If you are an actual midwesterner, you know that we love our breaded tenderloins.
That being said, it would be stupid for me to try to tell you what to pair withe a breaded tenderloin. Instead, I’ll defer to my good friends Chef Jason Reynolds and Jeff Clark. This is a great video with a pairing between bourbon and food. If you haven’t subscribed, you need to make sure you do (and ask for a cameo of Chris in the next tasting).
In my life, I’ve always been one who likes to stand up for the small guy. As a former small business owner (and current), I know the value of one customer and the power of a positive referral.
I take this attitude for this post. I am a firm believer that most of the best bourbon you will ever taste is located within 20 miles of your house.
Don’t get me wrong. There are some amazing allocated bourbons that I would love to get my hands on, but that’s not going to happen. I could spend the time searching, or I can spend the time enjoying great bourbon with a great community near home.
I want to highlight a few of my favorite things in the bourbon industry that aren’t a line outside of liquor store. These are real people, making real connections, and having a good time doing it. I’m talking about the bourbon scene behind the bourbon scene.
So here we go:
Again – I’m not arguing there isn’t great bourbon out there. Instead, I’m saying there is a bigger value in the community than there is in the bourbon itself. I think most bourbon lovers would agree. That’s why I’ve started a Facebook Group for the lovers of this blog (Bourbon Master). I think the community is 75% of the bourbon world. The rest is just a great drink on the rock (or neat).
It might not look like much from the outside, but I promise you will want walk in the door. Once you do, you might not want to walk back out.
I’m talking about Storied Company in downtown Indianapolis (right next to the bus stop off Delaware).
When you walk in, you are going to see a small shop with a bunch of bourbon, scotch, and irish whiskey (plus other spirits) that you probably haven’t seen in most stores. And you’ll meet one of two guys – Simon (the wine guy) or Denis (the spirit guy). Once you introduce yourself, odds are they’ll remember your name every time you come into the store (I’ve been in 5-6 times and both of them remember my name – It’s crazy).
But that’s just the beginning. You have just walked into a university of the spirit and wine world. And your class starts now.
The name Storied Company really sums up this place well. These two gentlemen know the story of every bottle they have on the shelf. I’m not kidding when I say that either. Take the picture above – If you sample any of those bourbons or irish whiskies, Denis or Simon will tell you about the history of the distillery, the mash bill used, where the grain was farmed, and probably what the distiller had for breakfast before making that particular spirit (that one might be a joke). These two know everything about the spirits and the wine they have at the store. It could come from their years of experience in the liquor and wine industry plus their capacity to tell a killer story.
And this is more than just a liquor store. It’s also a tasting bar. You can have up to 4 tastes of anything that is on the tasting shelf. They are organized by the colored dots (one dot is $5 a taste, one is $10, and one is $15). It’s your chance to try a bottle of $400+ bourbon for $15 (I’ve done it and it was great – I would never buy a bottle that pricey, but it was nice to see if I would actually like it). You can come in with a tasting plan or you can let the guys at Storied Company direct you to your new favorite spirit or wine.
If you are expecting your big name spirits at this location, think again. Denis and Simon go and handpick every bottle that is in their shop. This comes in the form of sourcing from specific distilleries (domestically and abroad) and even getting into some barrel picks from distilleries like New Riff, Compass Box, Starlight, Wilderness Trail, and others. And after buying and tasting multiple of these selections, I can say that they know what they are doing.
And they have a killer selection of irish whiskey and scotch. This is a unique experience for a typical bourbon lover. I know that I’m not a typical drinker of the spirits from across the pond, but from my stops at Storied Company, I have started to enjoy of few different types of each spirit. Each time I go into the store, I make sure to at least try 1-2 new items I’ve never had before (like Armagnac or some really peat forward scotch).
If you do absolutely nothing else from this blog post, you need to do the following:
Then you’ll start seeing emails like this:
and this:
It’s the true hidden gem of Storied Company. You get access to special releases and you get weekly education on spirits from across the globe.
