Barrels, Bottles, And The Stories Between Them; We Tried A 142.8-Proof Stagg And Lived To Tell It

Rare pours belong in glasses, not on pedestals. We sat down with Jerry from Neat Or Stir to unpack how a Detroit-area bourbon club turns the chase into a craft: buying whole barrels, tasting blind, and building real relationships with stores to secure bottles worth opening. If you’ve ever felt burned by Michigan pricing or baffled by allocations, this conversation maps a smarter path from shelf envy to satisfying sips.

We start with the local reality—tight distribution and wild price swings across the Ohio line—then explore why club barrel picks deliver more value than camping for drops. Jerry walks us through the group’s process: 20-plus barrels a year, private blind flights, and a priority system that rewards participation without becoming elitist. Along the way we taste through an eight-year Old Louisville (Bardstown distillate) packed with brown sugar and spice, a Four Roses OBSV with high-rye bite and fruit-forward lift, and a standout Stagg single barrel that converted a skeptic. The crescendo is a generous pour of the 2025 George T. Stagg at 142.8 proof—dense cocoa, dried fruit, and an absurdly long finish with no nose-burn theatrics.

Expect practical wisdom you can use right away: how temperature and glass size change viscosity and aroma, why blind tasting beats label worship, what Four Roses recipes actually signal on the palate, and how to be the kind of customer stores want to call for special picks. More than anything, it’s a reminder that the best bottle is the one you share. When community meets curation, even hazmat-proof whiskey becomes welcoming.

If you love whiskey stories, crave better barrel picks, or want a clearer path through the allocation maze, you’ll feel right at home here. Hit follow, share this with a bourbon friend, and leave a review with your favorite single barrel of the year—we might feature it on a future tasting. Cheers.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome, Friends, And A “Stag” Plan
• 2:35 Michigan Rules, Scarcity, And Buying Barrels
• 6:20 Jerry’s Backstory And Weekend Tangents
• 12:00 Neat Or Stir: How The Club Works
• 18:45 Blind Tasting Philosophy And Single Barrels
• 25:30 Old Louisville Pick: Why It Stands Out
• 31:40 Four Roses Recipes And The OBSV Pick
• 38:20 Store Relationships, Private Groups, And Access
• 45:10 Stagg Single Barrel: The Lions Sticker Story
• 52:30 Tasting Notes And Proof Myths
• 58:40 The 2025 George T. Stagg Pour

Transcript

SPEAKER_05: 0:16

We're gonna drink a fine whiskey and smoke a really fine cigar.

SPEAKER_06: 0:24

It is time for happy hour. It is the man cave happy hour, whiskey, cigars, spirits, the stories that go along with it. I'm Jamie Flanagan.

SPEAKER_05: 0:32

On that side of the table is one, Mr. August Gitchley.

SPEAKER_03: 0:36

And to hear that from the the sexy Matt Fox, to have your voice introduce me uh each and every Monday. Give it to me. Give it to me. It just makes a certain swell. I can feel it in my plums. Anyway, they're ripening. Welcome to the show, guys.

SPEAKER_06: 0:56

Yeah, yeah. Friends of the show, Jennifer and Spencer are here again. Thank you guys.

SPEAKER_07: 1:01

Always love having you.

SPEAKER_06: 1:03

I know. I know. And then I said we're having a stag party. What? Yeah, it's uh it's uh it's a stag party, and and joining us Jennifer and Spencer, uh Shanghai Jerry, uh, and brought him in and said, Jerry, you got some bottles kicking around your house. How about you come on and be on a podcast? And he's like, What?

SPEAKER_05: 1:24

What's a podcast?

SPEAKER_06: 1:26

Okay, radio show that's not really on the radio, but it's kind of on the Facebook. It's like on demand, it's like Netflix, it's for your ears. You can fast forward through all August bullshit. Um, yeah, so exactly like that. And and Jerry's gonna tell us all about uh Neat and Stir. Uh Neat and Stir. It's uh it's a it's a local bourbon club doing all kinds of illegal things. Oh, come on. Uh it's listening. I know, I know, I know. Michigan is Michigan is ridiculous. Uh there's so many uh rules and regulations. And it's better than it used to be, and it's ridiculous. We're in Metro, yeah, we're in Metro Detroit, and uh, if you drive uh about 90 minutes south, you you cross the Ohio border and you're a good 20 minutes into Ohio, and uh it's there's a plethora of things that you just can't find, or if you find them here, in it'll be a$200 bottle here,$29.95 south of the border. It's at least one dollar bottle. It's crazy. So uh Jerry said, To hell with all of that, I'm just gonna buy a damn barrel. It's the best way to do it. Yeah, and so then you get what you like. All right, so Jerry, uh, before we get into uh the the club, the the neat here it comes neat and stir. Tell me about your childhood. There it is.

SPEAKER_03: 2:45

We haven't had a good tell me about your childhood in a while.

SPEAKER_00: 2:48

So you're the youngest one here, so I am the youngest one here, so as far as I'm concerned, you know. Local guy, we're in uh the Southfield area here. I grew up not too far in Oak Park, uh 10 mile in Coolidge area. All right, and um stayed in Michigan, left to go to Florida for a short period, and otherwise stayed here and what what was in Florida?

SPEAKER_05: 3:13

I sing a ring on your fingers. Did you get married down there?

SPEAKER_00: 3:15

I did not. No, got divorced down there actually. Get that practice wife out of the way early, man. There you go. Um, but uh sorry, no, moved down there for business and then uh decided to come back. Yeah, welcome back.

SPEAKER_01: 3:29

Glad you're here. I'm glad you uh decided not to stay there.

SPEAKER_00: 3:32

Yeah, much better here. Love the people here much better. So this guy, uh he just got to meet us. I don't I don't know him well enough, yes.

SPEAKER_03: 3:40

You know, yeah, I mean he knows to learn something.

SPEAKER_05: 3:44

Okay, okay, I hear you. I hear you. Did anything eventful happen this weekend for you? For me, yeah, what happened this week? I was uh on the road a lot.

SPEAKER_06: 3:51

What about you, Jamie? Uh we went to two different things Friday and then Saturday. We went uh oh, I went to the this guy I know. So, Matt, there's this guy I know, okay, and uh he fancies himself mayor of Hamptramic and king of the city or something, so he holds court down at the DIA. Was this you office?

SPEAKER_03: 4:10

What I was gonna talk about. He was talking about holding court event at the DIA.

SPEAKER_06: 4:14

But we did on Friday, we went down to the holding court, yeah. Uh, and then we tried to go down to Detroit tree lighting. Uh, and then that was stupid because traffic was nutty. I heard nothing this way. We knew it was gonna be a shit show. I heard nothing but people reporting that they went into it, that it was absolutely all we got we got a quarter of the way from the DIA there and said, Oh, screw this, and we went to Bakersfield and drank to tequila.

SPEAKER_03: 4:35

So Catherine and I made a decision this weekend that I think is pretty damn funny. Did you get a Christmas tree? No, we decided that when we get married, uh-huh, we're not engaged yet. Uh okay. When we get married, all right, but there's time she's gonna wear a black dress and wait at the altar for me to come down the aisle in a white suit because she's been married before. Um like plastic dreams. Are you gonna play JD? How funny is that? She's like, I think that'd be a really good idea. I'm like, we can't tell everybody, even though I just told her on the podcast, thank god none of my friends or family listen to this. Yeah, you know, right? I think that'd be absolutely hilarious. Okay, but it was like her, she's like, Yeah, I'm down with that.

SPEAKER_01: 5:10

Like, how did this transpire?

SPEAKER_05: 5:12

So are you you're gonna walk in with the in a white tux and is it gonna be to the Imperial March? That's what I really want to know.

SPEAKER_03: 5:17

Well no, I if it's a white tux, no. Maybe when she comes out, waiting up there in a black dress, and my mom's walking me down the aisle to give you away to her. No, Matt, we'll have a black, we'll have a black staff.

SPEAKER_04: 5:31

Kane, cane in a pimp cut. You shall not okay, go ahead.

SPEAKER_06: 5:37

So it's funny, like so. I I teach high school, and then you know, prom comes around, and then they put out all the rules for prom. It's like, you know, no hats, no limos, no whatever. No limos. I know, right, right, yeah. They don't want the party buses, they don't want the party buses because they don't want the kids partying, right? What do you do on a party bus? You have a party, right?

SPEAKER_03: 5:57

So, uh, so yeah, so this drive the driver into buying you booze, yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 6:00

So the kids are all sitting there complaining, and I go, didn't say nothing about no pimp cups. Y'all, y'all should y'all should come roaming in with the bling. I go, well, next year they probably will. I haven't been able to talk kid a kid into bringing a pimp cup to prom. I've been trying, I've been trying for the last 20 years.

SPEAKER_03: 6:20

Where like things you know blow up in the middle of the hallway, and it's like take will you go to prom with me and all that kind of dump dump shit?

SPEAKER_06: 6:26

Promposals, yeah, prom posals and homecoming posals. And it's like, boy, you know, these kids talk about peeking out in high school, man. It's like holy smokes.

SPEAKER_05: 6:37

I I know what that's like, yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 6:38

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not me personally, but I feel like I still haven't.

