One thousand, eight hundred, and twenty-five days. Five years. That’s a long time, but it has come (and gone) in the blink of an eye. Today - this day - marks five years of Joseph Bourbon and the bourbon blog. Five years ago, with a bit of cajoling from daughter #2 (you may know her better as my silent partner in our 2-Minute Tasting videos) encouraged me to start sharing my love of bourbon, history, and culture with the community.
Over the past 1,800+ days, we’ve shared content on distillery tours, bourbon tastings, delicious recipes, lifestyle, fast horses, whiskey business, bourbon lore and history. And in all of it, I hope that guests and visitors gain and appreciate a love of this native American spirit.
We began five years ago with some interesting pairings (Girl Scout Cookies and bourbon) and telling the story of where it all began for me - at Woodford Reserve. Over the years, we’ve made countless new friends on tours and guided tastings. We’ve swept in family members, in-laws, friends, and neighbors. This past year, daughter #1 married (and you found me working the bar at the reception) and we took my bourbon buddy and son-in-law #2 back to where it all began at Woodford Reserve. Over time, even Mrs. Joseph Bourbon has enjoyed the tours, the history, the food, and the bourbon tastings. And she has a knack for finding really good bourbons, as her liking to the bourbon rises directly in correlation with the price.
During the past year, we once again enjoyed watching fast horses while slow-sipping bourbon at Keeneland Racetrack for the spring and fall meets. We added a couple more tours to our list of distilleries, making visits to Lux Row and Log Still Distillery. We continued to drop-in and visit some of our favorite distillery stops in Kentucky, picking up allocated bourbons, limited releases, and catching some photo opps and extended conversations with Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame members Jimmy Russell and Freddie Johnson.
Locally, we discovered some new, small towns to purchase some great [new to us] bourbons, and we tried some new bourbons including a couple of great releases from Green River, Casey Jones, and Holladay. My bourbon-hunting daughters discovered some unique and tasty finds, including Copper and Kings and Kentucky Owl. And I uncovered a couple new bourbons while shopping for a wedding reception with Wolcott Bottled-in-Bond and First Call Double Oak.
Throughout the year, I continued to share my passion and love of bourbon lore through guided tastings and events (if you’re interested, you can find more information here). We delivered several sessions at a local store, including a Taste of the Trace (highlighting Buffalo Trace products). We ended the year helping out our local FFA chapter with a fundraising event titled History in a Glass, sharing how the American farmer, history, and whiskey are all woven together. For 2024, we’re adding to our Certified Bourbon Steward designation, when in April, we’ll be headed to Louisville, Kentucky to complete the Executive Bourbon Steward program.
In summary, life (and this blog) is a journey - not a destination. While it’s about bourbon, it’s more about the people we meet and the experiences we have along the way. There will always be more, good, well-aged bourbon. But us - we’re the fragile piece. So, sit back, enjoy the day, and enjoy the company you’re with, and sip the good stuff nice and slow. Celebrate with me as we enjoy another trip around the sun.
