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How to Host a Bourbon Tasting That Slaps

Hey Barrelhead 🥃

You’ve been to tastings that felt more like lectures than a good time.

Overhyped bottles. Overexplained pours. Someone saying “leathery finish” like it means something.

But the real crime?

They cracked the best bottle first.

It wrecks the palate, kills the buildup, and turns your tasting into a one-hit wonder.

This guide hands you the blueprint for a bourbon night your crew won’t shut up about …

How to build the perfect flight, drop bourbon knowledge without sounding like a snob, and end with a pour that hits like a mic drop.

THE WEEKLY POUR

A MESSAGE FROM RICKHOUSE

This month (and next) we are running a reader raffle for a WhistlePig 15 Year Rye. OnlyDrams says MSRP is $300. We can tell you it’s tasty.

Check out how to win below.

  • Must be 21.

  • Share rickhouse.news with a friend (who signs up) using the referral link below — it tracks everything automatically 👇

  • More shares + sign-ups = more chances to win.

  • Raffle ends June 29th.

  • Pair WhistlePig 15 with a leather chair, a questionable alibi, and your most unhinged take in the group chat.

  • Want better odds? Write a love letter to a Vermont pig and bury it under a sugar maple. Legend says the distillers will hear you.

TOP SHELF

🥃 How to Host a Bourbon Tasting That Doesn’t Suck

Forget the tuxedos and tasting wheels.

You don’t need a sommelier pin to host a killer bourbon night. All you need is a few good pours, a little structure, and some friends who are down to geek out over whiskey.

Here’s how to do it right …

Build a Flight That Tells a Story

Think of your bourbon lineup like a setlist. You’re not just pouring booze — you’re setting a vibe.

Here’s one that builds the heat as it goes:

  • First Pour: Buffalo Trace

    Easy, smooth, and friendly. Like your buddy who introduces everyone at the party. Vanilla, caramel, touch of spice. No one’s getting scared off here.

  • Second Pour: Four Roses Single Barrel

    A little more depth. Spice shows up, along with oak and dark fruit. This one says, “Okay, we’re getting serious.”

  • Third Pour: Booker’s

    Welcome to high-proof heaven. Booker’s comes in swinging with bold oak, caramel, and a finish that lingers longer than a late-night group chat.

  • Bonus Pour: Pappy 15 (If You’re Feeling Generous)

    The flex pour. Most guests haven’t tasted it. Some might cry. Rich, layered, and full of legend. If you’ve got it, use it to end the night like a mic drop.Teach Them to Taste Like a Pro (Without Being a D-Bag)

Start with this 3-step drill:

  1. Look – Color matters. Deeper hues often mean more age or barrel char.

  2. Smell – Nose it like you mean it. Get in there. Take notes: spice? vanilla? leather? Grandma’s apple pie?

  3. Sip – Tiny sips. Let it sit. Then talk about what you’re tasting without sounding like a wine critic.

Encourage wild guesses. Someone says, “banana bread dipped in maple syrup”? Roll with it.

Drop Some Knowledge Bombs

Keep it tight but tasty:

  • Bourbon = 51% corn, made in the U.S., aged in new charred oak barrels.

  • Higher proof doesn’t mean better. It just hits harder.

  • The barrel does more work than most distillers will admit.

Throw in one fun fact per pour. Make it something they’ll want to text their bourbon group.

Pair It or Don’t (But Don’t Serve Nachos)

You don’t have to pair food, but if you do, keep it simple:

  • Savory: Nuts, prosciutto, or dark chocolate.

  • Cheese: Aged cheddar or gouda goes stupid good with spicy pours.

  • Sweet: Caramel popcorn, if you’re trying to win hearts.

No hot wings. No garlic knots. Save that for after.

Tasting Cards > Memory

Give your guests tasting cards. Let them score each pour, jot notes, or just doodle a happy face.

You’ll thank yourself when someone asks, “What was that second one again?”

Also: Glencairn glasses. Yes, they’re worth it.

Final Tip: Start Light, End Loud

Always start with the lower proof and build up. You want palates opening—not getting punched in the face on the first pour. And hydrate between rounds (water, not beer).

TL;DR

Want your bourbon tasting to slap?

  • Build a flight with purpose

  • Let guests talk, even if they’re wrong

  • Teach a little, laugh a lot

  • End with something memorable (like Booker’s… or Pappy)

Now go be the friend everyone begs to host the next one. 🥃

POUR DECISIONS

LAST CALL

🧪 The Still That Changed the World (and It Wasn’t American)

Last week we asked:

Which country invented the continuous still—revolutionizing modern whiskey and spirit production worldwide?

  • A) Ireland

  • B) United States

  • C) Scotland

  • D) France

Let’s give credit where it’s due …

The correct answer is A) Ireland.

Modern whiskey wouldn’t exist without an Irishman named Aeneas Coffey.

Back in 1830, Coffey—an Irish taxman turned tinkerer—improved on an earlier design and patented the Coffey still (aka the continuous still). Unlike the traditional pot stills that required batch-by-batch distilling, this contraption could run nonstop. More efficient. Cheaper. Cleaner.

And at the time? Totally scandalous.

Irish whiskey purists hated it. Scotch distillers? Not so much. They ran with it—and ran away with the global market.

Meanwhile, American distillers took notes. The Coffey still helped lay the groundwork for mass production of neutral spirits—hello, vodka and gin—and even influenced how some bourbons are produced today (especially in grain whiskey blends).

So next time you’re sipping anything clean, clear, or cranked out in volume?

Tip your Glencairn to Aeneas.

The man literally changed the flow of liquor history.

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