Little Book Chapter 6!

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Welcome to the Whiskey Chasers, where we talk about our passion for whiskey and its history, either amongst ourselves or while interviewing distilleries. Hello while enjoying a glass. I'm Steve. I'm Nick, and I'm Chris. Please enjoy responsibly while enjoying this week's episode of The Whiskey Chasers.

SPEAKER_02 0:28

Hold on, hold on. We gotta record. Hold on.

SPEAKER_05 0:33

Have you ever had this before, Chris? I don't think so. I don't know if he has. First time.

SPEAKER_03 0:38

It's voluptuous.

SPEAKER_02 0:39

Oh. All right.

SPEAKER_03 0:41

Okay. Just took one little bitty sip, and I was like, whoa. That's coating all sorts of areas.

SPEAKER_02 0:46

Okay. We're uh we're back with chapter six. No Steve. Cody's on. No Steve. Still no Steve. Uh little book chapter six to the finish. And as Chris said, wow, that's really good. I'm not going to tell him what's in it yet. So I hinted towards this the last episode. This is going to be a finished product that he then blended together. First of its kind for him. And the idea was to challenge the palettes and the concept of connoisseurs when it came to finished whiskey and blending. And I say finished whiskey in a very broad sense. Okay. So Little Book Chapter Six has four different whiskeys that are finished with uh four different staves, types of wood, uh to impart uh different flavors. They finished with staves. Finished with staves.

SPEAKER_03 1:45

So that's how they got all those those wood, the different woods in there.

SPEAKER_02 1:49

Yes. So they they're finished with different staves. The four of them that are finished with staves are all the same year. So it could be that they took the same uh whiskies and just put them in different barrels and put staves in those four different ones to finish them.

SPEAKER_06 2:05

You when you say same year, you mean age?

SPEAKER_02 2:07

Yes, so they're all four years.

SPEAKER_06 2:08

Okay, got it. So they're all four years.

SPEAKER_02 2:11

I don't know that I want to say very much about what they are just yet. I want Chris to try to guess what kind of whiskey they they are. Uh but the inspiration the inspiration for this bottle, as uh I understand it, is that Freddie is a big uh one of his big passions is cooking. So he loves to cook. So with that in mind, his thought process was what if what if we did kind of with staves, there's kind of uh baking involved with with trying to get the staves at a certain temperature to bring out the flavor or cut. Maker's mark is big on this with like the French couvet, uh, the the French mocha, those those kinds of things. It's baked at different levels, different different temperatures, cuts are different. So he thought, well, I enjoy cooking. What if what if we did something like that, but for whiskey, where we take completely different flavored ingredients to combine them into one bottle to create this final product that people taste and go, wow, that that's not what I expected to have applewood in it, or that's not what I expected to have maplewood in it. You know, that's not what I expected to have these individual products in. That was his belief and innovation behind this. Again, I'm not gonna I don't want to say what's what's what whiskeys in it. I'll give you one hint, Chris. So there's five five different whiskeys that are in this. The fifth one is a straight bourbon. It's a five-year-old straight bourbon. That's all I'm gonna say.

SPEAKER_03 3:50

Five different whiskeys in it.

SPEAKER_02 3:52

Five different whiskeys. The the fifth one is a Kentucky straight bourbon, and it's and it's finished in something. So the final product is not finished in something, but four of them are finished in different staves. Different staves. Okay, so that's the finished. One's finished in cherry wood, one's finished in applewood smoked barrels, one's finished in hickory smoked barrels. Oh, so only two have staves. My bad.

SPEAKER_06 4:22

Okay, that's what I was about to break.

SPEAKER_02 4:24

One's an applewood smoked barrel, one's a hickory smoked barrel, one's a maplewood stave, and one's a cherrywood stave.

SPEAKER_03 4:31

I tell you, I'll tell you what I'm getting, and then you can tell me what's what. But first of all, what I'm tasting is more it's it's interesting. As I've been drinking it, it's my my opinion's kind of starting to change. I do like it. It's very different though. But it's um it's got some barbecue aspects going on with a touch of oak. And at first I was like, this has got some Canadian feel to it. Then the more you drink it, you're like, okay, no, it's more like less that kind of more like barbecue sweet, you know what I mean? American, you know what I mean. And then you're like, but what's that other thing? I'm starting to think that this has got some American single malt-esque qualities to it. It's kind of got that malty bitterness kind of going on. But it's not bad. But and I think it's it's underpowered by the sweetness, which is a good thing for me. But it's in the aftertaste, it's always in the aftertaste. And I think the longer I sit like when I first sip it, like if I take a sip now, it's gonna be like, oh, I love this. This is really good. Then as I sit for a minute, I'm like, mm. Getting kind of weird aftertaste. I'm thinking that's from the malt, but it holds together with the bourbon. It's not terrible. I like it. I do like it. I really like the first, like the first sip, like the the initial, uh, and then the second portion, it's kind of okay. Third portion is like, okay, I'm ready for another sip. You know what I mean? It's almost like that. Like, I'm ready for to refresh my palate, you know what I mean? But what I am getting on like the first sip is bright notes of like American barbecue, like sweet baby rays barbecue, and then there's some oak to it, caramelized onions, and like Canadian-esque. And then you get it, you start, you start getting into that like malty kind of uh American single malt kind of flavors where it's it's it's starting to round out and fizzle out, and then you you're left with almost like a dry palate.

SPEAKER_02 6:38

It is uh American straight malt listing.

SPEAKER_03 6:42

Oh is it really? It is how many of the just four of them. Oh, four of them? Oh, there you go. So here's the crazy thing. But is there, but there is a bourbon in there.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

There is a bourbon in there. So what I've what I've tried to figure out when looking at these labels is are these labels like the ingredients on like cereal, or like the first one that's listed as the most uh you know, like ratio-wise or most most used ingredient? Because if so, the bourbon is last in all of this, and it has me wondering. But I also I'm not a big fan of um American single malt. And every time I try this, I go, crap.

SPEAKER_04 7:24

If American single malt could be this, but it can't be that without burbons.

SPEAKER_02 7:29

I might like it.

SPEAKER_04 7:31

It needs help. American single malt needs help, right?

SPEAKER_02 7:34

But uh just um there's a lot that's going on in this. There is a lot going on with and this uh as Koody hinted towards on the last podcast, is one thing he owns.

SPEAKER_06 7:45

Why? Uh well I found it at a reasonable price, and I was like, that's cool. I'm gonna get it. Um, I love finished products personally. I mean, I think it's a great way to introduce new, unique, fun flavors, um, really mix up your products and everything. So um I think they usually taste great and are really interesting. Right. So I love finishes personally.

SPEAKER_03 8:14

I mean, they really went all out with those staves, like that's a lot, four different staves or whatever.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

So I thought it was all four different staves. It's two staves and two barrels. Which even adds more unique, intriguing factors to me that I'm like, that I like that too.

SPEAKER_06 8:35

What? I mean, yeah, I mean, you usually only see one or the other, you never really see both, right? They're used together. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:42

I'll say one thing that I am starting to get with it as I drink this, though. The first like initial sip, things were melded together, kind of packed in tight. As I'm drinking it, it's starting to get more broken up, more disjointed. Not in a bad way, but I'm starting to like, it's like notice more. It's yeah, it's like needs oil. Like, you know what I mean? It's starting to get kind of like the flavors opened up. They're opened up and it's less, they're less packed tight and they're more stretched out. And I'm starting to like, okay, and then okay, and then you know, with the flavors, then less melded together. Not in a bad way.

SPEAKER_06 9:19

It's like a flower, it's like it starts out very, very tight, and then the more you drink it, it kind of opens up and evolves.

SPEAKER_03 9:26

The sun comes out and it opens up, and then the sun goes down, it closes up. Yeah, it's not not a bad thing, but the it's interesting, the more I drink it, the more it's like boom, boom, boom, boom.

