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The Bourbon & Banter group gathered in Louisville three weeks in the past for the 2024 Bourbon & Banter Summit. This annual gathering has change into the spotlight of the yr for our members and will get higher annually. What follows is a day-by-day recap of the Summit with commentary from a number of members of the Bourbon & Banter staff. We hope you benefit from the recap and are impressed to hitch us for subsequent yr’s Summit. Cheers!
SUMMIT DAY ONE IN REVIEW
Day one of many Summit began with a gaggle favourite for breakfast: Biscuit Stomach. In the event you’ve by no means skilled the belly-busting goodness of Biscuit Stomach, that is sufficient motive to be sure you be a part of us for subsequent yr’s Summit. As soon as correctly fueled, the group heads to Pursuit Spirits to take part of their “Complete Shebang” expertise.
Pursuit Spirits “The Complete Shebang” Expertise
I confess that I had by no means given a lot thought to Pursuit Spirits. What did I care about, a bourbon model created by two white dude whiskey podcasters? Certain, I might listened to some episodes of The Bourbon Pursuit, hosted by co-founders Ryan Cecil and Kenny Coleman, however I had actually not put it on my bourbon bucket listing. I might by no means even tasted Pursuit Spirits earlier than this yr’s Kentucky Bourbon Pageant. I wasn’t opposed to it, there are simply so many manufacturers, and so little time. So I am thrilled they had been included on our annual summit’s agenda for me to actually lean in and “drink curious.”
Pursuit Spirits is presently housed in a warehouse on Mellwood Avenue—proper on the positioning of the previous Mellwood Distillery—and is certainly a no-frills expertise. However that rawness provides to the appeal. We had been booked for his or her “Complete Shebang” providing, which they describe as “a 90-minute expertise that has completely all the things.”
The “Complete Shebang” Expertise at Pursuit Spirits
We walked in and had been handled to a style or two. Then we sat down in entrance of tasting mats with samples of 6 completely different barrels, each rye and bourbon, from Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, and New York. Pursuit believes that whiskey needs to be sourced from no matter barrels are finest, they usually take no precedence for geography. If it is good whiskey, it is coming by means of the doorways. We tasted by means of and selected which barrel finest suited our tastes. Our tasting was briefly interrupted by a large semi backing up and unloading a number of full barrels – it is a working mixing expertise, in spite of everything! After deciding on our favourite pattern, we thieved straight from the barrel to fill our bottles and moved by means of the whole means of labeling, corking, and sealing. Et voila! Our very personal bottle of Pursuit Spirits whiskey.
Total, it is a good way to spend a number of hours whereas in Louisville if you wish to expertise one thing a bit of completely different than a standard distillery tour and tasting. Your nostril and palate will probably be put to the check and I encourage you to look previous the appellation of every barrel (sure, this Kentuckian selected a Maryland barrel). Plus, you get to stroll away with a bottle you will like to drink. So, coloration me a convert to Pursuit Spirits, and I sit up for seeing what they do subsequent, particularly of their new house (coming quickly) to Whiskey Row downtown. These are nice people placing out attention-grabbing whiskey blends, actually embracing their newness and fashionable strategy to sourcing and mixing. In spite of everything, mixing is a real artwork, and right here, it is all they do.
– Erin Petrey, Cocktail Editor
Neat Bourbon Bar + Bottle Store
Between Pursuit Spirits and Michter’s the group grabbed lunch and killed a while at Neat Bourbon Bar + Bottle Store. The bar has a fantastic vibe and stable assortment of cocktails and neat pours. I like to recommend the Japanese export bottle Nationwide Distillers 1993 Previous Crow for simply $22 a pour. It was all the things you anticipate from Nationwide Distillers, and if we hadn’t been on the clock, I’d have stayed there to take pleasure in a number of extra pours. I extremely suggest you test it out subsequent time in Louisville.
Nice vibe and pours at Neat Bourbon Bar + Bottle Store. Kampai!
Michter’s Distillery Pals & Household Tour
For the previous few years, Michter’s Whiskeys has given excursions solely at its Fort Nelson Distillery on Whiskey Row, a.okay.a. Louisville’s Fundamental Road. Nonetheless, to make use of the Michter’s staff’s personal language, “family and friends” are sometimes welcomed at its manufacturing distillery in Shively, a suburb of Louisville that is house to Brown-Forman Distillery and the historic Stitzel-Weller Distillery. It was there that the Bourbon Banter crew received a deep dive into how Michter’s scrumptious whiskies are made.
