Penntucky: Tasting Liberty Pole’s Bold Rye Bourbon Blend

Welcome And What We’re Pouring

SPEAKER_02 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. All 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_01 0:28

Alright, well, that's it. This is gonna be more of an aromatic-y uh- Have we had this before? On the podcast, I don't believe so. What is it? What do you mean? This is Lane Limited. Lane 1Q? No, well, yeah, the folks that bring you Lane 1Q. Uh, the folks that bring you Captain Black and a lot of the other blends, the guys that make Nightcap and uh all the Peterson, the Peterson blends now, which were formerly Dunhill blends. They came out, man, I don't even know how long ago this was. I should look at it.

SPEAKER_03 0:58

Before you go further, you guys are

Opening The Aged English Tobacco

SPEAKER_03 1:00

gonna have to try the what we're drinking before you start smoking. Just gonna tell you that.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

I'd have to Google it, Steve. I don't know when this came out, but it there was a I'll look it up. There was a thing where Lane came out with uh they you know, they they were like, we're gonna make our own stuff, and it's gonna be limited runs. And they came up with like four uh and for some reason they were all English blends, and they were all very they're all very similar to Nightcap. Not 100%, but they're similar. And uh what's this? What's it called? This one is metal of valor. Metal of Valor. But look how nice that looks. It's in bottom, like feel it. Is this an aromatic? No, this isn't English, but it's it's got some uh it's um it's made by Lane, so it's Lane is normally aromatic, right? Yeah, yeah, okay. They make well, they make a lot of stuff, but uh okay, they do make a lot of aromatics. I mean they're they're the MGP of tobacco, they make for a lot of people.

SPEAKER_02 1:52

Yeah, Latikia, Virginia's Burlies, Orientals, Parik are all in there. Pro it's primarily a Latikia medium strength.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Yeah, so I bought up a ton of their tins just because they were kind of collectible, and uh instead of collecting, like keeping them, I've just been smoking them. And they're they're pretty good. They're but they're nothing to write home about. Um 2015 isn't this game. 2015. So this is from 2015. Okay, because I bought those as soon as they came out, and I have not opened this until today. So I have smoked, I bought like four tins of this, and I have so I have smoked this before, but this one's got the most age on it, so we shall see. But you know, English

Craft Spirits Reality Check

SPEAKER_01 2:30

blends don't always translate to selling. What's that?

SPEAKER_03 2:34

Uh we we just got done talking on our last episode about Moonshine University going out in the last uh year. I think it's just this year alone, 2026, maybe 25-26. There have been four distilleries that have declared bankruptcy. AM Scott AM AM Scott. Yeah, aimscott declared bankruptcy here in in Ohio. Uh, and then there was Luca Mariana distillery out of Kentucky that declared bankruptcy as well and was just bought. Well, that's kind of answering our question. Yeah, yeah. It was just bought through a court supervised bankruptcy sale. It's a Nevada-based wine.

SPEAKER_01 3:16

You get bankrupt. Yeah, and then you're gone.

SPEAKER_03 3:19

Nevada-based wine and spirits company bought it for 19.5 million from the bank at that point. Yeah. Wow. Um but the acquisition includes 529 acres for the campus, the production uh facilities, real estate, intellectual property, and about 6,600 aging bourbon barrels. Wow. Wow. That is a low price.

SPEAKER_01 3:43

Yeah. That's why you buy for a bank out of a out of a bank, uh a foreclosure bankruptcy type deal because you get way more bang for your buck.

SPEAKER_03 3:51

Like that's and they currently own so this uh the Spirits of Wine Company currently owns Noble Oak, Monkey in Paradise Vaca, Ondehala Tequila, and Blue Nectar Tequila, along with Noble Oak Rye and Johnny Lee Hooker whiskey.

SPEAKER_02 4:07

I know I was an okay fan of Noble Oak. I have a couple of bottles of theirs.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

It wasn't bad. I was just wondering why they had so many barrels laying around. Maybe they were uh distilling for people or something.

SPEAKER_03 4:17

Well, Luca Mariano, no, they just I think they got too they tried to get too big to that's just too many barrels for a company that only has like one recognizable brand.

unknown 4:26

You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 4:27

So they didn't Luca Mariano did not own uh they didn't own Noble Oak. Luca Mariano was their own brand. See if I can find the bottles. Oh, you've seen the bottles. I guarantee you've seen the bottles.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Oh, yeah. No, I've had it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:45

Yeah, they went out of business.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

Well, um, you know, that that hooker whiskey, you yeah, I've never seen that before. It's usually pretty cheap.

SPEAKER_02 4:53

Well, that smells very different than the last one we just did. It does. So I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 4:58

I love how he said to drink it and then smoke, and I've been smoking and not drinking. I've already tried it before, Chris.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

Just did this the initial light.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

And then I was like, all right, I got I forgot. I got it. I'm trying to get the charring light going. And actually, tonight's a good night for an English. I haven't had one in a minute, and I'm appreciating, you know, ever since I took a step back from English blends, I really appreciate them when I smoke them now, which is not often. And I and I like that because there was a minute I was like, I don't know, they're just whatever. But now I'm starting to really appreciate them when I have them. Something we said for taking a step back sometimes. Yeah, there's something to be said about that. I take a step back every day from your brain. Sometimes you have to. All right, now I'm gonna now I'm

First Sip Of Liberty Pole Pentucky

SPEAKER_01 5:40

gonna take a sippy. Did we talk about what we're having yet? We're on the opposite end of it.

SPEAKER_03 5:44

So this is this is the uh Pentucky? Pentucky, yeah. Pentucky. So this is Liberty Pole. This is Pentucky, Pennsylvania was in Pennsylvania and then a Pentucky. Pentucky was Liberty Poles, they got to name their own thing.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

I was joking around about that last time. I didn't even think about it.

SPEAKER_03 6:01

So this is Liberty Pole's version of it, uh of the blend. And again, I don't know for sure what barrel they got and they picked, but after trying some things, getting to try some things there at Liberty Pole, there's a whole back backstory to to these bottles.

SPEAKER_01 6:21

I wasn't ready for that. I was not ready for that. There's a lot going on, yeah. It's uh I I hate to say it so quick, um, but for me, that just so sweet in a good way. Yeah, yeah. But it is like wow, like it's incredibly sweet. There is almost but you can taste that freaking Monica Hale, like you can taste. Like that is Pennsylvania. This is much more rye heavy. This is like don't forget who we are, right? Yeah, and it was much bolder. This is our shit.

SPEAKER_02 6:54

I mean, yeah, this is much more bold than the than the MB Rollin version was. This is that was a little bit lighter, a little nice evening at the porch on a s on a sunny summer day. This we're moving into the fall.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

This is the last one was like Shakespeare in the park. This is kind of like you know, you're on a stage with lights, kind of a deal. Like it's and not to be downplaying MB Rollins. No, no, no. It was there's something beautiful, beautiful, very different. Low-key, you know, versus the this is kind of like they dialed it up, they dialed it up.

SPEAKER_03 7:26

Before we go into like stories, I'll tell the whole story about this, but before we go into it, I mentioned on the MB Rollin one, I don't know how much they've had blending-wise. We know Liberty Pole, we've done interviews with them, we've talked to them several times. They're not big blenders as of now. This is their first real blending experience. Knowing that, does that how does that impact well?

SPEAKER_01 7:49

I think either one, they either one, they tipped odds in their favor, or two, they really nailed it. I mean, it's not disjointed for a blended product, it is perfectly well it's very cohesive, blended together.

SPEAKER_02 8:05

Yeah, yeah, it's very cohesive.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

The flavors are tight. It's it's it's it's not actually spread out flavor-wise, it's very tight together.

