've been traveling so much. I actually just walked in the door about an hour ago. I plan on printing those this week and next week. So I've got a whole bunch of them I have to print actually. Plus I've got a little bit of a surprise for anyone who is a Patreon at the highest levels. I'm going to do a little bit of something special for them because of the wait. So that's going to be a a nice little surprise, I think. And there's two things that I believe I'll be doing, but one one for sure. they got really

 

Dan and Bob: that was mine, wasn't it? That was here.

 

Dude and JD: far away. They did. I changed the camera so I could zoom in on the bottle.

 

Dan and Bob: He changed the camera. I changed the camera so I could zoom in on the the bottle and the book a little bit.

 

Dude and JD: All right. There might even be a volume one point five about Prohibition and all the bootleggers. There definitely is. I've got I've got a lot of information. So when I was just to give you some some history, I was doing twenty nineteen's about when I started gathering information. And over the last f probably three or four years there have been an uptick, in my opinion, of information available online. I live in Ohio. a lot of the information's in Kentucky and I when I go to Kentucky it's not to do research, it's usually to get some bottles and drinks. So

 

Dan and Bob: Exactly.

 

Dude and JD: but that's gonna have to start changing soon, I think. I I just got a treasure trove of information sent to me from the Philson. Plus I have now a membership there so I'm I'm going to try to pick a weekend to just well not a weekend, but a a a couple of days to try to go down there and sort through a whole bunch of things that haven't been digitized yet. So what started this? Was this just like a hunt for history or the truth? How do

 

Dan and Bob: What started this? Was this just like a hunt for history or the truth? How do you

 

Dude and JD: you so I was on a it wasn't J D, but the original podcast was started with myself and Tyler Schaefer, who's on every once in a while. a lot less lately. H he's moved a little further away and he's kids life, you know, stuff like that. So he hasn't been on nearly as often as as he used to be. He used to be on weekly. but when we first went This whole podcast started on mine and his first trip to the Bourbon Trail. And we went and took a tour at Buffalo Trace. I mean, we were taters at the time. Just like everybody else. Yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: Just like everybody else. Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: I mean that's that's the Graceland if you're starting off. That's where you go because every everyone's talking about everything there is to to have when it comes to Buffalo Trace. So we went there. And there was a guy by the name of Logan Haynes who was on there yeah, cheers real quick, everybody. Cheers.

 

Dan and Bob: Cheers. Cheers.

 

Dude and JD: Cheers. So there was a guy by the name of Logan Haynes who did our tour and he was on their tasting panel and he was also just kind of in an offhanded comment made a little bit of a remark about E. H. Taylor being a little bit of a swindler. and so like I'm like, wait a second, this guy's like the god of the you know, the the pantheon of bourbon, you know, so like What what's going on here? Like you you've got a guy over here kinda saying stuff that just doesn't add up to the same that you're getting from the marketing machine, you know? Yeah. And so I I was that intrigued me. And I've always been a history buff. I've always been into research just for my own sake. as far as writing is concerned, I've always been a writer of some sort, never like published, but just like I had a blog. I know that ages me, but I had a blog way back in the day. but it was mostly back on MySpace

 

Dan and Bob: Back on back on my space.

 

Dude and JD: He had a song too. No, it was actually Blog Spot was where it was at. It might even still be published, but it was all comedy stuff. Like it was all just stupid stories that I would just think up in my head and and try to make funny and things that a actually happened to me but then I would turn it into a funny story. It's probably still there. I don't even know if BlogSpot's still a thing. I've never taken it down, but anyway, so I my dad used to always tell me I should write. and I've just always been curious about history. I I mean history channel I used to watch nonstop. Drunk history. and but yeah, so I just started compiling tons of information. I was I would download files and then read them later, like when I was traveling or in a plane or something like that. And then it just kind of got to a point where I was just downloading so much information that I just I was like, okay, I need to sort through this and I I had started writing things down that I thought were interesting, making some chronology like timelines and things like that and just to kind of fit the pieces together because you hear about all these people, Elijah Craig, James Crow and you know, Brown and Weller and everybody and y you just don't really think of where they fit together. chronologically. So you know, to us they fit together great because they're all on our bars, right? But like, you know, for for the the average person and myself included, I I had no idea when one lived in relation to another. so that was interesting to me as well. So I started building that's kind of what started it was a timeline and then gathering stories about those people and just trying to figure out how they fit together. And one thing that just kind of kept jumping out at me over the over the years was like the the fight that they had to go through. To just get something as simple that we take for granted like a bottle just being on the shelf. A bottle of bourbon, you know today if you go to the store, you buy a bottle of bourbon, you know what's in it. I mean, that's a we take that for granted. We're not that far removed from I mean, what is it, a hundred and fifty years ago that that that wasn't the case. You know, hundred and fifty years ago you didn't know what you were getting unless it was from Garvin Brown who was, you know, putting the old Forester stuff out there for medicinal purposes. Like you knew that was what it was because it was sealed in a bottle, but he was really the only one doing that. I mean everyone else would just go get whatever came out of the out of the barrel into their own, you know, jug or whatever it was and go home and sip on that for a while. But that could have been, you know, rectified spirits. It could have been grain alcohol with tobacco spit and, you know, whatever else just to give it color and Yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: Lastis or whoever else. Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: I mean and that's where rot gut you know, kinda came from. So these Purists were fighting against rectified spirits.

 

Dan and Bob: Chamberle Floor.

 

Dude and JD: Yeah, is let's do you wanna jump in and taste this? I This is my favorite old Forester by the way. Like it is I don't know i it's the proof or what, but it's just always works well for

 

Dan and Bob: This is my favorite old Forester, by the way. Like it is I don't know i it's the proof or what, but it's just always works well for me.

 

Dude and JD: me. It's it's their G spot. Yeah, the hundred proof for Old Forester, we always say that it's their G spot. It's it's where they I think shine. Like if you just buy it from the shelf, just their old Forester what is it signature the hundred one hundred screw crazy I mean we d we do that in blinds and it wins against heavy hitters. I mean it is so good. It's it's insane. And when I go get like mixed drinks at the bar, I'll get an old Forester eighty six. I don't I think it adds a lot. That flavor that it has adds a lot to cocktails. the the nose on this one is better than that birthday bourbon that I have. This

 

Dan and Bob: This the nose on this one is better than that birthday bourbon that I have. Yeah. This is

 

Dude and JD: is Which is funny because I think when we chose this We thought the nose on this one was a little muted compared to some of the others and why we picked it was actually the taste profile. It's hit me completely different tonight. Yeah, and and I feel like when it's been sitting open for a minute, it the the aroma, the the nose on it really tends to grow. What I love about this one is when it hits the tip of your tongue, you're not immediately picking up your traditional flavors within a whiskey, but in that mid palates when that caramel really blasts you. Yeah. that's my first drink of the day. This is the this is the smell my fingers, right? No, no, no. That's the smell my fingers is the blue

 

Dan and Bob: This is the this is the smell my fingers, right? that's the other one.

 

Dude and JD: one. Yeah. That's on the other end. Yep, that one's I think there's a picture on it too with us. well didn't Barb Bourbon Barb help us to coin that name of the bottle? Yeah, she did. So so we were I don't know if you've ever done a barrel pick at old Forrester, but basically what they have you do is or at least when we've done it, mm-hmm, is they'll drill into the side of it. You have a little carafe or beaker. beaker if you will. Me, me, me. They'll have a little

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: beaker that they have you hold. They drill it open and you put the beaker under there and it just pours right into your beaker until it fills up and then that's what you use to to do your samples. we were getting it all over our fingers and so like when we were bringing it over, people were like, my God, smell my fingers, smell my finger and she was just

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: getting a kick out of it. She's not even there anymore. And she Bourbon Barb? Yeah she loves but yeah bourbon barb was like, you guys need to name the smell my fingers 'cause I guess we were saying that the entire day. Smell my fingers. Yeah. So so we were like, well, you know what, anyone who doesn't know this story is gonna think, What in the actual I know. Just don't pull the finger. Yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah, this is not what I expected it to be.

 

Dude and JD: Yeah. And it to me with Old Forester, like we talk about up one hundred proof being the the G spot for for Old Forester. I'm not generally a huge fan of their barrel strength because it's almost always okay, I need to add some water to it. Mm-hmm. And I'm the complete opposite

 

Dan and Bob: It's hot.

 

Dude and JD: with Jack Daniels, right? I think their barrel proof really shines and their lower proof stuff is mediocre. Which is funny because it's the same mash bell. Yeah, same you've got brown foreman. I mean to to a degree. I mean obviously there's some differences, but I it's it's interesting to me as well. But yeah, as I and I know that they heat cycle theirs at Old Forester, they use maple filtering at Maple charcoal or whatever filtering it Jack Daniels. But it's it's interesting to me. I just and I love so so back to your original question, I think you know, Bob the the Bob. Bob they I I just love the the different things. I think I fell in love with Bourbon when we went there and we found out one, things aren't always what you hear, but two, you have just a couple of mash bills and how many What were there at the time I think there were twenty three different offerings from Buffalo Trace from like three recipes. Something crazy like that. So you had a you had a rye, you had a two bourbons and a wheat I guess. So so four different recipes. So it's like but I I just think that's insane. To have twenty three different offerings and it's more than that now because they've added some things since then. That's this was seven years ago. Yeah. So I mean that just blows my mind that you can have that many offerings And they do have different flavors. And and you know, based off of how long they were they were aged, based off of where in the brick house they were aged, based off how they're blended together, you know, the it's pretty crazy to me. I don't I just I love it. and and all that just intrigues me. So the more I can learn about it, the more that I can do to wrap my head around it. Like I immediately went and got my bourbon stewardship and then I went like a year later got my executive bourbon stewardship. I just I don't know, just I love to soak up this type of stuff, so it's just nonstop for me. I I I think what I really love about it is and I say this about flying as well, is it's just as much art as it is science. Well I I hope

 

Dan and Bob: I I think what I really love about it is and I say this about flying as well, is it's just as much art as it is science. You know, so it

 

Dude and JD: that the flying is a little bit more science. Honestly, I look Bernoulli was on to something.

 

Dan and Bob: Honestly, I the the scientist what it is but

 

Dude and JD: But w the science is what it is. I mean the numbers all equal out to what they're supposed to. But the touch of feeling what the aircraft is doing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Being the sensations and the vibrations, I mean that is still very much

 

Dan and Bob: the science is what it is. I mean the numbers all equal out to what they're supposed to. But the touch of feeling what the aircraft is doing, being the sensations and the vibrations, I mean that is still very much art.