And if you decide to buy some wine or liquor, they’ll store it at their location indefinitely. You can come any time and grab all of your purchases at once. I like to order 4-5 bottles and then schedule a day to go on a visit (with a group of friends).
If you are looking for a liquor store where you can buy all of the allocated bourbon your heart desires, this isn’t you place. If you are looking to buy a bottle of Tito’s, this isn’t your place. If you are looking for educational tastings with a selection of hand picked spirits and wines, Storied Company is your place. If you make a trip, tell them Chris Wilkey sent you. If you don’t want to make the trip right now, make sure to sign up for their email list at https://www.storiedcompany.com/.
A close family friend scored a bottle of Booker’s bourbon and was talking about it at dinner on a Wednesday night. By Friday, we ended up at his house and were able to do a tasting of it. Although I could spend the whole blog post walking through the bourbon, I felt like there needed to be a focus on a little detail I noticed while opening the bottle.
My friend handed me the insert inside of the box that gave the rundown of the Booker’s Batch. He asked if I could read it without my readers (perks of being young) and I took a few moments to read it outloud. It said the following:
“This batch was pulled on a hot and humid day in July. The color of this liquid is golden amber, and you embrace the dark, sweet vanilla aroma right away. With just one taste, your mouth is filled with rich and sweet flavors of vanilla. The lingering finish isn’t overpowering, so soon after you’ll want another sip. I made myself a Kentucky Tea with Kentucky Tea Batch, and it brought back memories of my dad sitting at his own kitchen table enjoying his Kentucky Tea with supper.
As you can imagine, Dad loved the flavor of bourbon, especially his Booker’s Bourbon. Since Booker’s is over 100 proof, the flavor still pulls through when added to water. So, he’d take one part bourbon and four parts water and enjoy his drink. One night, when a reporter was at Dad’s house for supper, he asked why Dad drank Kentucky Tea. Dad quickly replied, “Why would I flavor my water with tea leaves when I can flavor my water with bourbon?” It was that simple – Kentucky Tea was Dad’s drink. He would drink it with a country ham or fish dinner and would say you need to sip the right proportion of Kentucky Tea to really appreciate the food.
As you sip this batch, add a taste of it to your water so you can try Dad’s Kentucky Tea with “Kentucky Tea Batch.” I know that’s how he would’ve liked it. Cheers!”
-Booker’s Bottle – Kentucky Tea Batch
I was excited to try the bourbon (which was great by the way), but the story sparked my interest. I’m a sucker for a good story and I always like to try new cocktails.
So I decided to try to make “Kentucky Tea” at home the next night. I didn’t use Booker’s, but I did use some Knob Creek.
And here is my review:
I’m a little surprised at my reaction to this Kentucky Tea. I thought it would be a waste of bourbon, but I guess the people who make bourbon actually were on to something. I don’t think this will be my every day drink, but this might become a drink that is in my top 5 during the warmer months. I’m never giving up bourbon neat, on the rocks, or my old fashioned, but if I’m looking for an easy sipper while I’m mowing or golfing, I might turn this way. Nice job Booker. You might have made me consider something I would have never considered.
What are your thoughts on Kentucky Tea? Will you try it?
After I give my kid a bath, I walk into the kitchen and grab one of my favorite tumblers to pour myself some bourbon. I have tried a bunch of different glassware over the years, but I find myself grabbing for one specific glass time and time again.
It’s the Yeti Lowball Tumbler.
I’m not one of those people who like a brand “just for the hell of it” – I’m someone who tries different products until I find the perfect one for the job.
Wondering why I love this glass so much? Let me give you just a few reasons!
I’m a person who likes to drink my bourbon on the rocks, so the Yeti Tumbler is my perfect bourbon cup. I find the ice doesn’t melt as fast and I can enjoy my bourbon over a few hours instead of 30 minutes. And it doesn’t get watered down.
