Bourbon Lens
We’re joined by multi-Platinum country music artist, Dierks Bentley, in this special episode of Bourbon Lens. Dierks recently wrapped up his Gravel & Gold Tour and is firmly planted back in Nashville preparing for his next album. We had the privilege to sit down with Dierks to talk about his newest project, Row 94 Whiskey. Row 94 is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey distilled at the historic Green River Distilling Company. Dierks aims for Row 94 to be the bourbon you reach for when you’re enjoying a night with friends, listening to live music, or pouring a whiskey...
info_outline 301: Restoration and History with Cook’s Mill Whiskey Founder Jason QueenBourbon Lens
On a recent trip to Myrtle Beach we crossed paths with Jason Queen as he was working to promote his bourbon in South Carolina. Jason shared a bit of history with us and a whiskey too. That chance meeting and conversation inspired this latest episode of the Bourbon Lens Podcast. Jason, a serial entrepreneur and conservationist purchased Cook’s Mill, an old grist mill in order to restore this once thriving mill. That goal set him on a path to creating a whiskey that is focused paying homage to North Carolina’s past. Sit back and buckle in for the latest episode of the...
info_outline 300: Celebrating a New Milestone with Birthday Bourbon at Old ForesterBourbon Lens
We are celebrating a BIG milestone this week as we release the 300th Episode of Bourbon Lens. Old Forester and Brown-Forman were gracious enough to invite Jake and Scott to Whiskey Row to celebrate. Bourbon Lens is joined by Melissa Rift and Caleb Trigo from Old Forester to discuss the historic brand, its legacy and future, and to toast our milestone with the 2024 Edition of Birthday Bourbon. We couldn’t think of a better choice for celebrating this milestone episode and thank the team at Brown-Forman and Old Forester for their support all these years. As we celebrate this...
info_outline 299: Building the Best 5 Bottle American Whiskey BarBourbon Lens
It’s the question that every whiskey enthusiast has been asked: What’s the one bottle of whiskey you keep on your bar? Since one bottle clearly wouldn’t make a great podcast, we decided to up the ante a bit and decided to build the Ultimate 5 Bottle American Whiskey Bar. Jake and Scott run through how they would build their whiskey bar if only afforded 5 slots. We’ve given ourselves criteria in hopes of finding a bottle for every niche and occasion. We run through our choices for 1) best everyday whiskey, 2) best cocktail whiskey, 3) high proof whiskey, 4) Top Shelf...
info_outline 298: The Most Exciting New Whiskey Releases for Fall 2024Bourbon Lens
It’s been a wild season of new whiskey and bourbon releases and we’re catching up on some of the ones you may have missed. The press releases have been coming in fast and furious of late and Bourbon Lens is doing our best to keep you abreast of all the news. We recap some of the most exciting releases from the heritage Kentucky distilleries, the best distilleries both inside and outside of Kentucky, and even some celebrity brands that have the whiskey world talking. As always, be sure you’re following along at BourbonLens.com for all the latest news and notes of the whiskey world. ...
info_outline 297: Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2024 Recap and Planning for Next YearBourbon Lens
Scott and Jake sit down to debrief after a long weekend at the We discuss some of our favorite pours and experiences from yet another memorable Festival. We must give a shoutout to our AirBnB housemates who joined us to celebrate and to all our listeners who introduced themselves over the weekend. We wrap up this recap episode with some tips to consider as you plan your trip to the . Thank you to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, its board and staff, and Estes PR for inviting us to the Festival to cover the events and festivities of the weekend. Image Credit: We are thankful for your...
info_outline 296: Our Trip to New Riff Distilling with Jay ErismanBourbon Lens
Scott and Jake travel to Newport Kentucky to visit New Riff Distilling and sit down with co-founder Jay Erisman. We kick back inside the Aquifer Bar to discuss New Riff’s history, their whiskey portfolio, and what’s ahead now that the distillery recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. In this episode, we taste New Riff Bottled in Bond Bourbon, Silver Grove Bourbon, Malted Rye, and their 8 Year Bourbon. Stay tuned to Bourbon Lens for more coverage of New Riff coming soon, including their second batch of Kentucky Single Malt and their Whisky NRD tasting courses currently...
info_outline 295: Four Roses New Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon for 2024Bourbon Lens
We continue our coverage for Bourbon Heritage Month as we explore Four Roses Bourbon, including their new . We are joined by Brent Elliott, Master Distiller for Four Roses Bourbon Distillery. We discuss Brent’s process for crafting this limited edition bourbon, the , the distillery’s commitment to quality and tradition, and the recent announcement of an expansion of the Four Roses Bourbon recipe lineup. What is your favorite Four Roses recipe or release? About Four Roses: Established in 1888, Four Roses combines two mashbills with five proprietary yeast strains to distill...
info_outline 294: James B. Beam Distilling Co. is Celebrating a Big MilestoneBourbon Lens
We’re kicking off National Bourbon Heritage Month with one of the legendary distilleries of Kentucky Bourbon. We’ve traveled to James B. Beam Distilling Co. to chat about the Homeplace, located in Clermont, Kentucky and their 90th year at that location. Alex Bowie, Director of Homeplace Experience at James B. Beam Distilling Co. sits down with Jake and Scott inside the Historic Beam House. We discuss how Beam has evolved its Homeplace over the last 90 years, the importance of adapting to the evolving bourbon tourist, and some of the innovations coming from this historic...
