096 - Kentucky Bourbon Festival Recap 2025

We are continuing in our Pursuit University discussion we began in Episode 094. Herb Heneman, now an instructor at the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits at the University of Kentucky, teaches students about marketing and building a spirits brand from the ground up. Both Ryan and Kenny share a connection with Herb, and not long ago he invited Kenny to guest lecture for his class. The session covered a series of insightful questions about the industry, but unfortunately, it wasn’t recorded. In this two-part episode, we revisit those questions and the conversations they sparked from the inception of Bourbon Pursuit, through it’s now 10-year career, and how they’ve built a Spirits brand out of it.  We hit on: What advice would you have for someone starting a bourbon brand who is seeking to garner ‘earned’ media attention and PR? Does a new spirits brand need to be on every platform of social media or would they be better off focusing on one or two? You all are such an active part of the bourbon and spirits community. Talk about the importance and benefits of building such a strong network to a new brand. How did you decide to leverage the Pursuit platform to launch the brand? What the heck were you thinking? What were the biggest challenges in launching United? Did it save you a ton of money being both a media property AND an actual brand? How do you use this combination to sell? How critical are events like Pursuit Palooza, KBF, or Bourbon & Beyond to build a new brand? What is your take on awards and medals and how has it changed over the years? How focused should a new brand be on chasing these and how should they use them to drive sales? and much more. P.club by Pursuit Spirits puts you in the inner circle. As a member, you’ll unlock exclusive distillery-only releases, VIP access to live virtual tastings with Q&As, 10% off all merch and special perks. Whether you choose free doorstep delivery or distillery pickup, you’ll always be first in line for our newest drops. With a flexible cart and priority access to limited barrels, P.Club isn’t just a membership—it’s your all-access pass to Pursuit. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up today⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Come and see us at 722 W. Main Street! Be sure to visit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ pursuitspirits.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and click on Visit Us to book a tasting or barrel selection experience. For questions or topic requests on upcoming episodes, email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Another year, another festival recap! In this episode of Behind the Pursuit, we share our takeaways from the 2025 Kentucky Bourbon Festival. We dive into how our booth placement shaped the weekend, the activations we brought to the event (and a few others that caught our eye), and the trends we noticed across the festival floor. We also talk about the reception to our expanding lineup, from Cognac Rye to the Mellwood Collection, plus where we see room to keep pushing limited expressions to meet growing demand. All that and more in this year’s festival wrap-up! We hit on: 00:00 Welcome and Festival Recap 03:24 Kentucky Bourbon Festival Highlights 10:21 Sales and Community Engagement 17:31 Brand Observations and Future Trends 24:07 Exploring Craft Bourbon and Flagship Expressions 27:54 Consumer Experience and VIP Access at Bourbon Fest 30:45 Festival Layout and Vendor Interaction 34:20 New Releases and Trends in Bourbon 39:02 Accessibility and Consumer Preferences in Bourbon and much more. P.club by Pursuit Spirits puts you in the inner circle. As a member, you’ll unlock exclusive distillery-only releases, VIP access to live virtual tastings with Q&As, 10% off all merch and special perks. Whether you choose free doorstep delivery or distillery pickup, you’ll always be first in line for our newest drops. With a flexible cart and priority access to limited barrels, P.Club isn’t just a membership—it’s your all-access pass to Pursuit. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up today⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Come and see us at 722 W. Main Street! Be sure to visit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ pursuitspirits.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and click on Visit Us to book a tasting or barrel selection experience. For questions or topic requests on upcoming episodes, email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