 

Dude and JD: art. Yeah, no, I so I have my private pilot's license. I haven't flown for twenty five years, but yeah, originally and that was another thing, my dad wanted me to get my pilot pilot's license so that we could he was gonna buy a plane, we were gonna fly down and go on golf outings for a weekend or something like that. And yeah, that just never it never I never got past my VFR, so I just we just never did it. But that was another thing that I just never did and super cool though. Yeah, and then my dad passing and always telling me I should be a writer just kinda hit me in a in a hard place. So I it just kind of made me put some things aside and and focus on that for a little bit. The I think the thing that benef that I benefited the most from is my wife works evenings. So when I get home I have two or three hours an evening to just kind of one, have a podcast, but two, do research, read, write, do that kind of stuff. So I'd say th in starting about the time my dad passed, I started putting all of this into an actual formal kind of layout and it's changed a lot actually. because my plans changed throughout this. originally, like I said, it was going to be a much larger book and it was going to be a single book, and then once I had to split it into two I had to do things to, you know, land the plane, if you will, between the first and the second one. So I it it was a really interesting thing and and it was a big scramble from the time I figured out I had to do two books as as opposed to one because and in hindsight too, which is kinda funny, I've bought bourbon books that were eighty dollars. So like I could have maybe done that, but I just

 

Dan and Bob: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: it would have been thicker. It would have been it the eighty dollar ones I purchased were all like photo type books that were coffee table books. Yeah,

 

Dan and Bob: Coffee table books. Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: and I kind of wanted this to be borderline coffee table. So like, you know, I wanted it to look nice. So like the the design on the front I I hope it looks good on a in a shelf or on a table. But I I think and they're all going to be similar to that where they can sit side by side on a bookshelf if you want to. but yeah, I I wanted it to be something that wouldn't just be read and put away somewhere. That that was kind of the idea. It looks it looks much better than Fred Minnick's

 

Dan and Bob: It looks it looks much better than Fred Minnick's book.

 

Dude and JD: book. I do need to say I am pretty excited that our episode that we did down in Monks Road has more views than the one with Fred Minnick. does it?

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: Well that's pretty cool. Good job. Yep.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah, that that was a good time. Excellent.

 

Dude and JD: Yeah. That was a good time. Yeah, so Monks Road, that's I mean another cool like Dant stuff there. Like I just wanna I wanna I have the card that you got me. I'm going to probably once the dust settles on this book, I'm starting to polish the second one, check sources, but I wanna get started on and I'm trying to figure out what order to do this in because I have already a two thirds written probably three fourths written E. H. Taylor book. it just needs the structure of the actual pros and everything to to be set up. I mean all the information's there. so it's probably just, you know, two or three chapters of just kind of adding to the front, to the end and just some exposition and stuff, but for the most part that's done. so I really don't know if I wanna do Prohibition or if I wanna do Dant next. I think Dant because I the more I see about this, I love Prohibition. But there's a lot of stuff about prohibition already published. What there's not is a lot about prohibition specifically to bourbon, which is what I've was focusing on. And I think that's a it's a really cool angle and it's there's a lot of information there that it I was really surprised about. I mean I think the biggest surprise for me during this whole thing is just the availability of content online. Like I I there is so much information. But then sorting through what's real and what's not. That's that's kind of been the That's kind of been the the eye opener for me. You know, we do have to go down Friday and it doesn't start till the evening. You wanna see if maybe Wally wants to do a podcast in the afternoon before we head down to Bardstown? Where's Wally located? Where's Logstill? So Logstill is just south of Bardstown in Gethsemane, Kentucky.

 

Dan and Bob: So Logstill is just south of Bardstown in Gethsemane, Kentucky.

 

Dude and JD: What's just south? Half hour, twenty minutes, fifteen? Two and a half hours. Yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. Probably half hour. Half hour.

 

Dude and JD: Mississippi. two and a half hour. How long did you say? Half hour? Half hour. Are

 

Dan and Bob: Half hour. Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: we also in the direction of makers mark at all in that? I don't know.

 

Dan and Bob: close coming back. Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: Okay. Well I just I my ambassador ticket, I I I my barrel was ready. I missed it. It was sep the end of September was when

 

Dan and Bob: Mm-hmm.

 

Dude and JD: I was supposed to be able to go and do my VIP stuff and I was just traveling and all that stuff. So He was hungover. I mean

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: for part of September I definitely was. Especially after our five hundredth episode. That was insane. God, I was so drunk.

 

Dan and Bob: That was an hilarious episode.

 

Dude and JD: I think our I think our best episodes are episode twos of all of our barrel or bottle kills. Yeah. in every Jason episode. Well, every Jason episode. And then that five hundredth, I I don't know how we drank that much. I like

 

Dan and Bob: Mm-hmm.

 

Dude and JD: I still don't recall how we drank that much. I was I was my wife was not happy. I think any time you're doing two episodes and you're recording them back to back. So Bob I did that with my buddy Nick.

 

Dan and Bob: I I I think anytime you're doing two episodes and you're recording them back to back. So Bob I did that with my buddy Nick and we were doing Old Fitzgerald's, the Heaven Hills Old Fitzgerald's, and then we did the Elijah Craig's. And then Bob came over with his buddy after, and we were still Dan has this bad habit of having a plan for a podcast, and we're gonna do these two bottles, and then it turns into six.

 

Dude and JD: And we were doing Old Fitzgerald's, the Heaven Hills Old Fitzgerald's, and then we did the Elijah Craig's. And then Bob came over with his buddy after, and we were still Dan has this bad habit of having a plan for a podcast and we're gonna do these two bottles and then it turns into six. Yeah. So then when you show up after that, the second episode's a disaster.

 

Dan and Bob: So and when you show up after that, the second episode's a disaster.

 

Dude and JD: Well and that's the so that's the problem for us is like we have a plan and then Jason comes over and brings like four bottles we weren't expecting. And we're like, my

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: god, this is gonna hurt And when we decided to do we did a mouth experience. We did four ninety nine and five hundred all on the same day. Four old carters and then everything Jason brought. Well

 

Dan and Bob: jeez.

 

Dude and JD: was it four old Carters? I thought we ended up doing a fifth something or other that was Was it ju yeah it was just cause it was three old quarter carters and whatever that was that single barrel old scout or

 

Dan and Bob: Snacks.

 

Dude and JD: no old sport old sport something, yeah. so what's n next on proof? Old Louisville. Is that

 

Dan and Bob: So what's n next on proof?

 

Dude and JD: the nine year or the eleven year?

 

Dan and Bob: This

 

Dude and JD: Top left of the label there. is that the one I left ya? Yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: That's the eleven year. the eleven year, okay. Yeah, the the I'm getting a spoof call from Canton right now, right up in your neck of the woods. I love those spoof calls. It's insane. It's insane. Yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: Non stop. It's election season too. Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: I get I get probably ten a day at the moment. Nobody wants to know my thoughts on where I live. That is true. That is true. No one does. So what do we do is that the eleven year? Yeah. Okay. So it's a good experience.

 

Dan and Bob: It's such a good experience going there too.

 

Dude and JD: this is unopened. Nice. Okay. Well You don't have an open one? I d I have a an open ten year. Nine year? The nine and the eleven yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I know that's not what how it works, but so we took a nine year and an eleven year both the single barrels that we had and we poured them together. And it turned out pretty good actually. You haven't trouble there, Tiger? No. You sure? Yeah. You just gonna leave confetti all over my floor? I'm sure the the wife will love that. So we're in the in prime Halloween decorating season, which you don't you can't see any of it in your picture there I guess, but yeah, we're surrounded by Halloween stuff everywhere.

 

Dan and Bob: That just started. My stepson at the beginning of the year planted a whole bunch of pumpkin speed seeds out in our gar in our mulch out front. So now we have a bunch of pump pumpkins coming.

 

Dude and JD: That just started. My stepson at the beginning of the year planted a whole bunch of pumpkin speed seeds out in our gar in our mulch out front. So now we have a bunch of pump pumpkins coming. nice. I like that. I mean unless you don't want them. It wasn't the plan. okay. Well,

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. It wasn't the plan.

 

Dude and JD: I I mean that's life. I mean th the the tagline for life should be it wasn't the plan. I mean honestly, that should be the that should be the tagline of life. I could make a shirt that just says

 

Dan and Bob: Mm.

 

Dude and JD: life. It wasn't the plan. I had two kids that weren't the plan. Well

 

Dan and Bob: Mm.

 

Dude and JD: just two?

 

Dan and Bob: Thanks.

 

Dude and JD: Same. So the nose on this and I remember this from doing this at the bottom shared is just like a dusty We loved it. That's

 

Dan and Bob: So the nose on this, and I remember this from doing this at the bottle share, is just like a dusty, beautiful.

 

Dude and JD: we went to pick up our nine year And he had this in a barrel for h for a the tours. The tours. It was just like a thieve out of the barrel experience at the end of the tour. He's like, You gotta try this. And we're like, we want that. We said we'll wait

 

Dan and Bob: Mm-hmm.

 

Dude and JD: a month to let you have a few more tours and take some out of it so we don't have to sell as many bottles. And we ended up getting a hundred and two, which is our sweet spot basically.

 

Dan and Bob: Still lot.

 

Dude and JD: So we ended up getting a hundred and two. So I wanna know your inspiration for starting bourbon brass and beyond. Yeah. So to go back a ways.

 

Dan and Bob: So to go back a ways Everything started with me with JW Dan.

 

Dude and JD: Everything started with me with JW Dan.

 

Dan and Bob: My grandfather I know I say it a lot, but my grandfather was a JW Dant drinker and I grew up smelling his highball that was grapefruit soda and JW Dant.

 

Dude and JD: I know I say it a lot, but my grandfather was a JW Dan drinker and I grew up smelling his high ball that was grapefruit soda and JW Dan. Grapefruit soda and JW Dant. Interesting. Yeah. Have you tried

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. Yeah. That was a highball.

 

Dude and JD: Well, real quick, grapefruit soda with anything else? Have you tried it with anything else?

 

Dan and Bob: I I had tried it with Jack Daniels, I've tried it with a bunch of different bourbons, but it it's just not the same.

 

Dude and JD: I I had tried it with Jack Daniels, I've tried it with a bunch of different bourbons, but it it's just not the same. Yeah. Now this JW Dant,

 

Dan and Bob: And what

 

Dude and JD: was this what is currently available or is this a preview like older? So it would have been Schenley JW

 

Dan and Bob: So it would have been Schenley JW Dan.

 

Dude and JD: D. Schenley, okay. and if you look at the history of it, so JW Dant was bought by Armand Hammer early

 

Dan and Bob: and if you look at the history of it, so JW Dant was bought by Armand Hammer early 40s,

 

Dude and JD: forties.

 

Dan and Bob: and then Armin Hammer sold it to Schenley. I want to say 52, and then Schenley operated JW Dant at the distillery.

 

Dude and JD: And then Armin Hammer sold it to Schenley. I wanna say fifty two. And then Schenley operated J JW Dan at the distillery until sixty

 

Dan and Bob: Till sixty three.

 

Dude and JD: three.

 

Dan and Bob: And then from there they moved bottling to Louisville in Frankfurt, Old Stag and Bernhouse.

 

Dude and JD: And then from there they move bottling to Louisville in Frankfurt. Old Stag and Bernheim. Okay. So I'm

 

Dan and Bob: And

 

Dude and JD: sending you something as we speak. This is what I've

 

Dan and Bob: I like it.

