With the excitement of recording in Kratt’s barn shot because he can’t seem to finish a project, we find ourselves again at Sandowne Estates.   In this episode we explore four craft distiller bourbons that DEW picked up on a recent road trip to New England. (Who doesn’t love a good road trip?) Making bourbon started as a local effort and while we enjoy the consistent flavors and availability large distilleries offer, exploring craft spirits is chock full of surprises – some good, some not so good. With proofs ranging from 90-118 (yes, 118!) you can imagine where the preferences land (Kurt is sweating just reading this).  I believe consensus was the 118 proof was a winner… but after drinking a couple of pours of it, I honestly can’t remember.    #BourbonOn #roadtrip #localbourbon #craftbourbon #badbourbon @nebco20 @New_liberty_distillery

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Episode 027 - Road Trip!

Episode 026 The Old Fashioned is a deep part of America’s cocktail history. With a simple base ingredient list, it begs for  experimentation. In this episode we explore the history of the Old Fashioned (Kurt insisted) and each of us put our spin on the bourbon classic. Not surprising to those who have played with the recipes, we find four distinct tastes with each playing into personal taste preferences - sweetness, citrus, smoky flavor and spice. Bourbon neat is still the drink of choice but a good Old Fashioned cocktail is a great change of pace.  #bourbonon #oldfashioned #cocktails #oldtub   3:40 Kratt’s Recipe  2 oz. bourbon 1 Demerara sugar cube 3 drops of Hello bitters 2 drops of Citrus bitters Garnish Process - muddle and dissolve sugar cube with bitters, mix with bourbon, add bitters, serve over ice, garnish    12:45 Alton’s Recipe 2 oz. bourbon 1 Domino Sugar cube 1 Tsp Demerara  2 Dashes Vanilla extract 1 Tsp. Water Angostura bitters Garnish with orange peel and Travers City Cherries Process - dissolve sugars with dash of vanilla and water, add bourbon, a few dashes of citrus bitters, mix, serve over ice, garnish with orange peel and cherries   23:40 Kurtron’s Recipe  2.25 oz. bourbon 1/2 oz. Whiskey Barrel Smoked Sugar  Cacao bitters Angostura orange bitters Garnish Process - dissolve smoked sugar with bitters and a tsp hot water, muddle sugar and bitters, 4 dashes of Cacao bitters, 2 dashes of Angostura orange bitters, add bourbon, mix well, serve over ice, garnish with cherries and orange peel   36:30 DEW’s Recipe 2.5 oz. bourbon .25 oz. Demerara simple syrup 2:1 (water:sugar) 6 shakes Black Walnut bitters Garnish with two black cherries and blood orange wheel and twist Process - mix bourbon with simple syrup, stir in bitters, pour over ice ball, garnish with cherries and blood orange 

026 - Ordering and Making an Old Fashioned

Episode 025.  No…wait, is it actually 26? I'm confused. Listen in as Kurtron commits to channel his inner Wisconsin brethren…@SeanHayes host of @SmartLess.  DEW quotes Spinal Tap, Alton offers to give Kurtron a hug, and Kratt talks about hammers. In this 2nd Family Tree session we’ll work through 3 of Wild Turkey’s finest: Wild Turkey 101, Russell’s Reserve 10 yr., and Rare Breed. Hope y'all get a chance to sample these on your own – all great pours from the mighty Kickin’ Chicken!! P.S. If anyone can get in touch with @SeanHayes, Kurtron appreciates the help. #bourbonon @wildturkey @seanhayes @russellsreserve @smartless

025 - The Kickin' Chicken - Exploring The Wild Turkey Family Tree

Who doesn’t love a blind bourbon tasting? We know the Bourbon Boys do! In this episode there are 4 new flavors ... the only guard rail was “bring something we haven’t tasted together.” Part of the fun was seeing the camouflaging techniques- plastic bags, a fancy burlap bag, a neoprene sleeve, and a good ole’ brown bag. Guess who brought out the fancy burplap...?  Best news is that none were dogs, all 4 had some interesting elements. Kurt is REALLY GOOD at guessing what’s in the bag, at one point in the game he was (somehow) 4-for-3! Join us for a good bourbon game. #BourbonOn #blindtasting #pegleg #revivalbourbon

025 - What's In The Bag

Bourbon Boys or Rye Rascals? There is no question where DEW stands on the debate. Come along the tasting journey for three spirits - two grand bourbons and a rye whiskey that somehow snuck in the mix. Exploring Whiskey Advocates 2020 Top 20, the guys find a Knob Creek 12 gem (that we hope to see again soon) and revisit the delicious and hard-hitting Wild Turkey Rare Breed. In between, we meet Old Overholt for the first time. Like a good spirit-filled family reunion, some of the best banters comes as tensions mount around this episodes lineup.  #bourbonon #notryerascals #Top20 #whiskeyadvocate #oldoverholt #knobcreek #rarebreed #wildturkey @wildturkey @knobcreek @Old_Overholt_Official

