Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, the sun still trying to peek out behind
some clouds here on the backside of Churchill Down. So
Tony Cruz, I am so happy to be with the
master taster, Melissa Rift and the assistant Master distiller Caleb
Trigo of Old Forster.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Good morning, Good morning, Caleb, Good.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Morning, Melissa, good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Thanks for having us, well.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Thanks for being here, because you got a minute joilib
right in front of my face. Let's talk a little
bit about how long is Old Forester like one of
the oldest bourbons, if not the oldest.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Yeah, we have a lot of history. It's always hard
to say who's the oldest because it was, you know,
an industry that came over from Europe and kind of
grew organically in this part of the country. But Old
Forrester definitely one of the most continuous brands. We were
founded in eighteen seventy and we're actually the only bourbon
brand that's never been interrupted. So from eighteen seventy until today,
you've actually always been able to legally get your hands
(00:53):
on a bottle of Old Forester, which means we've been
available for every running of the Kentucky Derby since eighteen So.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Does that include the back in the twenties or thirty
or whenever that one.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Yeah, yeah, So we were one of six companies that
actually had a medicinal license to sell during prohibition. So
you know, all of America all of a sudden has
hangnails and headaches and goes to their pharmacists for for
some Old Forester.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
That really helped it. That is fantastic.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
You know what, what I guess you get a cold
and yeah, yeah, the old Forester like takes away the
germs in the back of your mouth or whatever.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
And you know what a julup we're talking about today
used to be consumed, you know, backside, which is where
we're spending our time today at the track, as a
morning beverage to kind of wake people up, kind of
soothe your aches and pains. Now, obviously can't make those
claims today. Whiskey is a recreational beverage and we like
to drink it responsibly. But there's a lot of history
with Old Forester and medicinal whiskey and julips and things
(01:48):
like that.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Did you have to say responsibly?
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Really?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
You know, am I required to?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Maybe? Maybe not?
Speaker 1 (01:53):
But it's also this thing I just get oh, it
is the right thing to do. In fact, then I
was telling the list of this. You know, I have
had a taste of a mint julop before and I
didn't like it. It was you know, it was it
was a bartender and that's fine. And everything else that well,
I don't blame the bartender. I blame me or my
(02:14):
palette back in the day with that. But then yesterday
I was on the fresh side, or if you will,
and I was in a box with a friend of
mine and I for the first time tasted the old
Forester mint Julip. It was fantastic. It was perfectly balanced.
It wasn't too sweet, you know. And I'm telling you,
(02:36):
I don't know what you've done now, Caleb, but you
all got it right.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
How long has it been out now? It's been well
a few years, it has.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Yeah. I mean, when we became like the official drink
of the Kentucky Derby, we made sure that what we
were putting in the bottle made sense. It was balanced,
it was good. You could serve it over ice at
your home or here at the track.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Right.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
We called the ten second Julip, and a mint julyp
is a simple drink, but to your point. Some people,
you know, there are definitely techniques not over muddling your mint,
making sure the sweetness isn't overbearing, also using the right bourbon.
So we use our Old Forester eighty six proof when
we're making them from scratch, but also in the pre
mix version as well, and Old Forester has a lot
(03:16):
of fruits and florals to our whiskey profile. It's one
of the reasons people really gravitate towards it, and it
makes it a great flavor profile for a jewlip. So
I think that's also why that ten second julip is
so great, because it's got that balance. Like you said,
you can pour it over ice it's really quick, or
you can use the eighty six proof and build it
like a classic jewelip, and either way you're going to
have a great drink.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Calib Beer the assistant master distiller, What does that mean
and what's your palate got a taste to get in
that position?
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Yeah, So what it means is I'm heavily involved in production.
That's actually like my started with Brown form and fourteen
years ago and had several roles in production. But it
means that I'm there ensuring quality and consistency, which is
what Old Forester was founded on by George Garb and Brown,
and just making sure that we continue to have that
quality in our product and making it at the distillery
(04:05):
every single day. Melissa and I sample barrels all the time,
making sure that we taste it, making sure it stays consistent.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yes, response very.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Responsibly and yeah, so I mean, and we also do
a lot with like new product innovation. We're always working
on new things, but we always want to stay true
to the ethos of the Old Forester brand, which again
goes back to quality and consistency across the portfolio.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
All right, so master taster, Melissa, what all do you
taste when you taste Old Forrester.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Yeah, everybody wants to know about the master.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Yeah, you've got a great job.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
It's a great job, and you know, the tasting isn't
the whole job. So Caleb rely works on overseeing production
and like you said, continuous quality control for the product.