SPEAKER_05: 6:44

Sorry, man. No, you're good, Jennifer.

SPEAKER_06: 6:46

So, but yeah, it's uh uh and then Saturday we saw the planet of fun playing out, Billy's tipping in way out in White Lake. Oh, right there was on Kentucky on uh Saturday night. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was a waterbird. So that was my weekend. Um but uh Monday's about to take a turn. But Jerry, yeah, so you're like, can you see him? So with the camp, we got the cameras, you can't see anything. But I mentioned uh there's some things on the thing. So Jerry, you do uh a podcast club. You don't do a podcast club, you do a bourbon club. I have a podcast club. You do it's called Podcast Your Voice, and people come here and make podcasts. It's a club house. Um it's not even in a tree. I know, I know. It's just uh so much fun. Uh, you have a bourbon club. And uh, did you did you start the bourbon club? Is this it did you start it with people or did you join this? What's uh tell me about similar tell me about Neat uh Neat or Stir, the the bourbon club.

SPEAKER_00: 7:41

Yeah, so Neat or Stir, we uh we kind of put this together a group of guys that we do all the barrel picks together with one main store uh here in Michigan.

SPEAKER_03: 7:50

And we can plug your friends, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 7:54

So bottles and stuff, bottles and stuff. Yep. My brother from another mother, Chris. That's there. A lot of people that go there, they know him in Lavonia.

SPEAKER_06: 8:02

Is it your honey hole, and you're like, I don't know, people can't do it. Anybody can go, anybody can go. What's what's the one I started hearing about?

SPEAKER_05: 8:07

You can plug your friends, you can plug your nose, but you can't plug your friends' nose.

SPEAKER_06: 8:11

You have not been downtown on a Friday night, apparently. Y'all haven't been to First. Okay, anyhow. Uh so but I know there was uh uh Kenwood, I think, on Woodward, like down in the city. Adam's a great guy there, yeah. And it's like, yeah, because he's like that's kind of like not many people are willing to go there. Yep. Um, east siders, that's all. Yeah, it's like I'm like, you know, I mean, it's like if I if my window didn't get popped once a year going to St. Andrews back in the day, I will you know, I wasn't living, you know. Uh, but yeah, so the the city is much better than it used to be. But I I still know people that won't go to the city, and I'm like, wow, that's on. I'm like, where is this? They're so oh, there's this bottle. It's it, yeah, and I'm like, what party store? I'm like, where the hell is that? I'm like, holy crap, that's like down on Woodward, uh in the city. That's like right near the Boston and Edison district area.

SPEAKER_00: 9:04

It's uh yeah, it's in Detroit. When you think of Detroit, it's in Detroit.

SPEAKER_06: 9:07

It is, it is very Detroit. That's where it is. It is very Detroit over there. Yeah, anyhow. With the glass that the bottles are behind. Oh, yeah, it's great. Bottles and things though. Bottles and stuff, bottles and stuff.

SPEAKER_03: 9:17

Yes, I'm in Boston Edison quite often. Bottles and stuff.

SPEAKER_06: 9:20

That's over in Lavonia.

SPEAKER_00: 9:22

Yes, yeah. So the Adam, you said nope, Chris. Chris. Yep. Adam's at Kenwood. Need another. I know we gotta make I'm gonna write it all down here. Jerry, no, I got Jerry. I'll do a roadmap.

SPEAKER_06: 9:32

I remembered looking at the and something in Lavonia. I'm doing pretty good.

SPEAKER_02: 9:38

I think Jimmy's gonna have to rewind and watch this over again to remember this stuff.

SPEAKER_03: 9:41

Uh so these are all it all gets fixed in the edit. You had your hands on, right? You had your fingers and yeah, so I brought a little selection of stuff. Exactly. Got it in. I just got sticking.

SPEAKER_06: 9:50

Finger, finger, baby, loose. Uh, so it's like the word of the day. Um, so when did you guys start this bourbon club though? So you're 12. You mean how you couldn't now you can't even buy legally yet? 13. So on a good day.

SPEAKER_00: 10:08

We started a couple years ago. Uh, we started doing because we do a lot of store picks. We pick probably 20 plus barrels a year, yeah. And it usually gets split between all of the group members, and then some of it goes to the store for the customers and things like that. And legality, um, sure, right? Yes. Well, that's what yeah, yeah. And then uh what we would do is we would do samplers for the group so that way people can get blind samplers, and that way they can try these things side by side because so many people judge it based on the label. You look at stag, oh my god, that's the best thing on the table. But is it that four roses could be better at old Louisville?

SPEAKER_03: 10:44

That people don't know really about side by signing with side by siding the barrel picks with the standard off the shelf is my part. I think that is the priority, just to so you can prove that this is and they always had they never I've never been disappointed yet. Yeah, in the that there is a different, there's a different test them all, you gotta taste them all next to each other.

SPEAKER_00: 11:02

Yeah, there's there's so much difference between all of the different brands that are out there, and then when you get into single barrels, then you're getting into even more differences in the flavor profiles, yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's a lot of fun, it's a great hobby, yeah. And um, so I wanted to bring a couple things for y'all too. That's a great hobby. Well, that's when you're chasing these, yeah, but if you're chasing those, not so much, right? Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_06: 11:25

Yeah, um, so but there's a lot of bourbon clubs in in town.

SPEAKER_00: 11:30

Well, you just do good for those guys, or no, I participate in a lot of the different groups with it, you know, chat and listening. It's like, oh check on my camera.

SPEAKER_06: 11:38

No, I have a bourbon club. I got a bourbon club. Jerry show you. You guys are kind of low profile though, because I've never really is it a Facebook group?

SPEAKER_00: 11:47

It is a Facebook group, it's a private group that we do for all the members that participate in the barrels. I uh I started an Instagram and I don't really know what I'm doing with it, so I'm trying to put a couple posts up every once in a while. He doesn't know the Instagram. I don't know about Instagram.

unknown: 12:04

He might need your help.

SPEAKER_06: 12:05

He needs a TikTok. I saw you doing the dances on the TikTok.

SPEAKER_00: 12:09

Oh my son does a TikTok, he does this like gym fitness tick tock stuff. It is outrageous. The like the likes and the followings, and people want to subscribe. It's it's a whole different world. I have no idea how he does it.

SPEAKER_06: 12:23

So, all right, so a couple of years in into nip and tuck. Um neat or stir, it's close, close enough. That was on purpose. I know. All right, so uh, and and how many barrels would you say you have you you guys have done in total? In oh god, I couldn't even probably a hundred. You probably do like 20 a year, you said. Yeah, that is nutty.

SPEAKER_00: 12:46

Yeah, how many people are in the bottom in the in the group? Yeah, uh, I think we have over 200 people in the group. Not everyone gets all the bottles, but it gets right split up pretty good. That's gonna make more sense.

SPEAKER_03: 12:57

I was like, wow, it's private group and they're getting barrels. How much liquid do you guys take at home? You know, cases, you know, you're on the hook for a case of this stuff. I thought I was tired of mortgage payments.

SPEAKER_00: 13:06

Oh my god, there was there was this one time I went down to Tennessee, okay, to Nashville, and so we had you know um a hundred plus people in the group at the time. This was a couple years back, and we were picking at Nashville Barrel Company, great spot. Um, it's all MGP juice for the most part, especially at that point. It was five-year bourbon that we were picking, which actually tastes better than most 10 years. And we, you know, they told me, yeah, the barrel yields about 160 to 180 bottles.

SPEAKER_05: 13:36

What's the angel share though?

SPEAKER_00: 13:37

So I don't know. So that's that's what they said was good. I was like, okay, no problem. So I got with all the people in the group, we made sure we had enough to break it all down, and then they dumped the barrel that day, which is really cool compared to a lot of the big distilleries, yeah. Um, and it yielded uh 220 bottles. So I planned for like 150, 160. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Got 220 out of it, and I'm like, okay, I hope people want these because they're like$125 a bottle, it adds up. So it was uh I was stressing, but once everyone tried it, oh my god, they were gone good like good right away.

SPEAKER_03: 14:14

So um, yeah, it's it's my experience that finds these suck. Some of them are right as good as others, and they're you don't want to, yeah, but it then none of them are like, Oh, I'm never gonna drink that it's sitting on my shelf. I mean, except for maybe that one bourbon. I've had a lot that I there's been a couple. What was that one bourbon? Uh Chris Stapleton's bourbon. I never want to drink that shit again.

SPEAKER_02: 14:34

Oh, the traveling, I don't want to drink that stuff again. So some of them I don't even want to mix with.

SPEAKER_03: 14:38

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 14:40

So where where do you where should we start? Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 14:42

So there's a single barrel, a four roses. We had we had just did four roses. We did the or by that's up to you guys if you want to go proof. You want to go, um they're all we're gonna barrel proof. We're gonna let you guide us through where to start and where to end. Uh, but yeah, we just did a four roses, uh, but we did the uh OBF S or whatever, the one with the accent. OB the OB. I think that was a high soldier. So we did that.

SPEAKER_00: 15:07

That was one of the uh that they're releasing now, right? The single barrel product, yeah. Yeah, so that one was a barrel. The cool thing about four roses when you go to do a barrel pick, there is you try all 10 recipes blind.