SPEAKER_03 8:14

So, what's crazy is when you talk about blending, because we talked about what they did for blending, they literally just sampled these two together, what they had, and said this will want to blend, and threw it into a metal vat and blended it that way and then bottled it. So it's not like they blended it into any kind of barrels to let them melt. They just mixed it up, they just mixed it up. That was it. I love that. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

They mixed it up. Well, maybe that's why you got such a powerful flavor because it's just so like the chemical reaction was like, What the hell are we doing? Yeah, there's not much of a finish. There's not much of a finish, no, but what's there is really a powerhouse.

SPEAKER_02 8:48

Yeah, there's punches you at the front end. This is uh this is this goes right right to the gullet.

SPEAKER_03 8:54

This is uh the there's a lot of intense flavors. It is a thinker in the sense that not that there's something lingering, but it's thinking of like what did I what did I just have? Well, I like that about it.

SPEAKER_01 9:05

What is going on? It is a thinker, but it it's one that you would drink a lot of.

SPEAKER_02 9:09

Yeah, I'm I'm glad it's it's 105 proof, 105.6, and I'm glad it's as low as it is, because it drinks hotter than that on the front end, but it calms itself down a little bit, so you can let it sit in your mouth for a minute and makes you want to take another drink. Yeah, so it's a good thing it's lower-proof. It is exactly that's what I'm saying. I'm glad it's as low as it is, because you can't just let it sit in your mouth for a minute and have it just kind of mingle for a second and try to piece it.

SPEAKER_01 9:38

It kind of fizzes out. I wouldn't say fizzles out, but and it's not a candle in the wind, but it it kind of like slow fades, yeah. Um, without a finish that it leaves you wanting to drink another one even quicker. Like, I feel like I'm taking sips quicker than usual, uh, because I want to experience it again and again and again. And that is good. Like, it's like when they put the salt in snacks to make you want to eat more. That's totally what it is. Yeah, this is this is making me want to keep having that experience as much as I can. It's addicting, that's what it is. It's a good flavor, yeah. It's so damn sweet, but with that um rye that they have going on, it works without that.

SPEAKER_03 10:18

I think it would be too damn sweet, which is interesting that you you consider it sweet because I don't consider it sweet at all. And I don't know if it's because of that. Well, I don't consider it the same sweetness I get, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:27

I think this is sweet. I I feel like it's like a pepper jelly, like it's like it's a yeah, like there's that spice from the peppers, and there is definitely it's heavy rye, like you you're definitely getting that rye nice, but with the sugar, but with the sugar, so it's it's like a pepper jelly is a great way to describe it, and you can eat yourself sick on that stuff, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 10:47

It's because for me it is kind of spicy, it's got the some some backbone of the pepper and stuff, but it's sweet too, so it's more like a because I like to put that stuff on cream cheese, and like damn, dude, like that's a good time, but you can eat yourself sick on I can. I don't know about you, but I can. I can go through a whole sleeve of crackers doing that, like because but it is it's a kind of a sweet, salty type of a deal, and and spicy. And the only thing better than sweet, salty is sweet, salty, spicy, in my opinion. Like a lot of people don't talk about this flavors. You get them all, yeah. You get them all. Touch a umami, and we'd be umami, and yeah, forget about it. Yeah, yeah. No, that's uh uh dude. They uh man, I hate to say it, but uh boy, this is uh this is good. I hell, right? I'm looking at both of them. I'm like, good.

SPEAKER_02 11:35

I do I get more Dusty Barn on this though than I did on the other one, too.

SPEAKER_01 11:39

Liberty, it's the Pennsylvania style, Dusty Barn. It's that Monica Halo, it's that uh like the weather has just been ripping through that barn. You know what I mean? That's that's what I feel like when I get the Pennsylvania rye. It's it's like not only is it a dusty barn, but somebody left the damn door open and water and weather have and and wind have has been ripping through that bad boy. That's what I get, dude. And I love that. I it's so like old farm. It's old, like old farm, you know. And when you're talking about like the the you know, the birthday of America or whatever, that's kind of cool too, you know. Exactly. America old farm, old uh, you know, freaking Paul Revere riding through the British are coming. Holy shit. And you know, and there's with the lights and the lanterns and the stuff and the barns and everybody's mourning each other. I just feel like that's old America, what you know, the Republic or whatever. Yeah, it's just revolutionary war type stuff. Yeah, I get that. I get all of that with the sweet, the sweetness, which is great

Blending Method And Sweet Rye Debate

SPEAKER_01 12:40

touch.

SPEAKER_02 12:40

It's just a great touch. So I don't know if you guys know enough about the history to get this reference, but for any history nerds that are listening to this in revolutionary time, this bottle is is Jefferson, it's the agrarian, it's the it's the farm, it's the the agrarian life, the quiet is the quiet life. Uh, and the MB Roland one is Adams. Uh, and so Adams was a lawyer, city was more of a city guy, and the two of them were the best of friends, they they were incredibly good friends for most of their lives. They did separate out. They had the the election of 1900 is like is similar to our elections today, they're very dirty. So go back and look at some political cartoons from that era, it's pretty fantastic. And the two of them kind of split up and they were no longer friends for a little bit. They got back together. Luckily, we know a lot about both of them because both of them were a little egotistical and wrote down everything. You you'd have to be, you'd have to be, and they wrote a lot, and then and they wrote to each other a lot, so we have a lot of letters back and forth between Adams and Jefferson, and they both died on the 50th anniversary of the country. So July 4th. How about that? They both died on July 4th, they both died on July 4th, 1820, uh, 1776, so 1826. Yeah, so the the 50th anniversary of the country, they both died on July 4th. How about that? I do remember hearing that.

SPEAKER_01 14:09

That's hard to believe though.

SPEAKER_02 14:10

Yeah, it's it's pretty, pretty cool. Their story is probably.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

You know what I mean? And what's interesting is that was in a time where it was the stakes were higher, right? But people were there for it. And they did it respectfully because that was like their entertainment and it was exciting. And at the end of the day, whether we win or we lose, we won because we are we have our own country now, you know what I mean? So I think that it's an interesting concept that it's like they were dirtier than we are now, but they did it in a friendlier way than we do now.

SPEAKER_02 14:44

Yeah, it was also just a little bit more transparent. So, like today we have like we have Fox News that's clearly a right-leaning media source, and and is and uh MSNBC that's clearly a left-leaning media source, doesn't even show the president. Um but they will try to like pretend like they're not for some reason, and they'll try to be like, no, we're for America. No, you're not, you're for your side. Like, yeah, just be honest. Stop pretending, yeah, quit pretending. Whereas back then they didn't pretend, like the newspaper was the Republican, it was like the Republican star or whatever, you know. So, like, there was no denying what side you were on, but I think as the like media source, two were like it, you wouldn't be embarrassed to be either side because at the end of the day, you got to choose.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Yeah, and that was you were in a time where nobody did, and it was very like it had to have been awesome. Can you could you can you imagine just being like, we get this choice, and I get to be all about this party or all about this party? And uh, you know, in a time where it was like it's my way or the highway, literally, like you either go with uh or you get executed, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:49

And this is the plus and minus of democracy, because at that time you had to decide if you were a white male that owned land, and that was it. Like those are the only people that were allowed to vote.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

Yeah, yeah, no women, no, no, nobody, no poor people, so like you had to own land, and they were coming from a society where it was like, unless you were rich, you had no say, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

So now you could be slightly less rich and still have a say, but still that was it at this point because this is 1826. We're pre-Civil War, we're pre-all that stuff, we're pre-suffrage, like no women voting, no blacks voting, no poor whites voting. So, like that, and now now we have to deal with the fact that everyone gets a vote, even though we see people every day that clearly should not be voting. Everybody gets to vote, but not everybody should vote. And so that and that changes the dynamics of things because if uneducated people are allowed to vote, then they're easier to trick into voting and for whatever side it is. So it's the pluses and minus of democracy, it's kind of uh interesting look at everything. You bear the fruits, right? Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 16:57

But I just think that it's a cool, like I don't know. I think that there's it's it's easy not to get too political because we don't want to, but I think it's easy in today's society to be kind of like over it. Uh, but if you were to put yourself in the shoes, and I don't mean like clearly everybody should have been allowed to vote back then. So let's pretend you could put yourself in the shoes of an early American and everybody got to vote. What an exciting, awesome, and you'd be so happy to go out there. Like the responsibility of voting, right? And and the excitement, and at the end of the day, everybody's just like on the one hand, like they're gonna be fighting about it, but on the other hand, at the end of the day, like they would come together too. Like they it didn't drive us apart, you're right. You know what I mean? Like we would definitely 30 years later, but yeah, yeah, to a degree, yeah. But I mean, I mean back then, you know what I mean? Like it was like, yeah, that's just it's just cool to think about.