Images is proscribed on the behind-the-scenes tour, however listed below are a number of authorised images to make you jealous.
A few of us on the go to have been lucky to see the manufacturing distillery evolve through the years because it opened in 2014. Its bottling corridor is not only computerized, however largely managed by robots that place bottles into circumstances for a visit down the bottling and corking line earlier than being lifted once more into cardboard circumstances. The robots carry these sealed circumstances as soon as extra to put them on palates for shrink wrapping. We weren’t allowed to {photograph} any of the shiny equipment, however we had been completely happy for the staff who not has to carry tens of 1000’s of circumstances annually manually.
The tour, led by distillers Dan McKee and Matt Bell, closed out with a implausible tasting of 10 Michter’s whiskies starting from its flagship bourbon and rye releases, to toasted barrel goodies of each varieties, which led as much as the 20-year bourbon because the closing act. It is occasions like these that make you grateful for the entry these beneficiant distilleries present their many followers.
Bottle Share Day 1 that includes Mercenary BBQ + The Craft Shoot
Day One festivities continued after the Michter’s Distillery tour as attendees returned to the Summit HQ for what many think about the spotlight of our annual Summit: Dinner that includes Mercenary BBQ and group bottle share.
Neighborhood Supervisor and Single Barrel Coordinator Brent Joseph owns Mercenary BBQ in Indianapolis. Yearly, he prepares a feast (brisket, ribs, and pulled pork with sufficient sides to feed everybody twice over) earlier than the Summit and hauls it down for us to take pleasure in on Day 1. I do know everybody has their favourite BBQ joints, however belief me once I let you know, when you style Brent’s work, you will replace that listing with Mercenary on the prime. It occurs time after time. But one more reason to be sure you register for subsequent yr’s Summit.
Mercenary BBQ – Voted the highest BBQ joint accountable essentially the most vegetarian conversions on the planet. Reality.
Dinner was adopted by an epic bottle share that featured over 100 completely different whiskeys introduced by attendees and native friends. Talking of native friends, Summit attendees had been joined by a number of area people members and pals from close by manufacturers, together with, however not restricted to, the legendary Dan Gardner (retired 4 Roses model guru), Kenny Coleman (co-owner of Pursuit Spirits), and Invoice Straub and Bob D’Antoni (house owners of 4 Gate Whiskey). Sadly, we won’t share images from that a part of the night as a consequence of widespread decency legal guidelines and the truth that you may’t deal with how a lot enjoyable we had.
Did I point out the dwell model of The Craft Shoot?
It is a crowd-favorite section from the Bourbon & Banter podcast that we introduced again this yr as a consequence of standard demand from the 2023 Summit. The Craft Shoot includes prepping 50 blind samples for the Summit. Every visitor grabs a bottle out of a field, sight unseen. Every visitor then takes a flip tasting the pattern in entrance of different friends and a video digital camera. Every particular person shares their spontaneous tasting notes and ideas on proof, age, and liquor model. And in the event that they’re feeling assured, they’re going to even guess their model expression. Somebody hardly ever guesses the model accurately, nevertheless it’s a blast for everybody, irrespective of the result. We hope to have a montage video of this yr’s Craft Shoot within the not-so-distant future to share with you, however for now, try final yr’s video under to get an thought of the problem and hilarious outcomes.
After finishing The Craft Shoot, people continued a energetic night of copious bourbon samples, legendary banter, and cigars exterior on the expansive Summit HQ grounds. Finally, issues settled down as we tucked Day 1 into the books early within the wee hours of Day 2.
SUMMIT DAY TWO IN REVIEW
Regardless of the late night time earlier than, everybody awoke contemporary and able to sort out a full day of distillery excursions and mixing experiences. Certainly you did not anticipate something much less of us? I imply, we’re all professionals, proper?
To gas up for the day forward, the group grabbed breakfast at First Watch (together with some Millionaire Bacon) and launched into a drive out to Citadel & Key Distillery for the day’s first tour.
Citadel & Key Behind the Scenes Expertise
The second day of our 2024 Annual Member Summit began with a gaggle breakfast earlier than we hit the street to Citadel & Key. Our Annual Member Summit Weekends have change into a means for us to supply distinctive and unique experiences for our group members, and our go to to Citadel & Key was simply that.