“It’s been a whirlwind.” After three years of talking about it, we’re finally settling into our new home at 722 W. Main Street in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Today, we’re taking you back to that first walk-through in August of 2022, and reflecting on the journey that’s brought us here. From unforgettable experiences to limited releases, and yes, even our own little basement bar for when our wives kick us to the couch, there’s a lot to share at The Official Home of Bourbon. We hit on: 00:00 A Welcome to the New Pursuit Spirits Studio 02:41 The Journey of Opening 722 & Trial & Error Bar 05:31 Creating a Unique Bourbon Experience 08:44 The Vision Behind the Space 11:31 Navigating the Cocktail Bar Concept 14:35 Engaging with Tourists and Locals 17:32 Product Development and Future Releases 20:34 The Importance of Unique Offerings 23:43 Future Directions and much more. P.club by Pursuit Spirits puts you in the inner circle. As a member, you’ll unlock exclusive distillery-only releases, VIP access to live virtual tastings with Q&As, 10% off all merch and special perks. Whether you choose free doorstep delivery or distillery pickup, you’ll always be first in line for our newest drops. With a flexible cart and priority access to limited barrels, P.Club isn’t just a membership—it’s your all-access pass to Pursuit. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up today⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Come and see us at 722 W. Main Street! Be sure to visit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ pursuitspirits.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and click on Visit Us to book a tasting or barrel selection experience. For questions or topic requests on upcoming episodes, email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Herb Heneman, now an instructor at the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits at the University of Kentucky, teaches students about marketing and building a spirits brand from the ground up. Both Ryan and Kenny share a connection with Herb, and not long ago he invited Kenny to guest lecture for his class. The session covered a series of insightful questions about the industry, but unfortunately, it wasn’t recorded. In this two-part episode, we revisit those questions and the conversations they sparked from the inception of Bourbon Pursuit, through it’s now 10-year career, and how they’ve built a Spirits brand out of it.  We hit on: The numbers, and how BP has become “The Official Podcast of Bourbon” How and when did you start the podcast? Who have been some of your favorite guests? Any that were total disasters? Where and how do you record and how has this evolved over the years How do you decide topics for discussion? What makes a piece of content newsworthy for BP to talk about? How did you grow BP’s reach and get paced across different platforms like Apple, Pandora, iHeart and Spotify? and much more. P.club by Pursuit Spirits puts you in the inner circle. As a member, you’ll unlock exclusive distillery-only releases, VIP access to live virtual tastings with Q&As, 10% off all merch and special perks. Whether you choose free doorstep delivery or distillery pickup, you’ll always be first in line for our newest drops. With a flexible cart and priority access to limited barrels, P.Club isn’t just a membership—it’s your all-access pass to Pursuit. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up today⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Come and see us on Mellwood! Be sure to visit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ pursuitspirits.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and click on Visit Us to book a tasting or barrel selection experience. For questions or topic requests on upcoming episodes, email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

With the launch of Pursuit Spirits' new Cognac Rye, we're taking a step back to explore the product’s development and the broader journey of experimentation at Pursuit Spirits. From the early days of P.Club to the upcoming gift shop exclusives, we dive into how the brand approaches innovation in a world where opinions on finished whiskeys still vary widely. How do you know when a small-batch test is ready to scale? And in an industry where “nothing is new under the sun,” how do you continue to create something that feels fresh and exciting? In this episode, we unpack what it takes to move beyond experimentation and consistently deliver a great whiskey experience. P.club by Pursuit Spirits puts you in the inner circle. As a member, you’ll unlock exclusive distillery-only releases, VIP access to live virtual tastings with Q&As, 10% off all merch and special perks. Whether you choose free doorstep delivery or distillery pickup, you’ll always be first in line for our newest drops. With a flexible cart and priority access to limited barrels, P.Club isn’t just a membership—it’s your all-access pass to Pursuit. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up today⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Come and see us on Mellwood! Be sure to visit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ pursuitspirits.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and click on Visit Us to book a tasting or barrel selection experience. For questions or topic requests on upcoming episodes, email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Why do whiskey drinkers chase after marketed checkboxes - like age statements, mash bills, or bottle rarity - that don’t always guarantee quality, while overlooking great-tasting whiskey that may lack the same level of hype? Is the playbook always used? Are there products that break the cycle? What started as a casual conversation turned into today’s episode: a deep dive into the psychology of the whiskey consumer, and whether a bottle can truly "walk the walk" without the constant buzz of online enthusiasts. P.club by Pursuit Spirits puts you in the inner circle. As a member, you’ll unlock exclusive distillery-only releases, VIP access to live virtual tastings with Q&As, 10% off all merch and special perks. Whether you choose free doorstep delivery or distillery pickup, you’ll always be first in line for our newest drops. With a flexible cart and priority access to limited barrels, P.Club isn’t just a membership—it’s your all-access pass to Pursuit. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up today⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Come and see us on Mellwood! Be sure to visit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ pursuitspirits.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and click on Visit Us to book a tasting or barrel selection experience. For questions or topic requests on upcoming episodes, email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Another PursuitPalooza is in the books! Each year, the guys host a unique and immersive experience here in town for their listeners and fans. The event includes distillery tours, barrel picks, tastings, and social gatherings from relationships they’ve built over the years of running the podcast. This year, the event featured visits to Angel's Envy, Lux Row, and the new Heaven Hill Springs Distillery. Participants had the opportunity to taste rare and limited-edition whiskies, learn about the distillation process, and connect with fellow bourbon enthusiasts. The event also included a whole lot of Shebanging at the Pursuit HQ, as well as guests having their own Whiskey Quickie for Bourbon Pursuit from blind samples in the building. On today’s episode, we recap it all.  P.club by Pursuit Spirits puts you in the inner circle. As a member, you’ll unlock exclusive distillery-only releases, VIP access to live virtual tastings with Q&As, 10% off all merch and special perks. Whether you choose free doorstep delivery or distillery pickup, you’ll always be first in line for our newest drops. With a flexible cart and priority access to limited barrels, P.Club isn’t just a membership—it’s your all-access pass to Pursuit. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up today⁠⁠⁠⁠. Come and see us on Mellwood! Be sure to visit⁠⁠⁠⁠ pursuitspirits.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ and click on Visit Us to book a tasting or barrel selection experience. For questions or topic requests on upcoming episodes, email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠.