023 - Top 20 Tasting and Shenanigans

Shoutout to the wives for bringing the Ghost Coast name to life! In this 3rd episode of Staring Down the Barrel, we meet Chris Sywassink, co-founder of the Ghost Coast distillery in historic Savannah, Georgia. The story of how the first legal distillery in Savannah since Prohibition came into being includes everything from moonshiners to General Oglethorpe’s affinity for oranges to a lesson about the impact of storms on barrel aging.  Ghost Coast’s Master Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a cozy bourbon with a lot of taste – created with a wonderful blend of four barrel-aged unique bourbons that include some not-so-traditional ingredients, like Saison yeast - which happens to provide just a hint of an apricot flavor.  This bourbon is a must try when you find it (available online) and the Ghost Coast distillery is a must visit when in the Savannah area. With a motto like “in the good times people drink, in the bad times people drink more”… you can’t go wrong exploring the many spirit flavors they offer.  @ghostcoastdistillery #BourbonOn 

022 - Staring Down The Barrel - Ghost Coast Distillery

Episode 021 - Oh the places you’ll go   This is Episode 021. Each time we travel out of state, we all bring back a souvenir from a local distillery. Hard to believe we haven’t recorded since November in The Whiskey Prison. Did Kurtron lose a tooth in a prison fight? You be the judge. But since then, we have traveled to Utah to ski, The White Mountains of New Hampshire for Christmas and a weekend getaway to historic Savannah, Georgia. That’s a lot of ground covered and a lot of bourbon sampled. We share our thoughts on Sugar House Distillery out of Utah, Old Man of the Mountain from Tamworth Distilling in New Hampshire and Savannah Distilling from Georgia. There’s a lot of country to see and even more bourbon to sample. Plus, Kratt takes us back to college professors who left lasting impression on us with Last Call. Pour yourself a dram, put on the headphones and laugh your ass off as shots are fired and the banter continues. Kratt can't quit Kurt. @shdistillery @tamworth_distilling @savannah.bourbon #bourbonon

021 - Oh the places you'll go

Our visit to Whisky Prison uncovered a two-grain mash bill, a haunted rickhouse, a bourbon premier, and a wedding toast. What a great fall day. We went looking to hear about the Life Lore and Libation threads that make Conviction bourbon whiskey, and we were not disappointed.The distillery is actually in a former prison in use from the 1920’s until 2010. It houses 1 of 2 remaining isolation boxes in North Carolina. Fortunately for bourbon fans, it’s current residents are some select barrels aging toward a 4-year release.The Bourbon Boys sat down with Master Distiller Sebastian Correa to taste the sweet flavors derived from Southern Grace’s high corn blend.  Sebastian shared highlights from his  journey from App State’s Fermentation Science program to his first role at Southern Grace.  And, as a special treat, we raised a whiskey pour to his fiancée, Hailey, for letting him spend time with us only a week before their wedding.Sampling three versions of Conviction’s new Double-Oaked bourbon release, the flavor profile did not disappoint. Notes of banana bread, vanilla and caramel left us wanting more...so we each bought bottles in the gift shop!For spirit enthusiasts this distillery tour in Mount Pleasant, NC is a must see. Enjoy terrific bourbon and Sun Dog cocktails poured by the friendly staff.@southerngracenc @convictionsmallbatchbourbon @sebcorrea #bourbonon

020 - Staring Down The Barrel - Conviction Double Oaked

In the bourbon world, Boehm doesn’t carry as much weight as Beam… but that’s where it started 225 years ago. With a rich family of spirits under the Beam family tree, we took a tour of a wide range of bourbons – Old Tub, Basil Hayden, Knob Creek, Bakers and Bookers. We were all a bit surprised at our rankings at the end of this tasting. Listen in to hear our scores and let us know your thoughts...and your opinion on country ham. #BourbonOn @jimbeamdistillery 

019 - The Jim Beam Family Tree

Episode 018 is all about crimes, punishment, redemption and the biggest question never asked..."who in your family would go to prison?" We sample them in order starting with Larceny - a wheated bourbon who's taste was made famous by an infamous act, then followed by North Carolina's own Conviction by Southern Grace Distillery, the first bourbon legally made behind bars in a former prison and wrap up the cycle with Redemption - not quite the Green Mile, but man this is a good bourbon. Hear our recommendations for Last Call as we send Kurt to prison, not sure what he did to deserve it, but this was a fun episode. Oh, and Amanda has Kurt's back. Nice to know someone is looking out for him. BourbonOn! @larcenybourbon @southerngracenc @redemptionwhiskey @bourbonboysnc #bourbonon #AmandaHasMyBack