SPEAKER_06 9:36

There's so much going on, your body has to get used to it almost. Like when you start out, it's like, well, this is complex and overwhelming. There's a lot going on, and that's like your experience. And it's not good, you know, but you're like, Well, there's a lot, and then as you drink it more, yeah, it kind of opens up and you're like, Oh, here's this, oh, here's that, or here's this, you know.

SPEAKER_03 9:53

Good amount of oak on this, though, for sure. Which is interesting because they didn't use much oak, right?

SPEAKER_02 9:57

No, I mean, just I mean, they would have they would have had the from my understanding, the straight malt aged in oak and finished in these. So, I mean, you would get oak from four years and five years, but nothing that I would think would be that extra.

SPEAKER_03 10:17

And um, is that from all like the cherry wood and stuff?

SPEAKER_02 10:20

Well, there's cherry and apple wood in apple wood. Well, cherry, apple, and maple.

SPEAKER_03 10:23

It's really barbecue in the maple, yeah, because it's very barbecue-you know in a good way. In a good way.

SPEAKER_02 10:29

There's been one uh yeah, there's been one other American single malt that you've tried, Chris, lately that you went, oh, this isn't bad. Do you remember what it was? It was at Steve's.

SPEAKER_04 10:48

I did try. Uh Distillery you really like. Was it the high west one or was it no?

SPEAKER_02 10:54

This is one you you you missed.

SPEAKER_03 10:56

I remember trying a few different single malts there. But I remember one I hated.

SPEAKER_02 11:01

So it wasn't this one. Which one? Which one was it? Uh this was still 630. The one that was right, right, right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:07

The one that was actually called uh Big Smoke. Dick something. Oh, yeah, Big Smoke, yeah. That's what it was. That was like Dickinson or something like that. Big Smoke. Big Smoke. Big Smoke. Wait, didn't we try one that was like Big Dick or something like that?

SPEAKER_01 11:21

I really don't think so.

SPEAKER_03 11:22

Dick liked the name. Like there was a guy's name, Old Dick or something.

SPEAKER_06 11:26

Big Dick or it was a big Joe or something like that. Big Joe. It was yeah. No, it was Big Something. No, you're you're Big Something. Big Smoke. Big Smoke.

SPEAKER_03 11:34

I thought there was one called Dick Something. I don't know. Maybe not. The name different name. Yeah. I'm in the name. Oh, Steve's gonna be like there was one. There was one. It was called Dick Harrington or something. I told you. That's the impression was terrible. Is he like 80 years old? He doesn't talk like that. But anyway, big smoke. I like that quite a bit, but it was the there was still a little bit of the finish. But it's true, you can't hide it all the way, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 12:10

But but the cherrywood aspect is like it was it was cherrywood as well.

SPEAKER_03 12:14

It was very unique, and there was a good amount of like um, I wouldn't call it scotch-esque, but there was some like scotch-like smoke in that thing. Yeah, even though with the name Big Smoke, it wasn't as smoky as you'd think, but it would there was smoke to it. Right. Whereas this one's got like and what's what's weird is like there's all these different woods going on, but I'm getting a lot of like good oak that you don't get even though everything's like finished, like like like stored in oak, like aged in oak, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 12:44

I'm getting a good amount of oak in this, and I don't know that I would say oak for me, but wood, as weird as that sounds, uh and smoking with wood, like wood chunks. You're like, I kind of get that wood flavor. I get the apple wood, but it's like the the wood aspect that I pull out that I'm like, this is really good.

SPEAKER_03 13:05

Yeah, I think for for me it's and I'm pretty good with with wood, you know what I mean. But it's I I think the oak, oak specifically. Um and I think maybe it's because those other um staves are in there that it's pushing that oak forward a little bit. Um but I get a good good amount of it. And maybe it's I think it's maybe it's setting the stage for that oak. All the other because I do chase taste some of the other like aspects of the wood going on, but like that that charred new American white oak, you know what I mean? Like, that's what I'm getting uh specifically.

unknown 13:42

Right.

SPEAKER_03 13:43

It's like even the smell of it. Like, you know what I mean? When you saw into it and you smell it, I'm getting that on the on the taste.

SPEAKER_06 13:49

Are you guys getting any kind of fruitiness? Yes at all? Okay. I'm glad I'm not crazy.

SPEAKER_04 13:54

I get like uh that's why I said kind of Canadian.

SPEAKER_02 13:58

Like candied apple, almost. Not like candied, you know, you got like candied bacon, but then like almost like a not caramel apple, but it's almost like the it's like the caramel apple suckers without the caramel, where it's super sweet. Maybe the the Jolly Rancher apple. Those are sweet. Like maybe that kind of sweetness where it's like fruity sweet. Not like super sugary, but like you mean like dark fruit sweet, or you mean like intense, like bright fruit and sweet. Artificial fruit or like real fruit?

SPEAKER_03 14:27

Uh real fruit. But like bright. I'm not getting much fruit. I think it's because the maple is overpowering. Uh I mean a lot of Canadian aspects, but it's I know it's not Canadian, it's like like artificial Canadian with the maple and the the bourbon.

SPEAKER_06 14:43

I do think the maple is pretty strong. I'm just like what's interesting is the aftertaste. Um, first of all, it lasts really long. Yeah. Um, and it's very reminiscent of a high west, you mentioned high west earlier. I have a high west um bottle that is finished in cognac, I think. And it the aftertaste is like very similar.

SPEAKER_03 15:07

Well, and it would be that would make sense because that cognac can kind of, depending on what it is, you know what I mean? That can add that kind of it definitely adds sweetness, but it could even go into that kind of mapley when you mix that with the bourbon, even though it's wine, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_06 15:22

It's that sweet, it's a white grape, if I recall. A white grape cognac.

SPEAKER_03 15:27

Yeah, and it's but you know, you almost get that. I don't know if you noticed it, and it's it's in the aftertaste, but you get that bit of like I slept with my mouth open. You get what I'm saying? You ever have that stale? Yeah, yeah. When you wake up in the morning and you're like, I slept with my mouth open, kind of slight dry, stale, kind of. Yeah, and that's what I know. I just knew it was malt. Like, I was like, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:52

I would I would agree. Single malt whiskies have that like feeling and some people like that.

SPEAKER_03 15:57

I mean, some people don't mind it. Some people can leave a glass of water out for three days and drink it, be happy. Like, that's just not me. But I I don't hate it.

SPEAKER_06 16:06

Chris's classic single malt.

SPEAKER_03 16:09

I know, I don't hate it, but this actually I I like as far as the malt goes. I just don't like it as much as far as the overall goes. Like if in the lineup of Little Book, I'm not this isn't my favorite, it's not my least favorite, it's not my favorite. And malt aside, malt aside, it's just not my favorite. Okay, but I do like the effort, like that's a lot of effort, you know what I mean? And I can taste that there's effort in, and I do really like like the initial like sip. It's just like as soon as it like lingers on the pal, I'm like, time to eat or drink something else.

SPEAKER_06 16:41

You know that flavor doesn't go away. It does not go away.

SPEAKER_03 16:44

I've been persistent, and I just feel like it for to me, it feels like I didn't brush my teeth this morning, although I did. You know what I mean? That's what it feels like. That's the same kind of a feeling that the listeners at home.

SPEAKER_06 16:55

I don't think it's that bad. Like Chris is saying Chris is having bad analogies, but he doesn't like single balls. I don't like single balls. I think a lot of that is coming out right now. So, you know, if you're at home listening, it's not that bad. I'm not crap, I'm not crapping on it. But like you said, especially like if you like that flavor, it's just just like that's good things. People like if you like that, it I mean, it lasts forever.

SPEAKER_03 17:16

Some people like Limburger cheese, okay? Some people don't. Like, you can't crud on Limburger cheese, it's got its place. Some people don't like that. It's just strong cheese, it's a stinky cheese. Some people like that. Some people like that kind of like like stale aftertaste in their mouth. I just don't. Like, I'm ready to either eat or drink something. Like, I just feel like I need to chew, I need to chew a piece of gum. That's what it feels like. You know what I mean? If anybody, there's gonna be like 2% of the people listening, they're like, I get that. Everybody else is gonna be like, huh? What is he talking about?

