The Scotchy Bourbon Boys
The Scotchy Bourbon Boys love Whiskey and every thing about the industry! Martin "Super Nash", Jeff "Tiny", Rachel "Roxy" Karl "Whisky" and Chris "CT" all make up The Scotchy Bourbon Boys! Join us in talking everything and anything Whiskey, with the innovators, and distillers around the globe. Go behind the scenes of making great whiskey and learn how some of the best in the whiskey industry make their product! Remember good whiskey means great friends and good times! Go out and Live Your Life Dangerously!
The Scotchy Bourbon Boys
Crafting Spirits and Celebrating Milestones: Inside Gervasi Stillhouse with Shea Pridemore
Discover the captivating journey of Shea Pridemore, master distiller at Jervasi Stillhouse, as he shares insights into the art of bourbon crafting, the unique challenges of distilling, and the flavors that define their spirits. With a focus on community engagement and education, Shea invites listeners to explore the fascinating world of craft distilling.
• Introduction to Shea Pridemore and Jervasi Stillhouse
• Discussion of challenges in starting a distillery
• Tasting of eight-year weeded bourbon and flavor profiles
• Importance of sourcing quality barrels for finishing
• Insights on barrel finishing techniques and flavor development
• Plans for a distillery club for hands-on learning experiences
• Future product releases and expansion of Jervasi's offerings
• Engaging stories that connect bourbon to local history and community
Discover the secrets behind Gervasi Stillhouse with Shea Pridemore, the master distiller who’s reshaping the landscape of bourbon and whiskey right in Ohio. From the initial hurdles of starting a distillery to the creative triumphs of producing a signature flavor, Shea offers a fascinating glimpse into the journey of crafting unique spirits. Learn how their strategic transition from sourced to in-house creations maintains a consistent and artful flavor profile that has become synonymous with Gervasi's offerings. Dive into the rich history and culture of distilling, and hear about the exciting single barrel cask strength bourbon set to celebrate a significant 15-year milestone.
Embark on a tasting adventure as we explore the delicate nuances of whiskey collecting and the joy of sharing a good bottle with friends. The episode highlights the artistry involved in distillation, from the impact of char levels to the distinctive features of Ohio versus Kentucky bourbons. Experience the anticipation surrounding a special anniversary release, with tasting notes featuring tantalizing hints of tart cherry and raspberry. Our chat uncovers the personal experiences and innovative techniques that drive the excitement of crafting and enjoying whiskey.
Get a taste of the future with discussions on expanding rickhouses, experimenting with various whiskey styles, and the burgeoning interest in tequila and agave spirits. Explore the unique facets of Gervasi's Italian-themed events and accommodations, and learn about their educational distillery club designed to engage enthusiasts in hands-on learning. From vintage releases like the 1981 Old Taylor whiskey to interactive experiences at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, this episode is a celebration of community, shared passion, and the timeless joy of whiskey exploration. Engage with us across platforms and join a vibrant community of bourbon lovers ready for their next spirited adventure.
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What's up? Scotchy Bourbon Voice fans, this is Alan Bisham of If you have Ghosts, you have Everything. You may know me better as Indiana's alchemist in the Black Forest, but if you're at all interested in the 14th high strangeness, the paranormal and the unexplained, then you should tune into my new podcast. If you have Ghosts, you have Everything available now, wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify, google Podcasts and Amazon, we'll be right back.
Speaker 2:We're talking to the moon, the man we talk some shit about. We're telling the truth. Yeah, we're the Scotch and Bourbon boys Racing to hell. Checking the room? Sure yeah we're the Scotch and Bourbon boys. We're here to have fun and we hope you enjoy. We're here to have fun. All right, perfect yeah.
Speaker 5:That's when the dash comes through. We're almost finished.
Speaker 4:Alright, welcome back to another podcast of the Scotchy Bourbon Boys. All right, welcome back to another podcast of the Scotchy Bourbon Boys. I'm here today very excited at Gervasi Stillhouse, or the Stillhouse at Gervasi Vineyard, and this is actually. We're in the distillery. So very excited for that. We're live on Facebook and YouTube, but we got Shea Pridemore here, the master distiller for pretty much the last five years, correct. So very exciting today for us and myself, because this is something that we're very close to this distillery.
Speaker 4:My house is three minutes and 23 seconds away and it's kind of, even even when I was packing up to put the podcast stuff in, I'm like I got to remember everything and I'm like, well, wait a second, if I forgot something, I probably could go home and get it, but I remembered everything and we're going. This is exciting for me. I remembered everything and we're going. This is exciting for me. If you go back early on I believe it was, was it March, like somewhere in 2021, I think yeah. And during COVID, where it was kind of over but it wasn't, nobody was doing whatever and we were talking about what you know. You had just released the rum, the rum barrel. Bourbon was the release for that, which I still have a bottle of that. But I do like. I did like the rum. The rum barrel bourbon was the release for that, which I still have a bottle of that. But I do like. I did like the rum finished. I love rum finished whiskeys and bourbons and everything.
Speaker 4:But you know, talk about then to now. I mean it's like it's got to be kind of exciting and most people the hardest part about getting a distillery up and everybody talks about it one, it's the financial investment of the owners. I think when they start out, initially they're on board because they know it's whiskey and you say five years or six years when it's going to be ready. But to actually go through it is a challenge and you know there's a lot of things that you had to do. Some people sell moonshine in the and you know they make their white dog and they flavor it and whatever other people um, source, um and whiskey and then put it out and they blend it. So they got it on the, on the shelf and then um.
Speaker 4:I think what you guys, initially with your sourcing and then eventually with the finishing, to get you to this point, the finishing is kind of I think. I think it was a not like it's my favorite. Finished bourbons aren't, and whiskeys aren't my favorite. But with that said, to get you to this point, you don't have a lot of people like that. Like I brought in and we're going to taste this eight year weeded that. You guys, that's the last bourbon, I think that was released as a bourbon on the shelf here at javasi and but you don't have a lot of people going. Is yours going to taste exactly the same as that? You know what I mean. You've got a lot of the finished stuff in going to taste exactly the same as that. You know what I mean. You've got a lot of the finished stuff in there using some of the same barrels and then all you also source from a couple other different places. But this is your life up until now, right?