SPEAKER_02 17:50

And so I had a I had a professor once that told me it was he was a little happy that only 50 of the country voted. And the reason being that meant like countries that are collapsing have like a 90% voting thing, because it's like this is a life and death election, like this is super, super duper important because uh if if we don't vote, then like the whole country is gonna collapse. Whereas for us, like it's a big deal, but maybe it's not.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

Yeah, if 50% of the people are voting, we're dealing with a lot of first world problems kind of dealing with 50 of the people are voting, it means everybody's pretty much happy, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:34

At the end of the day, and so uh, but yeah, we lots of different ways of looking at that, but it's uh it was an interesting kind of concept that he had. So yeah, so they these two bottles reminded me of Jefferson and Adams, and like kind of the different looks at the both of them and like the flavors and everything. So is that Jefferson is is the agrarian president, that was what he's known for. He wanted everyone to be a farmer.

SPEAKER_01 18:56

Well, and I don't think I'm not gonna say that I picked the perfect tobacco for this, but I think picking an English for this was the right choice.

SPEAKER_02 19:04

Yeah, I was a little worried when you mentioned Englishes for this because we I knew that at least half of this bottle, both of these bottles was gonna be a rye. When I think the last bottle would have been terrible with an English, which is interesting because you might think that it would be good for it because it was a little bit uh weaker, it was a little bit more more basic in that. And so you would think uh English would go well with it,

Jefferson And Adams As Tasting Notes

SPEAKER_02 19:30

but I agree. I don't I don't think it would have. I think it would have overpowered it.

SPEAKER_01 19:34

This is working with the English aspects of pipe tobacco is working really well with the sweetness. Give that a sniff next. And and it's uh kind of, we're talking so much about the you know, the early country. Uh, I just feel like this type of tobacco, this smell, this taste, it really is kind of putting me into that revolutionary time mindset. So not only is it working well with the bottle, but what the bottle is invoking, this tobacco is working well with the idea of this conversation we're having. That and that's what's interesting about this podcast. I think if we didn't, if we weren't recording right now, we'd still be having the same conversation. And we would be talking about so this we would open this bottle and we would drink and we'd be talking about the early times of of America and things like that. Steve would probably go even further into all that stuff. I would have yeah, I would have gone into more political stuff. He's our and he's our American history uh expert. But I I think that this tobacco, this smoke would just be brought out because of those top conversations, and then and then it would just continue to kind of like how it is on the podcast. I just think that that is telling me that I did pick the English works with this bottle, and what how cool is it that this bottle is kind of bringing that type of conversation up?

SPEAKER_02 20:47

It's a great uh it's a great conversation bottle, and it is because it's so kind of dynamic, like there's a few different flavors going on, so I I I really, really enjoy it. And then, yeah, the the drink that's going with it is going good too. Nick, you know more about how this process came to be. So, how did this bottle come to be? So I'm gonna tell the story.

SPEAKER_03 21:09

Yeah, because Herm and I, I I said enough to all you guys, but I think all everyone was busy with work or life. Herm and I got the chance to go when they released these two bottles, and we I took a half a day. I'm thinking, you know what? We get there around 2:33 o'clock from a from Columbus. They should have plenty of bottles there. And we get there, and Herm goes, How funny would it be if they don't have anything left? Uh that wouldn't be too funny, but it'd be it would be a fun ride. And we get in there, they had six bottles left of the MB Rolland, and that was it. They had plenty of theirs because they still had stuff in the back. But that was it. Out of the 10 cases they had for MB Rolland, they had six bottles left. And we got in there, and the the guy doing the tasting at the bottle shop was like, You need MB Rolland's first because ours will. ours will overpower it. They're both great, but ours will overpower the experience. I mean he was right. He was 100% right. And I remember trying then and be like, wow, you could definitely at that point I was like, you could definitely tell MB Rollins was Zimbi Rollins. You could definitely tell this was this was uh Liberty Poles. There was a guy there that from Ohio that comes every Thursday to Liberty, which travels to Pennsylvania every Thursday.

SPEAKER_01 22:24

Was he the guy that was there when we were there? I don't know. There was one guy that was a regular that showed up.

SPEAKER_03 22:27

Oh yeah he shows up every Thursday he comes to Liberty Pole. And he heard us talking about it. So he's like I need bottles before these guys buy anything. And we bought for the MB Rule and by the time we were done there was only one bottle left. We left there was a guy behind us and we're like we'll leave one for you. But Jim walked in and uh we started talking to Jim the owner of Liberty pool the one that we interviewed and uh keep in mind folks they they've just released and started their single barrel program. And so they're relatively new at it and Herm and I got to try we the podcast has gotten to try their finished products before of different uh barrels they finished in. And so we thought let's just ask are you thinking about doing this for the the single barrels because the club would love a finished barrel. And Jim got him got a smirk on his face. He's like no I mean we've had a lot of people ask about it but nothing in the works just yet and just paused right there we're like okay conversation is done. He's like come on back let me share some with you. It was like another three hour long day of just him sharing stuff with us that they have uh their their Monaca rye finished in apple brandy barrels that sounds good Laird's apple brandy it's one of the oldest apple brandy companies Laird's yeah and uh they have a barrel that they have sitting in there that's like a five or six year old rye that's been sitting in these apple brandy barrels. Did you get a bottle of that? No, it's in their immersion experience. I really want a bottle that sounds amazing. Yeah well you know like I I love my brandy for it was it was wonderful. But we went through this whole experience and we were I mean we're we're looking at everything they're doing right my prediction one of the things I looked at at the beginning of the year was which distilleries to look out for and Liberty Pole was my number one to look out for. If this tells you anything about this distillery we get there's no one there they were even like yeah Jim and Ellen they're not here right now Jim shows up randomly let me take you to the back and start offering you guys things let's try things let's talk and then as I mentioned at MB Rollin they had Fred Minnick that did a live stream with Liberty Pole so they timed out so both of them were on together to go over these bottles and everything but at Liberty Pole they had two other clubs and other podcasts and they had uh breaking bourbon the website they had them there to go over this and we were about ready to leave and he he let us try Dark Fried Kentucky at a sale a bottle of the MB Rollins Dark Friday Kentucky and we got to try that we ended this his like sampling room that we've never been in we need to ask to try to go in there next time because there's just bottles galore and he's just pulling down stuff to let us try. And I I remember looking at him be like Jim you this is shaping up to be pretty big and he looks at me and he goes yeah yeah I didn't realize how many people this is probably their like Friday and Herm and I were like no like this of this this event like you guys releasing this you guys doing this is is pretty big he goes yeah but I guess July 1st is like people's Friday like it's not that big of a deal super humble about it like just way over his like not saying that it was his stuff but saying that it was like how extreme like you guys we talk about at the beginning they've never they haven't really blended especially blending with other companies or other stuff they get three barrels to pick from they pick one and then go hey let's find a rye that fits with this we've never done this before let's figure out what fits after trying this and trying the dark fired Kentucky I wonder if they got a barrel of the dark fired Kentucky because it is very like that smoky corn heavy there's almost like a smokiness to it. Yeah oh yeah there is yeah and so I wonder if dark fired Kentucky is the barrel that they picked well that'd be interesting if they did and for it to be that sweet I don't know. And they just went one for one they literally just tried a rye they tried rise and said this this one would go well with it and then poured it together blended it and bottled it. And for them to be like ah not that big of a deal well this this is huge.

