#7 Ezra Brooks (W)
vs.
#10 Banker’s Club (L)
Recorded on May 20th, 2018, in Nate’s studio
©Lil’ Lee Photography
We aren’t experts–or connoisseurs or authorities or savants or aficionados. We definitely aren’t doing things the “right way.”
We just had a question, and we’re finding the answer. The knowledge we are gaining through this process is staggering–about bourbon, but also about podcasting and hosting a website. Our old teachers were right–learning CAN be fun!
It’s fun–it’s a hobby. And we’re gonna keep doing it.
Scroll through the post to see some additional information about things (and stuff) we talked about during the episode.
**Corrections to the podcast are below. Oops!**
Episode Notes
- Here’s Danica Patrick doing her car stuff.
- The Royal Wedding really was beautiful. So is this Bad Lip Reading.
- Look at all these hyperlinks. LOOK AT THEM.
- Seriously, these glasses are pretty cool.
- More info on the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897. Our Ezra Brooks is NOT “Bottled in Bond”, however.
- Nate’s Yeti tumbler looked like this before he covered it up with spray paint.
- Bourbon really does have a very specific definition. And it does have the most narrow definition, in an effort to control quality and assist in exporting.
- There are quite a few bourbons that can be described as leathery. We like this word.
- “The spins” are a real thing when drinking.
- Here’s the book Matt was talking about. “Bourbon: A History of the American Spirit” by Dane Huckelbridge.
- The colonists in Jamestown really did resort to cannibalism. Probably because they didn’t have any booze.
- George Thorpe is credited as the first one to make whiskey from corn–“Indian corn”, in fact.
- The government controls the distillation of spirits, such as bourbon, and the regulations are updated often.
- The act Matt was referring to was actually a resolution by congress in 1964.
- The maximum proof at which you can distill bourbon is 160 proof, or 80%. You can’t buy it like that.
- Nugget hops is a good one. And hops really does grow up to 30 ft. high.
- Matt asked “What is rye?” Not his best question. However…here is rye. And it’s used for lots of stuff.
- Oldest distilling license for Laird Distillery–this is the only info we found, without citation. Matt has a problem with this–the department of treasury wasn’t created until 1789, so how could they issue it in 1780?
- Matt’s reaction to the Banker’s Club reminded us of this –> Michael Scott liked Splenda in his scotch.
- Rachael Ray says you can use alcohol to kill weeds. Maybe Banker’s Club could be used for that.
- Bourbon has no age requirement. However, straight bourbon must be aged a minimum of two years. Anything less than 4 years must be printed on the bottle.
- Sour mash process, explained better than Matt did.
- Old Crow’s mash bill the same as Jim Beam, but the barrels are a bit different.
- Jim Beam is the best selling bourbon in the world–but is still only the third largest whiskey in sales, behind Jack Daniels (#1) and Suntory (#2).
- Nate’s ribeye steak reverse seared explained.
- Mesquite wood is a good wood.
- There is a place in the Yukon Territory where you can do a shot with a toe.
- The British do not call commoners “mongrels”, but there were and still are rules for marrying them. However, there is a bit of evidence that suggests that during the American Revolution, the Brits did call the colonialists “mongrels”–and Meghan Markle is American. (Nate really did not know who she was at all.)
- Prince Harry was born September 15, 1984. (He’s actually a bit younger than both Matt and Nate.)
- Phil Collen is the guitar player for Def Leppard. Phil Collins is the drummer. Neither are the guy that follows us on Twitter.
- Here’s a really good list of all the distilleries in Kentucky.
- Marc did actually show up a few seconds after we finished recording. He also dumped out his Banker’s Club.
Site Mentions in the Episode
- The Word Whiskey
- The Bourbon Enthusiast
- The Bourbon Guy (the “other bracket” site)
**Corrections**
(what we said vs. what we should have said)
- Bourbon is NOT the only federally regulated spirit. There are many others.
- NOT all Tennessee whiskey is bourbon. However, most are–but they do require an extra step: maple charcoal filtration after distillation.
Technical Notes
We recorded this episode on a Blue Yeti Pro microphone. We had it set to cardioid pickup pattern. Will probably try the omni when we have 3 or more people. The quality was better than the last one, but the gain was probably turned up a bit too far. Going to try to turn it down to eliminate extra background. Nate’s studio is amazingly quiet, with little echo.
The podcast was recorded directly into–and edited using–Audacity, a free open-source audio editing software. It served our purposes and worked well.