If you leave it overnight (by accident of falling asleep in my chair), it will actually still have ice in the morning.
I always hate when I have a tumbler made of glass and it leaves a puddle on my side table. I always use a coaster, but my shirt ends up all wet as the glass drips with condensation.
That’s another reason I love the Yeti Tumbler. It doesn’t sweat and there isn’t a puddle when I’m all said and done.
I’m pretty sure the bugs in my house and outside have really good taste in bourbon. They always seem to find their way into my drink.
The lid takes care of this problem.
It also makes it nice just in case my kid knocks over my glass or if I am wanting to take the tumbler on a walk.
I’m a person who likes to share my bourbon and that means you have a lot of glasses full of yumminess at one time. When I had a matching set of glasses, this meant that you had to keep your glass in your hand at all times.
Not with my Yeti Tumblers.
I have 5 different colors of tumblers and I make sure to use the different colors when I have people over to share. The last time this happened is pictured below and we had all 5 glasses in use.
I was a little skeptical at first when I bought my tumbler. I was worried it would have a weird metallic taste when I put my bourbon into it. I have found this isn’t the case.
I have used my cups for years and I have never found a metallic taste while I was drinking.
There may have been times in my life where I have decided to take a drink on a walk around my neighborhood. Instead of carrying a glass around the neighborhood, I can throw a lid on my cup and no one is the wiser.
Drinking bourbon might lead to an accidental slight of hand and a glass might be headed to the ground for a shattering ending.
That doesn’t happen with a Yeti Tumbler.
Drop it on the floor and you might get a new dent, but that’s about it. It might be a party foul, but at least you won’t cut your foot on glass.
When it comes to the perfect glass for your bourbon, it’s going to come down to your personal preferences and budget range. In my opinion, there is a clear winner and that’s the Yeti 10oz Lowball Tumbler. It won’t break, keeps my bourbon ice cold, has a lid, and helps me keep my bourbon straight when I have a crowd.
If you haven’t considered getting one, you might want to do it.
What’s your favorite glass? I would love to hear and possibly try something new.
For years, I have been heading to a golf trip in Kentucky with a local group of guys. On our way down to the golf course, we always make a stop at a new distillery and try some great bourbon along the way. Add in my trips with the wife and other friends and I’ve been to a lot of different distilleries over the years. In this post, I’m going to share my personal favorite stops and give you a short rationale on why I love it.
This place is one of my absolute favorite distilleries out there. Family owned and you feel like family once you walk on to the property. My wife loved the fact that there were two cats on the property (Rowan and Noah) and I loved the fact that my tour included a total of 4 people. I got to learn about the history of the brand and the way they ensure all of their products hit a certain level of quality. After I was done, we headed to the tasting room and I got to try a few different variations of bourbon and rye.
What sets this apart from the other tours out there is:
1 – It’s small and personal. I didn’t feel like I was going into some corporate marketing ploy. I felt like I was having someone show me the real bourbon industry.
2 – The property is beautiful. I really wish I could just stay the night and drink bourbon right out of a barrel. And the pot still they use (like the bottle of Willett) is breathtaking.
If you want an off the beaten path stop, look no further than Glenn’s Creek Distillery. I promise it’s most likely not haunted (on the site of the old Old Crow Distillery), but the backdrop could be that of a horror movie. A narrow one-lane road running down by a creek. Old rickhouses that are crumbling. And some good old boys making some pretty amazing liquor (especially bourbon).
The tour is awesome because it’s so personal. The guys at Glenn’s Creek are not going to be wearing company polos or waiting around to tell you the 100 year history of a company. They are going to be distilling and you are going to be a part of that process. Only once in my life have I seen an old soy sauce fermentation tank that has been turned into a still. You also get to help make bourbon by pouring white dog into a freshly charred oak barrel. Then you get to sign the barrel. Once it is ready to be bottled, you can see a Facebook post and order a bottle from them (to be picked up at your next visit).