SPEAKER_06: 15:19

Oh, nice. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00: 15:20

So you'll go through all of them.

SPEAKER_05: 15:21

You start staves that you want. Nope, that's makers. I'm sorry, yeah, you're right.

SPEAKER_00: 15:25

Yeah, right. So with the four roses, you'll do them all blind, all 10 recipes, go back, forth, and then filter it down to three recipes. Step out, they mix them up, try those blind, and that's the one you go with. Wow. So it's not like oh, the OESO is the one you gotta have. That's what everybody wants. It's gotta be a 12-year tier six. No, we're gonna pick what tastes best at that time, perfect, and that's it. So it's a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_06: 15:52

So also on the table is the tall boy you guys gotta try, uh, the George T stag barrel proof, barrel proof. You bring the tiny one carrier, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 16:02

When was the last time you had a stag uh bourbon, Jamie?

SPEAKER_06: 16:07

Oh, I don't I don't know. I can't even we we we had the stag with Big Tony.

SPEAKER_03: 16:13

Um God, that was that'll be the only time I ever it had to be pre-tony if I ever had it was pre-COVID the last time I had sometimes uh those those big Tony back room nights. I don't remember because I was living really close to that place. What's the bag?

SPEAKER_06: 16:25

And then this is gonna be fun. Uh so I'm excited about this. So you can tell us a little bit about old Louisville. Uh the and you're wearing the old Louisville t-shirt. So old Louisville, you thought this wasn't yet. And this is not an issue from Michigan. Should we start with that? So Amina's working on it, yeah. Breaking the law. Let's start let's start there. Just not uh so tell us a little bit about Old Louisville and what drew you to it.

SPEAKER_00: 16:48

So Old Louisville is a um bottling company, kind of like Nashville Barrel Company, kind of like Ever North, uh, where they're not actually distilling the product, they're just buying barrels from all over the place. MGP, they're buying it from not just MB MGP, but all over, yeah, yeah. So, like so this, so this is actually an eight-year Bardstown. Okay. Um, I don't know of Bardstown releasing an eight-year of something they distilled uh when we picked this, and it was pretty unique at the time.

SPEAKER_06: 17:16

The barts barts towns are uh uh desirable now, yeah. Uh they make some pricey, they are pricey on the shelves. Yeah, they're they're making it. They did the they had a uh they had a founders one, they had a founders one, and I was like, ooh, but then I looked at the price, I was like, I'll wait till Tony has that on the shelf at the best kept secret so I can try it there. There you go. Um, we're getting all the table thinking, all the bottles sliding across.

SPEAKER_03: 17:43

No, it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's part of the ambient noise of the the tasting.

SPEAKER_00: 17:47

You gotta you gotta so what when did you pick up when did you pick this guy? So we picked that one um at the beginning of this year, earlier this year. So this is a 25 product deal. This is a 25 sorry about that.

SPEAKER_03: 17:59

All right, my hat hit the microphone so we can dump on the sound. You're fine.

SPEAKER_00: 18:04

With this one, it like I said, it's an eight-year product, 123.6 proof.

SPEAKER_03: 18:08

Only and it's uh wait, wait, uh with 125.6. This is hard though. This is the star.

SPEAKER_05: 18:15

This is where we're starting is the low one. Yeah, it's the low one, is that what you said?

SPEAKER_00: 18:22

Yeah, but it's got a really nice golden color to it. If you look at it on the glass, it's got great legs, good viscosity. Really good legs.

SPEAKER_04: 18:32

It's like Z Z top on the glass.

SPEAKER_01: 18:39

It's good, it's spicy.

SPEAKER_06: 18:41

But it's not, it's not it's got a little bit of heat.

SPEAKER_05: 18:44

It's also my not a you know boost the warmth, the warmth, right? But it's it's just it coats so well.

SPEAKER_02: 18:49

Yeah, it's not the warmth, it's not the alcohol warmth as well.

SPEAKER_05: 18:51

No, it's just warmth, it's yeah, and it's just continually warming as it's like my penguin flannel Christmas pajamas.

SPEAKER_00: 18:59

Decidedly a bourbon, but there's like a sugary sweet. Yeah, baking spices, brown sugar. I wonder if the other caramelized sugar at the end.

SPEAKER_06: 19:10

So, but this is gone, right? So you guys did your barrel pick, you got this, and then that's that, right? It's gone, yeah. It moves pretty quick. That's uh it's sad because you're like, I would I would buy a bottle of that, yeah, right?

SPEAKER_00: 19:21

But if if you go, it's not gonna be that, right? I usually try to keep uh a few bottles for myself, yeah. But just you know, when somebody reaches out and they really need another one, they want one, dude, and you're like, I'll part with it. Yeah, yeah. You know, how I mean how many children though?

SPEAKER_06: 19:35

You can part with yeah, keep one on the trophy shelf for one of the picks that I've done, and then how many uh how many uh uh bottles would you say are in your in your man cave?

SPEAKER_00: 19:47

Oh there's uh you'd fill this room, yeah. Yeah, oh my god, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 19:52

There's quite a bit.

SPEAKER_03: 19:53

So you're not interested in the second vacation home? You'd rather have a whole bunch of bottles of liquid in the basement.

SPEAKER_06: 19:58

That's kind of how it's working out. Yeah, he's good for us.

SPEAKER_03: 20:03

You don't want your own private island, you just want to like those two kids in Texas who want to take over an island in Haiti. Yeah, see, that was pretty funny.

SPEAKER_05: 20:14

You don't want your own private Idaho?

SPEAKER_07: 20:18

Oh, that is so sweet.

SPEAKER_06: 20:22

It's almost like a it's almost like a what do you mean an icing, like a pop-tart icing at the end.

SPEAKER_02: 20:27

Oh yeah, think about it. He owns a part of Kentucky.

SPEAKER_00: 20:31

It's memories, okay, guys.

SPEAKER_06: 20:33

It's all memories. It is. I I would say I counted somebody because you when somebody asked me the other day how many bottles I had, and I'm like, I got no idea. And I went home, I counted, and there's about 48. Yeah, I have like six in various in various states of openness.

SPEAKER_05: 20:49

Yeah, I got like I'm drinking them both at the same time.

SPEAKER_02: 20:52

We have 480.

SPEAKER_00: 20:54

I started an Excel spreadsheet once, and then I gave up. Just once.

SPEAKER_03: 20:57

You did. No, I said 48. I tried that once and I had to give up.

SPEAKER_05: 21:03

He said 60.

SPEAKER_03: 21:04

Someone found it and then I wasn't having fun. I had 67. Not a problem. Trust me, it's not a problem. I'm kidding, I never had a spreadsheet, honey. I know you're listening.

SPEAKER_02: 21:12

Yeah, but how many of those are open?

SPEAKER_06: 21:14

Uh, most of them, most all, most all of them are. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh and then it's like Thanksgiving. You're like, oh, I don't want to finish that one, I'll set it aside. And it's like, because I like it, I want to have it. I did that.

SPEAKER_03: 21:26

And this weekend I finished two bottles. I just had that one. I got the the link left. Yeah, basically the old Forester from uh Butter Run just finished, and the Buffalo Trace from the Charlevoy. You find one of them I liked a whole lot better than the other, and when I had them side by side, yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 21:41

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03: 21:42

So I'm gonna try to get Dave Hard on the phone.

SPEAKER_05: 21:44

A couple of soldiers are are are disappointed.

SPEAKER_03: 21:47

Yes, are dismissed a couple. We had a proper ceremony. Okay, you know, I have a hard time finishing off the bottle.

SPEAKER_00: 21:52

Like it's just it's sad when it goes, yeah, especially if it's good.

SPEAKER_06: 21:56

Right, right. The really good ones.

unknown: 21:59

Do you keep your bottles?

SPEAKER_00: 22:00

Depending on the bottle, some of them might keep because eventually I want to try to do some art type product with it.

SPEAKER_06: 22:04

Yeah, because you got you got uh you you do the the the interesting tater stickers, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 22:09

Try to make it fun with some of them.

SPEAKER_06: 22:11

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 22:14

I have a couple, yeah, yeah. I have a few different ones because like when I would do the blind samplers, yeah. Um, I would take all the six bottles that were used in the blind sampler and then take the last couple ounces from each one, mix them together, and that's that's the mix. Or I would do um I would go around to all the different stores and buy all the the knob creek picks or the yellowstone picks, and you'd get like you know, 10 or 12 of them, and I would sample them all out to the group, and then I would take them and blend them all together, and that would be a blend.

SPEAKER_05: 22:43

Most of the time I end up using it for making cocktails, but uh it's a it's a fun little way to to use up that little bit of when you're walking into an establishment and they see it coming, do they go, Oh shit, here he comes, and they start. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00: 22:57

Yeah, they're like, All right, what's he buying today?

SPEAKER_06: 23:04

Oh, that was lovely. So old Louisville, do you know if they're trying to get into Messi again?

SPEAKER_00: 23:10

Yeah, he's get he's getting pretty close. Um, there's so many restrictions and guidelines, and they you know more allocation reasons, or is that no? It's uh there's just a lot of guidelines to be able to bring your product in, get the right distributor, make the right deals. They take a lot more money from you as a company. He's a small independent you know, company for the most part. It's not like a big Sazerac or anything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh he does. Yep, yep, he is not Michigan yet. He is outside of Kentucky.