SPEAKER_02 17:49

I understand. I understand. I think probably the most fascinating part to me in this bottle has uh sounds weird, has to be the wood. Coming from someone that I love smoking with different types of wood. And you're great at it. Yeah, applewood, applewood does not give off shit when it comes to smoking meat.

SPEAKER_03 18:14

Like it has to be a really chicken, maybe we used a lot of applewood pieces at one time.

SPEAKER_02 18:20

We didn't get a whole lot of so like you it's it has to be very light, uh not dense meat for it to absorb yeah, a chicken, fish, turkey to absorb the applewood. Same with like cherry wood. Those are very light cherry woods are very delicate wood, yeah, as far as that goes, right? But then you get into like hickory and you get into maplewood and you get in mesquite, and it's like hardy, like uh we're gonna, it's it's intense. Like, we gotta have uh very thick, like even in brisket with a mesquite wood or like a hickory or even with like maple wood, you're gonna taste it. I mean, you're really gonna taste it. It it is intense, predominant flavors, yes. So for me to look at we use cherry wood staves. What did you barely get anything off of that guy?

SPEAKER_03 19:09

Like, but I think that even two percent of something is adding to the and that's what people forget. Like, you can make something and like you could use the least amount of something, and it changes everything, right? It's just like cooking, you know what I mean? A little bit of this is gonna change everything. And that's I love that using a little bit of cherry wood, knowing that it's gonna impart a very small amount of flavor, but impact the overall that's genius. That's that's putting the extra foot forward, you know.

SPEAKER_02 19:36

For me, it's not little flavor. I mean, you talk about a guy that loves grilling his family, like country ham was a booker's thing, like they they do like their own smoked ham. Like that's that's a thing. And so a family that does smoking, does grilling, does all these things for him to come in and say, I have a passion for this grilling smoking, I have a passion for making whiskey and blending whiskey. Let's figure out how to combine them. I look at this bottle and I go, so you're telling me smoking meat, the wood used for meat, different types of wood for different types of meat, doesn't necessarily translate into whiskey. That's interesting to me.

SPEAKER_06 20:15

Which ones are the staves again?

SPEAKER_02 20:17

So you got applewood, cherry wood, maplewood, and hickory.

SPEAKER_06 20:22

Right, but which ones are the staves?

SPEAKER_02 20:23

Oh, the staves, sorry. Staves are maplewood and cherry wood, and then you got applewood smoked barrels and hickory smoked barrels.

SPEAKER_03 20:30

And what's crazy is we get a good amount of maple. Imagine if you didn't use a stave and used a whole damn barrel.

SPEAKER_06 20:36

Well, I'm not sure. That's what I'm gonna ask you. I don't know. Um, I don't think are staves less powerful, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:41

Yeah, yes, because overall it's I mean, you it's we've talked about that on the podcast. It's it's liquid to barrel touching ratio, so contact with the wood ratio.

SPEAKER_02 20:50

It really depends on how many staves they had involved in that. If it's like true, three staves, okay, not that much, but that much. Ten staves, holy crap, you're gonna get a lot. Like, so it depends on how many staves. We don't know.

SPEAKER_04 21:02

They don't say we don't know. It could have been a whole bucket of staves to look at applewood, applewood smoked barrels. What does a stave even look like for them?

SPEAKER_06 21:09

And what is an applewood smoked barrel?

SPEAKER_04 21:11

There we go. That's my question.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

And the hickory smoke is like did they put the did they smoke applewood and hickory chips and then put the barrel over it?

SPEAKER_03 21:18

I think they made a barrel out of applewood and then they just like the rest.

SPEAKER_06 21:21

Yeah, you think so? Oh, absolutely, but they don't use that verbiage with like you would say an applewood barrel. You wouldn't say an applewood smoked barrel. Like Nick's kind of getting at like, did they put did they burn applewood chips inside an oak barrel?

SPEAKER_03 21:37

But they call like a like the other barrels are a charred American white oak.

SPEAKER_02 21:41

Right.

SPEAKER_06 21:42

So this is American white oak.

SPEAKER_03 21:44

Why didn't they say charred applewood barrels? Charred hickory. Is that weird? I just don't know. I just don't know. I gotta think that if they put it in a barrel of hickory, like that's what they're saying. They're saying they put it in a hickory barrel. Or did they write it or not? Okay, if we do stay. Use smaller barrels. Or did okay. Okay. Okay. So here's what's what they did. I I just realized. Here it is. I think this is what they did. They took a brand new American white oak barrel.

unknown 22:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 22:14

Non-charred. Brand new. They threw hickory wood in it and lit it on fire.

SPEAKER_04 22:19

Isn't that what you were saying earlier? Yeah, there it is.

SPEAKER_03 22:22

That's what they did. And then they did the same thing with the agreement. We're in agreement. And that's how they charred it. They charred it with the wood. They didn't think they didn't churn the wood. They charred it. That's what I'm saying. You burned it down to a crisp. But like they didn't, they didn't like. It's not just, yeah, I think that they they they they put it on fire and they let it char the barrel up.

SPEAKER_04 22:44

What if so you're getting a lot of oak? Otherwise, you'd get like nothing.

SPEAKER_03 22:48

You'd get like nothing. If you took it out before it was like charred.

SPEAKER_06 22:52

Right. If it's just the smoke, I don't I don't think that would impart much.

SPEAKER_03 22:55

You'd really have to put like you'd have to fill a barrel up and set that SOB on fire. You know what I mean? Like, that's what you'd have to do, I think. And then let it burn down to nothing, like they do everything else, and then maybe dunk it out a little bit, get the embers out and everything, and then fill it up and let it go to town.

SPEAKER_02 23:09

What if they did that? Because you're getting a lot of oak. You keep saying, I'm getting a ton of oak. Or did they get the oak?

SPEAKER_03 23:14

I think they were getting the oak from that because I think that's a good thing.

SPEAKER_02 23:16

What if they charred what if they charred an oak barrel and then put the chips in there and smoked out the rest of the barrel?

SPEAKER_03 23:24

I don't know how to smoke, but you could, I mean that could have been.

SPEAKER_02 23:26

Because you'd get on the on the the front end, you'd get the smoke, and on the back end, you'd get the smoke.

SPEAKER_03 23:30

How do you what's the difference between smoking and doing what we're what we're talking about, me and Cody?

SPEAKER_02 23:35

So one is you already both on fire, right? Right. But when you charred the oak barrel, and then you put the chips in there and smoked out the chips.

SPEAKER_03 23:44

Like slow cooking versus like hot cooking. That could have been you put a lid on. But what let's really let it sit. It's kind of the same concept.

SPEAKER_04 23:52

Do you sear before or sear after for your steaks? I I search.

SPEAKER_03 23:57

I put them on, sear it, and then that pull them off, and I eat it. Like I pretty much.

SPEAKER_05 24:02

It's like two minutes. Done.

SPEAKER_03 24:06

I put butter and ghee so it doesn't brown, and I throw that bad boy on for like two minutes aside and I eat it. Done. So do you cook it again? That's fine.

SPEAKER_02 24:14

Okay, so you don't cook it and then sear it.

SPEAKER_03 24:17

No, that's too much work. That's crazy. I'm usually trying to get the potatoes done. I'm like, potatoes gotta be done. They're not done yet. I'm cooking the sticks. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 24:27

Do you Cody cook it or steer it before you cook or steer it after you cook?

SPEAKER_06 24:31

No, I'm a sane man.

SPEAKER_02 24:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 24:33

So you do what I do.

SPEAKER_02 24:34

I sear it first.