SPEAKER_01 26:38

That's and I and I don't want to like I

Why Setting Changes Your Palate

SPEAKER_01 26:40

don't want it to go to their head so that's like well you have to be quiet but like they're so much better than they realize. Yes. And that's the thing is you don't like and you don't get that very often you know and and I I they genuinely don't realize how good they are.

SPEAKER_03 26:52

And I think because they're one of the things we talked about Herman and I talked about with Jim Nell and we got a moment just to talk with them alone. And one of the things we talked about was how hospitable they are and I think that their humble approach to everything with that hospitality creates this experience where you're like we could be sitting down for dinner right now at your house and this would be normal. Like this would be fine.

SPEAKER_01 27:19

And you wouldn't even think twice of like oh this is my stuff it'd be like hey I want you to try this because I really enjoy this and they do that every day and they do it with a lot of people I my thing is if if you went there and you and you took a tour or whatever and you you sat down and you had dinner you drank you tried a bunch of their stuff and if they got to come out and talk to you even if you were short time I don't think you would leave there and not be a fan. If you went there you'd become a fan you'd leave a fan I don't think you could go there and not become a fan and that means they're really doing something right and it's and it's not just the liquid the liquid's great but it's everything else too on top of it. It's the setting it's the people the people setting the the how they are their approach their attitude their approach is what all of it I think their approach and their attitude is what's amazing.

SPEAKER_03 28:08

It's gonna make them even bigger yeah we we have a surprise for you guys I've already gotten to try it but I brought along a bottle that's a barley wine finished single barrel. And it's not even been opened it hasn't so here's the here's what when I talk about who they are as as people the owners Jim and Ellen and and the family and they're the ones to watch out for because I think they're gonna become way bigger than what they can even dream or imagine. For this barrel pick Steve knows about this they went through like a draft like a like an NFL draft for their barrel picks and people got to pick no way really yeah people went in and picked like which one they would vote for which one they go for and this is the one that won. Some guy picked it he's like yeah this is the one I think give it to the customers right and so this barley wine finished rye Monaca rye was the one that the one what the hell is barley wine because I'm not the only one asking barley wine Steve Steve's got something for him. But while he's looking up do you guys also remember we got to try uh it wasn't in production at that point but it was a bottle that they had upstairs of their uh a boo rye essentially yeah yeah yeah if they're looking to release that at four years yes in their portfolio like their normal lineup within the next maybe that I pushed for that didn't I yeah we got to try it straight from the barrel yes yes good yes that's gonna be amazing oh it it was a wonderful like they're they're I'm pumped that this they're always releasing stuff they're always releasing stuff like the fact that they again we're we're seven years was six seven years apart from each other 26 no 20 it was 20 uh 2009 and 2016 yeah so seven years seven years apart so basically liberty poll has been around for 10 years and they're killing it but they're also maintaining that they they see value in maintaining that relationship well they're building themselves for longevity as well they're not gonna be a flash in the pan they're not uh we talk about the these craft distilleries going out of business these are not guys that will have to look for that anytime because they're not in it for the money they're in it for the function's up for a legacy brand like their kids and they're and whoever's gonna take over down the road and it's it's this is gonna be one to one to keep your eye on. I think if once you become friend once you get to know Rob, Kevin, Ellen and and Jim you become like lifelong friends. Like if you know if they're there and they see you it's like hey we've got stuff for you come on back and try this it doesn't take long to get to know them and you become fast friends. And like think of any other distiller that we've been to that that's that way. Like I even told them up until that point up until we got to meet them for the interview and got to talk to them Journeyman was like my like journey the creed I I really like Jepp though.

SPEAKER_01 30:54

Those guys were great too but I there when I think of Liberty Paul I really think of family. Yeah like they're like family and uh I I love journeyman like a lot but they're not like family. You know what I mean? I yeah and uh I was just so surprised

The Liberty Pole Release Day Story

SPEAKER_01 31:10

because when we went there the first time I just kind of had a in my mind like it's gonna be like this or that or whatever you know it ended up being just so and then every time since it's just like those guys are family.

SPEAKER_03 31:22

They are and nothing's off limits to them as far as like connecting I I asked them after we went to Iron Vault and found out that they're the one of the owners is big into peted scotch and that's why they do their American single and they're trying to figure out how to how to create that flavor with an American whiskey. Well nothing nothing's off the table that's the thing as far as like a innovation goes and I reached out to Jim and Jim was like let me uh give them the contact I'll I'd love to talk to them if they want to talk about it I'd love to talk to them. So like no there's this idea that no one is off the table of like we we've done this before let's let's collaborate together let's let's figure this out together and I this gets me so this bottle off just alone like this this whole thing gets me so excited for them and anyone that they touch hands with.

SPEAKER_01 32:13

Wait in their first time like like collaborating they killed it.

SPEAKER_02 32:17

Because Steve tell us what is dark barley wine because I want to crack that thing open and try it's actually an ale it's actually technically an ale. Okay that makes but its proof point is usually closer to a rye or I'm closer to a wine it's usually like between eight and fifteen percent and so it's I was gonna say what what proof point is rye higher proof point we're talking wine a vine solid 15% we're talking full 30 that's a foolproof vine and so it's a very it's a really multi ale okay multi ale I'm I'm here for it rich multi and complex usually tasting notes of caramel toffee and dried fruit and molasses you got can't forget the molasses can't forget I'm a molasses fanatic so yes I still use molasses stores like 95% of the time on my yeah please please cracker cracker open so whoever's listening is getting a double bottle you're getting two for the price of one so before he tries that that was a that was a clean little uh wow thinking about the Kennsylvania versus the Pentucky we we described the the Kennsylvania I keep wanting to say Pennsylvania when I see it Kennsylvania as more corn heavy corn forward rye in the background but a good blend of the two how would you describe this guy as far as the rye goes or just in general in general um honestly yeah yes do you want to do you want me to take you on a trip to take a please yeah but I'll tell you what this reminds me of a um like a classic fair okay so imagine like going to like a like a real old school fair and you got the sights and the sounds and the smells okay and it's on grass because they all are and not none of that crappy carny type stuff with the fair just imagine like the good aspects only and you're smelling caramel corn in the background.

SPEAKER_01 34:17

So like fair food and cotton candy and funnel cakes and you know there's people saying like you know try your luck and and stuff like that like classic carn carnival sounds fair sounds I guess it's more of a carnival than a fair and that excitement that you get and it's evening okay kind of it's cooling down a little bit and uh that is the feeling that I get that feeling of it's fall it's early fall not quite the end of summer close early fall the sweetness in the air not just of the grass and the leaves but of these the treats the carnival's treats and then the sounds and it's almost spooky. It's almost Halloween thank you but not quite okay something wicked this way comes kind of a vibe. Yeah uh that's dude that is what I get from like this that's the journey I get with this bottle. Now as far as flavors go it yeah it's sweet. It's got this heady rye this backbone of rye it the for me the biggest thing and it's and it's got very quintessential kind of bourbon aspects to it along with that Monaga Hala I already talked about the way that I described the barn the barn feeling on this is is that weathered barn. But the biggest aspect to this and I think this is what for me is a selling point is it leaves you wanting more in a way that is so much like a carnival because if you ever have a good experience at a carnival you can't wait for it to come around again. And that's the cool thing about a carnival is it pops up right so like I don't know like where I grew up it was like it was there once a year. So like you had a great time at the carnival and then there's this anticipation of when it when is it coming back kind of a thing. Pretty cool pretty cool to get all those kinds of feelings and thoughts and emotions in a bottle that's what I get that's the journey that I go down.