Speaker 5:yeah, yeah, absolutely so yeah, uh, the eight year we did, uh, that we released, released in the first year, was something that we had sourced from good friends. That product was was really phenomenal. So from that point on, it was you're gonna grab it?
Speaker 1:yeah, let's, let's drink it.
Speaker 5:Yeah, there we go. So with that one, that was the last bourbon that we decided that we were going to release as a straight bourbon. We wanted to do something that when we released it, we didn't want to just purchase it and put it on the shelf. We wanted to make sure that we did something to it so that we could put our artistry behind it. So, unfortunately, our product, of course, wasn't up to age yet wasn't up to age yet. So what we did is that we sourced bourbons that had a similar mash profile to what we were actually producing. That way, eventually, when we do, when we are releasing ours and putting our stuff into those finished barrels it's going to be a very seamless transition should hopefully taste similar to what has been out there for the past five years already.
Speaker 4:This is almost a dusty. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, I can guarantee you. Being in my basement, it's gotten some dust on it a couple times from construction. There you go, we'll count that, we'll count that, we'll count that. But you know, and I know from knowing the distiller that was here before this bourbon as he was released. I think you guys did a six and a seven-year release of it as it kept aging. But then there was one barrel that he knew and then he entrusted you into that and this was, I mean, I got a hold of it and it's been, it's been sitting there, I finished my first bottle and I'm whatever, and I'm like what an occasion.
Speaker 4:I'm back with Shea here at Jervasi, my as well, yes and cheers. And it's like this, this one, oh, even just the smell of it. And and initially, when I first I was into bourbon, I was starting the podcast and I would come for dinner and you guys were and they were like, well, it's a colorado and you know wherever. And I I since learned and met and learned and know the guy who distilled it, you know steve dally, at bard's number and talked to him about it. And then also I knew who got it and everything as we went, but it really was. I mean, he he kind of left it in colorado because it wasn't aging fast enough. Well, once you guys got it finished aging it, it just really turned into something special. Absolutely, but that's a challenge of getting a new distillery up right. Absolutely, yeah, yeah so it's.
Speaker 5:You know, of course, bourbons, whiskeys, that whole category is going to be some of the fastest movers and you know, as a new distillery you're trying to sell products and you know, to get some of those brown spirits out there is, um, I don't want, uh, you know, just to get the distillery off the ground. It helps.
Speaker 4:You put it out at 100 proof, 50 ABV, and then it was aged eight years and when you taste this it's still. You just go wow, oh yeah, it's delicious.
Speaker 5:It's been.
Speaker 4:I don't want to. I will not Sometimes.
Speaker 5:since I've cracked one of these open, we still have one or two maybe hanging out in the library back there but yeah, it's holding up nice so yeah, definitely, I'm.
Speaker 4:just. I even forgot. I probably two years ago finished off. If I would decant that it would be gone by the end of the weekend. I've got to get that in there, it's just. It has everything that you want, you know. Nice hug, yeah, you know, but it's, you know. I mean there's like a candy corn almost. You can taste a little bit of corn, you know, yeah, but that's also part of it. And then, as you were here, you had a little bit of the stock left over. You were able to purchase some of the stock, but then you knew you had to keep putting stuff out, right, yeah, and that's when you started purchasing from a different supplier. But then that's when you really started getting the finished stuff going right.
Speaker 5:So then at that point, that's when we transitioned over to our barrel finishing program.
Speaker 5:So we would bring in this fantastic four or five-year bourbon, fantastic four or five year bourbon.
Speaker 5:And then, of course, since we have the winery here on site, we worked out with them that basically, when they were getting close to dumping their barrels for the year, I would go over there and start smelling the barrels, tasting the wine that was in those barrels. We would start selecting which barrels that we thought were superior, excited about, and then, as soon as they in those barrels, we would start selecting which barrels that we thought were superior, excited about. And then, as soon as they dump those barrels and this is still how we do it to this day as soon as they dump those barrels, we get them straight down here. We have the bourbon ready and usually within an hour or two those barrels were being dumped are filled with our bourbon. So you really can't do much better as far as getting fresh barrels out there and I think that product really really shows. So that was the first one we started with and then from there it's progressed. We've added in the rum barrel bourbon, the maple cask, as well as the branded cask as well.
Speaker 4:Where do you source your maple casks from?
Speaker 5:So the maple casks the last ones came from Bliss Maple Farms Fantastic barrels, and when they come in, when we first get them off the truck and bring them in, this whole building just smells sweet maple syrup and that is fantastic for quite a few days.
Speaker 4:So, yeah, so there's a couple like the the maple sir. Honestly, in my opinion, maple finished bourbon's almost like cheating. You know what I mean. Maple syrup and bourbon it almost it's. Then the syrup guys want the barrels back and then they put their syrup in it. I mean it's just a back and forth. But who doesn't love bourbon flavor? You know bourbon-finished syrup, you know what I mean. So it's a great, great and I love. You know, I think that maple finish just go. When you're talking about maple syrup, it just it's like what Lisa Roper Wicker called it Decadence. You know, it's just like it's just, it's a perfect match. But it's not. You know, it's finished, not flavored, I mean, but technically syrup is flavoring it. But I think it's just a really good mix, marriage kind of thing, you know. No, I was just thinking what you need to do is like, once you get those maple syrup barrels, you know, oh yeah, you need to make a big batch of caramel corn and put it in there and then make it caramel.
Speaker 4:Then let it sit there for a couple months, dump out the popcorn and then you got the caramel maple there we go caramel maple flavored. You know what I mean? No, I'm just. It's just like the caramels in. Those are natural flavors maple caramel brown sugar.
Speaker 5:Those are similar flavors to what's already in, you know, our bourbon, so that just only enhances the nuances?
Speaker 4:do they? Do they ship brown sugar in barrels? I I'm sure we could.
