Latest / The Scotchy Bourbon Boys / A Rooftop Bourbon Weekend with Tracy and Barb Napolitano Founders of the New Orleans Bourbon Festival

Transcript

A Rooftop Bourbon Weekend with Tracy and Barb Napolitano Founders of the New Orleans Bourbon Festival · The Scotchy Bourbon Boys

0:59
SPEAKER_00: Middlewest Spirits was founded in 2008, focusing on elevating the distinct flavors of the Ohio River Valley.
1:07
SPEAKER_00: Their spirits honor their roots and reflect their originality as makers, their integrity as producers, and their passion for crafting spirits from grain to glass.
1:17
SPEAKER_00: Their Michelin reserve line reflects their story from the start to the bottle to your glass, with unique wheated and rye bourbons and also rye and wheat whiskies, the Michelin brand is easy to sip.
1:31
SPEAKER_00: It might be a grain to glass experience, but I like to think of it as uncut and unfiltered from their family to yours.
2:56
SPEAKER_00: All right, I mean, what a what a great night.
3:00
SPEAKER_00: We've been a podcast, and we got we got Tracy and Barb Napolitano.
3:05
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the podcast, you guys.
3:07
SPEAKER_00: It's like super great to have you both here.
3:11
SPEAKER_00: And then we also have Matt Lisen.
3:13
unknown: Woo!
3:14
SPEAKER_00: We're within a week.
3:16
SPEAKER_00: We're within a week of going to the New Orleans Bourbon Festival.
3:21
SPEAKER_00: It's like it is 8:30.
3:23
SPEAKER_00: So 8:30.
3:24
SPEAKER_00: Now you guys are still on the Eastern time zone.
3:27
SPEAKER_00: Or are you on Central?
3:29
SPEAKER_00: Central time.
3:30
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so you guys, it's 7:30.
3:33
SPEAKER_00: So we're probably right around, we'd be next week at this time at the at the dark arts dinner with Macaulay.
3:40
SPEAKER_00: So we're just we're super stoked.
3:44
SPEAKER_00: This should be a lot of fun.
3:45
SPEAKER_00: I can't, we can't wait to get down here.
3:47
SPEAKER_00: And uh this podcast, uh, I think we were we were just talking pre-podcast, and you guys were talking about how much everything's changed.
3:58
SPEAKER_00: And uh I was down there with Super Nash, and we were down there whiskey, and we had a really good time two years ago.
4:06
SPEAKER_00: You guys throw a fantastic party, but this this year, let's let's just right off the bat, let's talk about some of the big the big changes that happened.
4:17
SPEAKER_07: I mean so to start, we have a brand new venue.
4:23
SPEAKER_07: We've we've partnered with a I guess a luxury shopping mall in the downtown area.
4:29
SPEAKER_07: The luxury shopping mall.
4:31
SPEAKER_07: Exactly.
4:32
SPEAKER_07: So we're we're basically doing everything will be self-contained in one building area of the city downtown.
4:41
SPEAKER_03: Well, within a corner.
4:44
SPEAKER_03: A corner.
4:44
SPEAKER_07: With a corner of Canal Street, right off the river.
4:49
SPEAKER_07: So the festival for the first time, uh the Grant Hastings are gonna be outdoors completely.
4:56
SPEAKER_07: So we're gonna be on a rooftop overlooking the city of New Orleans, overlooking the Mississippi River.
5:01
SPEAKER_07: You'll see Caesars Casino, Caesars Palace.
5:07
SPEAKER_07: But yeah, it's a beautiful view of the city from where we're gonna be on a Friday and Saturday night.
5:12
SPEAKER_07: Uh the seminars, which are normally hosted in a hotel, inside that shopping mall, there is a theater called the Britannia Theater.
5:20
SPEAKER_07: It's a nine to ten theater setup.
5:24
SPEAKER_05: Lots.
5:25
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, we're gonna have the seminars in the theater, so it'll be you know stadium style theater seating, the luxury chairs.
5:33
SPEAKER_03: Oh guys, seriously, it's beautiful.
5:37
SPEAKER_03: It's luxury seats.
5:40
SPEAKER_03: You got you know how when you go to one of these theaters and they have the they serve you food.
5:49
SPEAKER_03: We've got that.
5:50
SPEAKER_00: Right.
5:50
SPEAKER_00: Dinner the dinner theater with recliners and everything.
5:54
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the whole thing.
5:56
SPEAKER_03: Right.
5:58
SPEAKER_03: Fabulous.
6:00
SPEAKER_07: That's and then we we are the the bigger seminars are gonna be in the in a store front that are in the that's part of the building, the mall.
6:10
SPEAKER_07: Uh was it oh I was at anthropology.
6:12
SPEAKER_02: It was it once was the anthropology.
6:14
SPEAKER_07: The anthropology store.
6:16
SPEAKER_02: It once was pottery barn.
6:18
SPEAKER_07: Pottery barn.
6:19
SPEAKER_07: We're gonna do the big seminar with Brandon Elliott and a couple others in that space.
6:25
SPEAKER_07: So that'll be right out but right by the theater, right outside of it.
6:29
SPEAKER_07: And then we've got the you know, with Macaulay and Dark Guards, we on Wednesday, Wednesday night, we have the ghost tours, and that's basically a French quarter history ghost tour that ends in a in the Oddfellows Rest Cemetery at the other other end of Canal Street, a cemetery that's been around since I think the late 1700s.
6:51
SPEAKER_07: And it's pretty spooky.
6:52
SPEAKER_03: And by the way, it is haunted.
6:54
SPEAKER_07: It is a haunted cemetery, and we will be doing the dark arts tasting in the cemetery.
6:59
SPEAKER_03: Not kidding.
6:59
SPEAKER_00: So it so is that the the famous cemetery with all the with the with what's his name?
7:05
SPEAKER_00: Nicholas's cage's pyramid, or is this a different cemetery?
7:10
SPEAKER_07: This is a different cemetery.
7:12
SPEAKER_07: There are so many cemeteries in New Orleans.
7:14
SPEAKER_07: Oh, yeah.
7:14
SPEAKER_07: But this is called Oddfellows Rest.
7:16
SPEAKER_07: It's at the foot of Canal Street.
7:18
SPEAKER_07: I mean, it's so old, some of the crypts are cracked, and you can see it in them.
7:26
SPEAKER_03: It's it is one of the creepiest, scariest, charmingest cemeteries you would ever imagine.
7:35
SPEAKER_07: And I gotta say, last year wasn't the first time we've done cemetery pourings.
7:39
SPEAKER_07: We've done it.
7:40
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
7:41
SPEAKER_07: Uh there's a charity group here called Save Our Cemeteries that because our cemeteries are so old, which is why we got the refinish.
7:48
SPEAKER_07: So we've done we've done pourings in the cemeteries before.
7:52
SPEAKER_07: So it's just a New Orleans thing, you know?
7:54
SPEAKER_00: Or no, or and it's also an Alan Bishop thing.
7:57
SPEAKER_00: He loves to do pourings in cemeteries too.
8:00
SPEAKER_07: Well, we'll have well Alan Alan is committed to coming next year, would be our 10th, our 10th year anniversary.
8:06
SPEAKER_07: Wow.
8:06
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
8:06
SPEAKER_07: And we're already working on next year to make it like a big blowout party festival.
8:11
SPEAKER_07: So but Alan is committed to coming next year.
8:14
SPEAKER_00: Well, it's it, I don't, I mean, isn't it like every year is a blowout party?
8:20
SPEAKER_00: I mean, but I get it, it's a 10th.
8:23
SPEAKER_03: I think I think we're a blowout every year, but next year we're gonna take what we do and we're gonna take it a thousand fold.
8:35
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
8:37
SPEAKER_03: Imagine that.
8:38
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
8:39
SPEAKER_00: So get bigger and bigger.
8:41
SPEAKER_00: Well, I I mean, so let when I was there two years ago, half of the the great, you know, the the experience of the the evening festivities was outside and half was inside.
8:54
SPEAKER_00: So you're saying the great tasting this this year it's just gonna be up on that rooftop and it's gonna be all outdoors and with this beautiful view.
9:05
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
9:06
SPEAKER_03: And we apologize because our child is barking.
9:13
SPEAKER_00: Oh no, we love, we love, we love, we love those type of children.