SPEAKER_03 24:35

Right, sear that bad boy up. Let it rest a bit on a butter plate. A butter plate. You ever done this? Butter butter. You want to amplify your life. Throw it on a butter plate. Oh, yeah, man. Throw it up a trunk of butter and see what happens. You just you butter the plate.

SPEAKER_02 24:51

You know?

SPEAKER_01 24:52

Tunk of butter.

SPEAKER_03 24:53

You just butter the plate, and then when you're done, you put the bad boys on there, let them rest. Let that butter just kind of soak up. And then you cut into that thing and you're like, oh yeah. I did something here today. I did something. Make me want steak. Yeah, dude. Yeah. I'm hungry. We're gonna have to cook, cook on the grill.

SPEAKER_02 25:14

So I've got buddies of mine that they've got triggers, and their favorite way to cook a steak is to smoke slow and low the steak. You pull it off before it's even done, then you sear it. Or there's some that sear it beforehand to lock in the flavor and then cook it. I wonder if this is more of a re not a reverse sear, it would be a sear before you cook. So they search they they tote, they yeah, they flame the barrel, right? So they char the barrel and then they let it slow cook it. That makes sense. I wonder if that's why you get new.

SPEAKER_03 25:50

I think you get it more overall, like because I do like the idea of trapping in the juices and letting the juices on the inside of the steak cook itself. I think those are the steers. I just don't like it. I I think cook it the way God intended, throw that bad boy on.

SPEAKER_02 26:08

That's right. You know, follow the Holy Bible.

SPEAKER_03 26:11

That's right, that's right.

SPEAKER_02 26:12

He talks about his inspiration was his grilling, right? What would you consider the reverse sear? The staves or the possible smoking after it's been charred?

SPEAKER_03 26:21

Yeah. I I think if you were to take an uncharted barrel and throw the wood in there and light it on fire, that's neither one. That's just a well-done steak. I think that's a that's a problem. I think that'd probably actually be now that I'm thinking that'd probably be too much. I think the idea would be to take a barrel that's freshly charred and then throwing the the staves in or whatever, and then cooking them without like they're not actually on fire, but they're cooking and there's they're smoking like you do when you're a girl. I'm not sure how that works. You had just enough air where it doesn't go out, but it's really just putting off smoke and you're containing it until it's absorbing into all the pieces and particles. I think that's how they're doing it.

SPEAKER_06 26:56

My first thought was that like that wouldn't do anything. Like, are you gonna are you're gonna actually taste that flavor? You know what I mean? But then I was thinking about like, you know, if you smoke a pipe or a cigarette or whatever, that stuff like is on your clothes forever. Yeah, well, even in the even in the washer clothes, right?

SPEAKER_03 27:14

What we're talking about is kind of like in the bowl, it really imparts that flavor, same kind of thing.

SPEAKER_06 27:18

So that's kind of what I'm thinking. Like on hindsight, I was like, well, maybe that would actually be in there, right?

SPEAKER_03 27:23

You know, like smoke is strong, it can be strong, yeah, especially if it's contained, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 27:28

Yeah, so I mean, maybe the reason I bring up the big smoke and you liking that is there's only been two companies, two distilleries that I've seen use that concept of cherry wood or like actual wood smoke. There was one that did peach wood, but I'm like wood that you smoke with on a grill. Still 630 did it, but they partnered with a barbecue place to do it. He did it, so Freddie No did it for Little Book Chapter Six, but it was out of the passion of grilling. I am not a big American single malt fan. It's the flavor, the aftertaste that you talk about that I I'm not a fan of. That mixed with like floral, weird citrus. Yeah, it's it's a weird combination of things. But if you add in what I do enjoy, smoking aspect, the smoked wood, I like it. I I will drink this. But I I get what you're saying. There's a part of it that's like if I let it sit too long, then I'm like, I don't I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 28:28

And at the end of the day, what you're doing, it's like throwing cut-up tofu into a pasta salad. You know what I mean? Like is that cheese or cheese or is it?

SPEAKER_01 28:37

I just don't hate it.

SPEAKER_03 28:38

Like, I don't hate it, you know what I mean? Like you're not eating it on its own. Right. And it's like in there, you're like, Am I hiding it? Am I is that what I'm doing? I'm hiding it, I'm eating it. Yeah, that's what we're doing. That's what we're doing. You know what I mean? Like, but it's still good. Like, I don't I don't hate I don't hate this. I don't love it. I like the initial flavors, but I say that on every American single molly more. Like, I like it, I like it, I don't like it. I don't like it, I don't like it. And then I'm like, I like it, I like it, I don't like it, I don't like it. The initial flavors are good.

SPEAKER_02 29:06

To your point, I think that's what he was trying to get at with to the finish. Challenging the idea for the the connoisseurs or the the the the whiskey drinkers that if you finish a product and do it well, does that change it enough for you to go this might be worth it?

SPEAKER_03 29:30

Yeah, and I get that. And I think that that's what people are trying to do with it. To me, it's kind of like um shining up a turd. You know what I mean? Like I like I that's rough sounding, but you know what I mean? Like the old saying, like you you know, you can shine up a turd, but still the turd. You know what I mean? Like to me, like you're doing all these things to make American single malt good, but that just shows you it's not. You know what I mean? Like it's it's not bad. You're working really hard to make this American single malt work, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 30:02

Argue this to that same concept, right? We're shining up a turd, but but you also mentioned if there wasn't bourbon in here, I don't know if it would be worth it. If we're taking at its raw ingredients by itself, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, good. Like, or what we conceptually think all the street malts are bad because we don't like American single malt. Bourbon's good, but we add in the bourbon to the American single malt, and all of a sudden it becomes good. What if, just like you would on a cereal box, the the the first ingredient is the one that's used the most, therefore the bourbon is the one that's used the less. That idea, that concept, we're blending bourbon is what makes us better. What if bourbon is what is used the less? And you look at it and you're like, wow, this is drinkable. Like this, this is this is good. Is it when I say drinkable, not like I get what you're saying, but like you know what I mean? Like I make it my point. It's drinkable, like it's it's good. I I I can drink this and go, this is not typical. This is not what I imagine or what I've expected.

SPEAKER_03 31:08

As far as American single malts go, not saying that this is an American single malt, but like as are as far as things with American single malt or single malt in it or whatever you want to call it. I don't hate this as much as like I like there's other ones, like most of them I really don't like. I wouldn't finish it. I like it. I like it uh a good amount as far as that category goes for me. Maybe in the top five as far as that category goes for me, which is saying something, but it's it's still uh for me personally, I just feel like uh you know, as far we're talking about the little book chapters. For me, this falls a little short. It's not my least favorite though. I actually I prefer this because of the initial, and that's the thing is like I could I can take the good and overlook some of the bad. I think that's what you're trying to get at. Uh, but I'm still overlooking the bad, which is kind of a problem, you know what I mean? But I but there are such good aspects of this that I'm fine with it. I would actually take the bad to get the good. Whereas like some of them, you're like, the good isn't worth enough. Like, and there's bad effort. I'm done. You know what I mean? I'm out. Like, I don't want any part of this. The good enough, the good in this is good enough to outlook the bad. So that's fine. Uh, I don't think it's the worst little book out there. It's not my favorite, it's not the worst though.

unknown 32:20

What's the worst?

SPEAKER_03 32:21

Ah man, I'm trying to think. Uh, I don't know. You have to listen to the other episodes. Yeah, I'm sure you told us. But I did tell you, because it was like what, two, three, four. Was it two, three, four, one? Or oh, maybe it was four then. Two, three, one, four, maybe. Is that what I did? So four was probably my least favorite. But I I remember like the one I didn't like. I I really didn't like it. Oh, yeah. I really didn't like it. Both of them. Yeah, yeah. So this one is not that bad. Uh, and I really, really, really enjoy. You know, what's funny, and we've talked about this on the podcast before. I like barbecue non-sweet.

unknown 32:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 32:54

I do not like sweet barbecue. I've never been a sweet barbecue guy. I just don't like it. I think it's kind of gross. I don't like sloppy joes. My wife knows. I am adamant. I think that's the grossest thing. Sweet meat to me is really not something I go after. Sweet meat. But when it comes to like drinking like bourbon and stuff, I like sweet barbecue flavors. It's weird. It's so strange. Uh, I mean, I like the other, the smoky too, but I like the sweet barbecue flavors. What about this is gonna sound really strange.