SPEAKER_03 36:15

When you were talking about that I don't know that I've ever found a bottle outside of rye or one on turkey rye that fits Halloween this fits Halloween at your house. Yeah or at least pre-Halloween I could I could sit on Halloween I could drink this and and be happy like this this is Halloween yeah it fits it fits fall early fall yeah but here's the thing when it comes to Halloween around here it's normally it's a hit or miss it can be rainy and cold as shit or really warm.

SPEAKER_01 36:47

It snowed a couple years exactly talk about the Halloween of my childhood I'd say 100% yes the the Halloween here that's why I'm saying early fall like because what I grew up Halloween was very much fall like hard of fall and that's what I get autumn if you were to wrap up autumn into a bottle and put it and and distill it down in the liquid yeah this is autumn and it's not just Halloween it's just autumn this is great for right now this is summertime this is not a summertime bottle though no no no no this is this is fall early fall to fall and it is just I'm here for it dude it's green apples and caramel it's freaking the the music playing in the background it's some spooky stories in the in the wind in the air I love it dude this is so well done.

SPEAKER_03 37:36

You know what's funny is just last week when you tried these two side by side you wanted MB rolling over that one which is so funny.

SPEAKER_01 37:44

What I find ironic in that is there was no pipe involved there was no pipe there was no setting it was very much try this try this try this and I was you know and it was like the whatever and when you do it like that rapid fire I just don't trust and that's why I always give a very blank blanket because you can I can't trust my palette a hundred percent and I can't trust the setting because settings can also change things but I mean in this in this instance we've gone from the one to the other and being able to have that I I'm able to contrast them. It's not the same the other week and and I appreciate them both last week it was very much this one over that one and that one's kind of nondescript and now it's very different very different it is amazing how much setting matters setting matters when it comes to whiskey and like the flavors that you're pulling out and I think it's a little bit because there are different flavors in there the setting helps you pull out certain flavors.

SPEAKER_02 38:41

So they're all still there. Everything you felt the last time you had it is still true like it's still right but this time it's different and so it it is interesting how that happens with whiskey a lot. Because like when we were talking earlier like I had a distinct memory in my head of being with my cousin up in the hay loft uh we we first cousin just curious right right different kind of story story right right so uh I was I was with my cousin Joe and uh Joe Joe Joseph so uh and we would all the time go into his barn with our garden guns which are just they're 22s but they're uh but they're um like shotgun shells they're they're 22s but with with little things it's it's for killing birds inside a barn because it doesn't get garden guns I didn't know that there was like such thing as a garden gun are a thing so you can put it in any 22 it's a shotgun version of a 22 so you can use those shells in any 22 rifle but you have to be careful you use them a lot they'll dent up your rifling on the inside oh yeah and so they they sell certain versions of this yeah they sell certain versions of this that is a hollow that is a non-rifled 22 for for these and we all got one as kids my my my grandpa was a big fan of uh marlin guns and uh they made one okay yeah so everyone got one except for me they had stopped doing it by then and they never could find one for me that's a definition of SOL it's just yeah uh grandpa scoured the the gun shows and couldn't find one that's what I you know is hard to find the gun shows exactly but I ended up getting a different version of it uh I think mine uh was not a Marlin it was a uh might be a Winchester or something killing rat snakes in there or what uh we were shooting birds up in the in the aft rafters and stuff those birds ever do to you so that's that was the memory I had at the beginning of this when we were doing that but now when you went through all that with the fall carnival it switched to uh being in the yard raking up leaves and jumping in the leaves yeah and doing all that stuff as kids like me and my sister and my dad out raking up leaves and making the giant piles to jump in.

SPEAKER_01 41:05

What a sight sound memory and smell you I mean that though it's get all it's got all of them those those dying leaves and then afterwards lighting them all up and having a giant bonfire.

SPEAKER_03 41:15

Yeah yeah yeah a very fast bonfire very quick maybe s'mores yeah yeah maybe not yeah so but yeah it's it's ever the setting matters a lot when it comes to that stuff just just the talking what what you're talking about pull out different different flavors as you go what's crazy to me to to put these two side by side again listeners are weak after each other but for us tonight it was side by side my experience was similar to Chris's when I tried it for the first time of wow I I I really enjoy the Pentucky because I can tell that's theirs but honestly MB Rollins is hitting it off like that's my thing and we went through the whole day afternoon ended up having dinner there and we got two pores side by side and I remember trying them side by side and going did they mix mine up because this one now this this one is hitting it like this one seems more like this is MB Rollins like this is more Dusty Barn this is more like sweet that corn like that it's got more of that than what MB Rollins has did I mess something up did they mess something up and I remember going through the whole night and Herm's like no no no this this you have them right like this is what I remember and so interesting to think because at that point we got to talk to Jim about how they blend and everything. And I think about okay MB Rollins got their

Craft Pricing And The Coming Market Shift

SPEAKER_03 42:40

they kind of have their placehold like they they kind of built their own kind of platform their own kind of following they've they've got people wanting their stuff they've been around for a while.

SPEAKER_02 42:50

If they haven't been blending at this point that's a shocker like they probably have been blending some of their own stuff I 2009 they've been around for a while someone that's been around since 2016 they just hit their 10 year anniversary this is their first time ever blending truly blending completely different whiskies not just completely different from state to state but never blending a bourbon and a rye they've done the the boo rye which is essentially a high rye bourbon but they've never blended their bourbon and their rye together to create something for this being their first time holy crap folks watch it makes you wonder did they just luck out or like do you know who was uh uh was was any person particularly responsible for that blending like either the kids or Jimmy they were all involved uh they they're usually all involved yeah they're all involved and so what they did is they actually went out and grabbed so they didn't my understanding was they didn't blend the two together they tried them side by side and said this would go well with this this was out this was decided on proportion and

SPEAKER_01 44:00

Things like that.

SPEAKER_03 44:01

They already did a one-to-one. They already had that in mind.

SPEAKER_01 44:03

It was one that they just freaking lucked out. They could had to have. This is too good to like do a one-to-one, you know, like wow. Like, wow. Yeah. Like, holy cow. Yeah. I mean, like, this is, I mean, we've tried a lot of things that have been blended together. Collaboration. This is a one-to-one. So seamless and perfect. Damn.

SPEAKER_03 44:27

It's really, really good. It was a one-to-one in a metal vat. Like, it wasn't even like one to one, like resting together.

SPEAKER_02 44:34

This is just two really good products that happen to go together really well.

SPEAKER_01 44:38

Really well. Yeah. At a one-to-one ratio. Yeah. Perfect. So this isn't skill, this is luck. It's gotta be. I mean, I hate to say that, but like they and they are skillful, but you can't be this good. They picked the right barrels. Bam, dude. This is freaking, yeah, like like the stars aligned for you. Like, had to have been. And the only thing that they had in mind But they but they did it.

SPEAKER_03 45:00

So it's on them, you know. Like, and the only thing that the two had in mind was, well, let's collaborate. You take our bourbon, we take your rye. But there was no, hey, look, we want this flavor to come out in each. Or we have this idea.