SPEAKER_01: 23:40

Where did you find him?

SPEAKER_00: 23:41

You just were in through uh some friends, some friends in the group. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 23:45

I've heard of old Louisville.

SPEAKER_03: 23:46

Yeah, it's a city of Kentucky. Yes, I've heard about him. Uh I've been heard about him. At least you said it right into old Louisville. At least you said it right. Yeah, with any Tennessee shit. Asking you, Jerk, do you fuck with any Tennessee shit?

SPEAKER_00: 24:03

Or any Tennessee distillate? There's just Jack Daniels, some Jack Daniels product. Um, some of the stuff that I've had from you know the other states really haven't been old soul. Yeah, oh old soul. So does old soul distill though, or is it MGP MGP or sourced? I thought they I thought they had some sourced product. I didn't know if they distilled. I'm not positive. Um, but we've had some gorgeous bottles. I've had some hit and misses from okay from them.

SPEAKER_03: 24:30

Oh, so you've been okay. Yeah, I've definitely been through the old soul. You are an old soul a young old soul. Yeah, I know. Old soul.

SPEAKER_06: 24:37

All right, wow, that's fun. Uh, what next? The four roses or one of the stags?

SPEAKER_03: 24:42

Those stags next next to each other, right?

SPEAKER_06: 24:44

Yeah, that's recommended. Yeah, I would dip into the four roses, see how you like that.

SPEAKER_03: 24:47

That's one of my faves. All right, hit hit me, Mick. That one's uh is a is a standard in the house. I always like to have a bottle.

SPEAKER_00: 24:53

I think that one is an obsv.

SPEAKER_03: 24:56

This is a straight up right there.

SPEAKER_05: 24:58

Yeah, OBS put them in the syrup.

SPEAKER_00: 25:00

Yeah, so we I hear everything. So you got a high rye mash bill on that. You got um the yeast strain that's gonna bring a little more of the fruits to it, so usually it's a little sweeter. That one we picked not this year, but last year. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 25:17

I just wanted to see how much. Thank you, sir.

SPEAKER_06: 25:22

I'm gonna pass this across the table. Thank you. There's good table set.

SPEAKER_03: 25:28

Yes. I don't know, it might be too bright.

SPEAKER_05: 25:31

So, Jerry, I gotta tell you studio lighting in here now from playing in. For for your first podcast that you've ever done, you're doing exceptionally well.

SPEAKER_00: 25:38

I just gotta you haven't done a podcast before. I haven't. Oh, yeah. You're doing amazing. You know, I did ask Copilot like any tips or tricks or anything, and it just said I have fun.

SPEAKER_02: 25:50

Yeah, I think you practice in front of you. Right, right.

SPEAKER_00: 25:55

You didn't do a mirror practice. I didn't do a mirror practice.

SPEAKER_03: 25:57

No, I'm not being facetious, but I remember you know, if you hold a small mirror just right. I remember how nervous I was, and I actually had who is now the a woman who's now the currently the editor of the Detroit Free Press. Yeah, I I she listened, I had her listen to it. I go, How was it? She goes, You minimize the ums and the uhs. That was great. That's how scared I was to be on a podcast.

SPEAKER_01: 26:15

You just don't seem like you would be scared or frightened.

SPEAKER_04: 26:18

Yes, what what is your? I was like seven years old. I mean, come on, that's what is your crutch, what is your crutch word? Do you know what your crutch word is when you're when you're talking? When you're in a finger bang joke. That's your crutch word? Finger bang? Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 26:32

I had to work it back in.

SPEAKER_06: 26:33

Oh my god, there it is. The hotel bell. I don't it's I brought it out. I just it's uh that's on me.

SPEAKER_05: 26:47

Oh, I love this. I love a good four rows.

SPEAKER_03: 26:49

Whenever I'm in a spot, I just talk about how handsome you are and you just change the subject.

SPEAKER_06: 26:53

It's it's it's funny that uh my mom is she's 93, god bless her soul, and uh just asked me about the podcast.

SPEAKER_05: 27:02

She still kicks your ass at golfing, though. She does. And uh so yeah. Oh no, four.

SPEAKER_06: 27:08

I let her putt. I let her putt. All right, come on, you can come over and putting. Sure, we're down to just putting. But uh uh, so we were doing one, and uh, I had bought some four roses, and she's like, Oh my gosh, boy, you're like it came, it was like a wash, and she was like, Oh my gosh, she goes, My dad used to drink four roses, but it wasn't anyone, it was it wasn't a single bear, it was that the the least expensive four rose uh down in Amptramic back in the 40s and 50s, yeah, yeah. So, but yeah, she it was so funny when she saw the label. She just like I could see it is wash over. She's like, Oh my gosh, my father used to drink that. Uh my great grandmother. So I love I love the four roses.

SPEAKER_00: 27:49

So these are very similar. It's up for sale right now. You can buy it. Oh, four roses for sale.

SPEAKER_03: 27:54

Hey, I'm retiring, I need a hobby.

SPEAKER_04: 27:56

Owned by somebody else, like some big so uh they're selling it, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 28:01

So it's not owned by all put our money together.

SPEAKER_03: 28:04

We'll have 20 bucks.

SPEAKER_01: 28:06

No, no, it's okay.

SPEAKER_00: 28:10

Oh, so the brand is but they but they are uh they're selling maybe we all would you talk about Jerry's I think it's uh these are bubble too much million dollar proof.

SPEAKER_01: 28:19

Not so much. Do we can we put our about the same proof?

SPEAKER_06: 28:23

This one this one tastes whistle tick guy, he'll buy it. This tastes hotter, yeah, right. He's too busy. He's too busy. It seems um like a higher it tastes like a higher proof. I hate using the word smooth, but the the the old Louisville was was was was not as it was a warmth, yeah. Yeah, this has got a little bit more of a bite, a little bit more of a bite.

SPEAKER_02: 28:45

That's about it. Yeah, I think because it's a little bit more of a bite. Where are you at? I've always enjoyed it for a while.

SPEAKER_03: 28:51

You like the flavor better. I think that my face was it went into shock. Like I think my first I want to feel it. I didn't have much of a welcome cocktail, I had something that was rather sweet. So then you're not really sure. So I feel like the oil just kind of kicked me in the face, and then so you want to feel it. Yeah, well I'm not gonna we're not gonna tell you. Okay, ding. It only happened in the bed. That's a ding.

SPEAKER_06: 29:16

That's uh there you are. Fair play.

SPEAKER_03: 29:18

It's like a three-ding podcast. That's it. That's it. What'd you call one, two, three? What'd you call I like these?

SPEAKER_06: 29:24

I like the the the fun, the neat and stir Glencarens there, but they're the the half Glencarens are about their one ounce Glen Karens.

SPEAKER_00: 29:31

This is how I'm controlling my intake.

SPEAKER_03: 29:36

It's like a cheer in a glass, it's like all the same thing. Yeah, look at the size of that.

SPEAKER_00: 29:41

Well, you can uh it's it's two ounces to the top compared to six ounces for a regular Glen. Right. So when you get a nice little pour down here, you're doing like half ounce pours. Yeah, that way you can try a bunch of things and not take in too much, right? Otherwise, you could survive the day. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02: 29:57

You can actually taste it.

SPEAKER_01: 29:58

I'd like to purchase a couple of these. Thank you.

SPEAKER_06: 30:00

So my kids are always like Tuesday, Tuesday very often end up as movie days in Mr. Flanagan's classroom because we're watching Wonka. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03: 30:11

What do you bring in on every week?

SPEAKER_02: 30:14

You know, Jamie rehearses uh weekend at Bernie's uh and his uh his class on Tuesday. I do English 12.

SPEAKER_05: 30:21

Kids, we're watching Lord of the Flies.

SPEAKER_06: 30:23

You're watching Shakespeare and Moth. Okay.

SPEAKER_07: 30:26

I love that.

SPEAKER_06: 30:27

No, I don't show movies. Actually, well, because it's the day before break, I'll probably show Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving. Oh, you could do it. And at least one of my classes be perfect. I got one class. That's just I got 40 kids in three different sections piled into one class. Journalism one, journalism two a broadcast. Oh, 40 kids all piled into one classroom. I only have 36 chairs. We figure it out. Double up, y'all. Susie wasn't absent today, so you're gonna have to double up. Got a counting on it. Yeah, yeah. You know, it's like job security. There's more little ramblers. I get to keep my job, I just keep populating the community. Of your own volition. Yeah. That's a yeah. All right. So now what are we doing? What are we thinking tonight? Where do we go from here? We're doing Charlie Ruth because that's a that class is a nice podcast of tangents.

SPEAKER_01: 31:19

Let's get Jerry's take.

SPEAKER_03: 31:21

Jerry, what's your take?

SPEAKER_01: 31:23

The bourbon.

unknown: 31:24

Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 31:24

Not that I don't want to.

SPEAKER_06: 31:25

So was this before they came out with their they did the three on the neck uh releases? This was probably just prior to that. If you did this last year, because those came out like those came out this year.

SPEAKER_00: 31:34

Early this year. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 31:35

And they're like, Jerry had a damn good idea. Let's uh market this SOB.