SPEAKER_04 33:24

I have a strange question. What do you prefer bacon flavor? Like sweet? None. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 33:28

I want bacon to be not sweet, I want it to be thin salty, and crispy, almost burnt. Like where you take it and like it you're the opposite of what I was hoping. You hold it and it doesn't flop at all. That's how I want it to be. It's as thin as you can get it. Straight line, thin as you can get it. I want it to hear like crisp. Like if you were to drop it. I don't want it chewy. It would like if you dropped it, it would break in half perfectly. Yeah. Like not more than once, but it would break in half. Like this is terrible. That's how I want it. I want basically fake bacon. I want like microwave bacon. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 34:03

Well, I'm glad to hear that you not related to bacon.

SPEAKER_02 34:06

I'm glad I was like, let's just go with bacon.

SPEAKER_06 34:10

I'm glad to hear that you um, you know, kind of brought the conversation back to a lighter point because I mean, I think, you know, especially for your listeners, um, need to consider that like Chris does not like single malts. You know, like the outskirts. I like this. Like, I think the aftertaste, like, okay, I'll be honest, I don't like it as much as number five. Number five was awesome, you know, and like it would talk about enjoyable and like to the truest sense of the word. I think this is great still. Like, I like it a lot. I think the aftertaste is good. I'm not like passionate about the aftertaste. Uh, so I agree with you. There is a lesser quality to the aftertaste. Like the the initial flavor is fantastic, right? It's complex, there's a lot going on. I think it's a great take on single malts that you don't get often. Like single malts are very unique in themselves, but they're kind of like a scotch where it's like, I can only have one glass of a single malt, right? And then you're done. Like that's been my experience. I haven't had a ton. I'm not Steve, you know, and Steve would have been perfect for this episode. Oh, he'd be bad. I'm happy to be here as a great replacement. But yeah, we do need him here for this one. We do. I think to be passionate against um, you know, pushing back against both of you on your uh so I'm I'm filling that role right now, right? Right and everything. Yeah. Um, so I think it's I still think it's really well done. I think that it's complex. I think that it fills honestly, a lot of the things that we talked about in the last episode of like it is unique, there's a lot going on. It's a it's a very like it's a fresh take on single bolt, also. Like, I think there's really redeeming qualities. I mean, you guys don't like single bolts and you love the flavor of the initial aspect of this, you know. So I think that's something worth pointing out. Oh, I think you're right. Like, I think you're right. There's a lot going on.

SPEAKER_03 35:55

I think there's no fault to beam either, right? It's it's for me, it's more of just your preference. It's my preference. I just don't if you can take either like the aftertaste or or or be okay with it, then you would love this. You know what I mean? Uh, for me, it's I'm I have such a high standard when it comes to stuff that I'm like, if there's any aspect I don't like, you got you got 20 other bottles on your shelf, at least be harsh. Like, I don't pull punches and I don't give fake reviews. You know what I mean? If I like something, I like something. If I don't, I'm gonna tell you. And um, I really, really love this uh in the beginning. I just for me, the aftertaste is like it's a no. But all that to be said, some people like that. And like if you're not like me, and I'm I'm one of the weird ones, like I don't like you're not gonna be like, oh yeah, American single ball, you know, they're terrible. Like you might like them.

SPEAKER_06 36:42

Yeah, and if you do, this aftertaste lasts forever, dude.

SPEAKER_03 36:46

It is a long finishing, like it's crazy. Yeah, it's just lingering.

SPEAKER_06 36:49

So, if you love that flavor, you're in heaven.

SPEAKER_03 36:51

It's like if you were to drink this, it would linger, like even one glass this you you would have it like in your palate for like two hours, three hours.

SPEAKER_06 36:59

Like drink, drink or eat or anything afterwards has water, it would still be in the house. Linger on your palate, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:03

Right. For all the people listening, Nick's going to take a leak.

SPEAKER_06 37:09

He showed it in between episodes like I did. I remember that's the last time. Yeah, the last time we recorded, I was like about to explore.

SPEAKER_03 37:15

And I go, I go all four like hours without yeah, that's that's impressive. I never do. But you're right. Uh, just for the people listening, I can but I think people know by now that I I can be harsh with certain things. That doesn't mean, but I'll give it like, you know, uh, it's credence too. Like, I do there's things I think for me to even look at a single malt and try it and like it, an American single malt or you know, a malt forward thing and like it, that's saying something right there.

SPEAKER_06 37:42

Right. That was your overall decision, right? You said like, I like this, it is good. Like that was your overall, like the good outweighs the bad. Yeah, and like for someone that doesn't like this category of whiskey, I would say pretty passionately that you you're pretty passionate against it. And like Nick, I feel like is always trying to trick you into like having single malt, and he's like, I'm not gonna tell you what it is, and then you're like, Oh, it's a single malt. Yeah, it's gonna be a single malt.

SPEAKER_03 38:06

That one actually he got me on because I wasn't thinking single malt at all. And I was like, but then and uh first I took it, then I sat there and I was like, hmm, the longer it was on my palate, the more it was prevalent, yeah. Like prevalent.

SPEAKER_06 38:19

But well, I mean, it was it was pretty apparent with I mean, it's kind of hard to miss with how long the aftertaste is, anyway. Like the more you sit with it, the more like, okay, yeah, yeah, it's there.

SPEAKER_03 38:28

I think if I was eating this, like eating something and drinking this at the same time, maybe I wouldn't because it would kind of like that aftertaste.

SPEAKER_06 38:35

You get the benefit of the of the beginning, yeah, and then the aftertaste is masked by the food right afterwards. Exactly. I can see that.

SPEAKER_03 38:41

Yeah, like I'm eating, like I'm doing something, and yeah, I then maybe I would enjoy it even more, you know.

SPEAKER_06 38:47

But yeah, I think that's like the whole point of the podcast, though. It's like, you know, obviously we're passionate about whiskey, we want to talk about it and everything, like, and that just comes with the podcast and everything. But also, like, you know, we get the benefit, I bring this up all the time, of Bourbon Club. People bring bottles to the club. Also, we have a featured bottle every month and everything. And it's like you never have to like try something before buying it, basically, because someone's got it, you know? And so, like, you know, um, obviously that's a better experience because you get to try it firsthand and everything, but we're here talking at length about a bottle that we're trying actively in the moment. And so you get to decide for yourself is that worth, I mean, especially with a little book, right? $150 give or take, right? Like, is that worth it to you? You know, and listening to this conversation, hopefully you take into consideration our preferences, our commentary, develop, you know, going through, you know, all of our take on the on the on the whiskey, and and then you make an informed decision from there. From there, right? Yeah, from hearing because you might trust number six.

SPEAKER_03 39:53

I always disagree with Chris about the American single mall. And then you'd be like, Yeah, it's probably gonna be winner for you, right?

SPEAKER_01 39:58

Exactly. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 40:00

So, or if you're like, Yeah, I'm not a big fan of those either, then you kind of know, you know what I mean? Or or maybe I'll try it just because maybe I'll like this one, you know, or or whatever it is. But that is the good thing about um having having, and honestly, I love when we have it's hard because we and we've done better about this, not talking over each other, right? But I love having four people in here because you then you get even another experience, like you get four different like people sharing what they think about something. It just gets tough, which helps.

SPEAKER_06 40:29

I mean, it helps with like an informed decision, right? Like, that's you know, obviously a lot of people listen to podcasts for various reasons, but like I'm sure a lot of people are on here, like, oh, I was thinking about buying that one or whatever, you know, like, or I was curious of what that one tasted like, or you know, stuff like that. And so it's it's helping inform your your buying decisions as well, right?