9:16
SPEAKER_00: We love all children.
9:17
SPEAKER_00: No, it's just like that's it's not like this is a family podcast, but we don't mind family coming on.
9:26
SPEAKER_03: Okay.
9:27
SPEAKER_03: So yes.
9:29
SPEAKER_07: Um so yeah, I mean, yeah, it's I think it's gonna be a different atmosphere.
9:33
SPEAKER_07: I'm hoping everyone's gonna enjoy the in the weather as of now, you know, knocking on the woods.
9:40
SPEAKER_07: I I was watching upper 50s in the evening.
9:44
SPEAKER_07: No, upper six, no, fifty, sixties in the evening, in the evening, and 72, 76 in the day.
9:52
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
9:53
SPEAKER_07: So with very little wind and no rain.
9:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm I'm really happy of that.
9:58
SPEAKER_00: About that.
9:58
SPEAKER_00: The seven the high 70s in New Orleans is like almost like as perfect of weather as you want to have, because you guys always uh being that that 80s, high mid 80s, and high 80s with the humidity in the summer is rough.
10:13
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, we did if we did this festival three weeks later, you would hate being here.
10:17
SPEAKER_07: It's gonna be so hot.
10:18
SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't go that far, but I will say that it would be uncomfortable.
10:24
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
10:25
SPEAKER_04: But what but it's like 40 here, so we're definitely coming down there.
10:29
SPEAKER_04: The weather's gonna be amazing.
10:30
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, 50 weeks.
10:33
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
10:34
SPEAKER_03: I I think we're gonna be good.
10:37
SPEAKER_07: We're gonna have a great weekend.
11:24
SPEAKER_03: We keep checking, and I'll let y'all know if it changes.
11:29
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but we check too, but it looks it looks good.
11:33
SPEAKER_00: And for whatever reason, so yeah, yeah.
11:37
SPEAKER_00: It's just like that's all you gotta do.
11:39
SPEAKER_00: And then all that matters is when it happens, right?
11:42
SPEAKER_00: Everybody's and everybody's gonna have have a good time.
11:44
SPEAKER_00: So let's let's uh talk about one one that I'm really excited about, who's all gonna be there?
11:51
SPEAKER_00: Like, I am sending out like like asking certain people.
11:55
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we do have the chicken cock event at where was that the one what what's the bar that did take over?
12:04
SPEAKER_07: Is that well in the way?
12:06
SPEAKER_03: No, no, that's uh is that no is that is who is doing the food.
12:12
SPEAKER_07: No, no, they're having an event there.
12:14
SPEAKER_00: No, but you're having the the takeover of the bar, the the the free event earlier on Thursday, right?
12:22
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, I don't I I'm I you know I'm gonna draw a blank on that one.
12:26
SPEAKER_07: I didn't plan that one, so is that at the wheel on the right?
12:29
SPEAKER_03: We're working on this.
12:30
SPEAKER_00: It was the same place where Penelope was that one year, I thought.
12:36
SPEAKER_03: I think so.
12:37
SPEAKER_03: All right, you know what I'm gonna do is you're gonna check the website.
12:42
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
12:43
SPEAKER_00: That's okay.
12:44
SPEAKER_00: That's okay.
12:45
SPEAKER_00: We have time and we should know these things because I was excited that I mean, uh, although Greg Schneider has left Chicken Cock whiskey, it sounds like Chicken Cock has a really nice presence down there this year, which makes sense.
12:57
SPEAKER_01: Oh, they do.
12:58
SPEAKER_07: And we did a barrel pick of our rye whiskey with them as well.
13:01
SPEAKER_07: That's gonna be for sale down here.
13:03
SPEAKER_07: Okay, it already is, it's already for sale.
13:06
SPEAKER_07: You can reserve it on our website.
13:07
SPEAKER_00: So your the the New Orleans Bourbon Festival, you can reserve bottles now.
13:13
SPEAKER_07: Website, correct.
13:14
SPEAKER_07: That and we have two barrels of four roses coming as well.
13:18
SPEAKER_00: Ooh, that sounds uh dark arts.
13:22
SPEAKER_07: Yes.
13:23
SPEAKER_00: What's the dark arts finished in?
13:26
SPEAKER_07: Uh McCaulay did it for us, and I'm not sure what he did it in, but it's on the website.
13:30
SPEAKER_07: It's on the website.
13:32
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
13:33
SPEAKER_04: I'll have to check it out.
13:34
SPEAKER_00: Jeff never sent me the email for the I absolutely did.
13:40
SPEAKER_00: You gotta check.
13:42
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
13:42
SPEAKER_04: We've been allowed working.
13:45
SPEAKER_00: Yes, I guarantee you I did it.
13:47
SPEAKER_00: I did it this morning or whatever I sent it after everything was done.
13:53
SPEAKER_00: Also, what was the other one?
13:56
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
13:57
SPEAKER_00: Okay, here he goes.
14:00
SPEAKER_07: Okay, so we've got the uh now, please.
14:05
SPEAKER_07: The uh bourbon and ride club block party sponsored by Chickencock.
14:10
SPEAKER_07: That is That's gonna actually be on the corner right outside the hotel.
14:14
SPEAKER_07: It is that and uh very cool.
14:18
SPEAKER_07: Very cool uh dinner party restaurant.
14:21
SPEAKER_03: So doing all of our food for the the all the seminar foods being done about the same records.
14:34
SPEAKER_07: Okay, um Wednesday night nightcap is gonna be at the will in the way.
14:39
SPEAKER_03: That was last year.
14:40
SPEAKER_07: No, that's this year.
14:41
SPEAKER_03: No, but that was what you were asking about last year.
14:45
SPEAKER_03: That's this year.
14:47
SPEAKER_00: Okay, and that's that's chicken cock too, right?
14:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I believe so.
14:52
SPEAKER_00: That's that's the actual ticketed dinner, if I'm not mistaken.
14:55
SPEAKER_00: I saw that.
14:56
SPEAKER_00: No, this was the ticketed dinner.
14:58
SPEAKER_00: Okay, the first one?
15:00
SPEAKER_01: Most of these Yes.
15:02
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
15:04
SPEAKER_07: The one from seven to ten is the ticketed dinner.
15:07
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
15:09
SPEAKER_07: I'm sorry, eight to six p.m.
15:12
SPEAKER_07: to eight p.m.
15:12
SPEAKER_07: is the ticket of dinner.
15:14
SPEAKER_07: Then we got the ghost tours, and then from 10 to midnight, there's the will in the way.
15:19
SPEAKER_00: Okay, and then on Thursday, there's something at 4 o'clock earlier that chicken cock seemed to be doing.
15:28
SPEAKER_00: Let's see.
15:30
SPEAKER_07: No, I don't VIP judges starting at 10 a.m.
15:35
SPEAKER_07: Then we got the dark arts dinner from 7 to 8.30.
15:39
SPEAKER_07: All right.
15:39
SPEAKER_07: Then the four roses dinner, and then there's the VIP party at Saz.
15:45
SPEAKER_00: Afterwards, okay.
15:47
SPEAKER_07: And then starting Friday, you've got seminars in the morning through till 4:30.
15:54
SPEAKER_07: And then the grand tasting starts at 6 p.m.
15:56
SPEAKER_07: on the roof.
15:57
SPEAKER_03: So here's what I'm gonna do right here tonight.
16:01
SPEAKER_03: Would you like a great invite?
16:03
SPEAKER_00: I would love a great invite.
16:06
SPEAKER_03: So if you want to come and experience what we do with the ultimate VIP tasting, you can come and see what we're doing.
16:22
SPEAKER_03: I will invite you to come experience the VIP tasting.
16:30
SPEAKER_00: That would be that would be amazing.
16:31
SPEAKER_00: That's on Thursday, right?
16:34
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
16:35
SPEAKER_00: So what time do you think?
16:36
SPEAKER_03: And I lead I leave that 10 a.m.
16:39
SPEAKER_03: It starts at 10 a.m.
16:41
SPEAKER_03: I lead that tasting all day long.
16:45
SPEAKER_03: You don't have to come for the whole thing, but you can come and see what we do.
16:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I we covered it a little bit at the last time we were interviewing some of the people, and that that was that is a very unique.
17:00
SPEAKER_00: You guys have put that on all along.
17:03
SPEAKER_00: It lead those, those now they're judging, they they judge, right?