info_outline 293: Heaven's Door Whiskey and The Last RefugeBourbon Lens
We travel to The Last Refuge in Louisville’s NuLu neighborhood to visit the future brand home of Heaven’s Door Whiskey. We are joined by Adam Edwards, National Brand Ambassador, to discuss the inspiration behind the brand, Bob Dylan’s art and music, and their portfolio of whiskeys. We are thankful for your support over the last 5 years. We must give the biggest shoutout to our growing Patreon Community of supporters! As always, we'd appreciate it if you would take a few minutes time to give us feedback on Bourbon Lens podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5...
info_outlineBlue Run has experienced a lot of growth and success in the time since we last spoke with them on Episode 115. Their recognizable bottle and butterfly branding has helped propel their premium whiskies to the top shelf of many enthusiasts' bars. We catch up with Mike Montgomery and one of their newest team members, Shaylyn Gammon, to discuss the brand’s current position in the market and how they expect to continue to push the premium American Whiskey world.
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Cheers,
Scott and Jake
Bourbon Lens
Show Links:
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- Blue Run Spirits
- Bourbon Lens Episode 115: Blue Run Spirits - Tapping A Legend of the Bourbon World
- This mom-to-be helped create the Best American Whiskey of 2021 without ever trying it
ABOUT MIKE MONTGOMERY
Mike Montgomery is cofounder and CEO of Blue Run Spirits. Mike has spent the last few decades in public affairs consulting after working with California-based elected officials. Prior to his time in politics, he worked with the U.S. Canoe & Kayak team in Lake Placid, NY. He is a proud graduate of the University of Washington. Mike and his wife and daughter reside in Los Angeles.
ABOUT SHAYLYN GAMMON
Blue Run Spirits recently announced the hiring of Shaylyn Gammon as its first Whiskey Director. Gammon will drive the development and expansion of Blue Run’s whiskey portfolio.
Gammon joins Blue Run Spirits from Campari Group, where she managed product innovation projects across the company’s North American portfolio. Based in Kentucky, she worked closely with the Bourbon Hall of Fame duo of Jimmy and Eddie Russell on Wild Turkey whiskies, in particular brand extensions such as Master’s Keep, Rare Breed, Russell’s Reserve and Matthew McConaughey’s Longbranch.
Gammon’s work with the Russell’s has been widely lauded. Most recently, Russell's Reserve 13-Year-Old Bourbon was named the “Best American Whiskey of 2021” by world-renowned spirits critic and bourbon authority Fred Minnick. Double Gold Medal wins at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition include Longbranch, Rare Breed Rye, and Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Rye, which was also a finalist for Rye Whiskey of the Year at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge.
As Blue Run’s Whiskey Director, Gammon will work with the Blue Run team on the selection of sourced barrels for the company’s bourbon and rye releases, prepare the company’s private barrel selection program, and serve as a distillation apprentice to Blue Run Liquid Advisor Jim Rutledge. She will also work closely with the Blue Run team to strengthen and grow its comprehensive, long-term product and innovation strategy, tapping into her years of experience as a research and development scientist, and, of course, a huge whiskey fan.
In addition to Campari Group, Gammon’s experience includes AmeriQual Foods, YUM! Brands and Land O’Frost. She is a member of the Bourbon Women Association; Women of the Vine and Spirits; and Louisville Women Leaders and is a graduate of the University of Kentucky in food science.
ABOUT BLUE RUN SPIRITS
Blue Run Spirits was started in October 2020 and has since created seven whiskey releases – several with separate expressions in a single release, such as the recent 12 Days of Single Barrel High Rye Bourbon this past December.
The company’s releases have sold out in mere minutes and have received many accolades, including Blue Run 14-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon, which was awarded top honors at the prestigious 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition winning Best Small Batch Bourbon – 11 Years & Older, along with a Double Gold Medal. The company’s spring 2021 release, Blue Run 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon, was awarded Best Single Barrel Bourbon – 11 Years & Older, as well as a Double Gold Medal. Blue Run Kentucky Straight Golden Rye Whiskey was awarded a Gold Medal.
Find Blue Run Spirits online at www.bluerunspirits.com, and on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Blue Run Spirits is a new kind of spirits company, creating a unique luxury proposition by tapping into the deep heritage and craft that makes a truly great whiskey, then elevating it through a modern design and marketing lens to reach a younger, broader and more diverse whiskey drinker. The company’s founders include a Nike designer, the first director-level employee at Facebook, a hospitality executive, a political advisor, and a philanthropist – all huge whiskey fans and individuals who acutely understand how to build demand and buzz for a contemporary consumer product. They are backed by a team of advisors including Nike marketing experts; the Campari communications veteran behind Wild Turkey and the Aperol Spritz; a former spirits distributor; and others with deep industry experience. The Blue Run name is a nod to one of our founder’s upbringing in Georgetown, KY.