SPEAKER_03 40:50

Well, because in today's society, that's like I don't know about you, but that's like the first thing I do. Um, when I'm thinking about buying something, uh, like you know, because I'm a big knife guy, people that know me know this. Uh, it's gotten like ridiculous. But uh, the first thing I'll be like, oh, I like that. I like that blade shape, I like that steel or you know, whatever. I like the the handles on it, whatever it is. I go to YouTube. Okay, let me look at reviews. I want to see this in somebody's hand, I want to see the action, I want to see the way it looks, I want to see them cutting something. That's gonna help me decide if I'm actually gonna pull the trigger and buy this or not. And especially when you get up to like, you know, the $300 knives, you know what I mean? You know, 300 plus knives, you're like, man, uh, do I want to like spin this on a pocket knife? You know, well, let me look. Like, then like there's times where I'm looking, I'm like, nah, nah, that's not. That's not. And then I'm like the other ones, I'm like, yeah, yeah, that's what I'm talking about. I'm gonna get that, you know? And same thing with this, with this podcast. It's like if somebody sees the bottle on the, like, oh, I was thinking about getting one of those, let me listen to what these guys have to say. Well, not saying we're like experts, but you can at least hear our personal opinion on something.

SPEAKER_06 41:53

And if you agree with, like, say, Nick and you hear what he has to say, or you know, and same thing with like the I mean, I do the exact same thing, like get on YouTube, watch you know, a couple of reviews or whatever, and over time, especially with a certain category of product, you get these people that you trust, right? And you're like, okay, this guy's not giving me BS. Like, I trust this guy, you know. And hopefully at this point, I mean, we have a lot of episodes. Hopefully, at this point, we are that person for you where it's like, you know, I mean, you've heard in this episode, like this very one, like you know, Chris will crap out of product, you know. I'm not afraid of it. Yeah, you know that at this point, right? And so obviously you have different preferences, but you can take that into consideration, right? And that's an aspect of it.

SPEAKER_03 42:37

And you gotta appreciate that. If we were all if we said everything was great, then you wouldn't trust us.

SPEAKER_06 42:42

You wouldn't trust and you shouldn't trust us, and you shouldn't, you should exactly see, unless, unless it's a podcast that only you know has like really great products and everything, and like you only do the ones that you like and stuff, which is fine. But like, you know, I feel like you know, we've got a very wide range of products, and like you said, the more people you have, the more palettes you have, the different opinions you have, right? And so, you know, minimally three for us, like that's a great um, you know, that's a good enough variety, I guess, is what I'm saying, to where you can kind of listen to everybody's opinion and and make a reasonable decision for yourself, you know.

SPEAKER_03 43:16

And then you get it or don't get it, or if you get it and you can decide for yourself, you know. Yeah, next back from the bathroom.

SPEAKER_02 43:22

All right, back from the potty. You know, I heard you guys talking while I was leaving. There was a moment I was maybe in college, I was doing uh a summer camp with uh Sean Crumpacker. I don't know if you remember Sean there, and then we were like, we're talking like podunk country summer camp. And uh I was like, I I have to go bee, I have to go be. And they're like, oh, just hold it, hold it, go find it. It's fine, it's fine. I was like, I I have we're like leaders at this point. So no tree, just hold it. I was like, I have to go, I have to go. And finally, like, okay, we're done, go. And I go and I go, and I go. And I still keep going. And Sean literally he goes, You've been peeing for like five minutes straight, buddy. I was like, Yeah, I told you I had to go. Like, if I if I leave unexpectedly, it's because I have to go.

SPEAKER_06 44:12

We've all had that experience where you're standing there and you're like, This is a top 10 P of my life. Oh, yeah. Like my life. And I'm like, you start looking at your watch. Like, you're like, man, I wish I would have timed this. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:22

Dude, I had that one time where I was in the car and I had to go so bad, and I had to wait and wait and wait. And you know, you have those moments where you're like, okay, oh, it's better now, right? I had like three of those. So by the time I actually went, I went to get out of the car, and you know, I got out and I couldn't straighten. It was like I was still bit. So I walked in there like completely bent over now. And as I'm peeing, it's like I'm straightening out my body. By the end of it, I'm standing up straight again.

SPEAKER_04 44:54

I was like, oh Lord, I can't even stand up.

SPEAKER_06 44:56

I've heard those stories of bodies exploding, and like when I get in those moments, I'm like, is mine about to explode? Because I feel like I'm right there. You're like, I'm putting it to the if I were to straighten up right now, I would explode.

SPEAKER_02 45:11

So all I had to say, I haven't had a drink of this for a hot minute.

SPEAKER_06 45:14

Okay, so run it back. Yeah. So fresh experience.

SPEAKER_02 45:17

Uh Chris, for American single malts, do you get like an aftertaste? And this is gonna sound really strange for those that don't like this of fish oil?

SPEAKER_03 45:25

Yeah, it's sometimes it is fishy.

SPEAKER_02 45:27

Yeah, it's it's like a fish oil.

SPEAKER_03 45:28

And like a when you if you were to take fish oil supplement and you burp afterwards, yes, a little bit of it's not a terrible thing. But that that kind of goes along with the stale mouth kind of aftertaste thing that I talk about. That stale water, stale And some people love that. Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that.

SPEAKER_02 45:47

And some people love that fish oil taste.

SPEAKER_03 45:49

Nothing wrong with burping up your fish oil. No, I'm not saying that don't listen to them.

SPEAKER_06 45:54

I don't agree with that. No one's ever gonna try this. It's a great but again, it's great.

SPEAKER_04 46:01

Again, it is really good.

SPEAKER_03 46:02

I mean, the first thing we started this podcast with was me saying it was good. Right.

SPEAKER_02 46:06

I say all of that to say you gotta come back to that. I say all of that to say the American single malts that I've tasted and go, wow, what this uh this is not normal. Are the ones that aren't like uh Applewood or some kind of woodwork?

SPEAKER_05 46:23

Something's been done to them.

SPEAKER_02 46:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 46:24

They've been uh glitzed up. Yes. They had a bit of a makeover, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 46:31

Yeah, uh, or two Freddie knows uh junior Freddie and Jr.'s point the the whole idea of the finish. Like the idea that I can take a raw product, a an American single ball that everyone's like, this is new, this is weird, this is strange, you know, keep the malt stuff to Irish and uh to Scotch. I can take an American version of that and I can not pretty it up, I can finish it in a unique enough way that someone can pick it up and taste it and go, Oh, this is the taste different and yet familiar. I don't know that I hate it and I don't know that I love it, but I know that I'm challenged by something that could be done with this, that I go, I I could drink this.

SPEAKER_03 47:21

I mean it's yeah, it is a it's it's not been used that much. So I mean it really is like a it's a it's a a medium of it's like somebody like an artist using a medium that's not typically used in doing trying to do something with it. Like I you have to appreciate everything about it. You know what I mean? I really do think that for its own sake, you gotta appreciate it. It's just if you don't like certain flavors, you're just not gonna like certain flavors. But that to be said, do the other flavors make up for the bad ones? For me, yeah, in this case, you know what I mean? Absolutely, you know.

SPEAKER_02 47:55

I don't know that we did you guys talk proof point?

SPEAKER_03 47:58

We didn't. No, we did not talk proof point.

SPEAKER_06 48:00

Oh, yeah. It's just I mean the bottle's been sent by you. Should you guess? I'm on the other side.

SPEAKER_02 48:03

What's your guess on proof point?

SPEAKER_03 48:05

And for me, that's it's lower.

SPEAKER_02 48:07

What's lower? Cody mentioned on the last podcast lower is still 100 plus. Yeah, for right for us, for us it is for a book, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 48:15

What's lower for for a for a little book? I I would say uh it's no lower than 110, but it's no higher than 117, 118, something like that. Not even close to 120.

