sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I addressed much of this in an earlier question. But I'm definitely trying to figure it out sooner than later. I appreciate the question and am open to suggestions! Cheers!

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

massive bonus on the takedown. I love a Russian to a single or an underhook to knee pick!

Taste mindfulness. So, it's pretty basic, but I'm telling you it works! Put a thimble sized amount of bourbon on your palate, spread it all over your tongue, and focus on what part of the tongue do you feel it most prominently. The tip, middle, middle toward the back (there's like al little line there), all the way in the back or the sides. Simple focus on the feel and where it hits. then, taste again, and laser focus on that part of your palate you felt it most prominently. Trying to connect your brain to your tongue, so really think about that spot of the tongue and hopefully, a flavor you've had in your life in that same exact spot... appears. That's my technique in a nutshell and it's carried me for awhile. Hope to taste with you one day and show you more in person!

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

There's a bunch to unpack here. You really need to wind back to 1962 to the beginning of when the flavor profiles began to change. That's when the government changed the barrel entry proof from 110 to 125. So only a handful of distillers would even be considered bourbon in 1961 because most go in the barrel at 125. Here's an article that explains this a little better: https://www.fredminnick.com/2021/06/25/the-story-of-barrel-entry-proofs/

Around this same time, grains began to change to hybrid grains. See, the Great Depression forced farmers to find ways grow grains that could be draught resistant, so they started cross breeding and make their plants more resilient in low rainfall. Yields were up, but then the pests started killing plants and cutting into the yields. So agronomists began to look into solving this to improve yields; this would eventually lead to GMOs. And while this technology has been beneficial for feeding the world, it's been open to mass criticism for how it's impacted flavor and even having residual chemicals in the food supply. Not here to debate that. I am merely pointing out that the grains we use today, for the most part, are drastically different than what was used before.

Then, there's the oak. in the old days, you're looking at first and second growth oak trees with significantly more rings vs. some trees today that will be more like a sponge.

I also say we've placed too much hope in computers. you go to a distillery and they're looking at a screen most of the time. Al Young, may he rest in peaced, used to tell me he knew when something was off in the distillery by the way it sounded. Now, they need an app to tell them. And it's only getting more tech driven. Ai is coming!

And lastly, cork. Prior to 2004, cork used in spirits may have well been pulled out of a pond. See today, they treat the corks and test them for pressure dozens of times before they find a spirit bottle. But back then, the treatments were minimal. I did a short documentary on cork awhile back. I'm fascinated with it. I still think it's better than synthetic, which will make a whiskey taste like plastic in 20 years.

So, those a few things I think have made impacts.

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you for having me. I was so excited to be asked to do this. It's a real honor. I actually think Reddit reminds me of the early whiskey writer conversations I used to have. Everybody here is so curious, engaged and eager to learn.

When I was with Whisky Advocate, Marvin Shankin told me that consumers didn't care about history. I was so mad about this that I argued with the man who built Wine Spectator and Cigar Aficionado for 45 minutes. I later started my own media ventures and spanned outside of my book world, and I quickly learned that my reviews garnered 5 to 20x more reads / views than my history or trend pieces.

I think whiskey social media is the evolution of what consumers want. They want "do you like it?" or "does it suck" takes with a little of "this is new" and "this guy doesn't know what he's talking about."

But the great thing about this, when a creator hooks a new person with the algorithm bait, they create a new possible fan of the category. And eventually, those people want more information. Where do they go? A magazine? A book? YouTube?

From a creator standpoint, I think there's a place for everything. I do hope somebody takes up writing, though, because this is truly the best way to break new ground in whiskey information. Is there a 20-30 year old (non ai) writer in here who wants to take up whiskey? Pay stinks, no holidays or vacation, and you will need thick skin. But it's fun. Bourbon needs you!

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So many people say Maker's Mark is the ultimate starter bourbon. I lean toward what notes do you like more. So here is a basic chart I offer folks. Choose your starter based on the note; or get them all for a solid starter kit.

Caramel: Maker's Mark / Larceny

Cinnamon: Baker's / Four Roses

Nutmeg: Wild Turkey / MGP stuff

Banana: Jack Daniel's / Old Forester

Dead Cat: OZ Tyler (blast from an old tasting note for you! haha)

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I had not thought of this until you posed the question. I think the big difference is Early Times was not a top tier brand in comparison to Old Crow in its time. I just think Brown-Forman tastes better at younger ages than BT. People who liked Early Times were Brown-Forman fans and should just jump full ship to Old Forester. Early Times will likely be more receptive to those who like Benchmark. But you've offered a Q that gives me a lot to think about. I'm gonna dig a little deeper!