SPEAKER_01 45:13

I was wondering if they like sent, like, hey, we're looking for these flavor profiles, or but you know, but knowing the guys at Liberty Pole, I could see them just being like, we were gonna drink it and try it until we decided like this was good and this was not, you know, this wasn't good and this wasn't good, and this was good. And I trust that more than the the the oh, I wrote out 15 pages, and I think that it, you know, I used a Venn diagram and what it's like, get out of here. I I think that um the guys at Liberty Pool would try stuff until they're like, you know, this isn't right, this is right, you know, and I trust that way more. So I I I gotta think that it couldn't have been all luck, but but I mean, damn, they they did a good job, they did a good job. And this is probably something that was also very limited. But how much were they selling theirs for about the same? Yeah, god dang it, son of a this is a hell of an $80 buffer. This is a hell of an $80 buff. $75 or whatever. This is a hell of an $80 bottle. Like, shit. And the thing is, it's very in a very nondescript bottle. The the label is is it the same label or is it similar?

SPEAKER_03 46:21

Uh I think it's the same, just the name is different.

SPEAKER_01 46:23

Yeah, I mean it's just if you can.

SPEAKER_02 46:26

Here's the thing though, but the bottle shape I was gonna-that's what I was just gonna say. They went different. It almost looks like MB Roland used Liberty Pulls bottle style, and Liberty Pole, you know, MB Roll.

SPEAKER_01 46:38

I think you're bottom because that is MB Roland's style.

SPEAKER_03 46:40

Is it's the one that MB Roland has, that's their style. The one that we have with the barley wine is Liberty Pull's normal style.

SPEAKER_01 46:47

I thought the I thought the Barton's uh uh wait a minute. The Barker's Mill? Barker's Mill was like a bottle. All of them are the same as the MB Roller.

SPEAKER_03 46:54

Okay, maybe you're right. This is new for Liberty Pull. This bottle is not normal for a Liberty Pull or anything.

SPEAKER_01 46:59

And it's a fine bottle. I like their old one better. If I were to tell them, like, don't go away from this. Yeah, I like the long neck. That that's very the the cheap standard everything goes bottle. That's the that's the same bottle they use for a uh um watershed, which is fine, but it's it's but it's not this. This is better. And for Liberty Pole, for the brand, for the old world brand, like they need to stick with that bottle. So I would tell them that. I would highly recommend yeah, I would highly recommend they don't deviate from that.

SPEAKER_03 47:28

Well, they're gonna stick with that one. I think this was just a special one-off.

SPEAKER_01 47:31

Yeah, yeah. Then that's fine. But it's a very if you were to see that on the shelf and uh you didn't know anything about it, you'd go, Oh, somebody made like a uh, you know, a very, a very American bottle, and I'm not gonna get it. Maybe or maybe not. But and that, and that I and I don't mind that. Like for them, that might not be, you know, but it's a special edition. I don't know. But for me, I'm like, it's only sold in their distillery, it doesn't matter what even it's you were talking about them being humble. That bottle's humble because this is way better than the way it looks. Looks all right, looks decent, doesn't look like anything screaming, this is amazing, and it is. Yeah, and to me, that's even that it makes it even more like yeah, like but that's also what that deserves to be in a very fancy bottle, you know.

SPEAKER_03 48:13

That's also what makes me say these are the guys to watch out for. Not just not just Liberty Pull, but these kinds of distilleries are the ones to watch out for because we've talked about that. Craft is craft because uh let's let's think about journeyman. So Journeyman we've had before. We love journeyman. I mean, journeyman's still no slouch. No, I would agree, but my only caveat in the butt is I love journeyman, but they got too big for their britches, a little too quick. But they they're in their mind, they said we're we're we're bigger than what we what we are. You look at like the popcorn bourbon, we're selling that at what 200 bucks.

SPEAKER_01 48:51

Yeah, they're they they they went with the route of of we're craft so we can. And I was talking about this a lot. They went through route of we're craft so we can justify a higher price, which is not always the case. And and now with the bourbon boom kind of booming out, they're gonna have to watch that. You've got to watch that shit. Like you've got to.

SPEAKER_02 49:08

The craft tax is gonna have to go away a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 49:10

Yeah, I think a craft bottle around 80 bucks is gonna be the going rate, and I think anything more than that, you've really got to justify it because it's sight unseen. So, unless you're giving out free pores and it's amazing, you're gonna you're expecting people to pay 120 plus for a specialty bottle from a craft distillery is going to be difficult. That's $75, $80 is a lot easier to swallow. Um, sight unseen.

SPEAKER_03 49:35

So and I that's why I look at like MB Rollin and I look at Liberty Pole and I go, these are these are the type of craft distilleries to look out for because they look at it and go, our bottles are priced at what we think they should be. Our stuff is good, but we we don't really know if you'll think it's good.

SPEAKER_01 49:53

What I think they know it's good, but like I honestly think they're so honest that they're pricing it at what it's worth plus what they think they're with with between all their work and everything else that it's worth, and without any sort of like now we're also specialty on top of that tax. They don't do the tax thing. I think they put in like, okay, this is how much we have into it, this is how much we think it's worth, and that's how much we're selling it for. And that's the way it should be. Yeah, and if you're doing an extra tax on top of that, which a lot of people are doing because they can justify it because they could they had the bourbon boom, right? You gotta watch that shit because it's gonna go away. Right. And I don't think people are gonna be able to pay that much because they can get better stuff for cheaper, and it's gonna become more of a you know, there was supply and demand, now there's gonna be demand and supply.

SPEAKER_02 50:37

So and we always tell you, just so you guys

Barleywine Finished Rye Surprise Pour

SPEAKER_02 50:40

all know, we always tell you if we get bottles for free, we bought these bottles, yeah, and so we've never gotten a free bottle from Liberty Pole other than while we were there. Like we did, we they they poured us for free.

SPEAKER_01 50:50

Those guys are so generous, so generous. But we did buy these bottles, we bought these bottles, and so for this brandy wine bottle, but we would accept free bottles. Oh, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:59

Steve, Steve, we'll tell you when we get them for free. When we did Smoke Eye, when the Smoke Eye interview that we did, those were free bottles, but that doesn't change what we're saying, and it also doesn't change our review because I've ripped a free bottle before, so yeah, yeah, free a couple times. This this brandy wine bottle uh really hit home with the molasses end of stuff. This is a very molasses bottle. Yeah, the brandy wine, the brandy. I haven't tried it yet.

SPEAKER_01 51:26

Oh well, give her a give her a taste. I'll give her a taste, Steve. You start start talking about it and start discussing.

SPEAKER_03 51:32

So again, even on the bottle, they say uh for I think it's like draft pick or like first round draft pick. They did a whole draft series for this, and I wish I could have been a part of this because it sounded so much fun. It sounds super cool. It's like our podcast would have had a the club would have had a blast at doing this. What is the proof of that brandy wine? It was sitting in the brandywine too, if you don't mind saying. Because they put all that on the sign.

SPEAKER_01 51:57

107.6. Whoa, yeah. Holy finish, Batman. And how long was it on the brandy wine? Oh my god. Holy cow. Go on to the the cart there. Sorry, I'm just uh I'm throwing for a loop. It hits you at the there's a second wave. Time in the brandy wine barrels is one year, nine months. Yeah, so enough to bake two and uh two uh two kids in a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 52:22

Yeah, two kids in a fetus. We're gonna put it in parenting terms.

SPEAKER_00 52:30

Nine and nine and four, right? Two kids in four months.

SPEAKER_01 52:38

I just see nine months, and my my mind immediately goes to kids. Because I have some. That's why that's all. I think nine months, and I'm thinking I got a time clock. Yeah, but yeah, that is an excellent. I'm not I'm gonna hold my elation, but I'm gonna try to drink a little bit more. But the first sip, holy cow!