SPEAKER_00: 31:40

Everybody wants the different recipes, and uh you know, other than getting a single barrel from a store, then that's a great alternative for what they're putting out.

SPEAKER_05: 31:49

This is the OBS V, right? Okay, yeah, you have to remember that because that's uh that's a tasty beverage.

SPEAKER_00: 31:54

Anytime you get the B, you're getting a high rye for the mash bill. Um, the E's are the uh lower rye. Yeah, like they have a whole chart. It's like a chart. A few episodes back, Jerry.

SPEAKER_05: 32:06

A few episodes back. We actually went through a color variation with the Katie tried to math us color wheels.

SPEAKER_06: 32:12

I'm more of a summer.

SPEAKER_03: 32:15

No, you're not, you're Irish. That is winter.

SPEAKER_06: 32:20

I am it's a yeah, it's you're a peeled potato. I am pretty much. Yeah, it's it's Irish joke. Uh so yeah, I'm I I would gravitate to the OBSV. You like the flavor on this one more? I like the flavor, but I wouldn't say I liked it more. I because I'm but I'm I like I like a sweet I like that I like that sugary kind of on the old Louisville. I like that Pop Tart icing. You like it up front though, you like it on the front of your sweeter, but that ended with sweetness of the icing flavor for me, and I like it.

SPEAKER_00: 32:51

I mean this is a nine-year, seven months this one's uh eight year plus. So this one's older, but it doesn't have the viscosity that the uh Friday, the old Louisville.

SPEAKER_03: 33:01

Well, I'm just looking at size, and size doesn't really matter. It holds the same amount of alcohol, all right.

SPEAKER_01: 33:06

No, I meant more of a it doesn't look like it would, right?

SPEAKER_03: 33:08

But it does.

SPEAKER_01: 33:10

You know my Wednesday.

SPEAKER_03: 33:13

That's the same alcohol, you're absolutely right.

SPEAKER_05: 33:19

How many days of the week start with tea, Jennifer? Today and tomorrow.

SPEAKER_03: 33:28

Ah joke, uh he's a teacher. Yes, it should be a teacher joke. That is man. Where's uh where's my dad joke when I need it? Now we're looking at the stag.

SPEAKER_06: 33:39

So we have what are the there's uh is what uh so this is just stag. So there's a stag store pack.

SPEAKER_00: 33:46

So this one I will tell you, we are super excited. We were the I think we are the only it was the only store in the state to get well, there were maybe two. There might have been two in the state, but I didn't see any other stores release it for a stag single barrel pick. Phenomenal. Wow, it's it when we went and picked it, it was uh it was an interesting picking experience because it was cold in the Rick House and the glasses were cold, and we tried to warm them up the best we could to get the you know best taste out of it. And um, when it came in, it's unreal. And I don't like stag junior, like personally, I really do not like stag junior. This is just stag, it's so they dropped the junior, okay. I was just still like the small bottle, the small bottle, yeah, yeah. It's a junior to me, it's always gonna be junior to me, but they don't have the junior on it anymore. It doesn't have the junior on it anymore.

SPEAKER_06: 34:41

That's what I thought. All right, fair play. Um probably so they could sell it for more. I don't know. The junior might be worth less. So let's put the thing. All right, fair play. Um, tell me about the uh vanity sticker on this one with the Detroit Lion. Uh, is that the kicker doing it?

SPEAKER_05: 34:58

Yeah, so right, so so right after uh is that Fox or is that Bates?

SPEAKER_00: 35:02

Bates. So so you know how like they had that one meme that went around for a long time of Bates like doing the stretching and yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 35:10

He's doing that uh Bert Reynolds playgirl pose. So he's doing the play, yeah. Burt Reynolds playground. That happened like right when this barrel came in.

SPEAKER_04: 35:18

Was that the best little whorehouse? That was the best little whorehouse in Texas. That's the Bert Reynolds. That's the Bert Reynolds on the on the on the bear skin, yes.

SPEAKER_00: 35:26

Oh yeah, so I thought it was uh pretty fun, and that was a picture of the barrels from while you were there picking, yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 35:32

Oh fun.

SPEAKER_00: 35:33

Yep. Uh so I did a little clipping and cutting and pasting and made a sticker.

SPEAKER_06: 35:40

So yeah, um who came up with the name before we get into it, neat or stir, who came up with uh the the name?

SPEAKER_00: 35:47

I did just because um, you know, whether you like to have it neat, so like you you get a uh four roses pick, sure, sure, and most people will have a neat pour of it, but you could also make a cocktail with it, so that's the stir portion of it, sure. And um one of our uh one of our group members that uh helps pick all the barrels, Gabe. He's a phenomenal like mixologist, not for a living, just for fun. And he comes up with the best cocktails, and so um you know being able to use these and all the different cocktails makes it uh a lot of fun. You get creative with it.

SPEAKER_06: 36:22

Yeah, you come back. I don't know. Well, if you're like uh no, no, and I'm gonna gabe. Oh my god, you would so you come back with games and we'll do we'll sit up on the bar over there and totally uh cocktails. Well, also let us know.

SPEAKER_03: 36:33

We haven't done one on the bar in forever. A bar or restaurant are security something that you can do.

SPEAKER_01: 36:37

I'm thinking January, which means I'm coming too that as well.

SPEAKER_03: 36:40

We've done it, yeah. That's we're like doing remotes from out in the wild.

SPEAKER_00: 36:44

Yeah, there's a handful of stores that I'll do the same. I'll you know, I'll do the barrel picks with.

SPEAKER_06: 36:48

Yeah, we've done it at the wine garden before the wine garden was a thing. We've done it at Keiko's. Okay, have you been to Keiko's? Yeah, Caicos, good people, yeah, yeah. Joe and Giovanni. Yep. Um, I it's I love those guys.

SPEAKER_03: 37:01

It's like I gotta get a hold of Zatuna.

SPEAKER_00: 37:03

They don't get a ton of barrels, but they get a few. Jack, yeah, Jack's my dude. Jack is my guy, so we split a lot of barrels. Jack just got his uh Blanton's gold in. I don't know if he wants to be telling people, but yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We picked it over a year ago, which and it just came to the store. Uh Zaytuna's in uh Rochester Hills.

SPEAKER_07: 37:21

Okay, Jack Zetuna.

SPEAKER_06: 37:22

Is that the one right at M59?

SPEAKER_00: 37:24

Yes, yes, okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 37:25

So so Spence, so somebody had the gold uh over on the west side.

SPEAKER_00: 37:30

Yeah, there were a couple stores that just got it. Buffalo Chase decided to deliver every barrel that was picked this year for the most part.

SPEAKER_06: 37:36

Load them on the truck, send them to Michigan.

SPEAKER_00: 37:38

Yep, and you were talking about Kenwood. Kenwood just got their Eagle Rare in, yeah, that they picked. Yeah, good stuff. Yep. So I was supposed to go to the day. I got it.

SPEAKER_05: 37:46

I was gonna ask Spence this question, but I'm gonna ask the table here. How does everyone's face feel right now? Table doesn't have a mouth, it can't answer bad. I'm asking everyone at the table. Oh, how does everyone's how does everybody's face feel right now?

SPEAKER_02: 37:58

I can't feel my drinking snag.

SPEAKER_05: 38:01

No, but you're you're about to answer Jamie.

SPEAKER_02: 38:03

Well, no, I can feel my lips from the last two. Okay, that you actually had tasted the the bourbon. So this is gonna be Huey Lewis or the one. I know this one actually is a lot higher proof than the other.

SPEAKER_05: 38:12

Yeah, because this this next step, and this isn't that much higher, it's 132.4. Only 132.4. Come on, guys.

SPEAKER_00: 38:19

It's you don't get all the flavors unless you get over 120. Okay.

SPEAKER_05: 38:26

So if you can't feel my face with um when I'm with you, was that is that how it goes? Yeah, okay. I can't feel my feed my face.

SPEAKER_06: 38:33

Then I was thinking Huey Lewis, I want to do drug in school today. I don't know why. I don't know what the hell.

SPEAKER_01: 38:38

I want to come to your classroom tomorrow. Now I want to see how you get to the case. This was a special one.

SPEAKER_00: 38:43

We were super happy when this came in. So stag, everybody chases the stag. You know, they do they used to do I think two releases a year, now they're up to like four. Okay, but when you get those that are like um you know, the the basic batched releases, yeah, nothing close to this. Sure. This single barrel, I like it is caramel. It is when did you get when did you pick this guy? We picked this last year, and uh I didn't have enough bottles to go around. When did it come in? It was it was it was good. See, this is so good. Yeah, I haven't, I haven't, I still feel it. This is still this is game changing. Here we go. This is game changing stuff.

SPEAKER_03: 39:21

I'm diving maybe from able to drive to not able to drive. It is game changing. Oh no, this is all that danced around though.

SPEAKER_02: 39:28

Next is not able to drive.

SPEAKER_06: 39:29

That dance oh Jiminy Crickets.

SPEAKER_01: 39:32

That dance caramel, it's just a hint.

SPEAKER_00: 39:34

This is very rich. It dances around there's so much in this.

SPEAKER_05: 39:38

Good night, everybody. I'm out. That is really Matt.