Speaker 5:Actually, I think I have seen a brown sugar barrel once.
Speaker 4:I mean, just like some of that brown sugar, yeah, but once again, I really think what you guys did with the finishing program was very spectacular because, like, once again, now that you've been doing it, it's been a decent amount of time since this was out and now you're coming out with your own and people aren't going to be to be trying to make it a social. You don't have to make that jump. As much as you can go out the flavor you're looking for for your bourbon. You're not stuck with trying to make it so that there's a bridge, exactly, and that is something that all distilleries have to deal with as they're going through. Yeah, I, that is something that all distilleries have to deal with as they're going through.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean, I've been a part of a lot of the growing up of distilleries. You know and, quite frankly, after this and how I'm getting to know you. So the other aspect is this is your soul and every. You're part of it and I. That's one thing. I hope that all owners of places that I've been to a a couple places where the distiller left and then you go back and it's like a ghost town and I'm going to tell you the whiskey doesn't taste quite as good, then you know what I mean. You're part of it. It's a story. You're part of history. No matter what, at one point these bottles are out there, someone's going to save some and it's going to be part of what you know. This is part of the bourbon boom, and there's all the different people are documenting them, and they this is, and they they like to keep this for history and there's a reason for it yeah, because honestly, without bourbon, our country doesn't exist, because taxing whiskey has been the main, and I don't care what anybody says.
Speaker 4:When you're talking trillions of dollars, most of those trillions of dollars are coming from people drinking a lot.
Speaker 5:That's throughout our history.
Speaker 4:I was hearing someone say well, maybe the temperance movement is coming back. I'm like people aren't drunk and passed out in the streets. It's not going to come back and you're nuts if the government's giving up this money yeah, yeah, that would surprise because you know how you you're distilled and you know how how big of a chunk is taken and there's still money to be made.
Speaker 5:Yeah, absolutely you know, and that's the great thing about it and I, you know, I I see more and more people that I know that are definitely drinking less, but what they are drinking is more like quality products, you know, like craftsmanship. They find those unique things so um, so yeah, I see where there's. We'll just have to see how it trends over the next few years. Well, I don't I don't know.
Speaker 4:I wouldn't say I'm drinking less, I'm buying less, but it still comes down to my wife's like how many more bottles do you need? I'm like this is a podcast. Okay, I need one more for this podcast. But it used to be when I'd go, maybe I'd get three or four. I think about it now, but it's only because I have a stash. I have a stash that if the world closed down, I'm set and you can come over to my house and I'm still set. We can do it together. No, I'm not saying that.
Speaker 5:I'll be good for a minute, that's for sure.
Speaker 4:And it is fun sometimes to revisit some of the older bottles that you haven't revisited. That was there and it's like where did that JTS Brown come from?
Speaker 5:it's three quart. There's only a quarter gone. Well, maybe I could try that tonight, you know. But I have a few bottles. You know that I'm sure the friends that there's still a little bit left, that those are ones that you know, make me that kind of work me up a little bit when I see them. You know that, like you know, you know, unfortunately I don't have so much for Insta with me, so it's like you know, when I go back to those it's those memories that you know and it's really you'll see later.
Speaker 4:And yeah, that's when people sometimes will talk about oh, it's this, oh it's that. I'm like it is for some people that you know and the world's going to be the world there. That's. There's a the control we always say drink responsibly, definitely don't drink and drive. We're always talking about being responsible and that's and. And when you're a connoisseur or a taster or a person who likes like to war a poor at night, that warms you up. Or you're sitting by your backyard on the deck, have a poor the fireplace, get the fireplace going. It's all part of it and it's part of memories with. But it's also a part of when you're your friends and you get together and the better the whiskey when you get together and I'm saying they had some really good whiskey at the Christmas party. You don't forget that.
Speaker 4:You know, and if you get a good bottle, what good is it? Just sitting on your shelf? You got to share it with friends, right? So before we get to that well, do you want to get to that? Before we get to sharing a really good bottle with a friend?
Speaker 5:so let's do this, yeah, let's, yeah, let's try that.
Speaker 4:Well, let's put this in the scotchie bourbon boys glen, all right, because I'm really excited. This is something that honestly, I just I just I know what you put out as far as your palate, you know, since you've been here and whatever yeah I like what you've been doing. I'm not even, I'm not even worried about this well, thank you.
Speaker 5:So I mean. The point is that you know, like I said a little bit ago, it's like to look back at when I filled this. Compared to where I'm at now, it's been quite a journey, and so that's yeah, so you're going to be.
Speaker 4:So this is a single, but obviously we thief this from from a barrel, so it's a single barrel. Now you're you pick certain barrels for the single and then you're going to batch the rest.
Speaker 5:Yes, okay. Yeah, that's the plan for now, so maybe we'll have some other fun stuff we do in the future.
Speaker 4:Cheers, and then this is going to be launching next month correct.
Speaker 5:Yes, next month, yep, the second weekend of next month, here in March coming up, we celebrate our 15-year anniversary and so with that we're releasing our single barrel cask of strength, as well as our strength bourbon whiskey. So it's really exciting and I'm happy to be sharing this with you.
Speaker 4:Yes, for sure I'm.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 4:There's a fruity like almost a little bit of a berry.
Speaker 5:Yeah, actually what's funny is that so we tasted, so we just dumped quite a few of these barrels yesterday and we used to take full samples out of all of them, and one of the notes that I wrote on there was berry question mark. Yeah, I was like it's really interesting. It's a really interesting fruity note.
Speaker 4:It's a little bit, you know, maybe a really really tart, tart cherry, yeah, but it's more towards maybe raspberry berry, you know? Yeah, all right, I like that, I like that, I like that note. I mean, this is pot stilt. Yeah, this is, you know, when you're talking about pot stilt, but then the caramel is really coming through as well.
Speaker 5:Nice, you get a little bit of those corn.
Speaker 4:I get a little bit of. I'm picking up a little bit of char too. What char do you have on these barrels?
