Do bourbon geeks have brand loyalty? And how do you build brand loyalty to a general consumer?

In this episode, we look at many of the celebrity bourbon brands that have emerged over the past few years and analyze them. Does a celebrity care about the quality of the whiskey? Are they just in it for an added revenue stream? Are there any good ones? But we ultimately want to know if celebrities will help bourbon or hurt bourbon.

This 10 year old bourbon is 100 proof and $100 MSRP.

Pernod Ricard will invest $250 million for a state-of-the-art distillery for Jefferson’s. Willett will invest nearly $93 million for the construction of a new distillery. Booker's Bourbon has released its fourth and final batch of the 2022 collection.

Last week, the team at Breaking bourbon came out with an article called Does Bourbon Have A Small Brand Problem. It was a fascinating article because it talks about many of the interesting things we see about craft brands. Are people only interested interested in heritage brands? Is there a big knowledge gap? Is this a problem because of the unfair playing field with the three tier system? Are there too many choices or do brands just lack hype? In the last part of the show, I revisit all of our 2022 predictions to see who got it right and who got it wrong.

This non-age stated rye is 101 proof and $42 MSRP for 375ml.

Single Barrel Select moves to a new points-based system. Bardstown Bourbon Company announces it's Origin Series. Pursuit Spirits debuts the Oak Collection.

Tony Konja is the owner of Keg N Bottle. We've talked about Keg N Bottle a few times because that's our partner store for our barrel selections. But the real reason we have Tony on the show is talk about a deeper subject of the retail liquor business and that is theft. No matter what you get into, you have to assume there are terrible humans out there that will take advantage of any situation. Tony gives us an introspective look into how he combats theft from brick and mortar locations as well as online retail and how this business has even had him being held a gun point saying his last prayer.

This non-age stated whiskey is 121.4 proof and $4,000 MSRP.

Kentucky Distillers’ Association is seeking proposals to refresh branding assets for the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Blue Run Spirits announces its final whiskey release of the year with the Blue Run Winter Solstice Collection. Heaven Hill Distillery announced the 16th edition of the Parker’s Heritage Collection

Jason Brauner joined us back on Episode 057 where he talked about building the first bourbon focused restaurant in Louisville, which you all know as Bourbon's Bistro. That concept has stood the test of time and now people from all over flock to his restaurant for dinner and drinks. One particular patron of his is Andrew Wiehebrink of Independant Stave Company, who was on episode 346 talking about stave science. They began talking and came up with some proprietary barrels that will enhance a whiskey based on its original profile whether it was nutty, sweet, or floral. And that's how Buzzard's Roost bourbon was born.

This non-age stated whiskey is 86 proof and $100 MSRP.

Pursuit Spirits raises $8M for future whiskey purchases. Jack Daniel’s takes a dog toy manufacturer to the Supreme Court. Old Elk Distillery is proud to announce the second annual release of Master Distiller Greg Metze’s Infinity Blend Series.

Lee Tatum and Cody Ewars of Innerstave are joining the show. They give a history of how Innerstave had traditionally been used in wine for ages and now there is a desire for their products to be used with bourbon. We discuss what makes their oak finishing products different and how they can replicate a process time and time again versus pressing your luck on a barrel that came over from another country on a container ship.

This 11 year old bourbon is 96 proof and $150 MSRP.

Redemption loses its lawsuit with Diageo and must change bottles. Sagamore spirit releases their own 5 year bottled in bond. Kentucky Owl and Barrell Bourbon are both releasing $500 bottles

American Single Malts. The media is a buzz talking about them and traditional heritage distilleries are starting to release some in small numbers. Is this a trend that we need to pay attention to? It's safe to say that over half the bottles on the shelf are sourced product. Has sourcing been embraced finally? Or do people not care and don't know? Every year we will see Wild Turkey pictures flood social media on Thanksgiving. What should you bring to your Thanksgiving get togethers?

This 18 year old bourbon is 100 proof and $170 MSRP.

Western Kentucky Distilling Co. announced a $30 million Distillery in Beaver Dam, Kentucky. Kroger’s third annual Ultimate Bourbon Auction to End Hunger has started. Heaven Hill Distillery announced the Fall 2022 edition of Old Fitzgerald 19 YR.

Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke make up the folk music duo Penny & Sparrow. Their original appearance on the show was on Episode 228 where we got to know the guys and their love of bourbon. This time I caught them on their post-pandemic tour through Louisville and had them do their first ever Pursuit Series barrel selection. We talk about lyrical inspiration and video games and I lead them through five whiskey samples as they narrow down their choice.

The collection includes: Sazerac Rye 18 Year, Eagle Rare 17 Year, Thomas H. Handy, William Larue Weller, and George T. Stagg.

Campari Group has agreed to acquire a 70% stake in Kentucky-based Wilderness Trail Distillery for $420 million. Old Forester and King Ranch are releasing a limited-edition whisky called Old Forester King Ranch Edition. Lux Row Distillers announced the newest variant in the Ezra Brooks brand family: Old Ezra 7-Year Straight Rye Whiskey.

Mike Paladini and Danny Polise from Penelope Bourbon join the show to talk about how a wild idea to start a whiskey company grew into one of the hottest new brands on the market. They traveled to MGP after reading an article about how that craft whiskey you like is actually from a factory in Indiana.

This 12 year old bourbon is 124.8 proof and $70 MSRP.

Master Distiller Lisa Wicker is leaving Widow Jane. The National Association of Wine Retailers is taking another shipping case to the Supreme Court. The details have finally been released for this year's Buffalo Trace Antique Collection