17:08
SPEAKER_03: Okay, they judge, that is our judging event.
17:12
SPEAKER_03: I have led that tasting now for 10 years, and it is an amazing experience, and I'm sorry, my child is that's fine.
17:26
SPEAKER_07: That's fine all over.
17:29
SPEAKER_07: But I think the thing you're talking about is Friday night at the Rusty Nail.
17:34
SPEAKER_07: That's the free after party.
17:36
SPEAKER_00: Okay, and is that through Chickencock?
17:40
SPEAKER_07: I don't think it's just a party.
17:42
SPEAKER_00: Everybody just goes over there right over the rusty name.
17:44
SPEAKER_07: It's a great whiskey bar.
17:46
SPEAKER_07: It's a great whiskey bar downtown.
17:48
SPEAKER_07: It's it's it's a great thing.
17:50
SPEAKER_00: Okay, okay, perfect.
17:52
SPEAKER_07: And then Saturday the Saturday night, there's an after party at barrel proof.
17:58
SPEAKER_00: That's the place on the way down.
18:03
SPEAKER_00: No, barrel proof, that's the place I think I was at at that bar.
18:07
SPEAKER_00: I think their barrelproof hosted an event with Penelope two years ago.
18:13
SPEAKER_07: Yes.
18:13
SPEAKER_07: So this this is Saturday night.
18:15
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
18:16
SPEAKER_07: After the festival after the tasting ends.
18:21
SPEAKER_07: And then the seminar series start at 10 a.m.
18:23
SPEAKER_07: on both Friday and Saturday.
18:24
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
18:25
SPEAKER_00: All right.
18:26
SPEAKER_00: So Matt, what time did you say we get into New Orleans?
18:30
SPEAKER_00: 10 36 or something.
18:33
SPEAKER_04: 10 42 or something.
18:35
SPEAKER_04: It's before 11.
18:37
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
18:38
SPEAKER_03: You guys come join me for our ultimate VIP.
18:46
SPEAKER_03: Come in and I will uh I will indoctrinate you to our most amazing experience that we have.
18:55
SPEAKER_00: That was that's yes, and I agree.
18:58
SPEAKER_00: What I what so so thank you.
19:00
SPEAKER_00: You're we're covering all the different things.
19:03
SPEAKER_00: And one of the great things, and you've said it again, you guys have one one thing that I like is that the connectivity of the festival, even last time, the the great tasting was a couple blocks away.
19:18
SPEAKER_00: You could walk it, you could do whatever.
19:20
SPEAKER_00: It was probably got us a little bit more extra exercise if you did, but it wasn't too far away.
19:28
SPEAKER_00: And but everything else was confined to the hotel, the hotel itself with the seminars, and then there was some of the the you could go to the dinner.
19:37
SPEAKER_00: We went to the Four Roses dinner at Jack Rose's, which was was famous.
19:42
SPEAKER_03: Wasn't it amazing?
19:44
SPEAKER_00: Yes, it was.
19:44
SPEAKER_00: And Brent was fantastic.
19:46
SPEAKER_00: I know I know Brent personally, he's a great guy.
19:50
SPEAKER_00: And but this time, what you've done to tie it together, it sounds so fantastic.
19:58
SPEAKER_00: The the the restaurants are that that are having the tastings, they're right in that area around the corner or in the hotel.
20:06
SPEAKER_00: The hotel's there, the seminars are in, you know, by the it's just it's just it's one of the the cool strong points.
20:13
SPEAKER_00: I've been to a lot of festivals that are set up like this, and a lot of times the thing that happens is the festival, you know, you and then you stay at a hotel someplace else or somewhere else in whatever, but the connectivity of your festival is so cool.
20:30
SPEAKER_07: I mean, almost everything is in walking distance within locks of each other this time.
20:35
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so we're so excited about this.
20:38
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, a couple of that after hours things you you know, you probably may have to jump in an Uber.
20:42
SPEAKER_07: You can walk, but you may want to Uber.
20:45
SPEAKER_03: I I prefer the Uber.
20:46
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, but for the most part, it's it's it's all walking distance and and in the same building.
20:52
SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
20:53
SPEAKER_00: And then the one thing now, how far away are you from Bourbon Street?
21:00
SPEAKER_07: A block.
21:01
SPEAKER_07: Six six blocks, really.
21:03
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, a little about six blocks.
21:04
SPEAKER_07: It's walking distance.
21:05
SPEAKER_07: It's tripsy.
21:07
SPEAKER_03: I mean, broad canal.
21:08
SPEAKER_03: We're like a block, though.
21:11
SPEAKER_03: Okay.
21:12
SPEAKER_03: I'm I'm not as good as yeah, no, it's uh it's not far, but it's not far.
21:17
SPEAKER_00: No, not at all.
21:18
SPEAKER_00: I think I think last last time I was with some people who like to walk, and we walked to Bourbon Street, and I that I was like, that that did me in.
21:29
SPEAKER_00: So this sounds like it's a lot, lot, everything's so much closer and fantastic.
21:34
SPEAKER_07: And yeah, Barbara's giving you whistlepick directions right now.
21:38
SPEAKER_07: So our directions are powered by whistlepick.
21:42
SPEAKER_07: Oh, there you go.
21:45
SPEAKER_03: By whistle pig boss hall.
21:48
SPEAKER_00: There you go.
21:48
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
21:50
SPEAKER_00: All right.
21:50
SPEAKER_00: So on that note.
21:52
SPEAKER_03: Is that wrong?
21:53
SPEAKER_00: No, it's not.
21:54
SPEAKER_00: This is a bourbon podcast.
21:55
SPEAKER_00: It's completely right.
21:56
SPEAKER_00: A bourbon whiskey podcast.
21:58
SPEAKER_00: It's what you should be doing.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: But with that note, let's talk about the distilleries that are are there this year.
22:05
SPEAKER_00: I mean, who's all there?
22:06
SPEAKER_03: Who you know, I so you know what's interesting is that we have the most amazing group of people this year.
22:24
SPEAKER_03: But it's not all the big guys, right?
22:28
SPEAKER_03: Right.
22:29
SPEAKER_03: It's not the ones that everyone expects to be there, except for four Rosie and Sazerac, who are our big guys.
22:39
SPEAKER_07: Micters is gonna be here this year.
22:41
SPEAKER_07: So I know Dan.
22:42
SPEAKER_07: Barrel Burton.
22:44
SPEAKER_07: Barrel's gonna be here.
22:45
SPEAKER_07: Whistle pig will be here.
22:47
SPEAKER_03: Thank God, because I'm over here.
22:49
SPEAKER_07: Our buddy Dave Schmier with Prudifin Wood is bringing all his stuff down.
22:53
SPEAKER_00: Dave's awesome.
22:54
SPEAKER_07: Dave is awesome.
22:56
SPEAKER_07: I love Dave.
22:57
SPEAKER_07: So this is where I'm gonna ask Still Austin as well is gonna be here.
23:01
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, because they usually win everything.
23:04
SPEAKER_07: They do, yeah.
23:05
SPEAKER_07: Uh, they're gonna be here in a little smaller capacity this year because Chelsea, the state rep, is getting married on Saturday night.
23:13
SPEAKER_07: Actually, last year, so Macaulay won.
23:16
SPEAKER_07: Macaulay won a lot last year.
23:17
SPEAKER_07: Of course, we're gonna have Macaulay here.
23:19
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, the Penelope gang is gonna be here.
23:22
SPEAKER_07: Yellowstone.
23:23
SPEAKER_07: I believe they're bringing Rebel Yell.
23:25
SPEAKER_07: Great River, Marstown is gonna be, they're gonna have a nice setup.
23:30
SPEAKER_07: A chicken cock, as we talked about earlier.
23:34
SPEAKER_07: What was that?
23:40
SPEAKER_00: What was that?
23:41
SPEAKER_00: Break it up.
23:41
SPEAKER_00: I can't do it.
23:42
SPEAKER_00: And Matt, what who are you asking?
23:46
SPEAKER_00: Even Fontaine's gonna be there.
23:48
SPEAKER_03: Fonte will definitely be there.
23:50
SPEAKER_03: Umte wouldn't miss us.
23:52
SPEAKER_07: Forbidden's gonna be there.
23:54
SPEAKER_07: If you need to buy knives for your house, Cut Co's gonna be there.