You are lacking out when you’ve got by no means been to Citadel & Key. I feel it is among the most original distilleries in all of Kentucky. Citadel & Key operates within the Previous Taylor Distillery in Frankfort, KY. Citadel & Key began renovating the property in 2014, and after plenty of laborious work, they opened to guests in 2018. In case you are a historical past or structure fan, put this place on the prime of your listing. There was distilling taking place on this website since way back to 1819, and the fort has been there since 1887. I first visited this website in 2012, when all the things was nonetheless fenced off and boarded up. A couple of of us might have climbed the fence and brought some photos, however we didn’t get too far as a result of treacherous circumstances. The transformation from then till now could be nothing in need of wonderful.
Victoria Haley-Brown, the Gross sales Coordinator at Citadel & Key, met us on the entrance gate. She launched herself to us, and we shortly stopped at Taylorton Station, their onsite walk-up cocktail bar. We had been handled to our cocktail or drink earlier than beginning our official tour. The cocktail bar is positioned subsequent to the Springhouse, their 140,000-gallon pure spring designed to appear to be a Roman Tub Home. It was constructed within the form of a key, therefore the distillery’s identify. The Springhouse sits on the banks of Glenns Creek, and there are a lot of locations to chill out and take within the sights of this historic property. The distillery has accomplished a fantastic job making this scenic spot a fantastic place to cease and have a drink whereas exploring the bourbon path. A number of units of lounge chairs have big umbrellas and benches overlooking the creek. That is such a well-liked spot that the walk-up bar serves over 100,000 drinks yearly.
After visiting the Springhouse, we had been led into the fort and noticed the restored distillery’s internal workings. Citadel & Key began distilling in 2016, however earlier than that, there had not been any distilling on-site since 1972. They nonetheless use 15 completely different 11,000-gallon fermenters from the 1950’s. Conventional Bourbon, Wheated Bourbon, Rye, Vodka, and Gin are all produced on-site. As we walked over the unique hardwood flooring and previous the unique plaster partitions, you may nearly really feel the historical past of the fort. I feel that is by far essentially the most distinctive and thrilling property in all of bourbon.
Citadel & Key Distillery Tour
After getting a behind-the-scenes take a look at the operations aspect of the distillery, Victoria led us exterior previous the newly constructed tower the place the distillery hosts VIP friends and personal barrel alternatives. We had been then led to the Sunken Backyard, which is inaccessible to the general public. The distillery retains this spectacular spot personal and is simply accessible by way of personal occasions and particular excursions. Apparently, they host many weddings on the property, and you may see why.
After the Sunken Backyard, we went previous the Cistern Constructing, which is their barrel home. Then, we went previous the ruins of the previous Bottling Corridor, which was apparently used as an vintage mall within the Nineties. Only some partitions stay of this constructing. We had been then led to the situation of the previous Warehouse A. It has been leveled into an outside area used to host occasions.
From there, we made our means into Warehouse B. It’s a 4 ½ ground rick home that holds 36,000 barrels. Whereas in Warehouse B, our total group received to pattern three personal barrel samples of their Restoration Rye. We may pattern two 4-year-old barrels, one at 121.4 proof and one other at 122.38. Then, we had been in a position to strive a 5-year-old Rye at 113.9 proof. In fact, this tasting was purely for analysis as we plan our personal barrel picks for the upcoming calendar yr. After tasting the personal Rye barrels, we went upstairs and received extra samples from a 7-year-old Wheated barrel. We couldn’t get the precise proof on this one; it was, by far and away, my favourite go to. I hope they open these as much as their personal choice program subsequent yr.
After some implausible picture alternatives as a result of large lighting in Warehouse B, we went exterior, received a number of group photos, and wrapped up our behind-the-scenes tour with a cease by Warehouse E. This warehouse is palletized on the primary ground because it was constructed/doubled as a bomb shelter in 1953. This monster has a capability of 58,000 barrels.
A couple of years in the past, we went on a tour right here after Citadel & Key first opened. It was nothing just like the particular therapy we received this cool Fall morning. In the event you haven’t been right here, you could cease the subsequent time you’re within the space. You received’t be upset. In the event you’re a Neighborhood Member, it’s possible you’ll be a part of us on a personal barrel choose right here within the subsequent yr or so. In the event you do, I can promise you that Victoria and her staff at Citadel & Key will make it as memorable as this go to was.
– Brent Joseph, Neighborhood & Single Barrel Program Supervisor
J. Mattingly 1845 Expertise
Contemporary from a pleasant lunch on the Stave, we headed to Frankfort, KY, and the J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery for an immersive mixing expertise. After arriving (and having our ID checked), we proceeded to the decrease degree, the place a big area is organized for numerous mixing choices. J. Mattingly blends bourbon, rye, and American Whiskey from contract distillers. The expertise is mixing the identical supply of aged whiskey from completely different barrels. Anybody who has participated in a barrel choose is aware of that the person barrels can differ significantly. As well as, J. Mattingly introduces further charred staves to the barrel as their Double Staved™ course of.