SPEAKER_02 52:55

Yeah, that molasses. It it's it's right there at the front. It lingers, it stays in your mouth, you swallow, and then like 10-15 seconds later, it comes right back. You get like a second wave of it.

SPEAKER_01 53:08

Without going too far into it so far, this literally in the best terms possible, is like a kick in the nuts. Because I did, I just did not see it coming. Like I really didn't see it coming, and that's going from one to the other. And uh, it's just flavors turned up to an 11 on this, like, and this doesn't and I got a 10 to switch that around a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 53:28

The the uh Pentucky punches more. Oh, yeah, it's a punch.

SPEAKER_01 53:33

This one lingers up like I'm not talking proof, I'm talking flavor, flavor, and and uh I it hasn't gone away, like it's it's just hanging out, it's hanging out. It's like your uncle uh uncle Rodney or whatever is he's just like not leaving.

SPEAKER_03 53:50

The Pentucky with the punch. Yeah, the best picture I can paint for you is Hudson has started this thing. I don't know who put him on to it, but he started this thing the minute I walk through the door. Does he hit you then up? It's the pee pee punch. Oh, yeah, and he will come out of nowhere and just scream peepee punch and go right forward.

SPEAKER_00 54:08

I don't know why he started doing that, but he has been doing that already. Yeah, but that's you gotta watch out because he packs a punch. Hudson packs a wall up, yeah. You gotta watch out.

SPEAKER_03 54:17

That's the best part. So that's that is the that's the whole picture I can paint with the Pentucky of this. It is a punch. Like it is you love the kid because it's your nephew, and you're like, please come come play with me and have fun.

SPEAKER_01 54:30

And ultimately, you'd rather take a pee pee punch than not seeing him at all.

SPEAKER_03 54:34

Right, exactly. Like it's it's well worth whatever punches come for. Oh, absolutely. It's a fun game, it's a fun game for him. Imagine that every day coming home from work.

SPEAKER_01 54:49

Pippy punch and then hold me, dad, hold me. I'm like, I'm like, hold on, let me catch my breath.

SPEAKER_03 54:55

Give me one minute. Whereas June, June is the barley wine. Like, I'm gonna kind of peer around the corner and just wait until you notice me and then I'll start smiling.

SPEAKER_01 55:04

Oh, yeah. And then she's all all smiles and giggles and eyes and everything. She has very pretty eyes. She does. She's got my eyes.

SPEAKER_02 55:12

June's gonna be a problem for you.

SPEAKER_01 55:13

Not exactly. She got the blue, only one with the blue eyes, with like me. Everybody else has brown eyes, so yeah, that was uh that barley wines.

SPEAKER_02 55:21

What's the price point on that guy? Just so since we're talking about it, it was a little bit more.

SPEAKER_03 55:25

I think that was close to 85.

SPEAKER_01 55:28

Now, is this this is a single barrel from Liberty Pole?

SPEAKER_03 55:30

That's just from Liberty Pole, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:32

There wasn't much left of this. I was gonna say, this is probably limited as well, like limited as shit. We we can't keep doing this to our audience. Like nobody sons of bitches.

SPEAKER_03 55:41

Here's the reason I want to do this one is anyone that can get to Liberty Pole within the next couple months to year do it because they made they made a good amount. Well, so they had on a chalkboard their releases they were looking to do before Thanksgiving. And that cherry bounce that we saw them putting in there. Oh, yeah. No, they we didn't uh we trom and I definitely tried to to convince Jim to let us try some of that, uh, but he didn't pull it down. We just happened to be there at the right time that they were happening to make it. It was both we tried, it was good, but we want to see what it's like now. But they put a rye in there. Oh they took out the cocktail and put a rye in that cherry bounce to finish, dude. And so that's coming out here in the next couple months.

SPEAKER_01 56:26

Look, I don't want to chew my own horn, but I'm pretty sure I mentioned that while we were there. I I'm almost positive. Do you remember that? Jim said it. Almost positive. I said, hey, you know, you throw a little rye in here. But uh, you know, maybe, maybe not. We kept trying, we were gonna keep pushing. I say put rye in everything, so so uh yeah. This is good. This is damn good. This is amazing. Uh, this is so damn good. Barley wine barrel finish.

SPEAKER_03 56:54

I'm definitely gonna try to take off the day before Thanksgiving this year. Yeah, for their triple or triple finish. What their triple sing as they called it. Is that a Wednesday?

SPEAKER_02 57:06

We because we got to try we got to try a barley wine when we were. We got to try all of them.

SPEAKER_03 57:11

So that was part of the triple sing for the the I'll be I'll be off for Thanksgiving. I'll be off. Uh but they released three single barrels, and barley wine was one of them, and then there was the uh Peter Rye. Uh was it the Peter Y no Peter Rye was finished in mesquite uh in the mesquite uh barrels. I think I could talk them into a vermouth, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 57:36

Yeah, we need to talk some people into a vermouth. I've been working on that.

SPEAKER_02 57:39

We got uh who who has the vermouth? Is it emby rolling? No, no, it's not two James, two James, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 57:44

Two James has a vermouth finish. I don't think I want this to leave my house. This barley wine is so much better than I anticipated. Boy, this is good.

SPEAKER_03 57:54

We didn't even know what barley wine was. So when I asked, like, what's this gonna be like? And he was like, malty. This is not malty.

SPEAKER_00 58:02

But I mean it's got malty. Yeah, it is malty.

SPEAKER_01 58:04

This is malty, but in a in a different way.

SPEAKER_03 58:07

I think American single malt when I think malty, and this is not American single malt.

SPEAKER_01 58:12

Like a malt, like a chocolate malt, yeah, but without the chocolate. Yeah, this is uh creamy, creamy, and freaking uh uh satisfying, yeah. Like uh brown sugar, brown. Yeah, like this is what a malt, what what actual malt is, yeah. Like like in a like in a shake, yeah, which is amazing.

SPEAKER_02 58:31

Udf malt shake.

SPEAKER_01 58:32

This is UDF, yes, without the without it doesn't have chocolate going on, but it does the malt. Just malt the malt. But the actual or the

Tobacco Nicotine Kick And Sellering Time

SPEAKER_01 58:40

whoppers, the inside of a whopper, but without the like the outside, which I'm a big whopper fanatic. I love to suck on those things until they have you ever done that, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 58:48

Yeah, get rid of the chocolate and then just have the malt.

SPEAKER_01 58:50

Yeah, then oh, it's amazing. If you if you can be patient and suck on a malt on a uh you can be patient? Uh it's hard for me, dude. You know that's hard for me. I can't put a hard candy in my mouth and not crunch it. So I have a hard time with the with the whoppers, but it doesn't take that long. But this is very that kind of malt. Yeah, God, it's good.

SPEAKER_02 59:10

And to go back to the tobacco a little bit, how does it go with the tobacco? This I I I don't know. You tell me if I'm wrong on this, but I think this is packing a pretty good punch, also, like a bit of a nicotine punch. Yeah, it is because like I feel a little, I feel a little more drunk than I should be. Yeah, so I you can feel a little bit in the back of your throat, yeah, yeah. And uh I'm surprised.