23:58
SPEAKER_07: Exactly.
24:00
SPEAKER_07: They're there every year, they got a booth every year.
24:02
SPEAKER_03: What was the one you told me today?
24:05
SPEAKER_03: Bourbon Deluxe.
24:06
SPEAKER_03: Oh, bourbon deluxe.
24:09
SPEAKER_00: What about uh so I'm just curious because there's a couple of I'll just name some people.
24:15
SPEAKER_00: French Lick coming?
24:17
SPEAKER_07: French Lick is unable to come this year.
24:19
SPEAKER_07: Okay.
24:20
SPEAKER_00: They had a conflict, but they'll be back next year.
24:22
SPEAKER_00: Oh okay.
24:24
SPEAKER_00: All right, keep going.
24:25
SPEAKER_00: Well, well, we all know Neely's coming, right?
24:30
SPEAKER_00: Neal's definitely coming, yes.
24:32
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I've I swear to God, that's their meeting place with uh their network.
24:37
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
24:38
SPEAKER_03: Well, because that's where he met his wife.
24:41
SPEAKER_00: Rebecca?
24:42
SPEAKER_03: You know that, right?
24:43
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, where they met here in the roads.
24:49
SPEAKER_00: I did not know that.
24:50
SPEAKER_00: I did not know that.
24:51
SPEAKER_03: Oh my god.
24:53
SPEAKER_00: I know Rebecca and I know Royce, but but I don't ask those questions.
24:57
SPEAKER_00: I I I respect Rebecca and I I respect Royce, and I try and I try and keep everything, you know, because it's Royce.
25:06
SPEAKER_00: I I want I never want to make Royce upset.
25:10
SPEAKER_07: Right, exactly.
25:12
SPEAKER_07: But uh let's see, old Elk Middle West is coming.
25:16
SPEAKER_00: So they'll be here.
25:18
SPEAKER_00: So old elk, so uh so okay, so Middle West will be there.
25:22
SPEAKER_00: Do you know the group they're sending?
25:24
SPEAKER_00: It is do you think Ryan will come down or is he?
25:28
SPEAKER_07: I don't know.
25:29
SPEAKER_07: I know they're not sending as many people because they got some stuff going on in other markets, but they they've I don't know exactly who they're sending.
25:37
SPEAKER_00: Okay, because I know Ryan, she's you know, Middle West is from Ohio, but he's been and they sponsored the podcast, but he's been so busy, it's hard to even get down there to see him.
25:50
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I've hung out with him on Saturday afternoons, broke into his warehouses where the police came, and it's his own warehouse, anyways.
25:59
SPEAKER_00: So we but we we've had a lot of fun times, but I you know I always look forward to seeing the people, and that's is Mary Kimbrell gonna do another cigar tasting or cigar thing or no?
26:10
SPEAKER_07: One of our board members is doing the cigar tasting this year, Lawrence.
26:16
SPEAKER_03: Lawrence uh town is gonna do our cigar taste.
26:20
SPEAKER_07: The last minute ad, we just got confirmation on.
26:23
SPEAKER_07: Obviously, Brent's gonna do his seminar.
26:26
SPEAKER_07: We just got the master to sell for 1792, we'll be here.
26:30
SPEAKER_07: And he's gonna be at the VIP party.
26:32
SPEAKER_00: Oh, so you're talking about Ross Cornellison's gonna be there?
26:35
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
26:35
SPEAKER_00: Oh, Ross is fantastic.
26:38
SPEAKER_00: Talk about a young guy that's just uh we love Ross.
26:41
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that I This will be his first time here.
26:44
SPEAKER_00: Oh, that should be fun.
26:46
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
26:47
SPEAKER_07: Uh now the uh uh Mark Carter's gonna be here, as always.
26:51
SPEAKER_00: Christy strolling around.
26:52
SPEAKER_00: Christy and Mark, yeah, I talked to them.
26:54
SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm Christy and Mark will be here, yeah.
26:57
SPEAKER_03: Well, y'all do know that Christy and I used to do a podcast again.
27:03
SPEAKER_00: So you were which one was that called?
27:07
SPEAKER_03: The Bourbon Baddies.
27:08
SPEAKER_00: The Bourbon Baddies, okay.
27:10
SPEAKER_00: I did not know that.
27:12
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
27:13
SPEAKER_00: I love it.
27:14
SPEAKER_03: Five years uh four or five years.
27:16
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, y'all did it for a while.
27:18
SPEAKER_03: Christy, myself, Katie Garrett.
27:22
SPEAKER_03: Katie Garrett.
27:23
SPEAKER_03: Y'all know her?
27:24
SPEAKER_07: Y'all know Katie?
27:25
SPEAKER_07: She has uh the old hippie whiskey bar in Pensacola.
27:27
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, no, I do not.
27:29
SPEAKER_07: In Pensacola, Florida.
27:31
SPEAKER_07: She's doing a she her she is doing uh she's doing a seminar on bars uh here in New Orleans.
27:38
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
27:38
SPEAKER_07: You guys ever hit Pensacola?
27:40
SPEAKER_07: You gotta hit her place, it's it's amazing.
27:42
SPEAKER_00: Thank God, amazing.
27:44
SPEAKER_00: I gotta hang out with you guys, not just in the festival.
27:48
SPEAKER_00: I just gotta come down one time and hang out with you guys.
27:51
SPEAKER_06: Um Roxy come down and see you.
27:56
SPEAKER_07: It happens a lot.
27:57
SPEAKER_07: A lot of people that come to Fest, they'll come back and they'll hit us up like, hey, what are y'all doing this weekend?
28:03
SPEAKER_07: Oh yeah.
28:05
SPEAKER_00: Well, I would definitely would would plan it ahead so I wouldn't intrude because I'm a podcaster, I understand completely that.
28:16
SPEAKER_03: How could you intrude?
28:18
SPEAKER_03: Oh we would love to be hanging out with you.
28:22
SPEAKER_00: Oh, that would be amazing.
28:24
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you guys know you have so much, and so again, so there's all the different festivals to choose from in the United States.
28:33
SPEAKER_00: There's so many different whiskey festivals and bourbon festivals and whatnot.
28:37
SPEAKER_00: But I think why us?
28:39
SPEAKER_00: Well, there I that's not a question to me.
28:43
SPEAKER_00: You can throw that out.
28:44
SPEAKER_03: I understand why you no, I I would love to tell you why us.
28:49
SPEAKER_00: Okay, there you go.
28:52
SPEAKER_03: Tell us because we love our whiskey, we love what we do, we love so everything we do is about the whiskey.
29:11
SPEAKER_07: The whiskey.
29:11
SPEAKER_07: And the backdrop of New Orleans does not hurt when you put on a whiskey event.
29:16
SPEAKER_00: Well, I and that is an amazing thing.
29:18
SPEAKER_00: I mean, the only I mean you guys are but the difference between Kentucky Bourbon Festival and New Orleans Bourbon Festival, in my opinion, is night and day, but there's a cohesive thing that you guys, the the the amount of love of the spirit and the love of people is consistent between what Randy does and what you do.
29:44
SPEAKER_00: There's no doubt.
29:44
SPEAKER_00: And you the first time I met you guys personally was at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival.
29:50
SPEAKER_00: And that and you invited so and those two are but I don't see anything after the bourbon festivals are kind of cool.
29:59
SPEAKER_00: If you got local craft distilleries, you can get in the you get to taste all the different types of bourbon.
30:06
SPEAKER_00: But the the festival on how you put it on, the food, the everything that's going on, you've got the seminars, plus your awards.
30:16
SPEAKER_00: You know, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival doesn't have any awards.
30:19
SPEAKER_00: You guys actually have awards, but those awards are go out, and I think a lot of the distillers really enjoy those awards because you're not those people that are picking those bourbons, are connoisseurs, fans of bourbon, people who drink it constantly.
30:36
SPEAKER_07: Just like you and me.
30:37
SPEAKER_00: Right?
30:38
SPEAKER_07: They're just are they the people that like they're they're the the average Joe bourbon fan, you know?
30:46
SPEAKER_07: It's not some fancy taster and they're not their own programs as well.
30:53
SPEAKER_07: But this is just the guys that are out people's choice out buying bourbon, spending their own money.
30:58
SPEAKER_00: Yes, and they're some of the most unique.