 

Dude and JD: created so far. So how did

 

Dan and Bob: Now

 

Dude and JD: it evolve to where you're at now?

 

Dan and Bob: From there

 

Dude and JD: From there

 

Dan and Bob: I was looking for JW Dant for my grandparents. And it about 2007 I couldn't find it in Ohio because in ninety-three they stopped selling.

 

Dude and JD: I was looking for JW Dam for my grandparents. And about two thousand seven I couldn't find it in Ohio because of ninety three they stopped selling.

 

Dan and Bob: So I'd go to Indiana, Kentucky to go try to find it. And I was driving back up and I stopped at Heaven Hills Distillery. And I went into their shop at the time. And I said, Do you have anything JW Dant?

 

Dude and JD: So I'd go to Indiana, Kentucky to go try to find her. And I was driving back up and I stopped at Heavenhill's Distillery and I went into their shop at the time and I said, Do you have anything, JW Dan?

 

Dan and Bob: And the people working there didn't know what I was talking about. They didn't even know that they owned the brand.

 

Dude and JD: And the people working there didn't know what I was talking about. They didn't even know that they owned the brand. Wow. Yeah, United Distillers gave it to gave it to Heaven Hill

 

Dan and Bob: And I went, What? Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: in nineteen ninety three.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. And this is two thousand seven.

 

Dude and JD: Yeah. And this is two thousand seven. wow. So I this is what started my search. And then I started getting into bourbons, collecting some, moved to where I live now a little over two years ago and Bob's out bourbon hunting as well. So we s strike up a conversation.

 

Dan and Bob: So I this is what started my search. And then I started getting into bourbons, collecting some, moved to where I live now a little over two years ago, and Bob's out bourbon hunting as well. So we strike up a conversation. I

 

Dude and JD: I I was listening to podcasts, I was listening to you guys at that time.

 

Dan and Bob: was listening to podcasts, I was listening to you guys at that time. And we just started talking like, you know, as much as we were out sh shopping for bourbon or talking about it, we might as well drink and tell some stories. It's nice to be able to.

 

Dude and JD: And we just started talking like, you know, as much as we were route sh shopping for bourbon or talking about it, we might as well drink and tell some stories. Well yeah, it's been better than us. Well it's nice that he lives across the street and I just walk over to this. So I got that going for

 

Dan and Bob: Well it's nice that he lives across the street and I just walk over to this. So I got that role for me.

 

Dude and JD: me. Yeah. Well JW or JW. Dan. J D has a lifetime subscription to Uber at the moment. So same as living across street.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. But from there we started it one year ago. almost ready to do hundred our hundredth episode. This is ninety seven, so so we're gonna knock out ninety eight, ninety nine, or a hundred altogether?

 

Dude and JD: But from there we started it one year ago. almost ready to do hundredth. Our hundred fifth, so this is ninety seven. So yeah, I saw that. Do it all right now. Do it all tonight. Just like our four ninety nine. Just like hundred. Just like the pros do is what I've heard. That's right.

 

Dan and Bob: That's right.

 

Dude and JD: Record batches. That's what they do. so ninety seven, that's awesome. I mean yeah, they say I think the the it's like the seven year itch of marriage is twenty episodes. So if if you can get past twenty episodes, then generally speaking you're going to not necessarily be successful, but you're going to continue on and you've created the habit basically and and that's I guess the benchmark for a lot of podcasts that kind of fizzle out. So you're well past that. So so congratulations, that's awesome. And we won't be on your hundredth, but here's to your hundredth to a hundred.

 

Dan and Bob: Cheers. Appreciate it.

 

Dude and JD: Cheers. Appreciate it. I do have to say I do like the Henry Kraver shirt that they're wearing. I'm actually wearing Peerless

 

Dan and Bob: Mm-hmm.

 

Dude and JD: right now too. I had my peerless shirt on this weekend. So from the pick. The peerless episode just came out and that that's what made me think, I should wear my peerless shirt to you guys.

 

Dan and Bob: Well your peerless episode just came out and that that's what made me think, I should wear my peerless shirt to you guys.

 

Dude and JD: I got a a lot of flack calling it peerless because people were like, is this the is this the barrel pick? Is it available? We still don't know about it. We

 

Dan and Bob: Mm-hmm.

 

Dude and JD: still don't know where it's at. We still It's in the cloud. It's in the cloud.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: AWS is hosting it right now. so yeah, we got it we got a message that the distributor possibly that it was sent to the distributor, possibly. So I reached out to Gallenstein and he was like, Well, I heard from our distributor that there's something in the warehouse, but I don't know what it is. So I'm hoping that's what it is, but we haven't heard that was two weeks ago and I know he went on vacation in between there, so I should probably give him a little poke and see what's going on. Reach out to B J. Yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: Tell me how well this system works.

 

Dude and JD: Tell me how well this system works. Well with peerless at peerless it doesn't. There's been a lot of instances where barrels have gone missing and then they're refound a a year later or oops it went to Louisiana. That we know of. This is all that we have of the peerless barrel

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: right here. That's all we have. The ghost. Gosh. We may have to rename it. We may have to give it a new name. Yeah. Anyway. yeah, so what do you guys think of this old Louisville?

 

Dan and Bob: So I love the old deauville because the each sip it gets sweeter. Yeah. On the tongue. It just the flavor's fantastic, right? Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: So I love the old o'clock because the each sip it gets sweeter. Yeah. Yeah. On the tongue. It just This is one of those ones I think tells a story. Like I I always talk about that, but like it it evolves in in your glass as you're drinking it in my opinion. I think the old Forster one hundred, I think Bob, to your point, I really like it too. It it's one of my favorite, you know, that proof point in general is just really good. But I think it it is what it is and it's It pr it stays pretty constant, I feel like, as you drink through it. which is fine for me. You know, I'll drink multiple glasses of that i in an evening as well. I do enjoy mixing that with the smell my fingers. I'll do like a f as close to a fifty fifty as I as I can. No. The nine year. No, I'm talking about the old forester. The two mix the two old foresters. This you mix the two old foresters. But the but the and that tends to tell more of a story throughout the day the evening. But this old Louisville, I think by itself, tells a great story throughout the night. I feel like it opens up in your glass. It might just be the interactions with your tongue that might evolve over over the evening. But I love it. I I think it's really good. Now that one mixed with the nine year also outstanding. But

 

Dan and Bob: Even better.

 

Dude and JD: yeah, but I I some days I think it is better. Some days I think the eleven year by itself is really good. but that nine year man Nine years killer. It is insane good. I I it's so weird because it's only nine years old, which is still a great age for a bird. Age isn't everything. No, it isn't. unless

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah, yeah.

 

Dude and JD: you're Brett. but I'll tell you that that proof on it is a killer. You have no idea. That's sneakiness. So I took a sample of it over the trays on Saturday for the Buckeye game to share with his parents and his buddy, and they're like Never in a million years would I have guessed that's a hundred and thirty three proof. There's no way. Like you just but then you have a second glass, you know it's a hundred and thirty three proof. But it but you would never guess in the glass. Well it's like I said on that episode we did at Monks Road about old Louisville. It's a testament to the skilled N D Ps that get MGP and they know what they want to do with it. You know? Well, if you listen to the latest episode of Pursuit Bourbon Pursuit sorry, but Fred Minnick, his little above the char that he starts every episode with, he talks about that and he and he one of the people people asking him a question was like, When are we gonna start seeing those older bourbons show up as part of the, you know, shelfer experience, even whether it's new products or being blended into the sh existing shelter stuff like that? And he's like, Well, it already has to some degree. He's like, But where you're really seeing those come into play is N D Ps. Yep. where they didn't know what to do with all this extra bourbon. So they started selling it out to these NDPs and these NDPs know exactly what their, you know, customers are looking for and they find exactly what they want and release it at the perfect time. You know, that dark arts we have is a perfect example of that. Yeah, Macaulay Minton came from Wilderness Trail, Amin at old Louisville, he came from Old Forester. You know, all these guys came from somewhere and they brought those skills with them. they brought their palettes with them too. So if you find an N D Pourbon

 

Dan and Bob: You

 

Dude and JD: junkies up in Michigan. These are guys nerds that are producing what we want. Right. And it's I

 

Dan and Bob: You talk.

 

Dude and JD: feel like they're the closest thing you can get to joining a barrel club. Where you're you where your you know, your palettes align with someone who's doing your picks. Because I I think to me, and I I've talked to a lot of people about this, I and I have probably said it ad nauseum on the podcast, but to me I feel like that's the the new thing we started as bourbon hunters and we were always getting in line, going out, trying to find bourbon. But then I joined a couple of d different bourbon clubs and I oftentimes I wasn't finding stuff in the stores as good as the stuff I was getting in those single barrel clubs. And so to me that you know, that's what led to us starting our own club, but I I think it's I think that is slowly taking the place of hunting for unicorns and yet do I still when I get the opportunity try to find things like the Austin Nichols archives and stuff like that. Yeah, I mean I do. But I'm not gonna go get up on a Saturday morning at five AM and, you know, set my chair out on a sidewalk and then go sleep in my car for two hours and then and then go back and sit in my chair and like the OG birthday boom and stuff. I'm just not gonna do that anymore. I don't feel like there's anything out there worth my time like that.

 

Dan and Bob: stag twenty eight A's and you're

 

Dude and JD: I just Well, I'm not trying to put a plug in for a mean in Old Louisville, but my buddy Dave just went down there last week this past weekend. He was going to Nashville to Limp Biscuit and I told him stop in at Old Louisville, stop in at Bluegrass Distillers. But he went to Old Louisville and he was able to thieve a bottle right out of the barrel and he has like a one of one. Yeah. You know, where else are

 

Dan and Bob: It is.

 

Dude and JD: you gonna go where you can do that? My first trip down there was exactly the same thing. We went to old Louisville.

 

Dan and Bob: My first trip down there was exactly the same thing. We went to Old Louisville and we all walked out with heat writes your initials on it. It's one o one. It's as good of an experience. And to your point, the juice that comes out of there is crazy good. I loved it. So

 

Dude and JD: We all walked out with he writes your initials on it. It's one of one. It's as good of an experience. And to your point, the juice that comes out of there is crazy good. I loved it. There's a six-year wilderness trail wheated that I told him, I said, How is my barrel doing when I was just down there recently? We should have written our names on it. I told him I said I want to put my name on it now. It was so good. Yeah. my gosh. Even that same building, I went to Oak and Age in one of the upper floors. yeah, yeah. And I brought that.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. So even that same building I went to Oakan Age in one of the upper floors and I brought that eleven year beam bottle share.

 

Dude and JD: Eleven year beam. Mm-hmm. that was phenomenal. The eleven year what? it's a hazmat beam. really? Uh-huh. I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about that, but I mean he brought it up. yeah. Yeah, it it's a it's a fantastic barrel that nobody else wanted to pick it, and I'm like, I have to at least have a bottle of that. So I thieved

 

Dan and Bob: Fantastic. yeah. Yeah, it it's a it's a fantastic barrel that nobody else wanted to pick it and I'm like I have to at least have a bottle of that. Yeah. So I thieved it.

