Podcast Episode
Can Limited Edition Festival Only Releases Fill in For Allocated Releases From The Festival

About this episode
Send us Fan MailWe get ready for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and relive how a bourbon trip becomes a mix of friends, schedules, and chasing the next great pour. Then we dig into why Michter’s keeps winning us over and argue about whether festival bottle lines count as real bourbon hunting.
• Kentucky Bourbon Festival plans with the full crew, house schedule, and bus tour energy
• Bourbon balls for the holidays, merch updates, and where to follow us online
• Why Michter’s shelf lineup stays consistent and drinkable
• Quality-first releases versus mash bill transparency, including skipping a 10-year release
• The Michter’s rye bottles that changed our minds and shaped our palates
• Bottle-your-own at Michter’s Fort Nelson, anniversary pours, and the chair story in Shively
• What went wrong with last year’s long lines and limited allocated bottles
• How Jim Beam handled festival sales better, plus why single barrels matter
• Whether a festival-only batch release solves the problem or kills the hunt
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Waiting in a bourbon line for two hours and walking away with nothing changes how you see a festival. We’re gearing up for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival with the whole crew, but we also want to talk honestly about what worked, what didn’t, and what we hope gets fixed this year, because the festival is supposed to feel like the Super Bowl of bourbon, not a lesson in frustration.
We spend a big chunk of time on Michter’s, one of our favorite distilleries to drink and to visit. We talk through why Michter’s Sour Mash and their core lineup are such reliable pours, how their team protects a consistent flavor profile, and why they’re willing to skip a release when it doesn’t meet their standard. It turns into a real conversation about whiskey transparency versus quality: do you need the mash bill, or do you trust what’s in the glass?
Then we jump back into festival strategy. We break down last year’s Kentucky Bourbon Festival bottle situation, the Heaven Hill line chaos, and why Jim Beam’s setup felt smoother for actual festival-goers. We also spotlight festival single barrel picks as a smart move when allocated bottles get messy, and we dig into a rumor we’ve heard about a Kentucky Bourbon Festival only release designed to keep people from leaving empty-handed. Of course, that leads to our favorite argument: is the festival still “the hunt,” or is it a stocked pond where you just choose your fish?
If you love bourbon travel, distillery visits, allocated bottle drama, and honest tasting talk, hit play. Subscribe, share this with your bourbon crew, and leave us a review so more whiskey fans can find the show. If You Have GohstsSupport the showhttps://www.scotchybourbonboys.comThe Scotchy bourbon Boys are #3 in Feedspots Top 60 whiskey podcasts in the world https://podcast.feedspot.com/whiskey_podcasts/