31:01
SPEAKER_00: You've got a lot of unique characters there, but you also have a lot of the everyday guys, and that is a cool thing.
31:10
SPEAKER_00: Very, very, very cool.
31:12
SPEAKER_07: Hey, so earlier you guys asked, you guys asked what was the dark arts blend uh for the barrel pick, and it is a sweet and sour mash honey bourbon.
31:24
SPEAKER_00: Oh, he's introducing that there.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: Yep, he told us all about that.
31:29
SPEAKER_00: That should be fantastic.
31:32
SPEAKER_00: That's all our barrel pick.
31:34
SPEAKER_00: So if we reserve that on the website, I have a question.
31:37
SPEAKER_00: Is there a way to ship it to wherever we are?
31:42
SPEAKER_07: We you could you you would have to do that.
31:45
SPEAKER_07: We are not allowed to do that by our ATC rules.
31:48
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
31:48
SPEAKER_00: Um, but you could there's places in the city you could do that.
31:52
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so if I because because flying and how we're flying, I don't think they let you have bourbon bottles on your backpack.
32:02
SPEAKER_07: No, no, no, you'd have to you'd have to check it.
32:05
SPEAKER_07: Check the backpack.
32:06
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we just wrap it in our clothes and we'll check it.
32:10
SPEAKER_00: But wait, so you've done did you buy checked bags?
32:15
SPEAKER_04: No, we bought the little bag.
32:22
SPEAKER_00: We'll have to see what we can, is my thought.
32:24
SPEAKER_00: Right, right.
32:25
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so we also we're flying a different airline back and that first, and that airline doesn't charge for bags, so we might be able to check a bag.
32:36
SPEAKER_03: All right, whoever's airline allows it.
32:40
SPEAKER_03: Let's just go with that.
32:41
SPEAKER_07: So y'all wanna y'all wanna hit on the seminar schedule for a little bit?
32:45
SPEAKER_07: Sure, for sure.
32:46
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, and and that's amazing.
32:48
SPEAKER_07: So Friday morning at 10, we start out, we start off with uh Potter and Jane.
32:53
SPEAKER_07: Danny and Jane Bowie Jenny Potter and Jane Bowie will be here.
32:57
SPEAKER_00: Wait, wait.
32:58
SPEAKER_00: And then Denny Potter and Jane Bowie.
33:02
SPEAKER_05: Yes.
33:02
SPEAKER_00: Denny Potter and Jenny.
33:06
SPEAKER_00: Danny.
33:07
SPEAKER_07: Yes, there you go.
33:09
SPEAKER_03: We're not we're not making this up.
33:11
SPEAKER_07: I know.
33:12
SPEAKER_07: Then we got the chicken chicken cock with Will Woodington, 7-3 distilling, which is a local distiller here.
33:20
SPEAKER_07: From 11 to 1215 by itself, the only going off is Brent Elliott with four roses.
33:28
SPEAKER_03: Because why would anyone want to go against that, right?
33:33
SPEAKER_07: And we got Cigar and Bourbon, find your flavor with Lawrence Towns at one between for one to two.
33:39
SPEAKER_07: Then we got McCullough with Dark Arts doing his thing, and then the old hickory whiskey bar with Katie Garrett, and then we've got an old carter whiskey with Mark Carter.
33:50
SPEAKER_07: Awesome.
33:50
SPEAKER_07: From 215 to 315, from uh From Barrel to Bottle, a bourbon lover's guide to wine with Andrea Merriweather.
34:01
SPEAKER_07: And then we've got Steve Nally with the Bar Sound Bourbon Company.
34:05
SPEAKER_07: And then the Still Austin Seminar.
34:08
SPEAKER_07: From 330 to 4:30, Aiden Lineger and Stephen Fonte.
34:13
SPEAKER_07: Penelope with Matt Ward.
34:15
SPEAKER_07: Uh the women's panel will be Katie Garrett, Jane Bowie, Wendy.
34:20
SPEAKER_07: I can't still what's Wendy's last name?
34:23
SPEAKER_07: Pavich.
34:24
SPEAKER_00: Pavich, yes.
34:25
SPEAKER_00: Pavich.
34:26
SPEAKER_00: Pavich.
34:27
SPEAKER_00: Pavich.
34:28
SPEAKER_00: Wendy Pavich.
34:29
SPEAKER_00: She's from Middle.
34:30
SPEAKER_03: She's written by the lovely lady.
34:32
SPEAKER_00: Is she gonna be here?
34:34
SPEAKER_00: Is she gonna represent her brand down there?
34:37
SPEAKER_00: Her brand will be here, yes.
34:39
SPEAKER_00: Okay, I'm looking for I can't believe Wendy's gonna be there.
34:43
SPEAKER_00: I part, I've been when she was with Penelope, she came, she was the Ohio representative, and then now she's at Middle West with her her Archer Elon brand, and it's like she's fantastic, fantastic woman.
34:56
SPEAKER_07: Well, her seminar is Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
34:59
SPEAKER_07: called The Maverick of Rye.
35:01
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, she does some decent.
35:02
SPEAKER_07: Uh then we got Barrels and Bayous, the Spirit of Louisiana story and telling by uh Kyle Crosby.
35:10
SPEAKER_07: Peerless distilling.
35:12
SPEAKER_07: Oh that one may not happen, I'm not sure.
35:15
SPEAKER_07: Uh Black Maple Hill with Pablo, you know, they're reintroducing the original Black Maple Hill bottle.
35:23
SPEAKER_07: And yes, he will be here.
35:24
SPEAKER_07: He will be here with it.
35:25
SPEAKER_00: With who?
35:26
SPEAKER_03: And yes, he is pouring at that.
35:28
SPEAKER_03: Pablo Moeks?
35:30
SPEAKER_03: Wait, stop.
35:31
SPEAKER_00: I don't, I'm not familiar with him.
35:34
SPEAKER_07: He he bought the Black Maple Hill brand and he's not launching it.
35:38
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
35:39
SPEAKER_00: I think he's the he's with Rare Character too.
35:42
SPEAKER_00: Okay, then that makes sense.
35:43
SPEAKER_00: Okay, now I'm in because rare characters.
35:46
SPEAKER_03: How cool is that?
35:48
SPEAKER_07: We got another cigar pairing at 1115.
35:51
SPEAKER_07: Then looks like McCaulay's doing another seminar on Saturday at 1115.
35:58
SPEAKER_07: And Rye 3 with Parthic Sidir.
36:00
SPEAKER_07: Parthic's doing a pairing of cigars with his cigar uh cigar rye, I believe.
36:07
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
36:08
SPEAKER_03: So and then uh this doesn't look like it's fun at all.
36:15
SPEAKER_07: And then we got a lot of cigars.
36:23
SPEAKER_07: 15 star, sorry, 15 star.
36:27
SPEAKER_07: And then we go to lunch.
36:29
SPEAKER_07: And then from one to two, we got the next generation in bourbon panel.
36:34
SPEAKER_07: Uh that's gonna be Nate.
36:36
SPEAKER_07: Uh it's gonna be Royce, Macaulay, John Joseph's from Penhook, Jonathan Maizano from K.
36:43
SPEAKER_07: Luke.
36:43
SPEAKER_07: That's gonna be a great panel.
36:45
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think that's K Luke.
36:47
SPEAKER_07: And then Dave for And then Proof and Wood's gonna have their seminar with Dave.
36:52
SPEAKER_07: What is John Joseph with Penhook at 215?
36:59
SPEAKER_07: And 215 to 415, Nealie Family Distillery Distillery, a heritage distilled.
37:05
SPEAKER_07: They're actually showing a movie in the theater.
37:10
SPEAKER_07: And then at 3:30 to 4:30, we got Craig Bean with Jackson Purchase, Randall Hoover with Battle Crow Spirits, and then Kay Luke with Jonathan Maizano.
37:20
SPEAKER_07: That wraps up the seminars for the weekend.
37:23
SPEAKER_03: So it it it sounds horrible.
37:27
SPEAKER_00: Those seminars.
37:28
SPEAKER_00: Honestly, last time, and I thank you guys for inviting me down and being able to cover the seminars.
37:33
SPEAKER_00: I appreciate that.
37:34
SPEAKER_00: That is something that's amazing, what you guys do.
37:39
SPEAKER_00: And I was that is that it's another unique thing to this festival.