 

Dude and JD: it. Where is that from? Oak and Age. It's on the fourth floor in Old Louisville's building. And and it was a beam barrel? There's a couch. There's a couple of couches set up up

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: there. It's a club that they yeah, there it is. Yeah. Interesting. Zoom in on it. I can't zoom in on it. It's not my camera.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah, I'll zoom in on it. Hold on.

 

Dude and JD: I don't think you know how this works.

 

Dan and Bob: I'll zoom in on it for ya. Hold on.

 

Dude and JD: You got a remote. He's got four thumbs trying to figure it out.

 

Dan and Bob: He's got four thumbs trying to figure it out.

 

Dude and JD: Well, that's better than my big toes, I guess, trying to figure There it is. All right. Now how do you get a bottle like that or from that group? So you can call them. You can go up and get one from the gift shop or you can go in and try barrels.

 

Dan and Bob: So you can call them. They'll you can go up and get one from the gift shop or you can go in and try barrels.

 

Dude and JD: Okay. Okay.

 

Dan and Bob: I mean it might be something if we're already in the same building.

 

Dude and JD: I mean it might be something if we're already in the same building. Correct. That is correct. What they don't know, they don't know.

 

Dan and Bob: Exactly.

 

Dude and JD: what do we what do we think of this old Louis? We we talked about it, right? Everyone pretty happy with it still? Yeah,

 

Dan and Bob: I it's good.

 

Dude and JD: it's still a four point one for me. Yeah, definitely good.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah, definitely good.

 

Dude and JD: I'm gonna be the Russian judge. I'm gonna call it a four point nine. Yep. I'm gonna I'm gonna say four point

 

Dan and Bob: I'm gonna I'm gonna say four point one.

 

Dude and JD: That is quite the collection you have facing outward here. I like getting there.

 

Dan and Bob: Getting there.

 

Dude and JD: Yeah. How many bottles do you think you have now?

 

Dan and Bob: Probably f three hundred.

 

Dude and JD: Nice. Yeah, solid. That is solid. That's really good. How long have you been doing this? Not the podcast, but just collecting, yeah. A year, the same time as the podcast? No, I I I've been collecting since twenty fifteen. Okay. But I would say that at the most I had was fifty, sixty bottles until about three years ago.

 

Dan and Bob: Collecting a year, the same time as the podcast? No, I I I've been collecting since twenty fifteen. But I would say that at the most I had was fifty, sixty bottles until about three years ago.

 

Dude and JD: Have you reached out to all the brands yet? to be on their radar for free stuff. I have gotten a few bottles for ass pocket whiskey. Go to every one

 

Dan and Bob: I have got a few bottles for mask pocket whiskey and

 

Dude and JD: of their websites, the contact us section. I'm not kidding. Not us, them. Yeah. I mean don't go to our website. You don't want to go there. I mean we'll send you stuff. But

 

Dan and Bob: Dude Paul says

 

Dude and JD: honestly go to their go to their websites, go to the I I can't remember if it's marketing or press or whatever. Tell them that you're a podcast, you would love to be put onto their distribution list. They'll start sending you all their press releases. Media samples.

 

Dan and Bob: Media samples.

 

Dude and JD: Well, potentially. So they'll send you the press releases and if you're quick on the draw and you reply quickly and say, Hey, d any chance for media samples so you know, or review samples or whatever. a lot of times they will start sending you stuff. We've gotten in with like Woodenville sends us something all the time. They'll send us full bottles. So does well Middle West is here in town, so they send us full bottles as well. Old Elk, mm before Middle West Spirits bought them, was sending us full bottles. Now that Middle West Spirits bought them, we're getting like little sample bottles. Buffalo Trace just started sending us bottles. Yeah, just slowly like we're slowly we're not getting like BTAC, but we are getting the Yeah. And they told us they were gonna send

 

Dan and Bob: Still awesome.

 

Dude and JD: us a what was it? A four grain. A four grain, but we still haven't gotten that. So I I think they forgot about us. Think we missed the window. They're waiting for antique

 

Dan and Bob: Well you're didn't I send you a phone?

 

Dude and JD: season. Yeah, hopefully. What's that? Didn't I send you a four grain?

 

Dan and Bob: Didn't I send you a four grade?

 

Dude and JD: You did. You did. And it's but that was at the same like I think you sent it to me, and then the next day he was like, yeah, I'll send you out a sample here shortly and and we didn't get it, but that's all right. I actually like the four grain better than the curid oak. Well this version of the curidok. This version of yes. Yeah. Yeah. I need to rinse

 

Dan and Bob: I'm the reversed. Yeah. So d David Jennings did send me a bottle as well with the Caleb's fantastic.

 

Dude and JD: David Jennings did send me a bottle or something. What a guy. Yeah. That guy seems like he's a pretty stand up guy. Yeah, he was on an episode with us a little bit ago. Yeah. That Caleb's Crossing was pretty good.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. That Caleb's crossing was pretty good.

 

Dude and JD: Yeah. And that was the episode we had really bad audio, wasn't it? Mm-hmm. With your scratchy and the racontour? Your scratchy microphone issues. I like the racontour. I think it was both of us. It was it was definitely you. What is it? That you'd say you'd do here. Bob. Yeah. So this Jack Daniels.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. So this Jack Daniels.

 

Dude and JD: Love that one. Now, this is a barrel house one dash zero

 

Dan and Bob: Now this is a barrel house one dash zero one.

 

Dude and JD: one. So we were a little divided during that pick. We weren't divided. No, a little bit at first. No, we we We were I think pretty much on the same page, but it because it was one of our first picks, we wanted to make sure that it actually had a Jack Daniels. But Trey liked number three. We all liked number three. I did too, but I thought it tasted I it clicked. I'm like Trey, I know why you like this. It's like Bookers. It tasted like Bookers, yeah. Not Boogers. That was almost in stereo.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. Since you mentioned it.

 

Dude and JD: So but we wanted because it was our first jack pick, we wanted it to taste like actual Jack. So we is this actually less proofy than the it is. Holy cow. By two proof points. I think Yes. I did not realize the old forester was that. This one was like last year's Tanyard Hill rye release. If you look on the neck, it says 101, which is Tanyard Hill. He already said that. okay. He didn't say tan yard hill, but he said one zero one. I do not want that big of a pour. No, I'm taking a little giggle pour on this one. I ha I have to coach CrossFit at six

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: AM, so All right. I may have had a semi giggle pour I'm not gonna have a whole bunch, but I'm gonna have a bunch.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: Hey, that ended up being bigger than I expected. That's what she said.

 

Dan and Bob: That's what

 

Dude and JD: Dang it. All right. Just a semi bore.

 

Dan and Bob: Just a semi poor.

 

Dude and JD: Jeez. Semi bore. That's about that's about the truth. Yeah, I've been working out. That is so good. Yeah. How'd your work out go tonight? Doing it right now. Doing some curls. Monday is your workout night, I thought. No Wednesday. you moved it good for us. Yep. Hey, we're recording Wednesday, by the way. You're gonna have to s you're gonna have to skip again.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. Surprise.

 

Dude and JD: Surprise. What's that? I don't know. That's when Brett said he could do it. I can't do tomorrow 'cause I gotta coach all the evening classes. Let's just bend for Brett. Why don't you just work out for yourself on Tuesday? I will see what I can do. We're bending for Brett and for myself. All right. They don't want to hear this. I mean at least you're not bending it like Beckham. that's a terrible reference. Anyway, so let's go ahead on with this Jack Daniels here. Jack. W you can take the reins, man. You you can Yeah. Just just tell J D to shut

 

Dan and Bob: So I this the nose on this

 

Dude and JD: up. I'm trying to be so bad that you just take over. All right.

 

Dan and Bob: So the funny thing is about our bottle share, real quick. Steph was asking me, Slays, how many did you do? How many bottles did you guys try? And I couldn't honestly remember. Like I I was giggling up talking about it on the way to the hotel. I had to go back and watch the episode to figure out how many we actually did.

 

Dude and JD: So the funny thing is about our bottle share, real quick. Yeah, yeah. Steph was asking me Slays, how many did you do? How many bottles did you guys try? And I couldn't honestly remember. Like I I was giggling talking about it on the way to the hotel. I had to go back and watch the episode to figure out how many we actually did. No. That many, huh? There was a few it was an hour

 

Dan and Bob: There's nine.

 

Dude and JD: and thirty minute episodes. Wow. And you had to cut a little bit of it out. Yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: Hey, pro tip here, whenever you're done with that Jack Daniels, that little neck chain becomes a great Christmas tree ornament. I have a bourbon Christmas tree that sits down here, so I I have one of those that I was like, this is perfect. 'Cause they gave us like they gave like

 

Dan and Bob: Start one on the bar.

 

Dude and JD: ten extra of those. Don't you hang corks from it? Not corks, bungs.

 

Dan and Bob: That's good. So I love the flavor on that. The Yeah. You get the jack sweetness, you get that initial taste, but then it just transforms. You get that rye and you get a little bit of that orange.

 

Dude and JD: That's good. So I love that flavor on that. On the jack? Yeah. You get the jack sweetness, you get that initial taste, but then it just transforms. You get that rye and you get little bit of that orange. What I don't understand is like these so what did they say? Everything from their single barrel program comes from their top floor. Yep. I feel like maybe Buffalo Trace is missing the boat a little bit. Yeah. Because man, the I don't know what happens to Jack at the top floors, but my god. They I you know, their regular standard jack is just whatever. You know, I'll drink it. And this is like six years old. Right. That's what I mean. Like it doesn't need to be much older than that. It's from the top floor, so it's gonna it's gonna interact with the wood a lot

 

Dan and Bob: Fast.

 

Dude and JD: more aggressive. man. I haven't had this in a minute. So good. I'm afraid I was gonna get through it. Which of the barrel picks that you guys have done is your favorite? Are in any of these?

 

Dan and Bob: Which is which of the barrel picks that you guys have done is your favorite? Are in any of these?

 

Dude and JD: Yes. All of them. Honestly, it's like it's like picking your favorites.

 

Dan and Bob: Is it it's like your favorite child?

 

Dude and JD: Yeah, man. I honestly, They all have a special place in my heart. Spoken like a dad. If you would have asked

 

Dan and Bob: You've mentioned the story, so I yeah.

 

Dude and JD: me my least favorite a year ago, I would have said the James E. Pepper. That's moved up. But holy cow, it is it is really got like grown into its own. Like the more I go so When I first open it every time I'm just like, I know the worst one. But then Angel's Envy. yeah, probably. And worst, I mean, I we weren't on it. It was just Tyler. Yeah, that was Tyler. So like it it explains a

 

Dan and Bob: That's why it's shit.