SPEAKER_06 48:28

Okay. I'm gonna go the opposite, just because the last one surprised me so much. I thought it was low 120s and it was 115. I'm gonna flip it. I'm saying low 120s, even though it doesn't taste that way, even though, yeah, yeah, it's it drinks less than that.

SPEAKER_03 48:42

It drinks like one like around the 110s.

SPEAKER_06 48:45

Yeah, low 110s.

SPEAKER_02 48:46

We wouldn't ask this on the live or talk about this on the lost podcast before I give the proof point. What would you guys say the the the price point for this? Ungodly. Ungodly, but they're all ungodly.

SPEAKER_03 48:56

I'd say if you could get it uh right around maybe a little under three.

SPEAKER_02 49:01

Sorry, MSRP. What do you think? Oh, MSRP, okay. Well, aren't they all about the same MSRP?

SPEAKER_03 49:06

Are they standard? Yeah, 180, something like that.

SPEAKER_02 49:09

They it was so the first one was 80 and then it went up from there, remember? So we're talking six at this point.

SPEAKER_03 49:17

So a little bit more than 80 later. I've purchased this. I bet you pay well, did you pay MSRP?

SPEAKER_06 49:24

Uh it was a bundle deal. Oh. Yours might have been. I think mine was actually pretty close to MSRP.

SPEAKER_03 49:31

If you could get it now, I guarantee it would be around the 230 to all the way to 280 mark. Okay. Guarantee it. Uh MSRP, I don't know, man. I don't know how they they went up. I mean, I don't know if they're going up.

SPEAKER_02 49:45

So let's let's just we didn't ask this on the last one. 125 was the last one.

SPEAKER_03 49:49

Oh, the 125 was the last one? Okay, so it's probably going up by five, something like that.

SPEAKER_06 49:54

I was gonna say around 125. Okay, I'm pretty sure. I think I paid around 125 to 150, but it was with a the you had to get a store pick. And I was like, well, twist my arm because it was it was down in uh Arkansas.

SPEAKER_03 50:06

Yeah, and I you probably get to try it first too. Let me try your little your your store picks and then twist my arm. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 50:14

They didn't have they didn't have um ones you could try, but I literally just finished a tour at Rocktown. Oh, so you knew distillery, and then they had a golden promise store pick, and I was like, Well, that sounds great. So I was gonna get this anyway. So it was a good deal. Two bottles I would have already gotten, you know, for like I think it was 125 to 150.

SPEAKER_03 50:35

Especially when they let you try the store picks, right? Which a lot of them will, like they have an open bottle and you're like, Yeah, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_06 50:41

This one didn't, but they have it's like literally like it's you feel a little bit uncertain walking in, like you're a little scared because of the area and stuff. So yeah, I hear I hear that. So like there's a lot of really good stuff in there. Um, so I went I went back there this past time going down.

SPEAKER_05 50:57

I've ever had a store pick.

SPEAKER_04 50:59

Yes, you do. So anyway, what's the price?

SPEAKER_05 51:02

125. 125.

SPEAKER_02 51:03

Okay, so 125 was uh chapter five, and chapter six is one twenty five, which I don't know if it uh take that with a grain of salt. I don't know if that says anything about the bottles themselves or the market at the time.

SPEAKER_06 51:17

Well, okay. Um, I have a great example of that. We went to a different liquor store like two days before. Yeah, because I was just looking around and I found Little Book chapter six, but it was $300.

SPEAKER_03 51:28

Yeah, yeah, I was gonna say it's secondary, it's got to be right around that. If you got it for like $280, you'd probably be doing well. $300 is probably no more than three.

SPEAKER_02 51:38

But we're also talking uh proofpoint.

SPEAKER_03 51:40

But that's little book. That's just the people that are buying that for because of what it is, not because of how it tastes.

SPEAKER_02 51:45

Proof point, we're talking $117.4.

SPEAKER_06 51:49

Right in the middle of what we said. Oh, 117.

SPEAKER_04 51:50

Oh, that's back in the middle of what we said.

SPEAKER_02 51:52

That's funny.

SPEAKER_04 51:53

No higher than 118. I don't know that this would be. But that's it was higher than I thought.

SPEAKER_02 51:56

Yeah, yeah. I know this sounds weird, but I don't know that this would do well at a higher proof point.

SPEAKER_03 52:02

This definitely tastes less uh proofy than the last one. The last one was lower lower.

SPEAKER_02 52:08

I think on the front end it tastes proofy, but as it sits, you're like, man, this is this is mellow compared to this.

SPEAKER_03 52:16

The proof disappears quickly. Like this this could be, I mean, like I said, like I and I would only say 110 because I know it's a little book, you know what I mean? But like I mean, maybe I'm skewed, but like I'd know it was over a hundred, but I wouldn't think it was much more than that, you know.

SPEAKER_02 52:33

So it's interesting. What's interesting about this bottle we release in 2022 as a uh majority of the blend is going to be an American single mall. Right? Claremont Steep, which uh just so happens to be their their American single mall beams, was released in I remember kinda liking that like that was that one was actually not bad. So that was the weird um how do I put this in a nice way? It was it was probably one of my more favorites that's not finished because it had more beam-esque flavor yeast to it. That one was released in 2023, so year after he does this with American Single, they're like, hey, we could you know what, buddy, we might we might be able to do that.

SPEAKER_06 53:28

This is exactly what they did with the last one. Yep, yeah. So I mean you're doing something right if you're him, you know. Right. Well, and I kind of like that too. Like if you're if you're really big into little book, right? And and just beam in general, right? And then you get, you know, 2025, little book comes out, you snag it, right? And then you're trying it and you're looking at the mash bill, and you're like, okay, right. There's like some, you know, maybe I don't know, maybe it's like a weeded, you know, a weeded whiskey or something like that. And then you're like, is beam coming out with a weeded in two years? You know what I mean? Like it seems to be kind of a common dread, right? Like to do that. They don't do a weeded mash bill.

SPEAKER_02 54:08

That would be super.

SPEAKER_06 54:09

But you see what I'm saying though, right? Like, yeah, I mean, it just kind of adds to the experience where, like, if you're a big beam guy, yeah, right, you're like, you know, tried and true, die hard, and you get the new newest little book, you're like, in two years, am I gonna see this kind of iteration coming out? Like, it's almost like a little like sneak peek teaser kind of become that way. You know what I mean? Like, and and I'm curious, you know, I don't know the specifics of this with seven and eight. Maybe that's not the case, and maybe this was just like a you know, two-year trend, kind of short stint kind of thing, where he's just like on that kind of um you know idea, and he's like, Oh, yeah, let's just like release this individually, and then it kind of dies off, right? He goes back to his roots or something, you know, like you know, that's why you gotta listen to the next episode.

SPEAKER_02 54:53

It's interesting because he did that with four, five, and six so far. Okay, because four was broader's bourbon. So I also mentioned there was a divide between six and seven.

SPEAKER_03 55:03

I'll go to what you were saying, Cody. Like, if you do like something and you're like, maybe they'll come out this you almost take it upon yourself to like, I gotta support this cause. Yeah, I remember when I remember when uh Taco Bell came out with the Doritos Locos Tacos. You remember this? Yeah, I was in college, they announced it. Yeah, like I got the pre-announcement, like they hadn't even come out yet. And they were like, it's a it's a trial run, we're gonna see how it goes. They literally I read something that said, like, you deck dictate if this comes to market. You know what I mean? Kind of a thing. I took that upon myself. I was like, I have to do it. It's like I have a duty. So like I like I bought uh an abundance of like every time I had an opportunity, I'm like, I'm buying Dorito's logo. Like, I gotta support the cause. Because they were like, if we don't sell enough, then it means they didn't do well. We're not gonna do it. I was like, this is I took it upon myself. I was like, this is my this is my chance to do something. It's it's corn. Okay, good.

SPEAKER_02 56:02

Yeah, sorry, corner gluten. Yeah, yeah, corn. Yeah, it's gluten free.