37:43
SPEAKER_00: There's not a lot of festivals that have those seminars, and and they are very the information that you pick up from those seminars, amazing, except for Dave Smear.
37:55
SPEAKER_00: He just insults you the whole time.
37:58
SPEAKER_00: Well, that's I mean, that's Dave, right?
38:01
SPEAKER_00: That's Dave, you know.
38:03
SPEAKER_00: It's why he loving.
38:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, he makes really good bourbon, but you know, that's that's or and whiskey and rice.
38:10
SPEAKER_00: He knows how to pick that stuff, so he's a good he knows what he's doing, that's for sure.
38:15
SPEAKER_07: And it's so guys, I don't know if you can see this behind us.
38:18
SPEAKER_07: I'm gonna try to focus on it for you.
38:20
SPEAKER_01: Oh, our poster.
38:22
SPEAKER_07: That's the new poster for this year.
38:24
SPEAKER_07: Beautiful.
38:27
SPEAKER_07: It's basically showing you where the bourbon festival is gonna be at the foot of canal street.
38:34
SPEAKER_00: I'm just you guys have made me you're making me so excited for this.
38:39
SPEAKER_00: I mean, unbelievable uh excited.
38:43
SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm so glad uh when when you know last year I tried to try to come bring CT, he whatever, and it wasn't working.
38:50
SPEAKER_00: So this year I really wanted to go and it wasn't, but then Macaulay convinced Matt here to come down.
38:56
SPEAKER_00: And it's it's uh we I don't know yet because when we usually hang out, we have some other people to keep us under control.
39:07
SPEAKER_00: So and then I'm what I'm worried about is when me, Matt, and Macaulay are hanging out, and there that means there's nobody to keep anything under control.
39:17
SPEAKER_00: So we'll see what happens there.
39:19
SPEAKER_07: Well then we'll alert the city to be on the lookout for you three.
39:24
SPEAKER_03: Wait, no, I have a better thing.
39:26
SPEAKER_03: How about this?
39:28
SPEAKER_03: How about we toast to a ridiculously stupid event?
39:38
SPEAKER_00: Oh, it's it's it's yeah, I understand what she means.
39:42
SPEAKER_00: I totally okay, so it's a whistle pig toast.
39:48
SPEAKER_00: Yes, I uh wait, I'm gonna pour Latin two-year-old this is this is the 10-year dark arts from two years ago at the festival, and there there was no on his wax top, he had no way to open it except my fingernails which put blood on it.
40:08
SPEAKER_01: All right, so I'm drinking this.
40:10
SPEAKER_00: You got that.
40:11
SPEAKER_00: I've got I've got that, and here's cheers to New Orleans Bourbon Festival 2026.
40:21
SPEAKER_00: Yes, yay, yeah, yes, excellent.
40:31
SPEAKER_00: So, what about when I was there in 2024, there was an awful lot of craft distillers there as far as blenders, that now do you still have a lot of those outlying brands?
40:51
SPEAKER_00: Are they still they're gonna be there too?
40:54
SPEAKER_00: I think there's yes, I'm looking forward to that because one of the great things where you guys are unique aren't unique to whiskey festivals.
41:02
SPEAKER_00: The great thing about this whiskey festival is there's all these brands.
41:06
SPEAKER_00: Now, is Crown gonna be there to win all the Canadian awards?
41:10
SPEAKER_07: No, because in fact, Yazia will not be here at all.
41:14
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, okay.
41:15
SPEAKER_07: They are uh they they have they are fully invested in the World Cup in the US this year.
41:21
SPEAKER_00: Okay, yeah, that makes sense.
41:23
SPEAKER_07: So that's where all their sponsor dollars went.
41:26
SPEAKER_04: Is X and Red gonna be there then?
41:28
SPEAKER_07: They're missed.
41:32
SPEAKER_07: That's my favorite Canadian brand.
41:34
SPEAKER_07: No, uh Found North will be here.
41:38
SPEAKER_00: Found North.
41:39
SPEAKER_03: So apparently they're gonna win.
41:42
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
41:42
SPEAKER_00: Well, what about so preservation in Bart?
41:46
SPEAKER_00: Are they yes?
41:47
SPEAKER_00: So they should enter, they should enter rare perfection and they'd win.
41:52
SPEAKER_00: I that would win.
41:54
SPEAKER_00: That would be crazy.
41:55
SPEAKER_00: But I mean, so does everybody who come comes enter something into the tasting, or do is it just select?
42:04
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
42:05
SPEAKER_07: No, not everyone enters.
42:07
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
42:08
SPEAKER_00: Not everyone.
42:08
SPEAKER_00: Which makes sense.
42:09
SPEAKER_07: But is there a map yet of the floor where all of the boots are gonna be at?
42:16
SPEAKER_07: Where you do it.
42:17
SPEAKER_07: We're uh that'll that'll probably put out this weekend.
42:20
SPEAKER_07: We're uh because we're we I mean we're still at I added a couple boots just brands just yesterday, so we know we're still adding people as they want, and we got a little bit of room left.
42:30
SPEAKER_00: Well, that's awesome.
42:37
SPEAKER_04: And I feel like that way we don't miss anything.
42:41
SPEAKER_07: The way we're laid out this year in the in the outdoor space, you won't miss anybody.
42:46
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
42:47
SPEAKER_00: So, quite question is Freddie Johnson gonna make an appearance like he did?
42:53
SPEAKER_07: No.
42:54
SPEAKER_07: Freddie's gonna be, I think Freddie's actually going to India.
42:58
SPEAKER_07: Okay.
42:59
SPEAKER_07: For a work work thing with with Buffalo Trace.
43:02
SPEAKER_01: Not this year.
43:04
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
43:04
SPEAKER_00: Well, you've got, I know Sazerac's bringing Ross Cornell sin.
43:08
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you've got the master distiller of 1792, and that's we do.
43:14
SPEAKER_07: Okay, we're gonna Brent will be here, you know, and of course, you know, McCaulay will be here, and then Nealys will be here.
43:20
SPEAKER_07: There are gonna be a lot of personalities here.
43:22
SPEAKER_00: So so without personality, do you have like some of the big is is Beam gonna have a representation or no?
43:30
SPEAKER_00: No.
43:31
SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, in my in my honest to God opinion, when they had representation before, it was kind of like they weren't sending Freddie or Fred, so it was kind of like they were just it what it's not as a bourbon connoisseur, you're that doesn't excite you just to be able to taste beam without an experience, you know what I mean?
43:52
SPEAKER_00: When you so you guys bring the people in.
43:55
SPEAKER_07: When we started the festival, Fred and Freddie and all of them came on the regular, yeah.
43:59
SPEAKER_07: Right.
44:01
SPEAKER_00: Well, I and I understand, but yes, but as things go and whatever, it's just like the and especially with Fred, he's is he's older now.
44:11
SPEAKER_00: And you gotta thank them for helping set set set up what you guys do, right?
44:17
SPEAKER_07: Oh yeah, look, bean bean was a you know, while Brent Elliott convinced Barbara and I when we met him in Atlanta for the first time that we should do this, he was part of the original conversation.
44:28
SPEAKER_07: And Mike Veach was part of this.
44:30
SPEAKER_07: He is our brand guy.
44:34
SPEAKER_07: Stephen Bean was the first guy to say yes to Opton coming here with a booth, but the the Jim Bean company really helped us get off the ground.
44:44
SPEAKER_07: They were our first big sponsor.
44:46
SPEAKER_07: Okay, so really helped us they they're they were integral in us taking off.
44:52
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, that's awesome.
44:54
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
44:56
SPEAKER_01: It's it's difficult to Tracy.
45:08
SPEAKER_00: I'm trying, I don't know.
45:09
SPEAKER_00: I know what you're it's difficult to the the to to because of the fact that you're a yearly festival, and I'm sure once the festival's over, you guys are working on next year all the time.
45:20
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you're always working towards a festival.
45:23
SPEAKER_00: I I I've spent time with Randy.
45:25
SPEAKER_00: It's like you get some vacations, but not a whole heck of a lot.
45:30
SPEAKER_00: But at the same time, the it's difficult to maintain people coming back year after year for the same thing once they've done it.
45:40
SPEAKER_00: And I get that.
45:41
SPEAKER_00: I get I get what you're talking about the industry.