 

Dude and JD: lot. Yeah. But it's still good, but it's just Angel's Envy. Like I who is Angels Envy still a thing? Yeah. I mean, is it though? Yeah. I saw bottles on the shelf today. Yeah, on the shelf. That's my point. It's not a thing. They weren't they wouldn't be on the shelf. Like rem remember in twenty twenty special picks are not as good anymore. I think that's No, they're not they they've run out of ideas.

 

Dan and Bob: Even their special picks are not as good anymore. I think that's one of the things that they're yeah.

 

Dude and JD: I f I feel like when when you're w it's almost like Blood Oath, right? Blood Oath the first few years was like, my gosh, these are so good but it's like they're running out of ideas now because they have to blend it. So what was their new thing, th the fever fever something or other this year? the fever batch or whatever.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah, I saw it.

 

Dude and JD: So it was like a hundred and one proof as a up from the ninety eight point what's six. Ninety eight point six. So they went up to a hundred and one proof and called it the fever badge. That that was their gimmick this year. And they went back to a rum finish with something else. It was like two finishes. And I just feel like when you paint yourself into a corner like that, you just run out of ideas. So I thought they were kind of moving in the right direction by releasing the bourbon only no finish release that they had and they could have started doing stuff with that, like cask strength of that. They could have been doing, you know, different age, you know, different levels on the on the Rick, you know, whatever. But I just I don't know. I feel like they're missing the boat and then going the wrong direction. Everything that's available they can go back to rhetoric. The rhetoric stuff that they put out was phenomenal.

 

Dan and Bob: And with everything that's available, they can go back to rhetoric. The rhetoric stuff that they put out was phenomenal.

 

Dude and JD: Yeah, I mean but I I don't know. I feel like They hit the market at the perfect time when all the newbies needed an an easy entry point into bourbon. And I feel like that that's what it offered them. But I feel like as the the crowd has progressed, it's always going to be a great entry point for people that have never really had bourbon before because it's finished, both the rye and the bourbon finished. But I feel like the people as their palates expand And as they they get further into bourbon they just shy away from Angel's Envy original. I think we're missing a big component to this. When Lincoln Henderson came over and started Angel's Envy, he brought a whole bunch of barrels from Old Forester. And that's what the original few years were was Old Forester finishing. Did he have those on video?

 

Dan and Bob: Did he did he have those on video?

 

Dude and JD: What's that? When he brought over? Those barrels from inside the Rick House. it was it was a bunch of semis.

 

Dan and Bob: Those barrels from inside the rickhouse. Did he have them like

 

Dude and JD: No, but his dad his West Wes did. West had him.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: There were cameras everywhere.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: Touche. I caught it now. It was it was a little

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: satellite delay for me. No Lin Lincoln was a stand up man. And Wes wasn't interested in the standing. But those original batches when they first came out were Old Forester finished in port barrels and I think it offered a different complexity than what they're doing now with their own distillate. And now that they've sold off, it's not even remotely close to what they were doing. in the beginning. I think their most recent best offering was probably that tequila finished one. That was a good one. I th I thought that was going to become more of a thing. There were a whole bunch of things that year that released tequila finished and those were good. I was actually really surprised at how good those were. We should open your twenty twenty two cast strength. Tequila's finished and whiskey bearers. That would be old for

 

Dan and Bob: You got those tequila finished in whiskey. Yeah, those are tequilas finished in whiskey barrels. that's not the other way.

 

Dude and JD: I have one of those. I know. I have a twenty twenty one as well, I Those would be old for twenty forcers. I think those would all be old for particular episodes.

 

Dan and Bob: We should do what to give the episode.

 

Dude and JD: So favorite barrel picks. I think I can name my top three. And I don't want to just name one because it's really hard to split in hairs for a dude line for you. I do like so the nine year old Louisville I'm extremely proud of. Yeah. And then I've got Pursuit Double Oak. Up there. In nine years you were by yourself. Well it was me and Chris Thompson of the Scotchy Bird. But I mean from our group you were by yourself. So that was I was actually really happy with how that turned out because none of us went with you. Expected way less out of

 

Dan and Bob: Expected way less out of him.

 

Dude and JD: him. No no no no, not that at all. Like if it was Tyler, yes. But not J D. JD's got a great palette. so I I honestly genuinely trusted him because what what did I have to do that same week? So you had to go to Russell's later that week. So yeah, I did our first Russell's pick that week, right? Without you Yep. We had to divide and conquer because we we both

 

Dan and Bob: I can't reach.

 

Dude and JD: we both couldn't take off two days in the same week. So we had to divide and conquer. He went to one, I went to the other. The Russell's turned out spectacularly and and so did the old Louisville. And my third one would be the maple brulee out of Nulu. my gosh, that is so good. I always

 

Dan and Bob: Mm-hmm.

 

Dude and JD: forget how good that is. Highly underrated bottle. What was your second one? Pursuit Double Oak. You didn't say that, I don't think, did you? Yeah I did. Did you? Yeah you did. Did I talk over you? No. Have another set.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah, he did. Have another sip.

 

Dude and JD: Cheers.

 

Dan and Bob: Ha ha.

 

Dude and JD: I would say that surprisingly one of my favorite picks is the makers. I didn't think about that. It's not up there. No, it is up there. No. It's under the ghost. Well it's not up there then. It is. It's right there. Yeah, yeah. Look under the ghost skirt. Put the camera on it. that's all right. Uhhuh. so we have the makers. I don't know why I didn't think of that. That was my recipe. That was your recipe. Yeah. I mean so we we spent I mean, I don't know if you've ever done a pick at Winter South drunk. We were.

 

Dan and Bob: Mm-hmm.

 

Dude and JD: So first off we did that one through Southern Spirits. Yeah. They told us the wrong time. So we missed the lunch that was supposed to be provided for us. So like they have you in at

 

Dan and Bob: show up hungry.

 

Dude and JD: their restaurant. And then I couldn't have his favorite old fashioned. Yeah, my God. So they they have you at the restaurant before you do your pick. You're they're supposed to. if you do the afternoon pick. If you do the morning pick, I think you do your pick and then you go to the restaurant afterwards. but but when I was there before our pick, n a previous pick with Bourbon Enthusiast, we were like two ships passing in the night. So we were coming in as the the morning group was coming out and we were sharing lunch together and they were at a table beside us and they were telling us how great the experience was. We were just coming into it so we ha we hadn't done anything yet. And so but they had a j like huge charcuterie board. I mean it was as big as the table. It was insane what all was on there. Plus The view was fantastic. Well this was I'm talking about the meal that I had that we missed out on. and and so then they brought in like you got to pick off of their you know, it was a limited menu from their restaurant there, the Star Hill Mestr restaurant, but It it was outstanding. Plus they gave you drinks. So we were when we did our pick with Bourbon Enthusiast, I was already two drinks in before we even went into the pick. And if you've never done a bur makers mark pick, the way they have you do it is they give you so how many staves do they have? Five different staves to choose from? Yeah, five and you choose ten. So so they have five staves that you can choose from. They fill a carafe each of a cask strength maker's mark that is finished in just ten staves of that particular stave. So one stave selection, ten of them in that barrel, and then they have five different carafts, each like that. So so each one of the crafts you choose or that you can mix from is basically a ten stave selection of just that one stave. And and so what they do is they have you take from those five you you basically use coins and say, Okay, I think I'm gonna do three staves of this, two staves of that, one stave of this, whatever, up to ten and then they do the blending up from those carafts to give you the closest things. Your choice.

 

Dan and Bob: Choice.

 

Dude and JD: So different from a traditional barrel pick, you're not really picking your barrel. You're hoping that your selection ends up the same. Yes. Similarity to what you what you

 

Dan and Bob: nets itself out to a acceptable so mixed blend. Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: blended at the at the place because you're getting your own cask strength that hasn't been touched yet. Then you're adding the staves to it. Six weeks later you hope it turns out to like what your what your blend turned out to. So I will say that that's probably the most anxiety slash excitement I've had from a barrel pick because you're hoping But it's also in your top few.

 

Dan and Bob: It's also in your top view.

 

Dude and JD: Yeah. It for experience yes. So not only that but the bottle but the bottle is freaking ridiculous. Well we did we w we did three different variations. We started with the first one which we were like, okay, let's tweak it and do this and then by the time we did the third one, we were like, Well I think well let's try the first one again. And then that we're like, that one's actually really good. Yeah. And then on a whim, I was like, Well, based on what I was tasting, what if we tried this one? So yeah, I it was it was amazing. The experience was outstanding. So I've done the the pics there twice. First one we did was in the cellar. You know when you have you been to the to the tour makers? And so like they do the finishing the finishing cellar that's built into the the I guess the cliff basically that's right next to the lake. And you can see when you're in that room of the finishing barrel room, you can see that glass window where they have the table and a whole bunch of stuff sitting off it behind it. That's where they used to do the picks. And so that's where my first pick was. Now and I don't know if they alternate and go back and forth, but now we were out at basically the reservoir. Yeah, over there water. And there was this like l it was almost like a club, yeah. Type room where there were couches and all this stuff set up and And a bar and all this and a big huge table and we sat there and looked out over the lake or reservoir or whatever it was. We were either going to do a pick or going to be murdered. Yeah, Jason might have might have been coming out of the water. but the because we missed launch, they gave us what it was it, Jimmy Johns or something like that. It was like some sort of subject.

 

Dan and Bob: jeez.

 

Dude and JD: I don't think it was Jimmy Johns. I think it was like a local sub shop. But anyway, it was like Jimmy Johns basically. so they they felt bad for us 'cause we hadn't gotten anything to eat. Yeah, they catered in. But that was Southern Spirits mistake. I think they forgot the time change or assumed it was on because it's in Eastern time. I think they thought it was central time. They told us the wrong time. And so we showed up and we missed out on the entire line. But they did the whole tour for us. Yeah, the tour was great. So you get a V I P tour basically. Then they sit you down, you go through the caraft thing, you get you get you can do it all day long if you want to. But at some point you're just going to get hammered and you and you're gonna lose your s you know, sense of taste. you hear everyone else saying, How do I get a personal tour? As

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: you walk through. But I'll tell ya, the makers pick every t and just makers in general, every time I f just shy away from makers and then I go back to it, I'm like, damn it, why do I why do I find a way to suck you back in? Yeah, it does. I I don't understand. Like between their yearly releases or whatever, or if, you know, like OHL Q does like a A pick that I fall in love with, but I'll tell you what, man, our pick every time I go back to it, I'm just like, holy cow. Yeah Yeah, our pick I I think our pick goes up against any of their releases that they've done or any OHLQ picks that I've had. And I've got a ton of those sitting up on my shelf. I need to start drinking through those. I'd like to try it against like a seller age. I think it it definitely. It's it's very good. And every time.

 

Dan and Bob: Well it feels like from a marketing standpoint they've got that thing figured out then, right? Like you got an infinite number of choices instead of showing up to Buffalo Trace and getting a

 

Dude and JD: they've got that thing figured out them right. Like you got an infinite number of choices instead of showing up a ballboard trades and getting a Well not only that, you do the same choice two times in a row, you're gonna get two different bottles. Two different yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: Two different yeah.