I do similar work but on the flavor side, and
then also a lot of education. So we want to
make sure that all the work we're doing back of
house with Kaylee team is kind of translating to a
trade Our consumers and make sure people know why they're
(05:05):
experiencing the flavor profile that they are. We use a
mash bill that we've used since the eighteen nineties seventy
two percent corn, eighteen percent ride, ten percent multed barley
that's going to give you nice sweetness and structure, aromatics
and spice. We also do some techniques using a proprietary
ye strain. That's where we get that fruit and floral profile.
It's really important to our identity as a whiskey. And
(05:27):
then we do a lot with barrel crafting and maturation
to make sure we're really getting those oak flavors. So
my job is to not only be a voice in
the conversation of new product innovation, quality control, but also
making sure that I can translate that out to the
folks who are enjoying it.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
I'm going to ask you a question, but do we
have recipes on any website with old Forrester or anything.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Absolutely Oldforester dot com is going to have all of
our recipes information on all of our products. We also
have tasting notes for our portfolio on there, So if
you have one of our products and you want to
kind of compare it to what we call out from
a flavor perspective. That's all on our website as well,
oldforester dot com.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
All right, uh, she's the master taster, Melissa Rift and
Caleb Petrigo the assistant master distiller. I want to make
sure I get your name's out there right. It's great
to see you both of you. I've seen you for
a while, Cayleb and Melissa. It's great to see you
again here for year number three.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Yes, year number three, and we'll see you again next
to you.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Oh yes, man. Great to have you guys, Thanks so much,
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Enjoy your day.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
All right, party on, dude, Okay, sorry I did that.
We're taking a break here on the backside of Churchill Down.
It's Tony Cruiz Doues Radio A forty w h A
s
All right, the sun still trying to peek out behind
some clouds here on the backside of Churchill Down. So
Tony Cruz, I am so happy to be with the
master taster, Melissa Rift and the assistant Master distiller Caleb
Trigo of Old Forster.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Good morning, Good morning, Caleb, Good.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Morning, Melissa, good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Thanks for having us, well.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Thanks for being here, because you got a minute joilib
right in front of my face. Let's talk a little
bit about how long is Old Forester like one of
the oldest bourbons, if not the oldest.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Yeah, we have a lot of history. It's always hard
to say who's the oldest because it was, you know,
an industry that came over from Europe and kind of
grew organically in this part of the country. But Old
Forrester definitely one of the most continuous brands. We were
founded in eighteen seventy and we're actually the only bourbon
brand that's never been interrupted. So from eighteen seventy until today,
you've actually always been able to legally get your hands
(00:53):
on a bottle of Old Forester, which means we've been
available for every running of the Kentucky Derby since eighteen So.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Does that include the back in the twenties or thirty
or whenever that one.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Yeah, yeah, So we were one of six companies that
actually had a medicinal license to sell during prohibition. So
you know, all of America all of a sudden has
hangnails and headaches and goes to their pharmacists for for
some Old Forester.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
That really helped it. That is fantastic.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
You know what, what I guess you get a cold
and yeah, yeah, the old Forester like takes away the
germs in the back of your mouth or whatever.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
And you know what a julup we're talking about today
used to be consumed, you know, backside, which is where
we're spending our time today at the track, as a
morning beverage to kind of wake people up, kind of
soothe your aches and pains. Now, obviously can't make those
claims today. Whiskey is a recreational beverage and we like
to drink it responsibly. But there's a lot of history
with Old Forester and medicinal whiskey and julips and things
(01:48):
like that.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Did you have to say responsibly?
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Really?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
You know, am I required to?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Maybe? Maybe not?