45:43
SPEAKER_00: Industry is is hard at this point where there's been a how about it's is Heaven Hill gonna have a representative or not?
45:53
SPEAKER_00: Nope.
45:55
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
45:56
SPEAKER_07: Not this year.
45:57
SPEAKER_00: No, I I get it.
45:58
SPEAKER_07: We're gonna be heavy, heavy independent and craft distillers.
46:03
SPEAKER_00: What you've named already excites the living crap out of me.
46:07
SPEAKER_00: It has nothing and it and that's what it is.
46:09
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you know, honestly, you gotta look at you gotta look at MGP with Luxco and knowing that that's huge right now.
46:21
SPEAKER_00: What what they're they're bringing Rebel, and they've got they've got the whole Yellowstone brand, Stephen Beans coming.
46:27
SPEAKER_00: They've made they've made them, they've changed that whole thing into this big, huge, that's a huge right, you know.
46:35
SPEAKER_07: Exactly.
46:35
SPEAKER_07: They're a big company.
46:36
SPEAKER_07: Four Roses is still a big company, you know, and you know, we've we've got some we've got some heavy hitters coming.
46:42
SPEAKER_07: I mean, that's no doubt.
46:44
SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
46:45
SPEAKER_07: I mean I mean we have to but no, we we you know it's it's gonna be a lot of fun.
46:58
SPEAKER_07: You're gonna see some new brands here, you're gonna see brands that you love, and it's gonna be fun.
47:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we're we're we're super like I said, we're super excited.
47:09
SPEAKER_00: We love the fact that you guys do this.
47:12
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm I'm just I'll throw it out to anybody who's watching and you know on YouTube or Facebook.
47:18
SPEAKER_00: You this is a festival you want to go to because New Orleans is a place to go to.
47:24
SPEAKER_00: If you and then if you throw in a bourbon festival, you and then you can get a bourbon pairing dinner and you get get the educational things that you're going.
47:33
SPEAKER_00: It's it's really a no-brainer.
47:35
SPEAKER_00: It's you've guys I mean, just like you said, having New Orleans as the backdrop, but it's also there's so much in to do, and there's a lot of people who come and they kick it off with New Orleans Bourbon Festival, and then they'll stay the week down in New Orleans and see all the things for New Orleans.
47:53
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's it's we we see that a lot.
47:56
SPEAKER_01: We do.
47:57
SPEAKER_00: And and you definitely, I think you've covered all most of the stuff that that's going to happen.
48:06
SPEAKER_00: But I mean, I know this.
48:07
SPEAKER_00: What happens is the people down there that you get down there, what's great is to where it's different.
48:16
SPEAKER_00: If you're in Bargetown and all the people from Kentucky at a festival, a lot of them live there.
48:21
SPEAKER_00: And they are they'll go they at night they go home and they do it.
48:25
SPEAKER_00: It's just another's day day's job.
48:28
SPEAKER_00: But the people that come down to New Orleans, it's like they're almost like it's not only do they do the festival, but then they experience all the stuff that you have to offer in afterwards, and you see a lot of that type of stuff.
48:42
SPEAKER_00: Is Michael Veach gonna be with you guys this year?
48:46
SPEAKER_00: No, not this year.
48:47
SPEAKER_00: Not this year, and you haven't lured or you haven't Fred Minnick, you haven't been able to lure him down because you know it's like you I know how Fred works.
49:00
SPEAKER_07: Fred Fred came one year.
49:01
SPEAKER_07: We have we've had Fred here.
49:03
SPEAKER_07: The issue for Fred, and him and I talk all the time.
49:06
SPEAKER_07: In fact, him and I were texting yesterday, it's his anniversary this weekend, the same weekend.
49:13
SPEAKER_07: So, you know, he doesn't want to work on his anniversary weekend.
49:17
SPEAKER_07: It's a promise he made to his wife.
49:18
SPEAKER_00: And and also the other part of the weekend, if everybody's down in New Orleans, you know that it starts March madness.
49:26
SPEAKER_00: It's the weekend.
49:27
SPEAKER_00: Yes, and yeah, so it's like everywhere you go at nighttime, when you're at New Orleans Bourbon Festival, you will see a basketball game.
49:36
SPEAKER_07: Well, there was one year when Fred uh Noah was here.
49:39
SPEAKER_07: He he asked me to get a TV for his booth so he could watch the Kentucky games during the middle of the festival.
49:45
SPEAKER_00: And I did it.
49:46
SPEAKER_00: We put a we put a TV in the booth.
49:48
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
49:50
SPEAKER_00: Hey Matt, do you have any questions for Tracy?
49:57
SPEAKER_04: I was just wondering how to we're gonna get there to make sure we get stuff because I know we're gonna forget for a while, because that's usually how we work.
50:05
SPEAKER_04: I feel like this is gonna be a blast.
50:07
SPEAKER_04: I've only ever been to New Orleans once in my life, so I feel like this is gonna be a killer.
50:11
SPEAKER_07: Well, we're we're even I've only been to Cleveland once.
50:16
SPEAKER_04: Next time you come down, you gotta come and see me.
50:18
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, I want to get up and go to Rock Road Hall of Fame.
50:21
SPEAKER_07: I haven't I haven't done that.
50:22
SPEAKER_00: Just do it in the in the summertime.
50:25
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, do we have a few more?
50:26
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, get a relief.
50:28
SPEAKER_00: That's right on the lake.
50:29
SPEAKER_00: Get a relief from the heat of New Orleans and come up, and then when you do, let us know because I'm about an hour away from Matt, and Matt's what 20 minutes from the Hall of Fame.
50:42
SPEAKER_00: That's right.
50:44
SPEAKER_07: We've got one of our best friends that lives in Columbus.
50:47
SPEAKER_07: And then we've got some friends that live, I believe it's Medina.
50:51
SPEAKER_00: That's yes.
50:52
SPEAKER_07: That's 20 minutes that way.
50:54
SPEAKER_07: Not even that.
50:56
SPEAKER_07: So we're uh they've all they keep inviting us to come up to Putin Bay.
51:01
SPEAKER_07: They have a home there.
51:04
SPEAKER_04: Oh, that's awesome.
51:05
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we go twice a year.
51:09
SPEAKER_00: That's like being that that's as close to Hopkins when you come here, right?
51:14
unknown: Right.
51:16
SPEAKER_04: You go down to Hopkins when you come here, right?
51:19
SPEAKER_07: What is that?
51:22
SPEAKER_07: Our airport?
51:22
SPEAKER_07: The airport.
51:23
SPEAKER_07: No, no, I don't know.
51:24
SPEAKER_07: Last time I flew into Columbus and drove over there.
51:28
SPEAKER_07: Oh, I I had I was it was a work thing.
51:31
SPEAKER_07: I flew into Columbus and I drove all over the place working.
51:34
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
51:36
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, no, he lives basically.
51:40
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna sp I'm gonna go up Wednesday night next Wednesday night.
51:44
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go, I'm gonna hang out with him probably, and then uh we'll get a couple hours of sleep and wake up at three o'clock so we can get but his basically we're convincing one of his friends to drive us what two miles down the road, and that's where the airport is from his house.
52:03
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
52:04
SPEAKER_00: Four minutes out of the road.
52:06
SPEAKER_00: Yep, yep.
52:07
SPEAKER_04: So from the Brown Stadium to the end of my street right by the airport.
52:11
SPEAKER_04: Oh, are they?
52:15
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so it's gonna be super packed if you're ever down here after the Brown Stadium comes.
52:19
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, just don't fly on a Sunday.
52:22
SPEAKER_07: Being an LSU guy, we're uh we know we're more on the Bengals side these days.
52:29
SPEAKER_07: With Joe and Jamar.
52:31
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but but Matt's not a football fan, so he he's not he don't care either way.
52:37
SPEAKER_00: No, and I'm from I'm originally I'm from Wisconsin, so I'm a Packer fan.
52:43
SPEAKER_00: And I like the Bengals and Browns equally here in Ohio.
52:47
SPEAKER_07: Hey, we we drove to Green Bay for an LSG, Wisconsin game.
52:52
SPEAKER_07: From New Orleans, we drove up there.
52:54
SPEAKER_00: That's a hike.
52:56
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
52:57
SPEAKER_00: It wasn't a fun return after we lost.