Speaker 5:Everything right now was char three when we started out, so over time we've added in some other chars as well and some other fun stuff.
Speaker 4:I've always felt that that's the char four to me, gets you a little bit richer, but bigger. And honestly, here in Ohio pot dist distilling you really aren't looking to get quite why. Why do big kentucky whiskey with whatever you're trying to do something that's unique? That, because already I always tell everybody I don't know why people want to do big caramel dessert bourbons. Kentucky's got it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the uniqueness that you can get off of that pot still, oh, absolutely, you know, wow, I mean, I'm gonna tell you. I know this isn't a weeded bourbon, yeah, but I just drank that. Yeah, yeah. And we're really close. I know, yeah, this is caramely, more caramely it does, yeah, so when you first started out, your volume yeah, had to be down a little bit, especially since you don't have a rickhouse yeah, yeah. And then you've been storing everything in here, right?
Speaker 5:Yeah, so well, in the very beginning, before the rickhouse was built and all through COVID, you know that really limited our production for quite a while. We produced a lot of hand sanitizer, which giving it out to people is great but yeah.
Speaker 4:That don't taste like hand sanitizer. No, no, no, Damn.
Speaker 5:What's interesting is that during fermentation of the hand sanitizer we did some experiments on the fermentation side and then when we went back to bourbon we made some changes that really helped to drive a lot of those flavor and aromatic compounds that we were really looking for that were pre-COVIDvid. It was a couple months before when I arrived that we were producing that. This bourbon here is really really got that complexity.
Speaker 5:So so, anyways, the stills are right, the stills right over there, yep yep, and our big 300 gallon still with a couple columns on it, so we can run quite a few fun different products on there.
Speaker 4:So when you do the whiskey, yeah, are you just using the pot or using one column?
Speaker 5:so what we were doing. So originally, when I first started here, we were just running it as a pot still. So basically we would go ahead and load up the still of all the mash, heat it up, and so we would skip those columns and we would basically bring it straight over to the condenser. What we were finding is that in those first initial test runs is that what we were getting over had quite a bit of like.
Speaker 5:There was interesting sulfur compounds that were still coming through. So it was so that it's a like wet dog and like wet corn. That's kind of like not ideal, okay.
Speaker 5:So what I did then is that basically I went ahead and ran it through one of our columns there, wide open, so we're not closing up our dampers in there and collecting any liquids, so we're not stripping out that fiber Right right All I did was open it up so that basically, what we're doing is getting more copper content, and so during that, so, in other words, instead of going straight to the condenser, then you run it through the column straight up and then condensed it, and what happened then is that I mean, did you?
Speaker 5:see some pot stills with the column on top of it, so it's half and half you just have it off to the side, the original still that I played with, you know, when I was still in Cincinnati at my old distillery down there. That was how it was set up, and so then running it through one of those it was day and night. The brightness that it all of a sudden just came out was beautiful, really, really shines.
Speaker 4:Smell it now. The caramel in there off this now is insane.
Speaker 5:Just give it a little bit of time to open up, yeah, yeah, into the glass.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it was opened in the initial, in the beat, but then, once it's in this, the glen's really picking up the caramel, and just so you know, cheers, yeah, cheers. I'm going to say I'm impressed on a level of than what I was. Even that exceeds my expectations. Well, thank you. I mean, you're in Ohio, right? Yeah, yes, no, but seriously beautiful, Thank you. So now, how much of a percentage are you letting go further? Oh man, now, how much of a percentage are you letting go further?
Speaker 5:Oh man, we have an entire stack here early on that we're going to sit around for an additional couple of years here.
Speaker 4:Now did that make that additional years. Is it still sitting here, or do you have it here, or did you get it in the rake house?
Speaker 5:Right now it's sitting actually right behind here.
Speaker 4:Okay, good, I mean honestly, you've been distilling the first part in a controlled atmosphere. I would love to know what something that you probably put a couple barrels in that you started, because now, right now, every single ounce of whiskey is out of the barrel in your rickhouse right now. Right, is it controlled? It's not right, it's open?
Speaker 5:Oh no, it's yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that negative nine. You're just kind of going well, when it warms up, what's going to happen? Yeah, yeah, you might have to do some fixing.
Speaker 5:Yeah, it's going to be fun. We usually are over there once a week just keeping an eye on things.
Speaker 4:How many barrels does it hold?
Speaker 5:It currently holds just under 300.
Speaker 4:Okay, not 30,000. No, not quite no, that's a lot for you guys, right.
Speaker 5:Yeah, for us.
Speaker 4:I mean, if it really Just so you know, you're in trouble. You think so? Oh, you are so in trouble You're not going to be able to keep that on the shelf. Yeah, Then they're going to want more and as you make more then you're going to have to make more.
Speaker 5:Well, the hard part is that this whole first year of production since the shutdown of COVID you know we waited a little bit longer to our anniversary, to you know, before we wanted to release it. But the initial year is, you know some limited numbers here, so but next year, you know that was a much higher production.
Speaker 4:Do you realize how important that limited production will be? You're Buffalo freaking Trace, right? Yeah, think about that. They're all going to want it and you won't have, they won't be able to get it, yeah, so I mean honestly.
Speaker 5:Maybe a line will form eventually. We'll see what happens. We'll get there or not.
Speaker 4:You already sell everything off the shelf here.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:That's the crazy part. Honestly, it's not this good. This is a step up and it's really good. Anybody who knows bourbon that sits at your bar and is going to, it's going to oh, I'll be jumping on these, I'll be jumping on them, and then I'll be out of them. You'll be out of them and I'll have to be behind them at the bar Like give me a pour. No, seriously, I'm honest and I wouldn't have. I was expecting decent, good bourbon, but the caramel on there, everything that I want. You're right in my wheelhouse. Yeah, I mean, you get a really good high score on our barrel banging. We barrel bang and this would be a high score. Well, thank you.
Speaker 4:Once this is out, I'll get a couple samples to my guys and we'll bang, and this would be a high score. Well, thank you, I'll get these. I'll get once this is out.