 

Dude and JD: Even if it's the same exact, you know, stave combination. Yeah. I think you're going to end up with two different bottles just because of the process of how it gets there. Like if it's a little bit milder in that room for your six weeks on one than another, then you're just gonna have two different finishes. This is a great experience too. Yeah, Peerless was fun. Peerless was fun. I to me, I feel like the best experiences Maker's Mark was awesome because of how you get to be the blender. You kinda get to mad scientist it out. But I think to me the best experiences for barrel picks have been the most raw. Like Russell's. Russell's is just no frills. You walk in, they knock out the bungs, you thieve it into your glass. You're sitting in a rick house or standing in a rick house. If you don't watch your head, you'll hit your head. on pipes and things like that. He I think he may have even done that. I got some Russell's dust on my one a couple of my white hats. But I'm telling you, man, it's it it's probably one of my favorite picks and it's yeah you do nothing. They don't even give you a tour. You don't get a tour, nothing. You just walk across the street from the There's some barrels and have at

 

Dan and Bob: Here's some barrels and have at it.

 

Dude and JD: it. Yeah. You just walk across the street from the Tucker Station Station Master whatever Jimmy's original office. Where they did the original where they did the pop up when they were redoing their gift shop. That's where they have you take off from and you just walk across the street, go and and they have some barrels pulled for you and they start thieving It's I mean it's really that simple. That's all it is. I really think he was gonna say that the best experiences are the ones with your best friends, but Holy shit. You don't qualify to make list.

 

Dan and Bob: You don't qualify to make short lists.

 

Dude and JD: This is why Like we did that tour of Monk's Road and it unreal. Like it's us and Wally walking around and it was just you get the whole tour of the whole place. I was feeling no pain. yeah. Well and

 

Dan and Bob: I think you're right though, like we did that tour at Monks Road and it was unreal. Like it's us and Wally walking around and it was just you get the whole tour of the whole place, you're I was feeling no pain that day. That was

 

Dude and JD: I will say that up there with that, with that raw experience, places like Nulu, places like Starlight, yeah, where they're just small places

 

Dan and Bob: Small places.

 

Dude and JD: where they just wanna just let you taste what they're doing and they just open up as many barrels as you want to And you walk out or you don't walk out, sometimes you're rolled out, but like i I'll tell you, man, some of those have been some of the best experiences I've had and and they're not the big name places. Like old Louisville was the same thing. You

 

Dan and Bob: Same.

 

Dude and JD: just he was just willing if you wanted to keep drinking out of different barrels, he would have just kept popping bungs. Yep. He would have we were at the old warehouse and he's like, Yeah, yeah, go ahead and look around. We're walking around all the other barrels, this guy's sitting around like it's

 

Dan and Bob: We were at the old warehouse and he's like, Yeah, yeah, go ahead and look around. We're walking around all the other barrels he's got sitting around. Like it's yeah.

 

Dude and JD: And he's more than willing to pop a bung and let you taste it, even if it's not ready. He won't let you have that barrel necessarily, but he'll let you taste it, see where it's at. I mean it's incredible. There's a maple fin or s yeah, maple finish that he had one time. Just here, yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: He always had random stuff. There was a maple fin or s yeah, maple finish that he had one time just here, yeah.

 

Dude and JD: Yeah, yeah. He's I mean's very, very amenable. Yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: but no, he's he's I mean, you're not wrong. And then Hazel Baker, like they're they're awesome at Nulu. Like they get excited. is

 

Dan and Bob: Smell my fingers?

 

Dude and JD: that where you're at now? Well we gotta get we gotta get there.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah, we wouldn't do it.

 

Dude and JD: All right. Bob, did you inadvertently do a pilot call? fifteen thousand feet. forty thousand feet. Boy, that'd be up there. I was trying to get to do the voice. Come on, let me have the pilot voice. Let's do

 

Dan and Bob: I was trying to get him to do the voice. Come on, let me have the pilot voice. Let's do it.

 

Dude and JD: it. so you've have you listened to any of our podcasts with Flying Buckeye?

 

Dan and Bob: I have. I have, yeah.

 

Dude and JD: I have. He he has his own thing that he does. It's kinda funny. But who if you don't mind me asking, who do you fly for? Or you do you try to keep that separate? If you don't, that's fine. Interesting story though. there was a lot of conversations with that hurricane that came up through here.

 

Dan and Bob: story though, there was a lot of conversations with that hurricane that came up through here this week.

 

Dude and JD: Iglesias? No. Yes.

 

Dan and Bob: Yes.

 

Dude and JD: It's Iceis. Yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: I see yes, I see yes.

 

Dude and JD: I liked Iglesias better. Did you say Isis? Yes. Very dangerous. Gotta be careful.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. This is very dangerous. Gotta be careful.

 

Dude and JD: What how did they pronounce it? It was spelled Iglesius, wasn't it? Ice Isaac or Isaac. yes. That's closer.

 

Dan and Bob: there you guess. That's closer.

 

Dude and JD: What is it? It's like Isiasi. But it's spelled a glacius, right? Like pretty much. Some some stupid. Wasn't there a G in there? No. I think it's a good Maybe

 

Dan and Bob: I didn't see a G. No, I think it was just

 

Dude and JD: I maybe I looked and saw a G after. There's no G

 

Dan and Bob: ECR things.

 

Dude and JD: in Isaiah. I don't know. Yeah, I don't think it was Isaiah. But it's Isaiah with an S and they pronunciate it a little differently. Pronunciate's not a word, but that's okay. Keep going. Keep going. I've already given every attention. I S A I A S.

 

Dan and Bob: I S A I A S.

 

Dude and JD: Yeah, G. Isaiah. Two G's. Not together.

 

Dan and Bob: He just referred to Klein.

 

Dude and JD: He just referred to Clyde. Clyde? He's not home. He's at the gym. We should you he checked Clyde. Check

 

Dan and Bob: You check line.

 

Dude and JD: Clyde. We knew Wait, I gotta go put an answer. Cli Clyde's in data. He's gotta run back to the computer and type out the answer.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: That's why you're just seeing the three dots right now. The Cletus of Clout. Cletus

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: of clout.

 

Dan and Bob: Mm-hmm.

 

Dude and JD: Sometimes. That needs to be on a shirt. I don't even know how we ended up with you on the podcast. I don't even understand. You needed a Michigan guy. We had one.

 

Dan and Bob: yeah.

 

Dude and JD: Do you? Yeah. Expresso. Mr. Espresso himself. Did you already pour this? Yeah, I got it in my hand. You got another pour, did you? Another Uber Knight. All right. I made it home after five hundred. I can make it home any night after the first twenty episodes JD was on my wife made us break down the guest bedroom. It's now a craft room. I got scared. I I went in. She saw she saw my w he saw my wife with a ball gag and a strap on and he he hasn't been back since. Or he hasn't stayed the night since. You spent one night and she decided that's not a bedroom anymore.

 

Dan and Bob: She you spent one night and she decided, that's not a bedroom anymore.

 

Dude and JD: Nope. It was more of a crime scene. I mean it's kind of swing swing

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: in there now. I get to be a kid again. Get out the gimp. What's that swing for?

 

Dan and Bob: What's that swing for it?

 

Dude and JD: Nothing to see here. Have you seen my wiener? Ask me about my wiener.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: Let's keep it going. Well that's when you said to you know

 

Dan and Bob: Well, that's when you said me, you know, what you gonna use these for. I'm like, what's where's this story going?

 

Dude and JD: What you gonna use these for? I'm like, what through is this story going? No, Christmas tree decoration. So listen, my wife loves to decorate for the holidays. That's an understatement. yeah well that's true. Halloween has officially thrown up in our house and we were a little late because we went to Charleston, South Carolina for a week. We went to Rehoboth Beach during the nor'easter and had a we were there for a wedding. And so we didn't get to do our general like week before October decorations of of Halloween. So it's now just it was finalized today.

 

Dan and Bob: Reaching peak now.

 

Dude and JD: October twelfth. Yep. And so has your neighbor given you any shit? No, we we moved everything over a little bit just to accommodate. We did have a conversation with him the other day though. Wow. Coherent? Yeah, he wasn't drunk yet. It was it was only nine AM, so he wasn't drunk yet.

 

Dan and Bob: Well I was gonna ask if we do the b if I go to the well, when I go to the the thing in December, can I park in front of his house? Right.

 

Dude and JD: well I was gonna ask if we do the b if I go to the well when I go to the the thing in December, do I park? None of that if shit. None of this if talk. I already told him you're in. Yeah, he's already told me he's in. Okay. I was like none of this if shit. Do I get to park in front of his house?

 

Dan and Bob: Do I get to park in front of his house?

 

Dude and JD: that's a good question. Or I mean I park back of a Walmart. Yeah. Most people would park at the Walmart and leave it there for

 

Dan and Bob: Okay.

 

Dude and JD: the weekend. If you park there, y I'm not too far, you can come to my house after. Or before the night before. that. He is a top bunk guy. Can we build bunk beds? Does that power tools? Did we just become best friends? My brother.

 

Dan and Bob: My brother

 

Dude and JD: So much room for activities. No, it's my

 

Dan and Bob: So much room for activities.

 

Dude and JD: toothbrush. Does anyone else is there any other line quoted more than so much room for activities? No. Like that's the one, right? That is that is the

 

Dan and Bob: No. Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: one Norm I no, I meant from that movie. from that movie. So from that movie, I don't e there are people that quote that that I don't even think have even seen the movie. Because it's that

 

Dan and Bob: Mm.

 

Dude and JD: quotable. Like so many people just say so much room for activities now because they've heard so many other people say it, and I don't think they've seen the movie. I I legit think that a lot of them have not seen the movie. Well it's funny 'cause Dan has a drum set down here too. So

 

Dan and Bob: Well, it's funny 'cause Dan has a drum set down here too, so

 

Dude and JD: do you put the balls on it? Yeah

 

Dan and Bob: Ha ha ha.

 

Dude and JD: Why are you so sweaty? That's what we do at Jason's every time we go over there. If he doesn't know when he goes up to get us stuff, we all take turns.

 

Dan and Bob: Ha ha.

 

Dude and JD: We all go in there taking turns. Mine did the double bass. that's disgusting. Which is weird because you have three testicles. So how do choose which one doesn't touch?

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: One for the snare. but Okay. Yeah. I'm not gonna ask the details. Don't picture that. Yeah. Boom boom. That's what the three testicles do. But dum Three testicles? Three click. Ba da ba ba ba. That's way too

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: many testicles, man. We're we lost count on testicles at that point. all right. I'm

 

Dan and Bob: So

 

Dude and JD: I'm I've derailed your podcast. I apologize. Your listeners are gonna

 

Dan and Bob: No, this is perfect. Smell my fingers.

 

Dude and JD: be. We haven't derailed our podcast. This it this is our podcast. This is exactly what you sign

 

Dan and Bob: Ha ha ha.