SPEAKER_01: 39:42

Your cheeks are a little rosier than they were two seconds ago.

SPEAKER_02: 39:45

Matt, can you feel your face?

SPEAKER_06: 39:46

I know. So but here's the thing, right?

SPEAKER_01: 39:48

Matt, like this.

SPEAKER_06: 39:49

The the four roses, um, and more bitey than than this is. Yeah, correct. I agree. Um, it this is this is like, but you feel you'd feel the alcohol just soaking in through every pore in your mouth.

SPEAKER_00: 40:03

I like to put the uh the spice that you're getting to the rye. It's a high rye on that four roses. Okay, okay. And so you get a lot more of that spice, maybe. Yeah, a little peppery, but some baking spice, cinnamon-ish. Um, this, well, they do not let anyone know. It is a high corn, 75 to 80, I would guess. Yeah, okay. Um, and it's probably 10 to 16 percent, I would think, rye, not much. Yeah, sure. Um, but this is this is Mashville 1, which is the same as yeah, um, yeah, I believe the same as Buffalo Trace.

SPEAKER_05: 40:37

The last um the last stage differently. The last time I had stag was in 2020, and I had a little bit left and I held on to it.

SPEAKER_00: 40:45

And from the junior or from the from the the big boy from the junior the 2020 big boy is my absolute favorite.

SPEAKER_05: 40:52

Oh I can't wait. But that that is just taking me back.

SPEAKER_00: 40:56

It's good stuff.

SPEAKER_06: 40:57

This is that's chocolate. There's uh after the finish, there's like chocolate. There, what's going on? Not chocolate, but there's a cocoa cocoa. It's like you just got to set that up really it's like Nova Cain.

SPEAKER_03: 41:10

I start talking like a teacher in uh in uh the Charlie Brown. I don't have my all hall past ma'am. I just looked over and you were like in your own comfortable state of thinking.

SPEAKER_01: 41:25

Like you were you know what?

SPEAKER_03: 41:27

Welcome to the party.

SPEAKER_06: 41:28

I was gonna say stop looking at me, but don't you got that straight hair, you got that sassy straight hair today.

SPEAKER_01: 41:35

I'm Jenna when I have this.

SPEAKER_06: 41:36

Oh, Jenna's Jenna's got that straight hair.

SPEAKER_01: 41:38

Um, you you just have bad to get in your zone.

SPEAKER_05: 41:42

Oh man, that was tasty.

SPEAKER_06: 41:43

Uh that yeah, this is I like the I like the cocoa three. I like the cocoa three. That was the that that was but you gotta you gotta be in the you gotta you gotta you can't do a lot of it's got heat, but it's like a warm and comforting heat.

SPEAKER_00: 41:57

Yeah, I can see it goes on, it goes on forever. So now you talked about while you were picking this, it was very, very cold.

SPEAKER_06: 42:03

It was so yeah, right, and that people do that. They're like, they why do they put yeg and why do they triple freeze Jagermeister when they serve it? Because it tastes like ass, and you can you only get like 80% of the flavor when it's frozen, so it's like it's like why do the people put vodka in freezers because they're awful and you can serve an awful vodka frozen or near frozen, put it through your bread up, right?

SPEAKER_00: 42:28

12 more times, 12 more times to say, so but when the color, yeah, because it's so you lose some of the flavor when doing this, and you're trying to keep it warm because it comes straight from the barrel, and the barrel's in the warehouse, and it was cold in the warehouse.

SPEAKER_01: 42:41

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So how did it be curious when it was cold, like that? How did it taste different than it does now?

SPEAKER_00: 42:45

Like it it doesn't um when it's colder, it doesn't give you uh as much flavor doesn't have as much viscosity, you know. It's it's yeah, thicker.

SPEAKER_05: 42:56

So this is barrel proof, it's the molecules that are in the bourbon itself, and when they're when the molecules are heat uh heat up, yeah, they tend to you get a lot more depth when it's more at a room temp.

SPEAKER_00: 43:06

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_06: 43:06

You get a lot more depth in the so the barrels you pick, are they they barrel proof? They're not cut at all. That's the proof out of the barrel. They don't cut them, they don't cut them. And is that a goal for you and your club? Or generally, generally, do you generally do uh barrel proofs or do you have them generally?

SPEAKER_00: 43:22

They're the the barrel proof cast strength.

SPEAKER_05: 43:25

Yeah, well, we uh uh somebody checked out. When are we going on our next uh chat? Michael Keyes checked in. Mike Mike Keyes checked in. So hey, thanks for coming.

SPEAKER_06: 43:33

Oh yeah, pour it pouring envy. Yeah, it's that Mike, you're not kidding, man. These are these are crazy. Pat Johnson checked in too. He's one of those little thumbs up and my upper front gums.

SPEAKER_04: 43:43

Are you are you okay over there? They're a little numb. We need someone to smack them.

SPEAKER_05: 43:47

No, I just figure finger bang them, you'll be all right. No, everything else I feel just fine.

SPEAKER_03: 43:52

August, there's some advantages to that. I'm like, my upper gums are gone. Yeah, you got that. Cheers. Yeah, there you go. That's that's a dirty. I get it. I get it. I I I'm in a podcast where we drink, but this this high proof stuff is just not for me. Kick in the dick. We'll finish it for one. Come on, you got another one that's gonna I have no choice. Are you gonna finish it?

SPEAKER_01: 44:12

August, aren't you here every Monday?

SPEAKER_03: 44:13

Yeah, so we don't drink 170,000 proof stuff all the time.

SPEAKER_01: 44:17

I'm sorry, only 150 proof. Oh, sorry.

SPEAKER_03: 44:19

Well, are you gonna finish that, August?

SPEAKER_01: 44:21

Yeah, well, I felt that I was gonna say I'd finish it for him. Right in my ear. I felt that one of my eardrums.

SPEAKER_06: 44:28

I felt that one of my eardrums. I did.

SPEAKER_01: 44:30

So, Jerry, we have fun here.

SPEAKER_02: 44:33

Oh, for sure. I'll bring Gabe, we'll make cop uh cop tape. I would definitely go back to this thing.

SPEAKER_01: 44:38

All right, like I'm not I'm not a regular, but I've invited myself to the time. Oh, yeah. The man cave door is is open for women cavers, not just man cavers.

SPEAKER_06: 44:48

The man cave cavers.

SPEAKER_03: 44:52

It's a podcast for everyone. All right, it sounds throughout the yeah, and after well, and after and after the after the mismouth podcast, the whole man cave thing is part.

SPEAKER_05: 45:00

I opened that up two days ago. You opened this bottle two days ago. I opened that bottle two days ago, and this is the George T stag straight Kentucky bourbon or whiskey on the side.

SPEAKER_02: 45:10

Do you want to read the proof on that one? Bourbon.

SPEAKER_05: 45:11

No, I don't actually.

SPEAKER_02: 45:15

It's a don't ask, don't tell situation. That might be better. Actually, everyone tastes it without knowing the proof.

SPEAKER_06: 45:20

Yeah, don't ask, don't tell situations.

SPEAKER_00: 45:24

Yeah, if you don't know what the proof is, you will have no idea what it is. That's what I look for in a high proof.

SPEAKER_03: 45:30

Yeah, but I don't my notice gums don't go numb. Notice your phone. Look at the color. Look at the color on there.

SPEAKER_02: 45:37

You're having a little trouble speaking there. It's unbelievable.

SPEAKER_01: 45:41

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03: 45:43

What did I open myself up to here? You I that's I'm sorry, you're not used to me being here. No, I I have no problem. What do you mean, open yourself up? You're always open, Jennifer. Woof, Matt. We didn't have a second OBGYN reference today. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 45:57

Hey, that's the same pour that I gave myself, dude. Come on. All right, I'm gonna pour this for everybody.

SPEAKER_01: 46:02

No, no, I'll take it then.

SPEAKER_05: 46:03

Spencer, the last time I was here, because I want you guys to have this because uh Jerry already to take any home.

SPEAKER_06: 46:11

Oh, he doesn't want you to see. I might have this one more, I don't know. Bottle to see the proof. Jerry already knows the business. So you this is a barrel pick from your club.

SPEAKER_00: 46:23

No, you oh this is the 2025 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, George T Stag release. This is a bit this is the like now.

SPEAKER_01: 46:33

He wants an explanation, Jerry. Come on.

SPEAKER_06: 46:34

Jerry, this is kind of a big deal. This is a big deal.

SPEAKER_01: 46:38

Jerry Jerry is a big deal.

SPEAKER_06: 46:40

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02: 46:41

Don't smell it. No, no, seriously.

SPEAKER_06: 46:43

This is a big deal. That's a big deal. That's I'm gonna say thank you for bringing that. That's extraordinarily generous.

SPEAKER_00: 46:49

That's what it's all about, you know. That's what I love about bourbon is sharing, creating memories, meeting new people, like any part.

SPEAKER_06: 46:57

You are the best man on the planet. Like I fucked up. Don't call me that. That's my wife's ex-boyfriend. Thank you. That's that's extraordinarily generous.

SPEAKER_01: 47:08

We're all coming to that, August.

SPEAKER_05: 47:12

So, August, I want to know what you think the proof is.

