Bourbon Pursuit

It's This Week in Bourbon for May 29th 2026. New updates happening in the Uncle Nearest case, Wild Turkey brings back the Cheesy Gold Foil, and Bardstown Bourbon Company is going to Mars.Show Notes:
A federal judge has expanded Uncle Nearest's receivership to investigate a secret $20 million loan from Jay-Z's firm.

Blending pioneer Nancy Fraley is retiring from Jos. A. Magnus & Co., leaving her legacy with Head Distiller Will Fabry.

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival introduces a secure, face-value official ticket resale platform via TIXR.

Filmland Spirits releases The Crimson Cask, a 90-proof noir-inspired bourbon exclusive to Kentucky.

Blue Run Spirits collaborates with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a limited-edition 111-proof bourbon.

Evan Williams launches officially licensed America250 commemorative whiskeys, donating $75,000 to Folds of Honor.

Titanic Hotel Belfast partners with Titanic Distillery to launch an exclusive historic Quarter experience package.

Heaven Hill designates its 2026 Grain to Glass lineup as the "Year of Wheat" across three limited expressions.

Remus Bourbon introduces the Lou Gehrig Reserve, donating proceeds to the Live Like Lou ALS charity.

Shortbarrel announces the return of Sapsquatch Bourbon, utilizing a unique two-stage maple finishing method.

Bradshaw Bourbon rolls out personalized engraved gift sets for Father's Day through late June.

Heaven Hill releases a 10-year-old Rittenhouse Rye commemorative edition for America’s 250th anniversary.

Buffalo Trace revives Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain and Cured Oak expressions for May 2026.

Veteran-owned Four Branches Bourbon debuts Liberty Reserve to honor America’s Semiquincentennial anniversary.

Proof & Wood announces Tumblin’ Dice 13-Year Rye, featuring a 95% rye mashbill at barrel proof.

15 STARS debuts First West Explorer, its first bourbon crafted from 100% in-house black corn distillate.

Garrison Brothers launches the Ranch Reserve Series featuring PX and Oloroso sherry cask-finished Texas bourbons.

Wild Turkey introduces the Austin Nichols Archives series, debuting with a 16-year-old "Cheesy Gold Foil" tribute.

Bardstown Bourbon Company debuts a first-of-its-kind Japanese Single Malt co-aged blend with Hombo Shuzo.

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Whether you call it Seagram’s, LDI, MGP, or its official modern name, Ross & Squibb—the massive facility in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, is the undisputed backbone of the whiskey industry. On this episode, we sit down with Ian Stirsman, the Master Distiller steering the ship at this legendary production powerhouse. We tackle the distillery's endless naming history head-on and trace Ian’s journey from a chemical engineer working in a paper mill to commanding one of the largest distillation footprints in the world. Ian delivers a technical masterclass on how they produce massive mash bills at an unbelievable scale, the history behind their iconic 95/5 rye recipe, and why vintage light whiskey is suddenly having a massive moment. Plus, we pull back the curtain on how their team approaches blending, warehouse aging, and wood selection for Ross & Squibb's own rapidly growing premium house brands like George Remus and Rossville Union.
Show Notes:
Why the industry still calls Ross & Squibb Seagram's, LDI, and MGP

Ian Stirsman’s journey from chemical engineering to the Lawrenceburg distillery floor

The Dayton whiskey bar epiphany that revealed MGP’s true market dominance

Moving from process engineer to managing a multi-spirit team operation

Deconstructing the legendary 95/5 rye recipe and the lasting impact of Seagram’s documentation

The history of light whiskey and why older expressions are suddenly booming with consumers

How the team selects barrels for George Remus and Rossville Union

Wood management, rickhouse microclimates, and creating the Remus Experimental Series

The future of Ross & Squibb’s brand strategy, bottle club, and upcoming changes to the barrel program

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Dragon’s Milk Origin Toasted 2026C “A Breath of Fresh Air” brings a wild Madeira barrel finish layered with orange meringue, citrus, toasted sweetness, and surprisingly hoppy IPA vibes. Weird? Absolutely. Delicious? Maybe even more so.DISCLAIMER: The whiskey in this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy of the spirit producer. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is our honest opinion based on what we tasted. Please drink responsibly.
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Ever wonder what it actually takes to build, run, and automate a distillery? On this episode, we sit down with someone unknown to most of the general population, but he's on speed dial for every major prodocuer across the country. A 2023 Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame Inductee, and the owner of Distillery Engineering: Pete Kamer. We talk about Pete’s incredible journey from his early days learning the ropes at Four Roses to his milestone career of 27 years at Barton in Bardstown. The distilling world has its own unique engineering hurdles, especially as traditional floor operations transitioned into modern automation. Pete shares his masterclass take on adjusting flavor profiles through still design, yeast, and cuts, and why relying on an operator's sight, smell, and hearing will always beat looking at a screen.
Show Notes:
Pete’s career journey from Four Roses to his 27-year legacy at Barton in Bardstown

The evolution of traditional distillery floor operations into modern automation

Technical insights into manipulating whiskey flavor profiles through still design, yeast, and cuts

Why sensory skills—sight, smell, and hearing—beat relying on control-room screens

The mechanics and engineering hurdles of running a large-scale Kentucky distillery

The physics and environmental factors that make duplicating the exact same whiskey impossible across different warehouses

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Onyx & Amber’s Guest Blender Series #1 is getting serious buzz… and we see why. A blend of 7–12 year barrels aged in Colorado, bringing peach tea, orange marmalade, brown sugar, and a smooth toasted coconut finish. Is this sleeper hitting above its weight?DISCLAIMER: The whiskey in this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy of the spirit producer. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is our honest opinion based on what we tasted. Please drink responsibly.
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