Speaker 1 (01:53):
But it's also this thing I just get oh, it
is the right thing to do. In fact, then I
was telling the list of this. You know, I have
had a taste of a mint julop before and I
didn't like it. It was you know, it was it
was a bartender and that's fine. And everything else that well,
I don't blame the bartender. I blame me or my
(02:14):
palette back in the day with that. But then yesterday
I was on the fresh side, or if you will,
and I was in a box with a friend of
mine and I for the first time tasted the old
Forester mint Julip. It was fantastic. It was perfectly balanced.
It wasn't too sweet, you know. And I'm telling you,
(02:36):
I don't know what you've done now, Caleb, but you
all got it right.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
How long has it been out now? It's been well
a few years, it has.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Yeah. I mean, when we became like the official drink
of the Kentucky Derby, we made sure that what we
were putting in the bottle made sense. It was balanced,
it was good. You could serve it over ice at
your home or here at the track.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Right.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
We called the ten second Julip, and a mint julyp
is a simple drink, but to your point. Some people,
you know, there are definitely techniques not over muddling your mint,
making sure the sweetness isn't overbearing, also using the right bourbon.
So we use our Old Forester eighty six proof when
we're making them from scratch, but also in the pre
mix version as well, and Old Forester has a lot
(03:16):
of fruits and florals to our whiskey profile. It's one
of the reasons people really gravitate towards it, and it
makes it a great flavor profile for a jewlip. So
I think that's also why that ten second julip is
so great, because it's got that balance. Like you said,
you can pour it over ice it's really quick, or
you can use the eighty six proof and build it
like a classic jewelip, and either way you're going to
have a great drink.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Calib Beer the assistant master distiller, What does that mean
and what's your palate got a taste to get in
that position?
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Yeah, So what it means is I'm heavily involved in production.
That's actually like my started with Brown form and fourteen
years ago and had several roles in production. But it
means that I'm there ensuring quality and consistency, which is
what Old Forester was founded on by George Garb and Brown,
and just making sure that we continue to have that
quality in our product and making it at the distillery
(04:05):
every single day. Melissa and I sample barrels all the time,
making sure that we taste it, making sure it stays consistent.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yes, response very.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Responsibly and yeah, so I mean, and we also do
a lot with like new product innovation. We're always working
on new things, but we always want to stay true
to the ethos of the Old Forester brand, which again
goes back to quality and consistency across the portfolio.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
All right, so master taster, Melissa, what all do you
taste when you taste Old Forrester.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Yeah, everybody wants to know about the master.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Yeah, you've got a great job.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
It's a great job, and you know, the tasting isn't
the whole job. So Caleb rely works on overseeing production
and like you said, continuous quality control for the product.
I do similar work but on the flavor side, and
then also a lot of education. So we want to
make sure that all the work we're doing back of
house with Kaylee team is kind of translating to a
trade Our consumers and make sure people know why they're
(05:05):
experiencing the flavor profile that they are. We use a
mash bill that we've used since the eighteen nineties seventy
two percent corn, eighteen percent ride, ten percent multed barley
that's going to give you nice sweetness and structure, aromatics
and spice. We also do some techniques using a proprietary
ye strain. That's where we get that fruit and floral profile.
It's really important to our identity as a whiskey. And
(05:27):
then we do a lot with barrel crafting and maturation
to make sure we're really getting those oak flavors. So
my job is to not only be a voice in
the conversation of new product innovation, quality control, but also
making sure that I can translate that out to the
folks who are enjoying it.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
I'm going to ask you a question, but do we
have recipes on any website with old Forrester or anything.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Absolutely Oldforester dot com is going to have all of
our recipes information on all of our products. We also
have tasting notes for our portfolio on there, So if
you have one of our products and you want to
kind of compare it to what we call out from
a flavor perspective. That's all on our website as well,
oldforester dot com.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
All right, uh, she's the master taster, Melissa Rift and
Caleb Petrigo the assistant master distiller. I want to make
sure I get your name's out there right. It's great
to see you both of you. I've seen you for
a while, Cayleb and Melissa. It's great to see you
again here for year number three.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Yes, year number three, and we'll see you again next
to you.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Oh yes, man. Great to have you guys, Thanks so much,
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Enjoy your day.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
All right, party on, dude, Okay, sorry I did that.
We're taking a break here on the backside of Churchill Down.
It's Tony Cruiz Doues Radio A forty w h A
s
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