SPEAKER_00: 47:15

You gotta start with the nose. Start with the nose.

SPEAKER_05: 47:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 47:20

Does it smell like a high proof?

SPEAKER_05: 47:22

It doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_00: 47:22

No, it's not burning my nose hairs, no.

SPEAKER_05: 47:24

It does not.

SPEAKER_02: 47:25

It doesn't at all, right? Well, you didn't wax them this time, so you can you can actually feel your nose hairs this time.

SPEAKER_03: 47:29

I pulled a whole bunch out on the drive over here, so while you're driving one-handed, I just want to do it.

SPEAKER_02: 47:36

That's why I do my best work. That's what the battery number is. That's what the battery number is for.

SPEAKER_01: 47:39

So you drive looking at it. It's dark outside, yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 47:41

The windows are tinted.

SPEAKER_03: 47:43

I don't need to look in the mirror. I do it by hand. That's my feel.

SPEAKER_01: 47:48

You do, you do, you do. Window longer. All right. All right, now that I got that picture in my hand.

SPEAKER_06: 47:55

Good luck, Mr. Flanagan. No, no, no. It's just nice. I I don't know if you're gonna get the movie right tomorrow. No, it doesn't. How do you work this damn DVD player?

SPEAKER_01: 48:06

I mean, we're not Netflixing it, we're DVD.

SPEAKER_05: 48:09

Yeah, no, it's real to real in his class.

SPEAKER_01: 48:12

DHS beta, beta, beta going one.

SPEAKER_06: 48:15

For the old people.

SPEAKER_03: 48:16

The only way you can watch Song of the South is on VHS now, so that is fire.

SPEAKER_06: 48:23

That is that's got a flavor.

SPEAKER_02: 48:24

That has got some I don't think it's got a lot of it. No.

SPEAKER_01: 48:31

No, I think it tastes strong. It's got it's got the tingle.

SPEAKER_00: 48:34

It makes your tongue tingle.

SPEAKER_02: 48:36

It doesn't taste like not like smack me in the face, like strong.

SPEAKER_03: 48:40

It's not like ethanol. My tongue's still numb from the last one. How did it tangle?

SPEAKER_01: 48:43

Put it to one of your sweet August.

SPEAKER_03: 48:46

You have problems saying tingle.

SPEAKER_05: 48:47

A fungo, a tingle tingle, a tongue, but I think it's your tongue, August. Jamie's falling over over here. I don't know what's going on.

SPEAKER_00: 48:53

No, I was trying to not. The smell is nice and mild, caramel. But the taste, you know, you have a couple sips of it, you get that caramel oak vanilla, all of those flavor profiles, it just lingers. It's got like it sticks around for a while.

SPEAKER_05: 49:10

It's like a dried cherry almost that that's kind of hanging around the back of your package. Exactly.

SPEAKER_06: 49:14

Yeah, yep.

SPEAKER_05: 49:14

It's got that that dried fruit in the back.

SPEAKER_06: 49:16

Definitely. I wouldn't have said a cherry, but yeah, I would have said a fruit.

SPEAKER_01: 49:20

Which fruit would you have said? Apricot? Apricot. What would you have said?

SPEAKER_06: 49:24

No, I don't know. I hadn't narrowed it down, but I wouldn't have said cherry. No.

SPEAKER_01: 49:27

But there's a lot of different fruits. I know. Dried fruit at that.

SPEAKER_06: 49:30

Chris.

SPEAKER_01: 49:31

I'm working on their own down. Let's work on that.

SPEAKER_04: 49:33

I'm feeling pressure.

SPEAKER_05: 49:35

The proof. So the proof you're gonna feel a little pressure. It's time for an Andra to meet you. Oh, look at this bottle. Ding man, put the cat by what are we looking at?

SPEAKER_00: 49:46

You can examine it. It is the so funny enough, we uh I had uh Gabe over yesterday. Sorry, hold on, we need to get the god Detroit sucks.

SPEAKER_03: 50:01

He does with the glasses with little bit actually a little bit, a little bit.

SPEAKER_00: 50:05

I did not see 142.8 man, big boy.

SPEAKER_06: 50:11

Wow, I don't know. That is that is not asthmat, stranger things.

SPEAKER_01: 50:15

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 50:15

Does it does it taste that? So, but here's no, but it there's a lot going on alcohol-wise. I think it overpowers some of the flavors. Uh, you said you can't taste anything until it's over 120. I think when you're over 140, I think you're losing some because there's just so much of an alcohol blast.

SPEAKER_00: 50:33

You know what? That's uh that makes sense. That makes a lot of sense, and so the this is actually the same proof as the 2012 version they did, and I know that because we tried it side by side yesterday. Oh, fair play, and uh, I didn't realize that until then. Um, 2016 was the other hazmat version, but 2020 is my absolute favorite, yeah. And that one is um that one's more in the 130 proof range, and that I believe so, and that one has all of the same things but less uh like heat from the alcohol, but it so it gives you more oak and caramel. So I could see how when you do get the higher proof, it can take away a little bit, but um this but this but once I was true and it doesn't take it away compared to the past four years. This in my opinion, other than 2020, that's second is goal. Wow, it's it's like really, really so where'd you where'd you get where'd you lay your hands on that?

SPEAKER_06: 51:29

Yeah, that's like if someone's it I mean I mean it's like at a store. Did you go a local Michigan store? If you know somebody somebody who knows somebody, oh I don't know. That's pretty allocated, right? That's a pretty very allocated, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 51:42

Stores maybe got one, maybe got three.

SPEAKER_06: 51:44

Well, and you you push barrels to your stores. So if anybody's got preference and deference, then it it's gonna be jarred.

SPEAKER_00: 51:52

I like yeah, and I share, and I don't even like it. I open it up with you know a lot of people to share, try it out. The people that you know, if I get it from somebody, we're usually opening it and we're trying it.

SPEAKER_06: 52:01

If we haven't had it open yet, crazy generous. Thank you, thank you.

SPEAKER_00: 52:06

Yeah, it's a lot of fun. That one is incredible. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_06: 52:09

That is very nice.

SPEAKER_00: 52:10

I can get more of these than I can that.

SPEAKER_06: 52:12

Really?

SPEAKER_01: 52:12

Wow, wow, very but you know me. I would like this, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 52:16

Because these oh it's so limited. How many came out of the barrel, and then you're done.

SPEAKER_05: 52:20

Ah, right.

SPEAKER_00: 52:20

And all the people already probably drank them. I could put out like some posts on the secondary market to try to buy it, but who's gonna want to get rid of it? Do you have it or have it left?

SPEAKER_02: 52:30

Are you selling any more baits? I don't have any more at home. Any more baits to sell?

SPEAKER_00: 52:32

I'm not giving it to anyone.

SPEAKER_02: 52:33

No, I don't want to.

SPEAKER_00: 52:36

Of course you can anytime. You need to drive. You are always one, and you need a driver. Wait, never mind.

SPEAKER_01: 52:40

I'll drive you at Jerry's house. He said I was there for his wife's event, and he knew I was coming, and he said, I set a bottle out for you.

SPEAKER_06: 52:48

So here's a question B's getting his learner permit, right? Do you have to be sober while he's driving? Oh my god, is he getting his learner's permit already?

SPEAKER_01: 52:57

No, he's talking about oh who brendon, yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 53:00

Next year, so does it it's his so if he do you do you have to be sober? Because he's got to have an adult in the car, but the said adult have to be sober. I don't know. That's why that's uh I don't know.

SPEAKER_03: 53:11

Loophole, I don't know. She might be teaching short. The answer is yes.

SPEAKER_01: 53:15

I mean, you get a different answer each time.

SPEAKER_05: 53:19

Oh, wait, with without iPhone, just scholarships eventually. Oh my god. Really? I'm going back to school.

SPEAKER_01: 53:25

That's right.

SPEAKER_07: 53:25

All right, masters. I'm going for 11 and shrinking. It's cool.

SPEAKER_05: 53:29

Well, you want to pass that four that four roses back over this week?

SPEAKER_06: 53:32

Lordy. That is just please. That's nice. Yeah, it's something special.

SPEAKER_00: 53:39

Come on, bye I have the rest of the antique collection you could try it too.

SPEAKER_01: 53:41

I don't want that, I want this.

SPEAKER_02: 53:43

You need to compare.

SPEAKER_07: 53:48

So wait, I had a good one.

SPEAKER_05: 53:48

Is that everyone's favorite? Or is it that's my that's my favorite?

SPEAKER_02: 53:51

Well, I that's your favorite. Are we all three? You don't know, you can't taste the feeling. No, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01: 53:57

This is my favorite. Oh, wait, wait, wait. No, this is my favorite.

SPEAKER_02: 53:59

Yeah, that's just it again, August. I I did like that.

SPEAKER_01: 54:02

This is my favorite.

SPEAKER_00: 54:03

I do like that better.

SPEAKER_01: 54:04

This is my favorite. I do all of the ones.

SPEAKER_06: 54:06

Out of the out of those two, you like that one more?

SPEAKER_00: 54:08

I do. And uh August is the I don't like the juniors usually. But that single barrel, it's just so unique.

SPEAKER_06: 54:15

Try the Louisville game. I'm I'm I'm bouncing between the Louisville and and that as my number one. I I I like the four roses, I like the other the OF.

