Behind the Pursuit: From Bourbon to Brand
Take part in a journey to build a bourbon brand. Brian Beyke sits down with the founders of the top whiskey podcast, Kenny and Ryan of Bourbon Pursuit, to figure out what it takes to bring their whiskey label to life. Experience the highs, lows, and everything in between from investments, filling barrels, and shipping bottles. Special episodes will feature in-depth tasting notes for single barrel releases. It's your chance to have the first ever inside look into the bourbon business and learn about the whiskey industry with Pursuit Spirits.
Episodes
May 22, 2024 • 33 mins
In this episode, Kenny discusses the challenges and frustrations faced by small brands and distilleries when it comes to building codes and regulations, especially here in Kentucky. He explains the different classifications for beverage/alcohol facilities and the high costs associated with meeting the requirements for H3 occupancy. Kenny also highlights the discrepancies between the international building codes and the interpretati...
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May 8, 2024 • 36 mins
Blending for the PUPS program has been incredibly insightful. Micro-blending 3-5 barrels at a time and then putting that blend back into the very barrels they came from seems to add a lot of interesting nuance from barrel to barrel, instead of just letting the blend rest in totes until bottling. So much so that Kenny and Ryan have decided to start from scratch and standardize this process for all blends moving forward. Today, we ta...
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April 26, 2024 • 34 mins
Will consumers become tired of Kentucky bourbon? With the rise of non-Kentucky brands gaining recognition for their quality whiskey, Kentucky bourbon still holds a strong position in the market due to its long-established reputation and consumer perception of safety and acceptance.
While Kentucky will likely continue to hold the cache of consumer preferences, today we debate whether consumers will move past the big six Kentucky br...
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April 10, 2024 • 42 mins
You know what they say about all work and no play. Today, Kenny and Ryan are back in the studio after a week off. We break down their trips, discuss the access to bourbon outside of our Kentucky bubble, and the importance of stepping away from time to time.
We hit on:
Taking time off for vacation being important for mental and physical health
Bourbons popularity to other spirits at outside of Kentucky
The challenges of being a w...
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March 28, 2024 • 38 mins
Everyone has seen it play out: there's a bottle you cant get, really want to get, or you see someone else get it... and now you gotta have it. We saw it ourselves with the positive reception to the Pursuit United Double Oaked release, but what made it more hyped than our other offerings? In today's episode, we talk about what drives hype for certain brands and bottles, and explore the playbook for building and maintaining it.
We hi...
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March 15, 2024 • 32 mins
"As longtime fans of vintage whiskey, we wanted to craft something truly special that gives a nod to the best bottles we've been lucky enough to try over the years," said Ryan Cecil, Master Blender and Co-Founder of Pursuit Spirits. "This double oaked release encapsulates part of that nostalgic flavor profile but in a modern, premium bourbon experience."
In the works for nearly a year, the guys finally announced the release of Pur...
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February 28, 2024 • 47 mins
In this episode, the boys discuss their recent trip to DC and Maryland to launch Pursuit Spirit in the new market. They share their experiences with visiting on-premise accounts, bottle signings, engaging with customers and store owners and standing in awe at the bourbon mecca - Jack Rose. The guys highlight the positive reception of their products and the success of their private selection program. They also mention unique liquor ...
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February 15, 2024 • 50 mins
Stemming from the episode of the Bourbon Pursuit podcast with John Foster of Ragged Branch, today's episode comes from a few listeners of the show, Todd and David, as Kenny discusses the process of choosing distributors specifically for Pursuit Spirits. We touch on topics such as the three-tier distribution system, the role of distributors in the industry, and the challenges of market launches and incentives. We also share experien...
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January 31, 2024 • 32 mins
On today’s show we discuss the topic of innovation in the bourbon industry and explore the different ways brands differentiate their products. We question whether there is anything left to innovate and the reasons consumers are drawn to finished whiskeys. The conversation touches on the marketing strategies of brands and the perception of American finished whiskeys compared to other products such as Scotch whisky. We also discuss t...