018 - Larceny, Conviction and Redemption, plus Kurtron goes to prison

Welcome to our first edition of Staring Down The Barrel: Blue Note Bourbon. We have a conversation with the founder about what it's like to start and grow a young spirits brand.When a bourbon’s brand, heritage, and flavor come together to tell a full story, there is reason to take note. And take note we did, with 3 great pours out of Memphis, Tennessee - two amazing bourbon whiskey’s and a rye that will change how you think about ryes… “Smoother than smooth” are the words they chose, and we kind of agree.We had the pleasure of spending some time getting a peek behind the scenes of some great flavors coming out of BR Distilling – Blue Note bourbon and Riverset Rye – with co-founder McCauley Williams. Distribution is expanding (as early as September for some) and you’ll hope that your state is on the short list. Enjoy! BourbonOn@bluenotebourbon

017 - Staring Down The Barrel: Blue Note Bourbon

Talk about a wicked episode, kid! We take a trip up to New England and make our own Bourbon Trail. Which BTW is much more interesting than the Freedom Trail field trip in 7th grade, just sayin'. Aggressively, we tackle 5 bourbons in one episode. We don't recommend that. But we start with Berkshire Mountain Distillery in western Mass - The Bay State, then head 30 miles off the coast to Nantucket for Triple 8 Distillery's Nor' Easter. After that we head up to Vermont - the Green Mountain State - and try both Mad River bourbon and Snuggler's Notch (purchased in NH - Live Free or Die) and wrap it up with the Wiggly Bridge from Maine - the Vacation State. Early appologies to fans in CT and RI, step it up and send us bourbon if you got it. There is so much good bourbon out there and some of it is coming from a few New England states. I tellya kid, theyas some tasty bourbon up theya.@wigglybridgedistillery@tripleeightdistillery@berkshiremtdist@snd_spirits@madriverdistillers

016 - New England Bourbon Trail

In this episode we sample our first shipment from Flaviar. These three vials of small, craft bourbons do not disappoint and the presentation from Flaviar adds some flair to the experience. We taste Alamo from San Antonio, TX; Koval from Chicago, the first distillery to open following prohibition; Journeyman from Michigan. Then something happened and Kurt's rage against HOA rules and signs in his yard came out. Here where it goes and how you can bribe your HOA president in a pinch.Plus use our link below to get a free bottle of bourbon ($50 credit) when you sign-up for Flaviar.http://fbuy.me/v/derrick_338@flaviar_com, @kovaldistillery, @alamodistillingco, @journeymandistillery, #BoubonOn

015 - Flaviar Craft Bourbon Vials and HOA Rage

This is our third attempt at episode 014. We really suck at Zoom, so attempts 1 and 2 turned in to catching up, drinking bourbon, losing wifi, timing out at 40 minutes because we are too cheap to buy a real Zoom account. But hey, it was great to get back together as the country is opening back up. We tasted three really great bourbons, didn't have a ton to argue about, still found ways to poke at Kurt and caught up on how we made it through the quarantine. Tonight we sampled two Weller wheated bourbons (red and green label - none of us are willing spend $10 on Zoom upgrade so do you think we'd spend $800+ on the Weller blue label?) and as a bonus, Kurt threw in Willett Pot Still edition. Really cool taste, not your typical bourbon, but a real cool gift idea too. Join us, let us know what you think and #BourbonOn!@willettdistillery@wellerbourbonFor summer merchandising, visit www.bourbonon.com

014 - Willett taste better than Weller?

Whether it be in life or with bourbon, getting old is all relative. And depending on who you ask, we BourbonBoys are older and dare we say, better. So we took the challenge to see if Old is Better. We're sampling three bourbons all starting with "old" in their brand name - Old Forester 1870 Original Batch, Old Elk, Old Nick Williams. In this episode, we learn about cutting and heat, some top female blenders, what contributions rye makes versus wheat. These Old brands harking back to the 1800’s -- the first ever batch processing, to a 200 year-old recipe resurrected right here in NC. The exploration takes us across rye and wheat based bourbons with some very opinionated viewpoints on tastes and whether we’d put it on the shelf.  Embracing old is our motto - facing it straight on like bourbon served neat. For last call, we talk about what we’d ask our grandpa’s if given the opportunity again. What would you ask him if you could today? I bet we'd all learn what life was like when time moved just a little slower. Let’s take a ride on the slow train and venture in to life of the OLD.@oldnickwhiskey @oldelkbourbon @oldforester #RememberWhen #OlderIsBetter #WhoYouCallinOld

013 - This is getting OLD

Four middle aged dads drinking bourbon without the snobbery that can come along with great bourbon. Learn about how it tastes, what to order when you're at a bar with co-workers, hear about dad stuff like college-aged kids, career moves, car advice and personal finance. None of this is tested, just lived.

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