The Bourbon Road

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter welcome Bill Straub back to the Bourbon Road Bar — aka Jim's basement — for a deep dive into some of the most talked-about new special releases from the industry's biggest players. Bill, the co-founder of Fourgate Whiskey Company and the longtime voice behind ModernThirst.com, brings his seasoned palate and encyclopedic knowledge of mash bills to the table, making for a lively and insightful ...

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter welcome listeners back to the Corner Rickhouse for a special episode centered around the upcoming documentary Spirits of Lawrenceburg: A Bourbon Legacy Forged Through Time. Joining them are Jerry Daniels of Stone Fences Tours — a Kentucky bourbon tourism expert and history enthusiast — and returning guest Bo Cumberland, the filmmaker behind the documentary. The conversation digs deep int...

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter welcome back two familiar faces to the corner of Rick House in Frankfort: Diane Strong, the driving force behind the Bourbon on the Banks Festival, and Bo Cumberland, the festival's videographer and distillery film maker. Together they settle in for a relaxed preview of the 2026 Bourbon on the Banks Festival — now in its seventh year — touching on new events, expanded programming, sold-out ti...

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter settle into the Bourbon Road bar for a warm-weather tasting session built around one unifying theme: light-proof, finished whiskeys perfect for summer sipping. The pair reconnect after Jim's trip to Branson and Todd's afternoon on the soccer sidelines, pouring five bottles that span maple syrup barrels, maple wood chunks, raw honey, port wine casks, and even an old fashioned cocktail mixer barrel —...

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are back at the Corner Rickhouse in Frankfort, Kentucky, just down the road from Buffalo Trace, settling in for a heritage distillery tasting that spans from the hills of Lynchburg, Tennessee, all the way through the heart of Kentucky bourbon country. The guys kick off with the latest annual drops from Jack Daniel's before crossing the state line to visit some of the storied names that built American whi...

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter welcome Stephen Corrigan — Barrel Master and Spirits Production Manager for Latitude Beverage LLC — for a four-bottle deep dive into two of the company's brands: Wheel Horse Whiskey and Copper and Cask Spirits. Stephen shares his winding path from organic farming and European viticulture to founding a DC craft distillery and ultimately landing at Latitude, where his focus is entirely on the a...

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are back at the Bourbon Road bar for a dedicated rye whiskey night, working through five distinct expressions that showcase the breadth and character of American rye. From honey-finished blends to farm-strength single-grain pours, the lineup spans distilleries across Nevada, Ohio, Maryland, Kentucky, and Atlanta, giving listeners a wide-angle view of what rye whiskey looks like in 2025 and beyond.

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter welcome Devin Puckett, Brand Representative for Old Glory Distilling Co. out of Clarksville, Tennessee, to the Bourbon Road. Devin shares the remarkable origin story of Old Glory — from founder Matt Cunningham's days as a firefighter devising a distillery plan in his mid-twenties, through the COVID pivot to hand sanitizer that ultimately funded a towering 24-foot Vendome copper column still, to the...

The Bourbon Road crew is back with an exceptional lineup of five premium pours that showcase the diversity of bourbon craftsmanship. Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter kick off with the 2025 Remus Gatsby Reserve, a 15-year-old 102.8 proof straight bourbon from MGP's Ross & Squibb Distillery, released to celebrate the 100th anniversary of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." This beauty delivers smoky oak, vanilla, and cinnamon no...

Welcome back to another exciting episode of The Bourbon Road! This week, hosts Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are broadcasting from the Corner Rickhouse at the Frankfort Bourbon Society. They are joined by a very special recurring guest and friend of the show, Drew Hannish. Drew is the creator of Whiskey Lore, a seasoned whiskey historian, and the author of the new travel guide

Welcome back to another episode of The Bourbon Road! This week, hosts Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are broadcasting from the Corner Rickhouse at the Frankfort Bourbon Society. Joining them for his sixth appearance is a great friend of the show: Drew Hannush, the creator of Whiskey Lore and author of the upcoming travel guide Experiencing American Whiskey. Dr...

Welcome back to another incredible episode of The Bourbon Road! This week, hosts Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are back in the studio together to host a true double-header featuring two fantastic guests and some phenomenal whiskey. We are honored to welcome bourbon royalty to the show: Wes Henderson, the visionary behind Angel's Envy, and Brian Gelfo, a true bourbon aficionado, founder of the Bourbon Mafia, a...

Welcome back to The Bourbon Road! This week, hosts Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are diving deep into the history and flavor of one of America's most iconic whiskey brands. We are keeping a long-overdue promise to our listeners by doing a side-by-side comparison of the highly sought-after extended age Old Overholt rye whiskeys.

Welcome back to another episode of The Bourbon Road! After a brief hiatus, the man, the myth, the legend—Jim Shannon—is officially back in the host chair. Jim recently returned from a trip to Florida, where he experienced the wild swings of winter weather, going from 80 degrees down to 35. Of course, Kentucky wasn't about to be outdone, greeting him with 70-degree days followed immediately by th...

Welcome back to another episode of the Bourbon Road podcast! This week, Todd Ritter is holding down the fort solo while Jim Shannon escapes to warmer weather. But Todd isn't drinking alone at the Bourbon Road bar; he's joined by two fantastic returning guests to celebrate the Bottled in Bond Act. Amsey Wenning, the "Alec Baldwin of the show" from the Frankfort Bourbon Society and Bourbon on the Banks, is ba...

Welcome back to The Bourbon Road! This week, Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are back in the Corner Rickhouse at the Frankfort Bourbon Society for a classic review episode. With a lineup of four highly distinct and highly anticipated expressions, the guys are ready to dive deep into some serious tasting, ranking, and blending.

Before the tasting begins, Jim shares a quick story about a ...

Welcome back to another exciting episode of The Bourbon Road! This week, hosts Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter are joined by a special guest, Pete Marino, the President of Lofted Spirits. If the name Lofted Spirits sounds new to you, you aren't alone—but you definitely know their brands. Pete is here to pull back the curtain on this newly formed parent company that oversees two of the hottest names in the...

Welcome to another exciting episode of The Bourbon Road! This week, hosts Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter hit the road, navigating a snowy and icy Kentucky winter to visit the historic Sugarbush Farm in Perryville, Kentucky. They are joined by special guests Lizzie and Aaron Haynes, the passionate founders of Peter E. Hart Spirits.

The episode delves deep into the rich history of the fa...

Welcome back to the Bourbon Road! The long wait is officially over—Jim Shannon has returned from his Dry January hiatus, and he's ready to make up for lost time. Rejoining Todd Ritter in the Bourbon Road bar, the duo wastes no time getting back to business. To celebrate the return of whiskey to Jim's glass, they've lined up a heavy-hitting "review show" featuring four distinct expressions that span th...