 

Dude and JD: up for when you listen to us. I gave him a taste of ours when we were talking about the Austin Nichols too. This is in '83. I'm like, do you know when I was born? And like any normal person. I know I heard your dumbass comment. And you didn't edit it. Amateur hour. You don't edit my shit anymore. No neither, I You did once. Once you actually did. One time. It was a 9-11. Yeah. God, I cannot believe you said don't start talking about that now. Anyway. So you said it was there. He was he's trying to bring us back. Yeah, dude. Let him let him bring us back. So about So tell us about your grandpa Heinrich. my

 

Dan and Bob: So about so tell us about your grandpa Heinrich.

 

Dude and JD: gosh, John. He changed his name. Why? Why? Come

 

Dan and Bob: Ha ha ha.

 

Dude and JD: on, it's hard enough to keep Henry dead. It's like herding cats and there's only one of them. He changed his name to Henry. Thank God.

 

Dan and Bob: just wait for that.

 

Dude and JD: Dan and JD are gonna have to be kept in separate rooms. All right. So smell my fingers. Already did. What?

 

Dan and Bob: What?

 

Dude and JD: No, the the the bottom. the bottom of my fingers. Yeah. Tell us what you think

 

Dan and Bob: that knows it.

 

Dude and JD: about it. What what are your thoughts? So I really like it. I mean it is hot. What's your experiences

 

Dan and Bob: So I really like it. I mean it is hot.

 

Dude and JD: with the blue labels traditionally like? Are you for Are you against them? Do you love hate So there are a few that I

 

Dan and Bob: So there are a few that I really love. you I've seen more of the chocolate notes, maybe a little bit of nutty notes, you know, but it's just really, really rich, you know, really chewy mouthfeel. I like that. I

 

Dude and JD: Same. I've seen more of the chocolate notes, maybe a little bit of nutty notes, you know, but it's just really, really rich. You get a really chewy mouthfeel. I like that. Yeah. Do we favor a Rick House?

 

Dan and Bob: I can't say that I know enough. I know everybody says I think it was H or K, but I

 

Dude and JD: I can't say that I know enough. I know everybody says I think what H or K. I think I is good. K is really good. I like JKI. But I'll tell you what, when they miss it's straight up finger nail polish remover. Yep. When they when

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: they don't miss they the old forester single barrel, barrel strengths when they don't miss, I tell you what man, they knock out of the park. But they're always better three months from now. It's like the guy that strikes out ninety percent of the time, but then when he hits a home run, it's a five hundred footer. Brandon Inch. Like I'm I'm not kidding. Like that's that's what the barrel strength old Foresters are. They strike out, I feel like more than they they hit, but when they hit, it's a

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: freaking five hundred foot bomb. Fessel Fielder. You've named you've named two different I think the nose is even better on the Hundred Proof. You guys talk about being the sweet spot, I'm surprised by it, I guess.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. I think the nose is even better on the hunter proof. You guys talk about being the sweet spot, I'm surprised by it, I guess.

 

Dude and JD: What was it again?

 

Dan and Bob: The the nose on the hunter proof is better.

 

Dude and JD: The the nose on the hunter pooch is better. No, it's not the sweet spot. Well the the G spot. Jesus

 

Dan and Bob: Well the the G spot.

 

Dude and JD: Bethany. Did the room clear out? All right. Well who was

 

Dan and Bob: Mm, okay.

 

Dude and JD: it? Martel got Conor O'Driscoll to say Hymanpoor. Hymanpoor, yeah. On on the

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: Yeah, we we don't have much in the lexicon that we've added, but Hymanpoor is one that I'll I'll take. I'll take Hymanpoor.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: It slips out every once in a while at the bar at work. I mean it's it's a good one and everyone knows what it means. I mean y there's no explanation needed when you say it's the hymen poor. Everyone understands. Like there might be a quick wait what? And then they'll be like, yeah, okay. Female bartenders give you odd looks though. No they don't. They understand it

 

Dan and Bob: So

 

Dude and JD: they're the f they're the ones that don't not understand it. The ones

 

Dan and Bob: W one of the questions I wanted to ask, especially when we got to the old forester, is you talk about George Garvin Brown a lot in the book.

 

Dude and JD: One of the questions I wanted to ask, especially when we got to the Old Forester, is you talk about George Garvin Brown a lot in the book. Yeah. And how do you think he would see the evolution of his old forester?

 

Dan and Bob: And how do you think he would see the evolution of his old forester?

 

Dude and JD: Well, I mean it's a good question. I mean I think The big thing for him being that his was his concern was mainly medicinal. And so making sure that the the consumer and again I like it it's it would be hard to rip someone out of that time and bring them to this time because I think they would be in awe at all of the things that we take for granted. And the biggest thing for them l I mean, he was taking out flyers. in like newspapers and ads and things like that, basically and sending things out to different pharmacists and everything else, little one sheets and stuff like that, that were basically like, look, if it d doesn't come in a sealed bottle, I'm not standing behind it. The it you will not put my name on it, basically. I think the fact that it says old Forester, it's in a sealed bottle, I think everyone's in a sealed bottle now. I think it would have been a completely different game for him at this point in this era it would have been more of okay now it's about quality. Now it's about marketing, right? So like you know, they have first bottle whatever it claims because they were the the first ones to truly bottle their bourbon. And they did it for a reason. I I think heritage marketing, all of that is a huge thing. What's in the glass, what's in the bottle That's the most important thing to the people that have been that have now bought into the tradition, the the bourbon, the culture, the heritage, the history, all of that stuff, the people that have bought into it now, once they get past all of that, it's what's in the glass. But I think I think Brown would just be happy to see that their fight against the Whiskey Trust and the fight against the rectifiers, that they won. I mean Science won. And that's I think at the end of the day that's the that's the big thing. Like, hey, what what's the saying that we had to hear six years ago from everybody? Trust the science, right? Well trust the sci

 

Dan and Bob: Try to suck.

 

Dude and JD: science is what got the bottom bond act, you know, passed. there was a huge Walter Evans, I mean, he was the big guy from from the government side of things that that in that made that happen. I mean E. H. Taylor, while he wasn't at the actual hearings, he was probably the largest proponent, the largest lobbyist, whatever you want call it, that helped push those you know, that into place. And I'll tell you what, man, the the more and more I read about E. H. Taylor, back to that kind of stuff, he I swindler or not, which I have found no information that he was a swindler. Bad businessman, probably. over leveraged himself financially

 

Dan and Bob: Definitely.

 

Dude and JD: definitely. But good guy, I I think there's more evidence that he was a good guy than anything else. Like he he floated the Frankfurt budget with his own money multiple times when they had no money to to to pay the city government. Like out of his own money. Like that's insane. It takes a a personality type to have an ambition

 

Dan and Bob: Well it you gotta it takes a a personality type to have an ambition to create a product that you hope sells, that you put everything into it. And I think that Taylor and then a and a number of others, you know, they went into this thinking like, you know, if it all goes well, I can really sell

 

Dude and JD: create a product that you hope sells, that you put everything into it. And I think that Taylor and then a number of others, you know, they went into this thinking like, you know, if it all goes well, I can really sell bottles.

 

Dan and Bob: And and I think that that's gonna be common among many of them.

 

Dude and JD: And and I think that that's gonna be common among many of those. Yeah, for sure. I mean, if you if you you've read the book, but but if you listen or if you pay attention to some of the things in the book, they were all fighting a little bit different things and they all contributed the people that I brought up contributed something that I thought was important. I could have brought up many people. You know, Dant was a was a big was a big name, but I but as far as contributions to where bourbon is today Elijah Craig took what at the time was just a whole bunch of little farm distilleries, people making something locally to keep their corn because it was easier to move and to store.

 

Dan and Bob: Because it was easier to move and to store.

 

Dude and JD: Yeah, and and it kept their corn from going bad. It was just a it was a means to an end. He turned it into an actual organized, larger scale operation as opposed to just a farm still saving their corn. He turned it into an actual operation. He was the first one that you I think anyway that I could tell, the first one that turned it from a farm still into an actual organizational type thing where it became a little bit more mass produced, a little bit larger scale. James Crow. I put him in there because he took what a lot of people were just doing by feel and by taste, you know, like you ever watch the Moonshiner show on T V, they still do it that way today. So you watch them, they they're tasting it. They're not really using science. I mean they are to some degree. They know the science behind it.

 

Dan and Bob: On my fingers.

 

Dude and JD: But that's what they're doing. They're they're tasting the texture. They're they're feeling the texture. They're shaking it to see the proof. They're not they're not using instruments so much. They're just kind of going the old school way. That's what happened up until James Crow was around. They were just doing it by taste and by, you know, handed down recipes. And they kind of knew when the heads and the tails and all that stuff was happening. They knew all that by taste and feel and and smell and and then you get James Crow. He comes in and he starts adding a little bit of something to it scientifically, saccharometer, you know, temperatures, all that kind of stuff. He was testing it. He was producing that what do you call it? Consistency.

 

Dan and Bob: Consistency.

 

Dude and JD: Yeah, consistency in so you had Elijah Craig adding scale, you had James Crow adding consistency, you had Garvin Brown adding, you know Let's seal it. Let's protect it. Let's let the consumer know what they're actually buying. You had Weller introducing wheat. You know, everyone was doing rye based corn whiskey at the time. So s corn is the primary, rye is the secondary. Weller believed in wheated because he thought it was a little bit softer, a little h less harsh for for the average consumer to you know on the palate. And Rob Samuels converted from the rye mash bill of his family to wheat. To the wheat. but and there's a overlap between Weller and or Weller and makers too with the mash bill. Yeah. and supposedly the So what about the rippy supposedly

 

Dan and Bob: It is.

 

Dude and JD: the the wheat or the the shit, the yeast from Well and Billy Samuels Junior says that his dad got

 

Dan and Bob: Why Well and Bill Samuels Junior says that his dad got

 

Dude and JD: The yeast from

 

Dan and Bob: the yeast from Pappy.

 

Dude and JD: Wellf from Pappy, yeah. That's what I was gonna say. So Weller got to Pappy, then Pappy got to Makers. I mean that's what I'm saying. So like but then you also have the opposite direction. You've got Basil Hayden who went with a higher rye bourbon. And so like all of those are in there for a reason. That's why I selected the people that I put in there. They all had some sort of contribution to what we see today. so what about the rippies, the saffles, the Bond and Lillard? Barons. I mean where do they fit in? They're all they're all important, but they were in my opinion, outside of Mary Dowling being a woman, none of them contributed anything that was new to the to the process. Did they all were they all important? Sure, yeah. They were all important. Dant was important. I mean they were all important, but I would I y It would have been a much larger book if I had to focus on everybody. I had to pick people that I thought provided some sort of contribution that was outstanding or different than other people's contributions. Evan Williams? That's he's in there. He's covered. But Evan Williams is the opposite. See Evan Williams is the one example in my opinion where it was a brand looking for an ambassador as opposed to a person that became an ambassador because of what they did. Elijah Craig, Crow you know, Brown, he wasn't really his name's not really on any of the bottles, but l Weller, all of those guys Taylor. Yeah, but Taylor, they were all

 

Dan and Bob: Dad.