We know - Whiskey Row still isn’t open. But don’t worry, we’re just a “soft 30 days out.” Delays in buildouts are pretty much inevitable, but what does that really mean for the team, the experience, and the products at Pursuit Spirits? In this episode, we dig into how shifting timelines affect more than just the grand opening. We hit on: The Current Status of Downtown Challenges and Delays in the Project Impact of Delays on Business Operations Employee Management and Training Financial Projections and Revenue Loss Looking Ahead: Future Plans and Expectations and much more. P.club by Pursuit Spirits puts you in the inner circle. As a member, you’ll unlock exclusive distillery-only releases, VIP access to live virtual tastings with Q&As, 10% off all merch and special perks. Whether you choose free doorstep delivery or distillery pickup, you’ll always be first in line for our newest drops. With a flexible cart and priority access to limited barrels, P.Club isn’t just a membership—it’s your all-access pass to Pursuit. ⁠⁠⁠Sign up today⁠⁠⁠. Come and see us on Mellwood! Be sure to visit⁠⁠⁠ pursuitspirits.com⁠⁠⁠ and click on Visit Us to book a tasting or barrel selection experience. For questions or topic requests on upcoming episodes, email us at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠.

It's another solo episode today with Ryan, and we dive into the complexities of entrepreneurship, discussing the entrepreneurial mindset, the challenges anxiety can bring, and even the balance between content creation and business realities. We dig into the current state of the whiskey industry, financial stability, and navigating the ups and downs of business ownership. From maintaining a positive mindset to setting achievable goals, we end on the balance between personal fulfillment and family responsibilities, highlighting the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship. We hit on: Navigating anxiety in entrepreneurship The power of positive mindset Setting goals: small wins vs. big dreams Strategic planning in the whiskey industry The entrepreneurial drive and personal fulfillment Balancing family and business responsibilities and much more. P.club by Pursuit Spirits puts you in the inner circle. As a member, you’ll unlock exclusive distillery-only releases, VIP access to live virtual tastings with Q&As, 10% off all merch and special perks. Whether you choose free doorstep delivery or distillery pickup, you’ll always be first in line for our newest drops. With a flexible cart and priority access to limited barrels, P.Club isn’t just a membership—it’s your all-access pass to Pursuit. ⁠⁠Sign up today⁠⁠. Come and see us on Mellwood! Be sure to visit⁠⁠ pursuitspirits.com⁠⁠ and click on Visit Us to book a tasting or barrel selection experience. For questions or topic requests on upcoming episodes, email us at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠.

Six months ago (back on Episode 077) we mentioned an upcoming packaging update, one that not only helps us stand out against other brands on the retails shelves but also simplifies the language we use in an effort to help consumers understand our product better. Today we launch that new packaging, and with it comes new 88 proof and cask strength offerings of our classic United Bourbon and Rye. On today's podcast the guys talk about some of the struggles with the design over the last 18 months, the new products in the collection, and the broader audience we hope the brand may reach with the changes and additions. We hit on: Overview of the New Packaging and Design Launch The Journey of Custom Glass and Cork Design Label Language and Consumer Clarity Bottling Process Challenges and Innovations New Flagship Products and Market Strategy Looking Ahead: Future of Pursuit Spirits and much more. P.club by Pursuit Spirits puts you in the inner circle. As a member, you’ll unlock exclusive distillery-only releases, VIP access to live virtual tastings with Q&As, 10% off all merch and special perks. Whether you choose free doorstep delivery or distillery pickup, you’ll always be first in line for our newest drops. With a flexible cart and priority access to limited barrels, P.Club isn’t just a membership—it’s your all-access pass to Pursuit. ⁠Sign up today⁠. Come and see us on Mellwood! Be sure to visit⁠ pursuitspirits.com⁠ and click on Visit Us to book a tasting or barrel selection experience. For questions or topic requests on upcoming episodes, email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠.