ALL Weekend Let's Talk Bourbon Sessions Registration

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival

Sign up to receive the links for ALL Let's Talk Bourbon Sessions that will be occurring Thursday, October 15th- Saturday, October 17th

The Lineup of ALL sessions throughout the weekend: Registration for this event is FREE! Make sure to register to get all session links right to your email!THURSDAY: Supermarket Cocktails: Learn the tricks of using ordinary supermarket ingredients to make cocktails like the Gold Rush, the Old Fashioned and a Bourbon Fruit Punch by following along with Maker&#x27;s Mark distillery diplomat Thomas Bolton! Bourbon &amp; Kentucky Cuisine: You&#x27;ll want to get up and cook after watching Stu Plush, executive chef at The Kitchen &amp; Bar at Bardstown Bourbon Company, make some bourbon-accented dishes including pan-seared salmon with corn puree and fava beans served with crispy roasted Brussel&#x27;s sprouts and bacon. From the Shadows to the Spotlight: Barton 1792 Distillery and Four Roses Bourbon: Some American whiskey fans assume Barton 1792 Distillery and Four Roses Bourbon were always coveted selections. But for many years both distilleries’ bourbons languished while others grabbed headlines. Join us when Barton visitor center manager, Josh Hollifield, and Four Roses master distiller, Brent Elliott, share the stories behind these brands’ history-making rebounds.Bourbon Tourism 3.0: Heaven Hill Distillery and Bardstown Bourbon Co.: Bourbon tourism began with the humblest distillery tours and ended without whiskey tastings. Now, amid the bourbon boom, distilleries have added elaborate visitors centers, invited guests to see their production facilities and have a pour at their cocktail bars. Up next are distilleries with overnight accommodations, special event rooms, restaurants, whiskey libraries and more. Watch to learn what’s happening with modern visitors experiences when Jeff Crowe, director of Kentucky visitor experiences at Heaven Hill, chats with Herb Heneman, vice president: brand sales and marketing, at Bardstown Bourbon Co. FRIDAY: Why Bottled-In-Bond?: Join us to learn how this storied legislation created the strictest spirits standard in the world and gave rise a whole new category in American whiskey. Then join us as Bernie Lubbers, global whiskey ambassador at Heaven Hill, and Beau Beckman, Single Barrel Select program manager at Buffalo Trace, sip some BIBs while discussing why they&#x27;re so special. Bottled-In-Bond “Happy Hour”: Wilderness Trail Distillery founders Pat Heist and Shane Baker wouldn&#x27;t release any whiskey until their rye bourbon, wheated bourbon and rye whiskey could be sold as 4-year-old Bottled-In-Bond. Listen in and sip some BIBs along with them as they share their engaging story of commitment to the highest quality standard in American whiskey. The Art of Whiskey Making, Part 1, Fermentation: Every step and ingredient in fermentation influences all spirits profoundly. Listen in as master distillers Danny Kahn (Barton 1792 Distillery) and Steve Nally (Bardstown Bourbon Company) describe how the simple interaction between grain sugars and yeast create the complex and unmistakable flavors and aromas bourbon drinkers love. Cocktail Quickie! Take a break from all the whiskey instruction to learn how to make a classic bourbon cocktail in 5 minutes or less. This session features Bardstown Bourbon Co. national brand ambassador Samantha Montgomery demonstrating classic and modern versions of the Boulevardier. The Art of Whiskey Making, Part 2: Distilling: Learn from master distillers Denny Potter (Maker&#x27;s Mark Distillery) and Conor O&#x27;Driscoll (Heaven Hill Distillery) how fermented grain mash is converted into delicious whiskey using distillation. The Art of Whiskey Making, Part 3, Aging: The influence on whiskey created by the barrels in which it&#x27;s aged is complex and fascinating. Though few know the facts of how these vessels of ancient design combine to transform distilled grain into the delicious whiskeys we love, Andrew Wiehebrink (director of spirit innovation and research at Independent Stave Company) and Mike Sonne (process engineer and master taster at Heaven Hill Distillery) are here to share those secrets.Growing Up in a Whiskey Distilling Family: It&#x27;s not always easy, but it&#x27;s always exciting working in the distilling industry, say Angel&#x27;s Envy chief innovation officer, Wes Henderson, production manager and son, Kyle Henderson; Maker&#x27;s Mark Distillery chairman emeritus, Bill Samuels, Jr., and son and chief distillery officer, Rob Samuels. You won&#x27;t want to miss their funny and touching stories. SATURDAY: Adventures In Food and Whiskey Pairing: Ever wondered how well whiskey poured neat pairs with food? Join Andrea Wilson, vice president and master of maturation at Michter&#x27;s American Whiskeys, and pairings expert Steve Coomes, when they demonstrate how they find which foods and whiskeys pair well. If you&#x27;ve never thought of pairing bourbon and rye with smoked salmon, cured ham, baby back ribs, goat cheeses or fine pastry, tune in to learn how tasty these connections are! The Art of Whiskey Making, Part 4, Rickhouses: The massive warehouses in which whiskey is aged have a profound influence on how they taste. Internal airflow, temperature changes and position to the wind and sun are all points of significance in their construction. Listen in as Koetter Construction president, Bob Koetter, and Buzick Construction vice president, Donald Blincoe, describe the crucial roles rickhouses play in whiskey aging. The Art of Whiskey Making, Part 5, Mingling: Creating the final flavors in the whiskeys you crave requires the mingling of many barrels and lots of tasting. Listen in as Four Roses master distiller, Brent Elliott, and Bardstown Bourbon Company chief operating officer, John Hargrove, discuss this careful and time-consuming craft. Cocktail Quickie! Take a break from all the whiskey instruction to watch a classic bourbon cocktail made in 5 minutes or less. Then, try it on your own! This session features Beth Burrows, Beam Suntory American whiskey ambassador, demonstrating two modern riffs on the venerable Bourbon Toddy. Bourbon &amp; Kentucky Cuisine: Be ready to take notes as legendary Bardstown restaurateur and chef, Christy &quot;Mammy&quot; Clark, owner of Mammy&#x27;s Kitchen and Bar, whips up dishes like roasted, bourbon-glazed Cornish hens, crispy Brussels sprouts and bourbon-peach cobbler. Single Barrels: The Real Whiskey Unicorns: America’s largest distilleries have millions of barrels of bourbon, rye and other whiskeys aging in their rickhouses. So how do they select the perfect ones to become distillery-released single barrels or casks chosen by private groups? Join us when Aaron Lawrence (international brand ambassador at Blanton&#x27;s Bourbon) and Grant Wheeler (barrel program manager at Jim Beam) discuss finding their best single barrels, and why these &quot;one-time-only&quot; bottles are the most unique in American whiskey.Buying and Selling Your Vintage Whiskey—Legally! Few know better than Justin Sloan and Justin Thompson, owners of two-unit Justins&#x27; House of Bourbon, what your old and rare whiskeys are worth, whether you should drink or sell them, and how to do the former legally. Listen in to learn whether you have a whiskey treasure on hand, plus how you need to protect it.Oh, the Places We’ve Been! Distillers and brand representatives spend countless days on the road promoting their brands, and the tales of those adventures are colorful. Join us when Wild Turkey master distiller Eddie Russell, his son, Wild Turkey bourbon educator Bruce Russell; Jim Beam master distiller Fred Noe, and his son, distiller Freddie Noe, share their most interesting and entertaining stories about their roles as global ambassadors for those historic bourbon brands. All events – live or virtual – produced by the Kentucky Bourbon Festival are intended for audiences of the Legal Drinking Age in the United States (21+). Please enjoy our programs and the spirits featured therein responsibly.

Below are recipe cards for the Supermarket Cocktails session and the Cocktail Quickie Sessions so you can download, or print it out at home to play along!

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ALL Weekend Let's Talk Bourbon Sessions Registration

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