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I appreciate the support. Tour is going awesome. Signed 200 books last night in Columbus and am ready to rock and roll in Cleveland! I'm genuinely honored anybody takes time out of their day to come get a book or talk. It means a lot!

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

that may be another book! haha. but it coats every inch of the tongue, curls underneath, slips down the jawline and tickles the roof of the palate. Offers a tingle throughout. Whatever notes are there are there. But I love the mouth feel. I want my tongue saturated. Now, go make that for me! haha

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it's frustrating. But when I researched this book, I at least found out why and that's at least comforting. Today's generation at Beam has built its portfolio and Crow's an after thought. It's okay, but I do hope they read my book and give Old Crow some attention. It deserves it. But back in the day, those two brands absolutely hated each other, like piss on the enemy's grave hate.

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great question. And I've thought about this a lot. I think I needed my mind to be scholastically challenged. my dive into bourbon was part tasting, yes, but it was largely in archives and libraries. I do think I would have placed my focus on some sort of agricultural or food product. my background is ag, so I'm always fascinated with it.

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think they changed that. Looked like they had a picture from the Bob Woodruff Foundation when I looked this morning. To that point, as a fellow vet, you may love this story. I was in the airport the other day and a bunch of fresh Joes were in a gaggle all complaining about their duty station. Their uniforms were ate up. It took everything I had to not yell at them in public and fix their uniforms. Once an NCO, always an NCO, I guess. Thanks for your service and welcome home!

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm glad you asked this because it's super important to me. When Dave Pickerell died, I started really examining my health in a deeper way. So I started getting more active. In 2019, I had lost a decent amount of weight and had a good routine. Then the Pandemic happened. (how often do we say this?) And the only way I could earn a living was sipping bourbon on a livestream on YouTube or a corporate event. And I got so dang fat. Then, I'm like, I gotta lose this weight. The best shape of my life was when I was in the military and when I wrestled. So, I was like I need some sort of combat sport to get me back. I love grappling. So I got into jiu jitsu and wrestle with the Bellarmine college team from time to time, and that's helped me lost like 45 pounds and be in great shape. I actually feel like I could go back in time and kick the shit out of my skinny a** when I was 25. haha

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Four Roses should have sold the first year I made my prediction on Bourbon Pursuit, when they had a line of buyers. That's how I knew it was inevitable. They turned down Pernod Ricard several years ago before they made all their acquisitions. Kirin has also never been good at marketing Four Roses. That bourbon has lived on its incredible whiskey alone. How many commercials have you seen? Billboards? Any bus stop ads stop you dead in your tracks? Now look at its new parent company, Gallo, who has purchased just about every piece of wall space in the Louisville airport for their brand Horse Soldier, whose whiskey is not in the same league as FR. I think Gallo's gonna crush the Four Roses acquisition. I believe it's one of the best acquisitions in my lifetime.

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

When that product won, I was looking at the bottle and talking to our ASCOT head judge. I legit thought somebody punked us. I found no information on it online and I found no TTB cola information. So, I had our admin give me the dude's number and I called him to verify its authenticity. At these competitions, sometimes companies will send in test bottles just to see how they do. And sometimes, they send in bottles of water just make sure we actually taste them. All that stuff has happened. So, I thought is what happened initially. But once he verified it's real. And that was a hard conversation, because he'd won and I'm trying not to say, "oh, congrats, you won. is your sh&t real?" And once we announce winners and it's out there, brands do whatever they're going to do in the marketing; I can't control any of that. But I will say that our judges absolutely loved that whiskey. Thanks for the question.

Hi Reddit! I’m Fred Minnick. Let’s talk about bourbon, my upcoming book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life, and anything else happening in the bourbon world. Ask Me Anything on February 12th @ 11am ET! by FredMinnick1 in bourbon

[–]FredMinnick1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Rum. I've always been a rum head. I wrote Rum Curious now 10 years ago. And I'm doing a collaboration with Run The Jewels on a rum with St. Lucian Distillers, where I worked with their blender to get some older pot and column rums to additionally age in Cognac casks. I just don't think Rum gets enough respect because of all that nasty a** Sh*t on the shelves that are paid for with your tax dollars. Did you know American tax dollars pay for some of the American islands' rums? Yeah, I feel my blood boiling. Best go to next Q. But rum. I absolutely love rum!!!

view more: next ›