Speaker 5:I'll get a couple samples to my guys and we'll rate it Well. Thank you, I really appreciate that.
Speaker 4:That's really a nice job.
Speaker 5:Thank you, yeah, we're excited about it Even.
Speaker 4:Oh, now the last little bit. I was picking up the caramel and then all of a sudden there was the little bit of raspberry. Yeah, yeah, no, in the middle like in the middle, it was just it went to like caramel, very similar to the nine year, the eight year, which what you got there?
Speaker 5:yeah, so damn, it's pretty cool, yeah, yeah we're really excited how it's coming out, for sure.
Speaker 4:So right now, at this point it's like you know, describe what you're feeling like you're basically going to be sharing your stuff with the world. I don't think I would tell you that you should not be nervous. I would not be nervous over that. I'm telling you that you should not be nervous.
Speaker 5:I would not be nervous over that. I'm telling you what is it?
Speaker 4:Assistant Michael can we tell you that I? Am the biggest worrier, I can tell. That's why I'm saying Don't worry about that. Yeah, yeah. Question Proof are we drinking? Do you think around?
Speaker 5:When we tested it yesterday, this barrel right here was 117.5 it doesn't I mean that is.
Speaker 4:That is as I say. That is very for a 117.5, it's very easy yeah um, all genders can drink this women, men, it's, it's drinkable, but it's one seven it's it's cast string. Yeah, I mean, I mean, I think you guys, where you get your casks, obviously they, you know, you've always their quality and and you know it's funny, because when you see these barrels, they're so it's five years old and it looks like you you just rolled it off the truck. Yeah, yeah, I've seen places where they rolled when you go to the rickhouse.
Speaker 4:But it shouldn't. But that's what it's supposed to do in the rickhouse, right? But you know?
Speaker 5:But in here, you know, it's been a whole different aging. It's been quite a fun scientific venture also just seeing how they age in more of a controlled environment compared to out there.
Speaker 4:Well, just think, you know, like a Jim Beam and all their rickhouses, and then they build new rickhouses. But they have generational experience with the rickhouses and they know their sweet spots and whatever Exactly, and people that are there, they spend lifetimes there doing the science. Same thing at Buffalo Trace, but now Buffalo Trace is now doing scientific experiments where they build seven more rickhouses exactly the same as the Blanton's rickhouse and then they basically monitor the temperature and humidity and wind speed at the Blanton's, where the main one, and then they duplicate it, yeah, through technology, at the other ones, which is crazy, it's wild, even down to the angle to the sun.
Speaker 4:Oh, yeah, well, that can play such a huge part but it's really cool when you can do something like that, right, yeah, oh yeah. I mean I really look forward. Everybody's talking about in the industry that it's slowing down a little bit. I don't think the growth is slowing down because you only can have so many people drinking so much. Right, I think the growth is slowing down. But I think worldwide, when people start to get hold of what's being produced off this last run, how they've been doing it, I think then the world market opens up and they sell a lot of it that way. I didn't see any allocated slow up at all. People want the allocated stuff.
Speaker 4:Where you're seeing a little bit of slow up in the bourbon industry is all the main distillers. You know, for instance, you might have there for a while all the drinks with all the whiskey and everything is selling crazy, but all of a sudden then, uh, tequila starting. People want more tequila. Yeah, now, I know you can't make tequila here, but you could make an agave spirit. But at the same time, that's one cool thing about having a distillery and then seeing what's happening at the bar. And when you're talking about agave spirits, it's like you don't need to put the age on it, you can put it in a barrel but you know eight months and then it's whatever and it changes it.
Speaker 4:All I'm, it changes it. All I'm saying is um, I see a little bit of those but it's always going to take its trend right. Yep, yep, absolutely but as far as I think whiskey has, they're not going to do the same thing as they did before. They just have quality product and they put it out, and I think what you're doing here, I mean that's spectacular. Seriously, I am so happy I got to have a little bit of that. That was like well, you're one of the first to have a little bit of that.
Speaker 5:That was like Well, you're one of the first people to try it out on that barrel Absolutely.
Speaker 4:Well, when that barrel gets released?
Speaker 5:I'm in all right.
Speaker 4:Then talk about now the cool thing that you got going on here. Right, you got this club and what you want to do with the club. You just don't want it to be, um, like going to disneyland and getting your ride and getting your hat and your free pass and then you're gone yeah.
Speaker 5:So we're doing something a little bit different. So, um, I am a huge, um, a huge fan of just giving those educational experiences. Um, both my teachers are actually educators and I coach gymnastics for a long time, so teaching and people is something I personally love to do. And something I'm passionate about, of course, is distilling, and so, with the, when I approached our ownership and said that I wanted to do a distillery club, I didn't want it to just be come hang out, try our bourbons, grab your shirt and flats, and not the door you go be come hang out, try our bourbons, grab your shirt and a glass and out the door you go. What I've done is I've set it up so that we can educate you on the different types of grains that we're bringing in, as well as teaching you about the actual mash process. But it's not just about teaching you, it's about hands-on experience.
Speaker 5:So the club is actually going to, in the first meeting, pick their own mash profile. Then in the second meeting we have you're actually going to be helping us out, mash it in and our mash comes right over there. Then, in that third meeting, we're going to be running the, still seeing how we go ahead and make our cuts and then in that fourth meeting, we'll take that, put it in the barrel and then, besides that, we'll be doing barrel picks. We'll take that and put it in the barrel and then, besides that, we'll be doing barrel picks during the year. So, people coming out to actually talk, some specialists the first one's gonna be from Hartville, great Elevator, where we get our corns and our ryes that come actually from the same family.
Speaker 5:This farm's been in the same building for 200 years, so Bicentennial Farm. It's a great story. And they're just right over here in hartville. So we try and keep everything as local as possible so that when people come and try our product it is, it shows who we are as a region. So, but yeah, something that I'm really excited about, uh, to bring people in and show them what we do and really give them a personal, personalized experience and and get that hands-on time in there.