SPEAKER_03 56:06

Yeah, okay. This was back in college. I didn't I was eating anything, but I just didn't know. I just remember being like, uh, and Laura thought it was so funny, but because I was like, you know how like people are like, I gotta vote. This is my responsibility. And I was like, this, I gotta eat these Doritos Locos tacos. You know what I mean? I was like, I gotta do this for the betterment of all everybody in America.

SPEAKER_06 56:24

Is like that?

SPEAKER_03 56:25

Little book's like that. I think if you try something and you're like, this is good, maybe I want to see a bottle of something like this come out, like you're saying, you gotta buy it, you gotta support it, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta be like, hey, this because if this doesn't do well sales wise, that's what it comes down to. This does not do well sales wise, they're not gonna say let's go ahead and do this. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 56:46

My my only caveat to this didn't do well.

SPEAKER_03 56:49

Why would we do that?

SPEAKER_02 56:50

You know, only caveat to this guy. I don't I don't really know that I care about the individual things that are mixed in with this. I I want this bottle. I I want another of this bottle. I can't get another of this bottle. Like, why do you want but why?

SPEAKER_04 57:06

Because it's good. Oh, okay. I don't know if uh I don't know if there's something else.

SPEAKER_03 57:11

No, in fact, like, well, you want all of them. I want all of them, but like you're saying this is like one of your best, like favorite ones.

SPEAKER_02 57:17

No, what I'm saying is to your point, I want to support, therefore, I can get another one. Okay, or I want to support so I can get the whole lineup every year. So I can be like, oh, I'm missing, I just finished chapter one. I gotta get another bottle of chicken.

SPEAKER_03 57:31

You want to be able to replace it, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:32

Right. But to your point, if you're like, I want the the the Doritos Locos Taco, okay, I want I want an American single mall. Like this does really well. I want American single malls.

SPEAKER_03 57:41

You gotta make the purchase. I how many people go out there and say, like, I like this or I like that, but they're not willing to support the cause. You know what I mean? Like, doesn't matter what it is, like like donating or or or paying or buying it or going going there. Like, I I think of the Andersons, right? I worked at the Andersons forever.

SPEAKER_02 57:59

Like, I don't know if Cody knows what the Anderson is.

SPEAKER_03 58:01

You know what that is? Gosh, dude. No, there was one here, there was one in Sawmill. Not when he was around. I guess not. Uh I guess they closed down like 2015 or something like that.

SPEAKER_06 58:14

Yeah. I was still in high school. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 58:18

Anyway, The Innocence was a grocery store that started in Mami, Ohio, the first one.

SPEAKER_02 58:23

And it was like off of a feed mill, I think.

SPEAKER_03 58:25

It was like one of those, if you can imagine what a tractor supply was like back when it was like an actual like local people went there and tractors. They started selling like this and that. Next thing you know, it's like a hardware store. Next thing you know, it's like hardware store plus grocery, like the best groceries you can get, plus like people that are in there cooking. Like the guacamole you would get from the Andersons, yeah, was the best. And I actually asked, I actually asked the lady one time, I was like, What makes this guacamole so effing good? She goes, Well, we use a crap load of guac of avocados, and we kind of don't chop them up that much because it was chunky. Oh, yeah. Like you got a lot of expensive, but it was the best guac you could get. That's how they did everything. And the problem was, so then they opened up different stores, locations. Mommy was a flagship one. They had Tony Pacos inside. It was just great, and it was one of those things. So if you went there and you're like, I need this paint color, I need this screw from 1985 or 1917 or whatever, to that, like it doesn't matter what it was. I need this. They would work, somebody would work with you until they found it, or they would be like three hours later, like, I we just, I'm sorry, we just can't. You know what I mean? That's how they did everything. You would return anyway. I worked for this place for years, uh, through college and then after college a little bit. Great place to work for. They open up different locations. The problem was, and I talked to the owner, Dan Anderson, one time, uh, because I was I was that cool, right? Like, like I knew Dan. But I talked to him one time and he's like, Look, um, we don't make any money. Matter of fact, we lose money every year on these stores. He goes, We make money through the ethanol because they do ethanol and stuff. He goes, these these stores have become a point where they were they were very break it even. So we started losing money, the shrinkage, the people returning stuff. But we want to be good to our customers. We want to remember where we came from. We want to use this as a marketing for our ethanol. Like, we're just, it's really a charity for us at this point. He goes, we literally lose money every year, but they're employing all these people, right? And it was it was the best place to go if you wanted fresh food. Like Whole Foods was not as good as the Andersons, right? Am I crazy? Like that's how good it was, right? Uh, organic-wise and just clean food, but good tasting food. Um and if you needed anything, like I mean, I worked plumbing and electrical and and and some other things. Um, but if you needed like the random part for an old motor of something, you know what I mean? I was the guy and I would find it for you, you know what I mean? Or I spend three hours trying. But anyway, it was like the great place. But the problem was the shrinkage. People started taking advantage and it got to a point where like we're not just losing money, we're like losing, losing money. So the Anderson's eventually shut down. But if only and everybody griped and and and people lament the Anderson shutting down, right? I do it all the time. People other people do it. But if people had treated the Andersons right, you get what I'm getting at, there wouldn't have been that shrinkage. There wouldn't have been because people would come in. I remember people would come in with a sump pump from like seven, eight years ago. This thing burned out. I need a new one. And the Andersons were good. So they would return that. They would be like, okay, here's a new sump pump. Dude, that was an eight-year-old sump pump. That's trash. Go buy a new one, right? You don't make a profit doing stuff like that. So, but if the Andersons had treated, if people had treated the Andersons the way they should have, it never would have gone out of business. It'd still be around for people to enjoy. Now nobody gets to enjoy it because why? Because people didn't support it. That's what I'm getting at. Like, so how many people like don't do that with like, oh, I can't spend the extra money on Little Book or whatever? You know what I mean? And then they gripe. Well, I never got to try it. Now it's off the market. Dude, you didn't buy it when you could, you know what I mean, or whatever. Like, you get what I'm saying? Like with the supporting of things. Yeah. And um, I think about that all the time with the energy. So that's why, like, when I do see something, I'm like, man, if we don't take care of this, we don't support it, or whatever, it's gone. And then I can't be the one to gripe about it. And that's true with like business, but that's also true with like like foundations, that's true with like the government, you know what I mean? Like voting. You could take that and put it in all sorts of aspects of things, you know what I mean? Schoolings, uh, all that stuff. But I think that with bourbon too. Like, if you like something, support it. Otherwise, like when it's gone, don't gripe about it. Yeah, that was on you too. You know what I mean? Collectively, everybody said, nah, no thanks. You know what I mean? We're done. We're okay with the shrinkage, you know what I mean. So, anyway, that means that all that to say. Buy a little book, I guess. Buy a book's a good cause. Buy a little book for a good cause. A good, a good, it's a good support it. Be about it, be about it. I'm always about the things I like, I'm not about the things I don't. But if I like something, I support the heck out of it. I sell it, I market it. Am I getting paid? No. I but I enjoy it, and I want people to enjoy that. What you know, whatever it is that I like.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:25

So well, that's it'll be interesting. Yeah, now that's I feel like every every time we have this like ending conversation, I'm like, this this ties in with the next chapter. Because chapter seven is in retrospect. So that's the name of it. In retrospect, actually that's the name of it.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:44

A little contemplative, right? Okay, you think of uh had I supported them, would they still be around? Right, like I get Tony Paco, right, right, right, then buy whatever in retrospect.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:57

Air filter I need. It's ironic how all of these conversations kind of go in line with these books. It's almost like we created these chapters, yes. So uh we got chapter seven coming up with Cody again. Hey oh, hey, uh excited about that. Uh, and uh we'll we'll see you then. Let's run it back.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:21

Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you want more great content and other perks, be sure to support the show by clicking the link in the show notes. We can be reached on our website, whiskey tasterspumma.com, with any ideas for the show. Thanks again.