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January 17, 2024 • 41 mins
There are always small hurdles and goals we are continually going through here at the distillery, but we have to make sure we pull back a bit to look at some of the larger picture goals and projects for 2024, with the largest one being the space on Whiskey Row. From hiring to interior design to drink menus, there are so many moving pieces that need focus over the next 9-10 months and we dive into those today.
We hit on:
How do you...
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January 3, 2024 • 34 mins
From PUPS to Whiskey Row to new states of distribution, there are a lot of moving pieces as we roll into 2024. On today's episode, Kenny dives into some of the podcast stats from the last year and we begin focusing on a potential key area of growth for our ambassador program in the new year. All this and more, on episode 053: Metrics & Early Goals.
Be sure to visit pursuitspirits.com and click on Visit Us to book a tasting or barr...
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December 20, 2023 • 41 mins
Throughout the year we’ve talked about all sorts of things going on with the brand, the guys, the company, the warehouse…everything. This time last year, where did we hope we’d be at the end of the year, and are we there yet? How are things different than we expected? Today on the podcast we reflect on 2023.
We hit on:
At this time in 2022 we didn’t know we’d be in the building we are now in. Do you still feel you made the righ...
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December 6, 2023 • 42 mins
We’ve talked for awhile now that as we’ve been bringing people in for tastings and experiences at the distillery, and it has been an amazing time to bring people in, that Kenny and Ryan have lead all those experiences. As fun as that is, it isn’t scalable to the business for that to always take place and we needed people to be an extension of Kenny and Ryan. People who can speak on their behalf, know the product, and can show folks...
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November 22, 2023 • 37 mins
The Bottle Your Own and Pursuit Breakdown Tastings are now live, and we’re bringing team members in to help run various operations to get the guys free to keep doing what they’ve always done: make awesome podcasts and make awesome whiskey. That said, the needs of the business keep growing, sometimes multiplying, and always have them pulled in one direction or the other. We sit down with Kenny in a laid back chat. Now that the disti...
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November 8, 2023 • 40 mins
We’ve been up and running at the distillery for several weeks now. We’ve processed barrels, worked on blends, we’ve had friends and family and Patreon members in to help us iron out the experience that will soon be open to the public. While we recently had Kenny talk with us about the process to getting the distillery open, now we want to talk the fun part: what we have to show everyone.
Join us today as we talk with the guys abou...
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October 25, 2023 • 34 mins
Pursuit United Private Selection is here. We previously talked with Kenny about turning the warehouse into a functioning distillery, but now that we’re up and running it is time to get liquid to lips. On today’s episode both Kenny and Ryan are on discussing what the PUPS program looks like for stores and groups as well as in-person experiences and what you may expect.
We hit on:
What was the genesis in how you started thinking ab...
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October 11, 2023 • 46 mins
Ryan is out living la vida loca again, so Brian sits down with Kenny to discuss the warehouse/studio now being a licensed distillery, and the road it took to get the permitting and licenses over the last year.
We hit on:
What were the reasons for having the licensed distillery/bottling location, as an NDP, outside of solely the downtown location we previously announced?
What did it take to engineer and architect a distillery in...
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September 27, 2023 • 37 mins
Fresh off the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, Kentucky and Bourbon & Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky, Ryan and Kenny break down their experiences at the shows this year, what was different about last year, and what they hope for in 2024.
We hit on:
In what ways did you see brands stand out from the crowd at Kentucky Bourbon Festival?
How was the reception at the festival this year compared to last year?
What was the rece...
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September 13, 2023 • 42 mins
While we are usually talking all things Pursuit Spirits or the backstage of the business, today we are taking a rare opportunity to taste through this year’s Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch, and each of the 4 components that make it up, to see if we can peel back a bit of Brent Elliott’s brain on how he put together this year’s annual bottling. Aged 12-25 years old, and bottled at 108 proof, we taste through a 12-year-old an...
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August 30, 2023 • 31 mins
There can be a lot of confusion when it comes to the term 'NDP' or Non-Distilling Producer and a producer who makes contract distilling purchases. Both are, in essence, buying whiskey instead of making whiskey, but what other factors are at play to separate these two?
We hit on:
What does the sourced market inventory pool generally look like?
What is the largest hurdle for brands at the mercy of the sourced market?
What does i...
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