Speaker 4:Well you gotta. I just thought of this, okay once you get it going you gotta have the presidential part of the experience.
Speaker 4:Okay. Okay, where it's booked, where you, where you part, where you get into the club, but you book it also your stay is booked for that. Let's say you have them on Saturday four times a year. Well, you get that Saturday stay at. You could have it at the Casa or one at the Villa. People can buy into that so they can come back, stay the weekend and enjoy where you basically could also throw with your chefs on that weekend that you do a bourbon pairing, so you give them that whole extra experience of Gervasi added into the club. That is definitely a marketing thing that you could probably do.
Speaker 5:I guess I should talk a little bit about this. We didn't really touch on this. But what is Gervasi? So, for those of you who aren't from the Northeast Ohio area, so Jervasi started out as a winery we have acres of grapes right outside this wall, right here, there is one of our fields, right here, of grapes and started out as, of course, this little vineyard winery. That then grew and expanded to where now we have three restaurants, four restaurants. On Broadway there's the Still House, crush House, the Bistro, then the Piazza out there at the left.
Speaker 4:Well, and then you also have where what's the the other, the Villa, whatever, the Villas, yeah, where you can have special events there.
Speaker 5:The Villas where actually you can stay inside. So Gervasi is all Italian themed, it's gorgeous Facility and grounds the Italian villas where you can actually spend nights, An entire Italian villa.
Speaker 4:But that little side section with the Villa Grande or whatever what's it called.
Speaker 5:So we have the Villa Grande, which is one of our indoor event spaces.
Speaker 4:Yeah, which they do, catering, and stuff so you can have parties.
Speaker 1:Or if you have a launch.
Speaker 4:If you get big enough, you can have a launch. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5:If you just so happen to be inducted into the Hall of Fame you can have a party there. We're at our outdoor patio. We have plenty of weddings.
Speaker 4:And they'll be serving old Taylor.
Speaker 5:May or may not have had some of Peyton Manning's bourbon whiskey Sweeten's Co. That was pretty tasty, marianne.
Speaker 4:Eve's yeah.
Speaker 5:But yeah, it's just Jervasi as a whole. We have Eaves, yeah, yeah, but yeah, no, it's just Jervasi as a whole. We have the spa that was just built over top of our wine cave as well. The spa actually was just awarded as one of the top ten spas in America, so that's another thing to come and experience.
Speaker 4:And you have the wine cave where you can have a wine tasting experience. But I'm working with shay, yeah, to turn it into some. I mean, it makes no sense. You need a. Some bourbon has to be in that cave right, we're gonna invade, yeah, and then there's gotta be some, some uh, you know bourbon cave tasting.
Speaker 4:You know, all you gotta do is take all your people to maker's mark and show them their limestone cave, and what they did was perfect. And then you know, it doesn't have to be a lot to celebrate. You know, six barrels celery, yeah, that's it. And then you could like encapsulate them in plexiglass, or yeah, there you go.
Speaker 5:Yeah, oh, good time. This one is that, um, we have a program over there already. It needs ceramic big amphoras, as they're called, stripped over from Italy, big ceramic vessels that we're aging a port wine in. And for those who don't know, port wine is a fortified wine, which means that we have to actually add in a percentage of brandy. And so we distilled the brandy here on site in the distillery that went over to the cave, that went into those M4s for our port. What?
Speaker 5:We got a little bit in there, but yeah, so we're going to carve out a little bit more for us here.
Speaker 4:Okay, so you brought along something to taste.
Speaker 5:It's just something a little different. This is a bottle that I was given a while back. It's something different. It's actually been some months since I've drank this, so I'm excited to try it again. This one is the Dutch Malt Whiskey. I'm trying to remember oh my gosh New Liberty Distillery in Philadelphia, pennsylvania. I personally love to travel out to the Philadelphia area.
Speaker 4:Pennsylvania, when it comes to where they're really really getting strong is bringing back rye whiskey. Yeah, absolutely. It's because they they well, I'm going to drink a little bit more of this before I go for it. It's because that's where rye really kentucky was doing bourbon, but pennsylvania really, and it just makes sense. It's north, it's like it's not. The grain corn isn't a bit as big as it is. You grow, you walk, you go through the rye and you know they grow wheat, obviously, but wheat is used for making bread, I mean, and it's all for making everything that you. Yeah, that's whatever. So there's, the rye crop is something that has been traditionally most of the time whiskey. That has been traditionally most of the time whiskey.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Because you can turn. I mean it's just like anything else. I mean the one thing that people don't always know, and this is I love to be at craft distillers. Okay, because the craft distillers of this country, basically, when they they were farmers, yeah, and they would basically their leftover crop that they didn't sell, instead of letting it rot and mold in a silo or whatever the corn or whatever, they turned it into whiskey. And when you turn it into whiskey and you put it in a barrel, the amount of grain that you need to do that is a lot and you're condensing it down into something to store and they would trade it for seed the next year or whatever.
Speaker 5:It was liquid gold for them, and that's part of the thing that I love. I have a huge history buff and so it's learning about those early food preservation techniques and what they were doing to keep their grains or fruits from spoiling.
Speaker 4:And you know, whiskeys, brandies and all those were one of the I mean you put it in a barrel and then you shipped it some place. You shipped it down. There's a river aged whiskey right now that people love and he basically sends it down the Mississippi and you're just going. Yeah, that's what they did. It sloshes around the um oceans age, you know ocean, jefferson's oceans. They're putting it out on the thing and it's swaying around in the barrel.
Speaker 4:It's not sitting static and when you, when you're going to do you know now I will tell everybody that lately, you know when you char a barrel, it basically becomes a charcoal filter and filters out all the impurities that are in the whiskey, unlike a clear spirit. You're going to drink those. They're not filtered out. That's one thing why a really good whiskey is going to not affect you the same as maybe vodka or clear spirits. But barrel-aged whiskey I always find it unique is that I'll look and there'll be some char in the bottom and I'm just like I'm out on the char, you know. And then the one guy will be like, oh, that's really good. And I'm like, do you realize? That was the filter. You just did All the bad stuff. You just put it right back in. So, yeah, there's a lot of things that go around in. You know good whiskeys, but all right, let's give this baby a sip. So what is it? I mean, what's the proof and how? The age on it?