You won’t be disappointed if you make a stop at Glenn’s Creek (and you can make a quick stop at Castle and Key right after you are done.
If you haven’t caught on, I’m a big fan of visiting smaller distilleries. I hadn’t personally heard of Peerless until I was doing a quick Google search after I couldn’t get into a tour at Angel’s Envy. So I walked into Peerless and I was not disappointed.
This tour has a lot of history and it was a story I hadn’t heard at the other distilleries. I learned about the medicinal purposes of bourbon (from prohibition) and heard about the story of Kentucky Peerless restarting itself from the ground up.
The tour itself wasn’t a long walking tour, but the tasting at the end was amazing! I got to try the typical Peerless Rye, but then I got to try some single barrel variations. That was amazing. I wish I would have bought a few of these because I can’t believe how yummy they were.
Have you ever wanted to taste bourbon straight from the barrel?
I would assume any honest bourbon drinker would love to taste a spirit just like the master distillers of a company.
That’s why the tour at Whiskey Thief is so amazing!
For this tour, you head right down to the distillery barn and you get to taste 5 different barrels. The whiskey thief goes into the barrel and then you get to taste it in a glass as you hear about the distilling process. Personally – It might be the highlight of my bourbon tasting career!
The big name distilleries are always worth a stop when down on the Bourbon Trail, but I think these small distilleries are a stop worth making. I think you will get a personal experience that will draw you closer to the companies and the people behind the bourbon.
What are your thoughts? What are the distilleries that you can’t miss on the Bourbon Trail?
It was a cold Friday afternoon and I decided it was time to explore something new. This led to a trip to Fortville, Indiana – To be honest, we were heading there for some Bone Marrow Fries and Foxy Old Fashioned’s from FoxGardin (one of my favorite restaurants in the world). On the way over to Fortville, I mentioned that the Moon Drops Distillery had just opened their tasting room, so I suggested we make a stop before heading for a late lunch.
My knowledge and connection to Moon Drops was limited. My wife and I saw the building a few months back and tried to stop in for a drink. It wasn’t open to the public at that time. So I followed them on Facebook and kept in the loop about their operations. From the occasional update, I knew the distillery was starting to distribute in the local area and there was a “cult” following for their lemon drop moonshine. So I went into the visit with an open mind and here is what I found:
Pulling into the parking lot, I could tell this was a large facility. I wasn’t 100% sure it was open, but it was also 2PM, but the door was unlocked and we walked up to the bar. I was greet quickly by a lady named Rachel (I cheated on the name by looking at the website) and she gave us the rundown on the menu and the distillery.
The tasting room was a little smaller than I expected from the outside, but it was nice and cozy. It was the blend of a tasting room, speak easy, and a view straight into the distilling process. As I was looking through the menu, I could see the still steaming and peppermint moonshine taking shape. You could tell this facility was a production first facility, but I’m always a fan of seeing the spirits being made right in front of me.
The tasting room could hold around 50 people (standing and sitting – maybe more) and it had a nice stage for some live music. As I was sitting there, I could see a beautiful outdoor venue that would be amazing in the warmer months. It was snowing, but I could imagine listening to a band with a cocktail on a hot July night.
Rachel was very nice and knowledgable about the products. As a bourbon guy myself, I could tell she knew her stuff. I saw a few other people stop by during our time there and they seemed to be treated nicely as well. I’m always a huge fan of a place that treats their customers well and makes sure your glass never runs empty.
During my visit, I ended up splitting two different flights with my friend. I wanted to try as much as I could and still be responsible at the same time.
One thing that was awesome – The flight came with snacks! I haven’t seen this before, so mad props here. It’s a lot of chocolate, but it’s good (I would have loved more pretzels).