SPEAKER_01 59:33

It has kind of a higher nicotine content than I thought it did. Well, you know, and nightcap used to be the heavy hitter as far as nicotine goes, and this is very similar to that. And it's been sitting for sitting um 2015 is when it came out. So uh that long 11 years. 11 years, yeah, and uh, you know, yeah. So I will say that uh when I first the first I remember the first time I ever tried nightcap, it was an experience. Like I can ex-I could I could describe it, we'd be sitting here for a minute, but it was quite uh I won't forget it. Like, and the thing is, nightcap is so well talked about and used and smoked and whatever that people kind of gloss over it. But what's funny is I've gotten a lot of people into pipe smoking for the first time, and when they're ready for it, I've had them try nightcap. And it's always, always a wow, you know what I mean? Kind of a moment. Yeah, um, so there's something to be said for that blend. And uh, and it's got its own smell and and and and taste and everything else, but uh it does pack a bit of a wallop. And I think if if you're not ready for it, which a lot of people aren't the first time they try it, they kind of like damn, like how's this nightcap? And it's like, well, it's supposed to like get you up and then you go to bed, you know what I mean? You like put you up and put and take you down, you know? Uh and and I and I think that it is it's funny because it's one of those blends that's talked about so much that it actually gets overlooked because it is talked about so much, but it actually is quite a formidable pipe tobacco. And uh I I bring it up because this is very much nightcap in a specialty tin uh that's been aged for 11 years, which is and I've had a nightcap that has been aged. I actually had nightcap that was aged 20 years one time, and and wow, yeah, I can tell you right now, like wow, and I have some coming on that because I have Dunhill Nightcap that's been sitting here for a long, long time. So eventually one of these days we'll be popping some 20-year-old nightcap.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:32

Yeah, a lot. I'm gonna I'm gonna be asking for some recommendations on sellering here soon. So, because I I need to sell her something for 21 years. You got to, and so I need to see see participation. Well, yeah, I'll give you a list. What I should sell her for that long.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:48

So here's what's crazy is I've got two tins unopened at the house for the club, and you were like, Nick, sell her those. Those are 2025. If I sell them for 10 years, that's 2035. 2035. That seems so far away, but then you think about it like far away.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:05

What's funny is we just popped tins tonight that were to 10 and 11 years old. Yeah, and I feel like I just bought those yesterday, right? Which is crazy. Yeah, so what would it just interesting that time goes by quicker than you think? So you buy it now and you wait, and before you know it, you'll be popping them, and you're like, damn, that's 11 years old. Like, like today. Like I feel like not that long ago I bought that 10 of uh of uh what you want to call it? Crown achievement, or it wasn't crown achievement. What's it called? Uh Valor Valor. I feel like it was just like a couple years ago, maybe a couple, it definitely felt like a couple years. Didn't feel like 11. Yeah, did not feel like 11, but it was. So I mean, it's just and that's the cool thing about sellering is life goes on, like time goes by. Um, and you just don't realize how quick it is until you have these little mileposts or these things that say, Hey, hey, hey, like time has gone by. Look at your kids, you know what I mean? Like, uh, next thing you know, you're like, I was changing your diapers, and now like you're gonna get going in the fridge and getting your own cereal. What happened? Right, you know what I mean? So it goes by quick, you know, and people say that and they're like, Oh, whatever, but it really does. It goes by quick because what's funny is we look in the mirror, we see the same person, but it's not, you're not the same person, right? Like a decade, a decade's gone by and you're and you're older and and everything else. So I I I just think that uh, you know, uh drink what you can while you while you while you can, you know, buy what you can't, smoke what you can, seller what you can, whatever. Like life is short. Uh live live every day to the fullest. You're not guaranteed tomorrow, but be responsible.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:42

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:43

There's a balance.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:44

And so, because yeah, this medal of valor, I I have I have officially burnt it out. I am I am out. So it's you went through that fast. I didn't load it all the way.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:53

Okay, it was a little more like a I did a bit of a half bowl too, and I'm almost I'm almost down to the bottom too. And it smoked very well, it smoked very well for English.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:02

That was a really good tobacco uh that worked really well with a couple really good bottles.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:08

You know what I just thought

Pipe Dreams For Liberty Pole And Wrap Up

SPEAKER_03 1:04:10

of if if Liberty Pool's listening, which apparently they listened to our podcast episodes, which I love. Absolutely love. Um, but I just saw Chris light up, yeah, and I just thought of Jim smoking a pipe and or cigar. Yeah, I'm like, you know what? Kind of like Smoke Eye Hill, you guys need to do your own, like your own matches. Yeah, they Liberty Pool really should do a match.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:32

They have their cigars. That's the thing. They have their cigars. They have the cigars, they have their own like cigar cases.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:37

And if they if they want somebody, I can blend it for them. But they should do their own pipe tobacco. Just do one just a house blend, put your name on it, and do it like in a roll like uh like the Captain Black role, like the cheap roll. You know what I mean? Uh don't do it in a whole tent if you don't want. Yeah, but God, that'd be cool.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:55

It would be.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:56

What would you do with their stuff? Well, I'd have to try a little bit more of their stuff. And then I'd have to come up with a couple of options for them, and they'd have to tell me what they think, and then we would tweak it. But uh, I I have a few ideas, but uh, but it'd be that'd be sweet. Why do you have a cigar porch? Yeah, and the thing is that the pipe tobacco lasts forever.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:16

It does. That's the thing.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:17

So as long as it's sealed upright, they can they can make it, and people uh you don't have to sell it, you know. It can sit there, and then when people buy it, they buy it. Actually, the longer it sits there, the more it's gonna be valued.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:26

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:27

So whereas cigars, you have a bit of a shelf life, you know.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:30

So yeah, something they do make their cigars and stuff, and they have their little smoking area outside there. Um, yeah, a pipe tobacco would be really cool, but they definitely should have some basketball.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:40

Dude, yeah, yeah. Through a little clay pipe, and yeah, it's real old world. So with their with their aesthetic, it goes along. So they really ought to look into that. Um, they could even sell some basket pipes in there, you know. I mean, something to think about, but uh yeah, I mean, I mean, imagine say you're a new, like you've never been to Liberty Pole, and you go there and you maybe you take a tour and you have a few drinks, and then you sit, and then you have dinner and you have a few more drinks, and then you go and buy some pipe tobacco or something or a or cigar, then you sit and you have a few more drinks, and you're using their mattress and matches and stuff, then you buy a few bottles and take them home. You're gonna be like an Uber fan. Like an Uber, like this stuff was amazing, the food was amazing, the aesthetic was amazing.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:23

If I walk up to a distillery and I see four or five guys sitting outside smoking pipes, you know that's like wow, this is gonna be a good experience.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:31

This is gonna be legit. Yeah, yeah. At a place called at a place called Liberty Pole, like, like, yeah, dude.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:38

Hell yeah, you know, yeah, yeah. It's already cool seeing them out there sitting there smoking their cigars, but pipes are a different level.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:46

Pipes are a whole nother level, and anybody that smokes cigars will tell you that.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:51

Wow, yeah. So this was uh this is a win, I would say. I would call this a win.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:55

This is a win. I was so excited about the Pentucky, and I'm leaving this episode being like freaking astonished by the bar barley wine finish. Like, holy freaking crap! Yeah, like like like we could have separated these two because like they're both so freaking great, but I really did not expect. Well, I should have known, but like, damn, this was that barley wine. Dude, I yeah, dude. I don't care. You you could be like, I detest fries, and you'd still love this. Like, I this is so damn good. So good, yeah, so good. Well, it's a good time. This is a great time.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:34

I hope you guys enjoyed the day as much as I did.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:39

As we said in the last episode, in our NB Roland episode, these were these were both in the same day. Yeah, so if you can imagine the last two weeks of listening to this podcast, MB Roland and Liberty Pole, but instead of having to wait, uh, we did it both in the same day, along with lots of stuff that's off camera or off off off mic, uh, it's been a good evening. It's been great. It's been a good time. Yeah, it's been great. Glad you guys got to join us. Thank you for joining us, and uh, we will see you next week for another one. Till next time. 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 tasterspomma.com, with any ideas for the show. Thanks again.