Speaker 5:All right.
Speaker 4:so 51% ABV High for malt, that's for sure, because usually a lot of ABVs are right at 80. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5:For malts yeah, exactly, um. Abvs are right at 80 yeah, yeah, um. And then for malls yeah, exactly. And then now, what's interesting about this one is that it is aged at least six months. In char new oak barrels, which you're thinking. Six months, that's not very long, so it's going to be a lot lighter on those.
Speaker 4:That's more traditional oh yeah, I mean, yeah, it was the trip usually aged it. You know what I'm saying? Like well, it's like you always now with rum. Rum was before I was into whiskey. I was. I. I drank rum. And the reason why I drank rum is because if I drank whiskey or if I drank vodka or tequila, I, if I drank too much, I did. I could drink rum all day long and it wouldn't affect me the same, and the next day I'd wake up fine, I'd drink people under the table. I had to curb my rum drinking because it just didn't bother me, so I just kind of kept it at bay all the time. I always said I would have been a great pirate and I love the vanilla flavors of rum. You know, rum will always be a little bit sweeter, a little bit more vanilla, and if it's barrel aged, now you're picking up vanillas and caramels, all the things that I love. I always love rum-finished whiskeys because it adds that flavor, depending on what it is.
Speaker 5:That's here ours, that's one of my favorites that we've had for the past few years is that raw finished bourbon with those dark fruit, spiced baking spice notes that kinda get in there. That really for me now, if you ask my assistant, michael, his is the maple cast for sure.
Speaker 4:So Okay, well, I do know that the coolest part of it on the rum finish is just that little bit of that. It just gives that little extra. It almost like pushes the bourbon just into where I want it to be. So I've had. The other one that I like is double oak French, especially if you put it into a new french oak cask or whatever. That extra little bit of oak I'm always, I'm always in. It's almost like it adds like a toasted, like like not burnt toast but really brown toast flavor, and I love that flavor. That that the double oak will give you. But it's, those are. Those are the two that I always find that if I'm going to buy it without tasting it, it would be a double oak will give you. Oh yeah, but those are the two that I always find that if I'm going to buy it without tasting it, it would be a double oak or a rum finish.
Speaker 5:Yeah, those ones you know are going to treat your palate right.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and that picks up a lot of so people. There's a lot of people. The one thing that I hate the most is when they say that tastes young. That is interesting. Yeah, yeah, it's almost a rye, yeah.
Speaker 1:But I don't.
Speaker 4:Wow, it does give you that almost perceived that rye flavor in there, that last little like it finishes with a little bit of dill, but not too much. No, it doesn't finish with dill, it finishes with a little bit of pickle. There's a difference between dill and pickle, and pickle is what there's a m between dill and pickle, and pickle is what. Um, there's a minglewood. Who's uh and what they?
Speaker 4:they do a pickle flavored uh, pickle flavor whiskey yes, and I've had that and I don't mind it because it tastes almost like, exactly like and I love dill pickles. But on a rye you put a cell that's a little bit of a like a vegetable celery plus dill and it just turned rancid to me. But if you this is, this is, and have the dill, it's, it's pickle and there's a difference. That obviously Right. I was like, oh, that came through. On. On the long finish, that's a much longer finish than what you would think for a six month.
Speaker 5:Yeah, yeah. Well, so is that at least so maybe it's that around a little bit longer.
Speaker 1:We don't know.
Speaker 4:But it reminds me of, like you said, what would be from the frontier.
Speaker 5:Oh yeah, Absolutely.
Speaker 4:Although I don't know how many single malts they were. You know, malts they were doing but doing, but still malt. I mean, everybody doesn't realize the reason why malt is used in ireland and scotland as their main grain source is because that's what they grow here. We grow wheat, rye and corn. There's not, you know, and most of the malt and the barley that was done the you know, that's what most of that is freaking used for beer. We drink a lot of beer in this country, so they're, they're like you know, you don't get that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, you can put, you can put this much in your, in your bourbon, but you don't get this much for it. Yeah, yeah. So yeah, very unique, all right, so I have a 1981 Old Taylor it is 86 proof and I've got this 200 milliliter. Wife gave it to me for my birthday and I wanted to share something with Shea that was kind of special to me because I really appreciate your time and everything for this. And tonight you're doing, you're doing say it one more time. You're releasing, yeah, so we're releasing a new whiskey product.
Speaker 5:It's the Honey Heat Whiskey.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 5:So with that one it's a younger age product, so or really it's not really aged very long at all. But what we did is that. That one we partnered with one of the local bee apiaries I'm not sure. When you see him out there later he's actually our guy. That is our Santa Claus. We do all of our Christmas things he's this big old beard.
Speaker 5:He's a great guy, but yes, we partnered with him with the honey and then we added chilies to it, so you get this like warm heat with the sweetness of the honey. It's really nice. The chilies give this smoky mist to it, with this fruity flavor actually this like dark fruit flavor in there that really bring out the honey notes. They're really nice.
Speaker 4:Well, you have to go off of. I mean, you had to be your winter white whiskey, which you know. You didn't know how that, but that went over really well, especially in mixed drinks. You had, like the drinks, and I think a lot of people I, you know, mike gave me the little, the sample, yeah, and it's got a really nice flavor. I like what you did with it. Yeah, absolutely. And then in the drinks, wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you know the honey heat.
Speaker 4:there's going to be some, I'm sure I'm really excited about it.
Speaker 5:We had a lot of people rattle about when we released that that we're just in the company, that we're just not sure we had released one like that before and then as soon as it launched and it took off, it was. It was pretty cool to see, so it's exciting.
Speaker 4:All right, and I'm going to share this with you once, with uh, when I get out there. This is a 1981 eh taylor. So just so, you and mike got uh, you got something coming, I pot, it's just a screw cap and we're it's from a different time period, right? Yeah, all right.