 

Dude and JD: people that became legends, whereas Evan Williams was different. Evan Williams was they needed somebody to attach to, so they went back found Evan Williams and that's so his was a little different. That's why and that's why he's mentioned in the book the way he is. But but anyway,

 

Dan and Bob: Mm.

 

Dude and JD: hopefully that didn't really answer your question exactly, but hopefully that kind of gave some insight. I tried to distract them. Men who made American bourbon. episode volume one. What are we anything looking for for volume two?

 

Dan and Bob: No, it's good. I appreciate it. So Men Who Made American bourbon. Episode Volume One. What are we anything looking for for volume two?

 

Dude and JD: I'm trying to figure out when the release date will be for that, but it i there's a lot more people covered in that. So there's a lot of stuff I've I'm trying to wade through. Source wise, that one's gonna be the probably the biggest challenge. That's so like in my head, so there's you don't wanna be in there, but in my head

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: I've got do I go E. H. Taylor next? Do I go Prohibition next? Do I do volume two next, which is the one we were just talking about, after Prohibition. Prohibition to me is like one point five 'cause it's only a thirteen year, you know, period. JW Dant Like I've that's a new like I've got a new love thing going on with JW Dan right now. And it's not even not the person JW Dant but the brand and the family. The family as a whole. Like it's a it's a very interesting story. Like and to be fair, I've never even tasted JW Dant I have. I need to find a dusty but but that's not even the point.

 

Dan and Bob: I I have a queue for you.

 

Dude and JD: So so here's you may have a you may have a some sort of a connection. What I would like and and what I'm concerned about, so these are my JW Dant concerns. JW Dant is a brand, right? And there's been a lot of stuff that's happened to it over the years. There's a lot of family things, you know, with the Dant name. there's a lot of things from a legal perspective that have happened over the years. But if you want to tell the real story, you have to ruffle a little bit of feathers, right? And I'm I'm not trying to ruffle anyone's feathers. I'm not trying to make any type of claim one way or the other or say that one's right, one's wrong. That's not anything I wanna do. But what I do wanna do is tell the story and let people decide what's the you know what's the what's what's going on here. Like I don't wanna be an editorial where I tell people what to feel. I want people to come up with their own feelings. I want someone to read it and feel one thing, another person to read it, feel another thing. Just because they've had the information they have like some people may attach to the original Dant and say, Hey, in his in his will he said he didn't want his bourbon to be made in his name after he died. Right. But holy cow, that's where the story really begins. In my opinion. Because you think the JW Dant

 

Dan and Bob: In and it's interesting. Yeah, because you think the JW Dant name in his son is what started Yellowstone. You know, and so there was a whole line that came from here. That's the line that married into the Beam family. So there's there's so many parallels. That visit was the thing that made me realize how much of this is all related, not just family, but they all help each other, they all

 

Dude and JD: Name in his son is what started Yellowstone. Yeah. You know, and so there was a whole line that came from here. That's the line that married him to the beam family. So there's there's so many parallels. That visit was the thing that made me realize how much of this is all related, not just family. it's so they all help each other. They all the beams are everywhere. So in volume two, what I did, so like at the end of volume one, I had a chronology, right? At the volume two, and I've already done this, I have it's basically it's a it's a chain chronology, if you will. And it's basically the mash bills and ye strains or whatever the chains of of progression, if you will, or or handed down chains of mash bills from genealogies. So the beams and all these different people that Okay, this is the mash bill as it's been handed down through the history and where it ended up. And yeah, Dant is an interesting part of that. so volume two, I so that was one of the things I really geeked out about was was that chain of mash bill if you wanna call it a mash bill hierarchy or a mash bill chronology, but it's a more like a mash bill genealogy, really, if you want to

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: call it something like that. So that that to me, that was exciting. So it just kinda came to me one day and I was like, Yeah, yeah, I wonder, you know, and then so I started looking into it and I was like, Holy shit, this is really ne this is really interesting. They're all closer than you think.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah, it's close. They're all closer than you think.

 

Dude and JD: Well and it's and where they split sometimes and where they became one thing and and went to another and i it's really, really neat. So that's going to be at the end of volume two. as like a not really an index, but like a summary type thing. So the dogs apparently are back from the gym. But yeah, so that's that's

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: the that's the volume two thing that I think is to me the most exciting. Even though the story itself and everything in it and all the people and everything, that's all exciting. But the Hi Clyde. but the but that part of it, just like the chain of succession of all these different mash bills and different things, I that to me is so cool. And so that's why the Dant story is so interesting to me, because there's so much there From a from a genealogy but also from a business, like the the way they run in parallel and they branch in different directions and and just the way that that plays out is just so neat to me. So

 

Dan and Bob: So your book's available on Amazon, Barnes Noble, where else?

 

Dude and JD: So your book's available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble. Where else? so yes. Amazon you can get the I was trying to get you a picture of Clyde there, but he's the camera won't go down any lower. Amazon you can get the ebook. You can buy the hardback as well from Amazon. If you go to dudepoole dot com, you can actually buy a signed copy, which is a hardback version as well.

 

Dan and Bob: Mm.

 

Dude and JD: that's what you have. You have that. Are there any Richards in it? If you I don't know if there's a place to make requests. Like someone wanted me to draw a penis in theirs. I didn't do that. I tried to P T thirteen

 

Dan and Bob: Ha ha ha.

 

Dude and JD: this up. But yeah, if so like There is one? Not a penis. No, I didn't get one. He didn't get one.

 

Dan and Bob: No, I didn't get one. Dandruden.

 

Dude and JD: he drew it in. but yeah, so I'll if you want a sign copy you can go to dudepoole dot com. and it's I I've been able to turn those around pretty quickly. Yeah, there you go. Grab a pour and enjoy. He told he told me to grab a pocket pour. I did, because, you know, you're a J D. Pocket pour J D. but yeah, so dude poole dot com is where you can go buy those and that's also where you can sign up for my newsletter if you want. I do about a an email a month that gives you a little bit of an update on on different things. It might be just me promoting my upcoming book. It might be me, you know, giving you information about what's to come, next choices, things like that on you know, book selection, things like that. but you have a chance to sign up there if you if you are interested in updates. The signed copy on my website is the exact same price as the Amazon hardback, so not that my signature or my autograph's worth anything, but you know. Whatever. if you wanted it it's an extra, you know. Sa unless you're on I guess I don't know how books work on Amazon. I don't think Amazon Prime counts for books. I think you still have to pay shipping if it's a book on Amazon. So it should be about the same price, for Amazon versus my website, but my website comes with an autograph. So if you want a sign copy, you would go to dudepoole.com.

 

Dan and Bob: I really enjoyed

 

Dude and JD: I really

 

Dan and Bob: the book. I read it in just a couple of days. It's it's a fast read. You don't wanna put it down.

 

Dude and JD: Just a couple of days. It's it's a fast read. You don't want to put it down. Well I'm glad. That's awesome to hear. That's the you're the first person I've talked to who has read it cover to cover. The I've talked to a couple of people who had started reading it. also the the forwards by Jason Calori The Mash and Drum, if you if you listen to his podcast at all or his video YouTube channel. but yeah, thank you. That that that means a lot to me.

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah, fantastic. Well, we're about an hour and thirty five minutes, so I'm gonna

 

Dude and JD: Well, we're about an hour and thirty five minutes. So I'm gonna Is this the point where we do Macho Man Randy Savage quotes? Yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: yeah.

 

Dude and JD: The cream always rises to the top. man. And I'm about to give you an atomic elbow off the top rope right now is about what I'm about to do. Yeah, I appreciate it. Thank you for having us on. This was long overdue. We I know we've talked about it for a while.

 

Dan and Bob: Thank you.

 

Dude and JD: I really wish I could have been there in person. That would have been much better. We'll We'll make that happen. but you're gonna be you know what? Let's do this. bring your stuff if you have it, or bring an ability to record. When you come down in December, we'll do an episode of ours, we'll do an episode of yours. And i even if it's

 

Dan and Bob: Love to. That's awesome.

 

Dude and JD: just cross over like episode one with us and then if you want to see the bottle kill on episode two, go to his. Yeah, I I think it'll be fun to to do a

 

Dan and Bob: Crossing the streams.

 

Dude and JD: c yeah. Cross crossing the streams. Yeah. Like playing swords. No, it's like playing swords. but yeah,

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah.

 

Dude and JD: bring your stuff. We'll we'll do another episode in December. And ignore anything that

 

Dan and Bob: Awesome.

 

Dude and JD: J D says so that we don't have to edit.

 

Dan and Bob: Ha ha ha.

 

Dude and JD: He was he didn't say Heinrich, he said Mannheim steamroller. That's what he said. okay, okay. I'm

 

Dan and Bob: Happy all.

 

Dude and JD: I'm hearing things. I don't know how you sign off, but

 

Dan and Bob: No thank you.

 

Dude and JD: thank you for having us. I honestly Thank you.

 

Dan and Bob: Thank you.

 

Dude and JD: It's always fun to just talk to people about bourbon. So anytime

 

Dan and Bob: I agree.

 

Dude and JD: you want us on, just reach out. We'd love to be where can they find you? yeah. So we're for our podcast www.bourbonpod.com or or bourbonbrass and beyond dot

 

Dan and Bob: So we're at www dot bourbonpod dot com or or bourbon brass and beyond.com.

 

Dude and JD: com. So both of those, yeah. All right. And for our for our Facebook. For ours we're

 

Dan and Bob: Yeah. And all the normal places, Facebook, YouTube.

 

Dude and JD: bourbonhunters dot com. on Instagram we're the Bourbon Hunters. Facebook too, right? Yeah, I think if you look just look up the Bourbon Hunters. Although there are Bourbon Hunters spoofers on Facebook. I've had to send cease and desist. Yeah.

 

Dan and Bob: You guys are that big, you got your own spoofers? Man.

 

Dude and JD: And they use our they've used my picture in front of a whole bunch of bottles of bourbon. I don't know why you'd want to do that. I don't either. And then they've used then they've used our logo for a whole bunch and called themselves some sort of variation of Bourbon Hunters. I I've had to send a whole bunch of season desists. Some of them shut it down, some of them don't, but You can find it on dudepoole dot com too. Yeah, dudepoole dot com has a link to our both ways. So bourbonhunters dot com has a link to my book page or author page. My author page also has a link back to the podcast. Swings both ways.

 

Dan and Bob: Swings both ways.

 

Dude and JD: It does. Yeah, you can call me a trisexual. You'll try anything once. Twice. Sometimes twice. Well, Dan and Bob, thank you guys. honestly

 

Dan and Bob: Thanks.

 

Dude and JD: for having us on. This is this has been fun. We always enjoy talking bourbon. Thank you, J D. I appreciate it, guys. of course Lee. Have a good night. You too.

 

Dan and Bob: Thank you, dude. Thank you, JD. I appreciate it, guys. Have a good night. Wait,