I ended up trying the 7 different spirits (note – their bourbon is still aging, so it’s sourced at the moment – They have tried to match the mash bill as closely as possible – So I expect the taste profile to be similar, but better over the next 2-3 years):
1 – Black Label Bourbon – This was the one they sat on the black dot on the flight board and was pretty good. I could have drank this on the rocks, but I think this would be better served in a cocktail. It had some solid flavors of caramel, vanilla, and nuttiness. I would go back to try this again on the rocks, neat, or in a cocktail.
2 – Bourbon (Don’t remember the exact name) – This one was slightly different than the Black Label Bourbon, but you could tell they were similar in nature. If you paid me, I’m not 100% sure I could tell the difference between the two, but I wasn’t mad. I don’t think there was a ton of spice in either of these bourbons, but again tasty.
3 – Barrel Strength Bourbon – I knew this was going to be my favorite from the start and I wasn’t disappointed. It was hot (ABV wise), but that was to be expected. Once I got past the burn, I really tasted the oak, caramel, and vanilla. It was a flavor bomb. If this is a sign of their barrel strength products down the road, I want on the list to buy one of the first barrels. It’s going to be awesome.
4 – Vodka – I’m not a vodka guy, so take this review with a grain of salt. I wasn’t a fan of the vodka. I could see it in a mixed drink, but I’m not sure it should be tasted on a flight. I was told it was distilled 30+ times, so I imagine it might be good for those who like vodka. I’m just not a convert.
5 – Rum – I was expecting to not like the rum as well, but then I was given the story that it was made of 100% molasses and it was better than most other rums. So I gave it a shot. To my surprise, it was quite tasty with a little bit of a fruity finish. And like 0% burn. I don’t know the ABV, but someone could get in trouble drinking that rum in a cocktail. It would make a heck of a summer drink.
6 – Apple Pie Moonshine – If I was in the business of making bad choices, this one might be at the top of my list. I would get in trouble quickly drinking this. The ABV isn’t sky high with this, but it is as smooth as apple pie (pun intended). I am considering putting a bottle of this in my golf bag as some back up birdie juice.
7 – Lemon Drop Moonshine – Out of all of the spirits tasted, this is the one I bought a bottle of to take home to the wife. I can see why people enjoy this. It’s sweet, but not horribly sweet and the tartness of the lemon balances it out. My wife is going to take this and make martinis by adding vodka to it. The taste is killer and I think they have a winner here.
I wasn’t here for a long time, but I’ll be back. I could tell this was a newer location and I think they have some good things lined up for the future. There are a few main things I took away:
1 – I think this is going to be “THE PLACE” to be in the summer. I think you are going to need to be there 3-4 hours early to make sure you get a seat once they have a great band playing in their outdoor space. Add that with the great rum, I think you will also want to make sure you have a ride home.
2 – I think the tasting room is going to be a little small once this place get popular. I would suggest coming early and getting a table if you are going to want to spend the evening there. There is seating, but it will fill up quickly.
3 – The spirits are good. I think there is room for improvement with the bourbon, but it’s hard to judge a distillery on their sourcing ability. I want to revisit this in 3 years when their bourbon hits the glass. In the meantime, I might stick with the rum or the barrel proof bourbon. Their moonshine kicks ass though. The stuff they make tastes good (non-vodka guy aside), so I think they know what they are doing.
4 – Food – I’m interested to see what happens here. They currently have food trucks at the location during the weekend, but I could see a kitchen happening sometime in the next 2 years. It’s that weird dynamic where you want to have some food and something elevated, but a food truck provides variety and ease. I’ll be interested to see how this plays out.
5 – Cocktails – I’ll be bring my wife back here to try some of the cocktails. I didn’t get a chance to try these and I think I’m going to be pleasantly surprised. The base (spirits) tasted solid, so I assume these will be solid as well.
And that’s my review of Moon Drops Distillery in Fortville, Indiana. I think there is a bright future ahead for this location. Thanks for the drinks and I look forward to visiting again.