53:00
SPEAKER_00: I went to a game.
53:02
SPEAKER_00: I went to the Favre's last game as a Packer against the Giants in the NFC Championship in 2007.
53:08
SPEAKER_00: It was two degrees.
53:10
SPEAKER_00: The walk to the car absolutely sucked.
53:14
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it was like so cold.
53:17
SPEAKER_00: They lost, and it sucked.
53:20
SPEAKER_07: Losing it wasn't it wasn't that cold yet when we were up there.
53:23
SPEAKER_07: Uh but we did get to go on the field and and walk on the frozen tundra.
53:27
SPEAKER_07: That was nice.
53:29
SPEAKER_00: So do you cut and so um the the amount of single barrels for the festival is that's cut you have cut that down compared to the 2024 when you had a multiple amount?
53:41
SPEAKER_07: We we we have just for a couple of different reasons, when we used to do you know 15, 20 barrels at a time, we we sold them at the local retailers as well.
53:54
SPEAKER_07: And that kind of went away where we're because we we weren't able to bring any money in for the charity when we did it that way.
54:01
unknown: Yep.
54:01
SPEAKER_07: So now when we still every bottle anyone buys at the festival, the the proceeds of that barrel bottle go to the charity.
54:08
SPEAKER_07: Okay, so that that's one of the reasons you occasionally we'll sell some stuff through retailers, you know, a few cases here or there, but yeah, if they don't if they don't do it uh ourselves.
54:22
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it makes sense.
54:22
SPEAKER_00: You gotta move it at one point if it doesn't all move.
54:25
SPEAKER_00: Right.
54:26
SPEAKER_00: But all right, well, that that makes sense.
54:28
SPEAKER_00: And um people can go right to the New Orleans Bourbon Festival website and reserve their bottles.
54:33
SPEAKER_00: If you're at the festival, you can pick it up there.
54:36
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, you have to.
54:37
SPEAKER_07: Well, the only way you can get it is to pick it up at the festival.
54:40
SPEAKER_07: We can we do not ship.
54:41
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
54:42
SPEAKER_07: So it's really a courtesy for everyone who's coming to be able to reserve their bottles.
54:46
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so you actually have to be to reserve the bottle, you gotta be coming to the festival.
54:51
SPEAKER_00: You gotta be a part of the festival.
54:52
SPEAKER_00: It's not like the general public can just buy it.
54:55
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
54:56
SPEAKER_00: And and and if that does, if all of them don't sell, that's when you release to the gener you'll release it to a store for the general public.
55:03
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
55:04
SPEAKER_07: Total times, yes.
55:05
SPEAKER_07: Lately the like four roses, but we had two cases left last year.
55:09
SPEAKER_07: There was no need to right, right.
55:11
SPEAKER_07: You know, we use we'll we'll use that stuff for like we'll do gift baskets for charities, fundraisers, and you know, we'll put some of our barrel picks in those baskets.
55:21
SPEAKER_07: You know, we do some men's clubs with some of the high schools, the dad's clubs, and we do a tasting for the dad's club for our girls' high school here, and then we we'll do we'll give away those bottles in a raffle or something.
55:33
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, if we do, if I do a barrel pick, I've I've got a I'll have a certain amount, whatever, and it just makes for just great.
55:42
SPEAKER_00: There's so many different ways you can use those bottles and without you're not selling them or anything.
55:48
SPEAKER_00: You're just basically just as a green.
55:51
SPEAKER_00: You you hand out fun.
55:54
SPEAKER_07: Yes.
55:55
SPEAKER_07: Well, and and us being a charity as well.
55:58
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, it's another way we can help other charities by putting baskets together with tickets to the festival and bottles.
56:05
SPEAKER_07: They can uh they can raffle off for their charity.
56:08
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
56:10
SPEAKER_00: So that's that's uh I mean, I'm after talking to you and understanding how this is going, I can't wait to see you guys on you know next Thursday.
56:21
SPEAKER_00: When we come in, we'll we'll just check into the hotel and come on down.
56:25
SPEAKER_00: That's what we'll do right once once we're there.
56:27
SPEAKER_07: So yeah, we'll we'll be there working still on Thursday.
56:31
SPEAKER_07: You know, Barbara's got the tasting for the VIP, ultimate VIP's going on.
56:35
SPEAKER_07: The rest of us is still getting everything ready to start, open the doors on Friday.
56:40
SPEAKER_00: All right, so so if you got a couple more minutes, I'll end this podcast on on the audio, but it's always sometimes people will jump on.
56:49
SPEAKER_00: I I offer it up to ask a few questions.
56:52
SPEAKER_00: Would you be one I have a few more minutes?
56:55
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so let me just finish this up.
56:58
SPEAKER_00: You you're good, Matt?
57:00
SPEAKER_00: You you got all your stuff in so far?
57:03
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I was just saying, I was just gonna ask you a question while you're adding people in, but you want to put out the zoom thing?
57:08
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'll put out the zoom thing.
57:11
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
57:11
SPEAKER_04: All right.
57:12
SPEAKER_04: Is there one place that you can tell us to go where we can get a belt beer from down there that we wouldn't have anywhere around here?
57:20
SPEAKER_07: So that's a difficult question for me to answer since I I only drink Miller Highlight.
57:26
SPEAKER_07: Uh there are several beer, really nice breweries around where we're gonna be.
57:35
SPEAKER_07: So at least definitely with within Uber rides from where we are.
57:40
SPEAKER_07: Port Orleans, which is owned by a former New Orleans St.
57:43
SPEAKER_07: player.
57:44
SPEAKER_07: Urban South is down not far from where we're gonna be.
57:47
SPEAKER_07: Um, so there there are some good breweries around the city where you should be able to find some nice beers.
57:53
SPEAKER_07: Some good local stuff.
57:56
SPEAKER_00: Sounds good.
57:57
SPEAKER_00: There you go.
58:00
SPEAKER_00: All right, everybody, real quick.
58:02
SPEAKER_00: So throw out the website for everybody there, Tracy.
58:06
SPEAKER_07: It's www.neworleinsburbonfestival.com.
58:11
SPEAKER_00: That's easy.
58:12
SPEAKER_00: You go there.
58:12
SPEAKER_00: Are our tickets all sold out, or are there more tickets at the moment?
58:16
SPEAKER_07: There are tickets available.
58:18
SPEAKER_00: All right.
58:18
SPEAKER_07: We are tomorrow ends the sale to the sale and dinner tickets and and the ghost tours.
58:25
SPEAKER_07: We're gonna turn our numbers into the tour company and to the restaurants so they know exactly how many that they're seating.
58:31
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
58:32
SPEAKER_00: And then as far as the festival, there's still tickets left.
58:35
SPEAKER_00: People can get some tickets.
58:37
SPEAKER_07: There's still tickets available for the festival.
58:38
SPEAKER_00: All right, everybody.
58:39
SPEAKER_00: I mean, honestly, you want to meet us down, we're gonna be down there.
58:43
SPEAKER_00: Tracy and Barbara is gonna be down there.
58:46
SPEAKER_00: They uh they're always running around.
58:48
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's it's it's they are just as much of a part of the festival.
58:53
SPEAKER_00: It's kind of like there, it's like the festival, as the festival goes on, you can just tell that they're enjoying what's happening.
59:02
SPEAKER_00: They're there, you might have to fix a few problems, but overall, you guys enjoy the festival pretty well, right?
59:09
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's just like you're what what dinners are you going to?
59:14
SPEAKER_07: What we do is we bounce around from everything saying hello.
59:17
SPEAKER_07: So you'll see us at Brassa for the Dark Arts Dinner, and then we'll show up at the the Delic at Delacro for the Four Roses Dinner, and then we'll show up at the different events because we like to go thank the restaurants for hosting us.
59:31
SPEAKER_07: We like to go thank the brand for sponsoring and having the dinners, and we like to see our guests that are here enjoying the festival.
59:39
SPEAKER_00: And definitely the the seeing the guests.
59:42
SPEAKER_00: I I have to say, when I was down there, we even pulled a podcast off right in the middle of the day last year.
59:49
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, we went in a boardroom at the hotel.
59:51
SPEAKER_00: Yep, there you go.
59:52
SPEAKER_00: So, anyways, all right, we're www.scotchybourbonboys.com for all things scotchy bourbon boys.
59:58
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1:00:18
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