SPEAKER_03: 54:25

I didn't give it a fair shake. Do you mind?

SPEAKER_04: 54:27

Go right ahead. That's what it's here for. You're such a gentleman, August.

SPEAKER_00: 54:32

I know as he whips out sample bottles and fills them.

SPEAKER_01: 54:36

Jerry, do you have open spots? Jerry, do you have opening? I would like to join next year.

SPEAKER_00: 54:47

Next year, we'll definitely do limit. Do you limit the number of people in your club? No, it's because we have it. So we have it set up where see, I told you, they're elitists.

SPEAKER_02: 54:54

I never got invited.

SPEAKER_01: 54:55

God he likes me better. I'm okay, guys.

SPEAKER_05: 54:58

I'm sorry. So there's some inviting family shit going on right now. So I'm gonna step like a podcast of its own. So take over the podcast.

SPEAKER_03: 55:08

Like a podcast of its own.

SPEAKER_06: 55:09

We might just become Jerry Springer. I don't know. All right. So how do people get in? Jerry, how do people get into the Lenny and Squiggy Cock Bourbon Club?

SPEAKER_03: 55:19

The Bibb and Shimazo. Bibb and Tucker makes a good club. They do it.

SPEAKER_04: 55:23

So stiff meat or stiff is different than meat.

SPEAKER_06: 55:33

You got to use the right uh article in there. So uh the right conjunction in there. Uh so the neat or stiff, because neat and meat and stiff is the porn Matt was in during college and some lean years. But uh so neat or stiff being the bourbon club. Stir stir stir neat or stiff blame it on the 140 proof.

SPEAKER_03: 55:58

Well, we've hit the one hour uh uh Mark Folks, blah blah blah. My mouth is still number one.

SPEAKER_06: 56:02

I like stiff, I like stiff better. Neat or stiff neat or stir, I was trying to do that.

SPEAKER_05: 56:07

That's a whole different page. Okay, guys, that's a different podcast.

SPEAKER_06: 56:10

Yeah, don't there's some more for that drinking wise. That's the 140. There, uh, but a lot of people get involved in this bourbon club, yeah. Everyone else stops.

SPEAKER_00: 56:21

It's usually all just word of mouth, like um again, there's an Instagram Neat Orster that people can follow, join, and eventually we're gonna open it up to more people. Right now, we just try to keep it pretty tight because there's only so many bottles that come out of a barrel, yeah. And we have it starting at the beginning of the year where you know the the top 50 people that are getting these uh barrel picks are going to be locked in for like the Eagle Rare pick, the H Taylor single barrel pick, you know, some of the more allocated type picks that we do the stag.

SPEAKER_06: 56:50

You first do you get tips, yeah, or do you get like are you just a random draw?

SPEAKER_00: 56:54

No, they're like locked in guaranteed for that uh barrel pick. And then if we have extras, then we'll divvy them out based on that, or for some like the four roses. So like the four roses, usually everybody wants a four roses, right? But the top 50 people that have been buying all the other picks and supporting the group are going to be able to get two of those, not just one. Oh, okay. And so we'll do some things like they can be just glucks.

SPEAKER_06: 57:25

That's all you that's all it is. You know a guy that knows a guy, yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 57:28

I'm gonna go talk another guy and pick them out, and then will it be in the group?

SPEAKER_06: 57:31

We met a guy tonight, so you got Jerry. That was like wow, that was great.

SPEAKER_05: 57:36

Thank you for sharing. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_06: 57:39

Yeah, that stag is uh that is uh for this one. We could finish that bottle tonight.

SPEAKER_05: 57:45

If you don't accept my request, oh well I'm already a like, follow, you know, ma'am.

SPEAKER_06: 57:55

You you have no THC or heroin in your system, but there are just way too much bourbon. I don't know, I don't know how it even charts on a drug test, but your bourbon content just charted on a drug test. So uh I think everyone should we're gonna have to talk.

SPEAKER_03: 58:14

Nothing will ever top the A and B night when they brought in like 20 barrel picks behind them all.

SPEAKER_06: 58:19

A and B liquor, yeah. Ivon Yvon's a great guy, Ivon's great guy. He came in here with two like carry-on suitcases. They brought carry on luggage full of bottles. I believe it.

SPEAKER_01: 58:29

Are you serious? Oh, yeah, god. Next time I'd like to be included.

SPEAKER_03: 58:33

Then they stayed around and did the next podcast with the hypnotist talking about relationships. Well, they were hammered. Oh boy, that sounds fun. Oh, it was a blast.

SPEAKER_06: 58:41

Yeah, he's a psychoanalyst that uses uh hypnosis in his therapy, and uh, you know, he's a doctor and all that, and uh yeah, they stayed around and talked about relationships, and then they you know, you know, drinking and really and just how we had to do it.

SPEAKER_05: 58:55

It was one of the more fun motor city hypnotist podcasts that that we've done.

SPEAKER_06: 59:00

August and I sat in the other room just having an old-fashioned and just listening uh going back in and grabbing buttons.

SPEAKER_03: 59:06

I didn't go to work till noon the next day. Yeah, me either, but I started at seven, and I run a city. I was this is a nothing week. This is a nothing week. He does, he runs the city, like this is a nothing week, and I we have the short week because of the holiday.

SPEAKER_01: 59:19

He's not been in skiing yet.

SPEAKER_03: 59:21

You're not even you're you're just there, you're barely working right now. Yeah, then I get on a plane for Europe on Saturday, so I'm out of here. So we're going to Krakow, Krekow, Poland.

SPEAKER_01: 59:31

For how long?

SPEAKER_03: 59:31

For eight days.

SPEAKER_01: 59:32

Oh, we gotta talk about this.

SPEAKER_03: 59:33

We're gonna do the uh the Christmas markets and then we're going uh you're going to the uh holiday. I ain't going to fucking Auschwitz. My name's August Gitchlag. I'm not you're not going, but everyone else is. Or but the whole the rest of the families. Um, I'm going to the bar. Uh there's a city of rain. Then they're we're going to the mountain town of uh I'm gonna get it wrong because I'm not speaking Polish. Zu Zakopani. Like a two hour train ride up in the mountains, and then we have like sleigh rides and all this stuff going on. There's a shit ton of snow already. So yeah, it's a whole thing. So yeah. So you packed light, is what you're saying. All right.

SPEAKER_06: 1:00:06

Yes. All right. So um, Jerry, my god. Thank you. That was yeah, thanks for having me. I really appreciate it. Jerry, Jerry.

SPEAKER_00: 1:00:14

Thank you.

SPEAKER_06: 1:00:15

Jerry. Jerry. Jerry.

SPEAKER_05: 1:00:17

Wait, wait, wait.

SPEAKER_06: 1:00:18

I was right. You did. You made the Springer comment. So Neat Orster. I got it right. Got it right. Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 1:00:25

Oh, Jamie.

SPEAKER_06: 1:00:27

Look for him on Instagram. And yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_02: 1:00:30

Uh, and then or the store. Right.

SPEAKER_06: 1:00:33

Yes. Which store?

SPEAKER_03: 1:00:35

All of them? So they do they do good work. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 1:00:37

If there's anybody that bottles and stuff in Livonia is the main store that I do a lot of the pics with. Zaytuna in Rochester Hills. Oh, God. Great guy. Do lots of stuff with him.

SPEAKER_06: 1:00:47

So, Jennifer Spencer, thank you for uh uh uh helping uh subject us to this with Jerry. You guys rock. So they we love being here, so yeah, yeah, yeah. So we'll do we'll do more and uh like subscribe, uh leave a comment, tell a friend, do all the podcast things in all the podcast places. That's August Kitchlag.

SPEAKER_03: 1:01:08

This go ahead. Oh, you're just leaving it for me to just he's just wanted to talk about you again. No, yeah, you do take it away. Go ahead. Go ahead. No, you you introduce fine.

SPEAKER_06: 1:01:17

No, ladies. Oh Jesus, Mary Joseph.

SPEAKER_03: 1:01:20

I couldn't help it. You guys those are the voices of that's a voice of Matt. Those are the voices the voices of Matt Fla Fox. Wow, are you still numb? Run the tape back. We'll fix it. We're still numb. Fix it still numb. The voices of Matt Fox and Jamie Flanning. See, that was brilliant.

SPEAKER_01: 1:01:39

I love that.

SPEAKER_03: 1:01:40

The adults in the room.

SPEAKER_05: 1:01:42

Oh, come on.

SPEAKER_01: 1:01:43

But I'm older.

SPEAKER_05: 1:01:44

Don't leave Jerry out. He's don't leave Jerry out. He's the youngest.

SPEAKER_03: 1:01:47

He's the oldest adult here. He's probably the only adult here. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

SPEAKER_02: 1:01:52

Yeah, happy early Thanksgiving. Yeah, happy Thanksgiving to everybody Thanksgiving. Thanks for playing along. Cheers.

SPEAKER_06: 1:01:57

And uh we'll do it again uh very, very soon.

SPEAKER_02: 1:01:59

Yes, very soon. Cheers. Man came happy hour.

SPEAKER_06: 1:02:02

Yeah, cheers, cheers, cheers, cheers. Love you.