After a brief intro, you select between barrels (6 every) of two completely different Bourbons, Rye, or American Gentle Whiskey. We tasted every barrel after which proposed some blends to the host, who made suggestions and combined them for tasting. After a few tries, we every chosen our favourite. We selected the bottle we wished (every participant will get two 375ml bottles, totaling about 750 ml) and also you select a reputation on your personal mix.
That is my Rye. There could also be many prefer it, however this one is MINE. Mine is a bit of candy with creamy notes, clocking out at 117 proof. It was a enjoyable solution to finish the day. We thank the individuals at J. Mattingly for the expertise and their hospitality.
– Jim Knudsen, Sr. Contributor
Bottle Share Day 2 + Swag Giveaway
After our time at J. Mattingly Distillery, we made our means again to the Summit HQ, the place we loved pizza and leftovers from the night time earlier than. Spherical 2 of the bottle share quickly commenced, however in typical Summit style, night time two is a little more subdued after a second full day of consuming actions. That stated, we did spice issues up a bit by internet hosting our 2nd Annual Swag Giveaway for Summit attendees and native friends.
Annual Swag Giveaway That includes Doug Slaymaker as giddy as a toddler on Xmas morning. Congrats in your huge win, Doug!
Everybody in attendance receives a carnival ticket for a swag raffle, and everyone seems to be a winner. This yr, we gave away over forty objects from our distillery companions who’ve supported us through the years. Giveaways included t-shirts, hats, flasks, bottles, one-of-a-kind restricted version Bourbon & Banter objects, and a serious merchandise from Whistlepig that included a Solo Range.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE SUMMIT
The drive house after the Summit is all the time difficult for me. I discover myself battling a mixture of pleasure from what has occurred, fatigue from the planning and execution (to not point out the lengthy nights), and disappointment that the subsequent Summit is a yr away. It is the identical feeling I’d get in my abdomen once I got here house for summer season break in school. I assume you may name it reverse homesickness.
I will be trying into whether or not we need to change the timing of the Summit to make it occur sooner in 2025. Within the meantime, we’ll announce some new digital group actions to assist us bridge the gap and hold the group extra energetic. These will probably be along with our month-to-month Group Remedy classes. Now could be a good time to improve your membership to one of many paid tiers to make sure you get first entry to register for these occasions, which could have restricted slots accessible. As a paid member, you will obtain a precedence invite to register for the 2025 Summit.
Thanks to everybody who attended the Summit this yr. Your friendship and help imply the world to me. I stay humbled by your willingness to hang around with us for a number of days and your continued help of Bourbon & Banter.
Particular due to Bourbon & Banter staff members (clockwise L to R): Brent Joseph, Jim Knudsen, Steve Coomes, and Erin Petrey.2
Final however actually not least, I want to acknowledge and thank members of the Bourbon & Banter group/staff members for his or her help make this yr’s Summit an enormous success:
- Jason Fiehler, Thanks for capturing images from the weekend. They turned out nice!
- Steve Coomes, Thanks on your continued work as Editor and for being our “boots on the bottom” in bourbon nation. We recognize your native fixer expertise when serving to with last-minute provides and meals supply.
- Jim Knudsen, Thanks on your ongoing contributions to Bourbon & Banter and your willingness to journey wherever we go. I all the time sit up for spending time collectively, even if you happen to go away your higher half at house. Be certain Karen (and Dezil ) know they had been missed as this yr’s occasion.
- Erin Petrey, Thanks for taking up the problem of trekking from DC to Seattle to Louisville for this yr’s Summit. And let’s not neglect the ten+ years of contributing to Bourbon & Banter’s group. Subsequent yr we plan to be sure you can deal with Mercenary BBQ with out skipping a beat. Belief us, we have got a plan in movement.
- Brent Joseph, I have been informed I’ve a problem delegating duties. Thanks for stepping up and forcing me handy over duties (even when I am sluggish.) Your assist this yr in organizing the Summit was large and made issues a lot simpler for me. I sit up for working with you to roll out new group programming and a kick-ass Summit in 2025.
I sit up for seeing everybody on the 2025 Bourbon & Banter Summit!
Cheers,
Pops
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