Speaker 5:So we got one glass left, right if you want, I can grab another one also.
Speaker 4:Do you have one?
Speaker 5:Yeah, all right, give me a second.
Speaker 4:Yeah, no problem.
Speaker 5:Just make sure we get a couple of your glasses, okay.
Speaker 4:That's what whiskey's about, right?
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, I'm not going to skimp on this one, thank you, and I'm not going to skimp on this one, you get to thank you yeah, that's what I'm just, I love certain things like this and like I want to say thank you so much for, yeah, thank you so much for doing this and I appreciate it and I think, as I think we got a good friendship going forward, and thank you for what you did at our Christmas party. I really appreciate that and it's just like I can't believe that this is so close. It's kind of like I think we should. As you go and you keep doing more, I'd like to have you on more and definitely as we go, yeah, absolutely All right. So here it is.
Speaker 4:This is Old Taylor, 1981. This is a Dusty. Is it still working? Yeah, good, sometimes someone calls me and it pauses and I'm just like I didn't have that ability to keep checking. Oh God, yeah, wow, it's got the oh oh, it just keeps going. What is that? Liquid caramel? Wait, wait, wait. Like a Werther, that's a familiar kind of really caramelly caramel. Yeah, you're getting some that's crazy good, getting almost a little bit like cherry. Note under that there's a little bit Like that's one Sometimes, like you said, the cherry, the deep cherry and the caramel sometimes. But I was just getting like sucking on a. What kind? It's a, really that caramel. Wait, butterscotch.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, yeah, that's what it is. It's butter. It's like a really rich butterscotch, absolutely.
Speaker 4:Whatever my wife paid for it, that was worth it.
Speaker 1:Tell her thank you for me?
Speaker 4:Yeah, no problem. No, that's one of the things. That's why I mean aren't you like in awe of the fact that now you're making this kind of history? I am. I mean, where are we going to be in 15, let's say, 15, 20 years? And someone pulls out another? You know what's that going to taste like. I understand, but we know that what this tastes like.
Speaker 4:There's aspects of Dusty's that there's an extra added consistent flavor on a Dusty, and Heaven Hill this past year released something. They had it sit. It was a 13-year-old that sat in a steel container for 12 years before they released it. So it's actually a 25-year 13-year-old and it had the dusty flavor to it but it didn't have the funk. So it was the weirdest Interesting. And we were at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and they threw a party for all the people and we get along as a podcast. We help and volunteer, but we get along with everybody, including the staff. The staff loves us. They run around singing while we're helping. They're just the guy who'll drive by and they're the guys that set up and everything. They're from detroit, the detroit crew, and they're like singing the scotchy bourbon boy song and you're just going. All right, you know. So they had an event for them and invited us to come along and that was there, and between me, nash and ct I think it was three quarters of the bottle, and then you met Stacy.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:And she was like you do know, you drank all my Heaven Hill 13 year. I'm like I'm sorry that was mostly Nash, but I was a culprit too. So you know, that's the kind of fun things that that's just it. It just brings people together, I mean, and then you're actually part of that.
Speaker 5:It's cool, yeah, and you're making it a place where people come together. Yeah, they do. Yeah, that's the whole thing. It's kind of how javasik kind of started and it's cool to be a part of this and to finally be at that point, and I'm excited to see where we're at in another five and another ten and well, that's, and and we trust you because you're going to put enough back so that at one point you know yeah, now, how much weeded bourbon have you distilled?
Speaker 4:so far, a decent amount.
Speaker 5:Actually not very much at all. We've kind of stuck with the rye for now, but I've got some fun ideas that I want to play with for the future. So now that you know we're starting to fill up the rickhouse, I think we'll have a little bit more play as time goes.
Speaker 4:Well, you know, eventually it's just going to be all rickhouses. Yeah. I've been to Kentucky, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5:So we've got field right over here. Yeah, you do.
Speaker 4:I think we should. You know, each rickhouse we put up makes this amount of money, so I think you should just buy some more land. Yeah, yeah, you know. Can we rip down the middle school? Yeah, right.
Speaker 5:See, I know we're right on the park system, but can we just like take a little chunk of it over there.
Speaker 4:Well, fill in the pond and just build a rickhouse. Yeah right.
Speaker 5:I don't know where we put the swans at that point.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it is, that's for sure. All right, so, everybody, thank you so much.
Speaker 5:Just know I'm going to stop this on here, I'm going to play the song, but we'll still be live Facebook and YouTube because sometimes, well before you stop it, I just want to say thank you for coming out. I appreciate you coming out and doing this and joining me for this occasion and seriously, thank you, I appreciate this.
Speaker 4:Yeah, thank you so much. The nose on this was hitting me like from five feet away. Oh yeah. Yeah, it's just like a caramel, right? Absolutely, oh God, that's so good. Absolutely, god, that's so good. All right, everybody. Wwwscotchiebourbonboyscom for all things Scotchie Bourbon Boys, glen Karen's t-shirts and everything like that. Also, remember to follow us on Facebook, instagram oh my God, facebook, instagram, youtube and X. Hopefully soon to be back on to TikTok if they fix it. I went off on whatever, but you know I want to get back on TikTok. And then also Apple, iheart, spotify, podcast, everything. Check us out, we're on there. Remember, like, listen, subscribe, comment and leave good feedback. Remember good bourbon equals good times and good friends. Remember drink responsibly, don't drink and drive and live your life uncut and unfiltered. Little Steve-O's gonna take us out, but you guys on Facebook and YouTube aren't gonna hear it. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Alright, he's playing. Take us out, but you guys on Facebook and YouTube aren't going to hear it. Thank you All. Right, let's play it.
Speaker 2:Oh, show me the way to the next whiskey bar. Oh, don't ask why. Oh, don't ask why. Show me the way to the next whiskey bar, oh, don't ask why. Oh, don't ask why. For if we don't find the next whiskey bar, I tell you we must die. I tell you we must die. I tell you we must die. I tell you, I tell you, I tell you we must die.
