Ep. 46: David Mandell, Kentucky Owl and the Kentucky Bourbon Festival

Hey Whiskey Ringers, thanks for tuning in to another episode of the Whiskey Ring Podcast. This week's guest is David Mandell, founder of Bardstown Bourbon Company, now of Kentucky Owl and Kentucky Bourbon Festival fame. 

After a career in government (the NTSB and the FAA) and as a lawyer, David and his college friend decided they wanted to get into distilling. That's the short story - today, he's the Chairman of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and running Kentucky Owl Bourbon, with a long legacy still in place at Bardstown Bourbon Company. 

Make sure to grab your tickets to this year's KBF in the show notes below!

Before we jump into the interview just a few quick notes:

If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so. I’ve reworked the levels, and here are a few of the changes: 

• The $5 tier will have access to the new, Patreon-only segment called “Under the Influencer”, where some of your favorite YouTubers/Instagrammers/Podcasters and more join me to talk about a topic that’s under their skin in whiskey. This tier will also have priority access to upcoming barrel picks, including one coming up in partnership with the This is my Bourbon Podcast. 
• The $25 tier - for people who really want to propel the pod and website forward - will have the same benefits as the $5 tier plus right of first refusal to join me on future barrel picks, access to my personal inventory, and more. 

You can still support for as little as $1 a month if you’d like to stay up to date with these changes and news about what we’ve got coming up. 

Next: there are THREE upcoming events. After you all made the Jack Daniels events such a success, I had to follow it up, so here’s what’s coming up: 

• In July, an advent calendar curated by me that includes 15 samples, 15 different producers (and 14 different distilleries), two samples that have whiskey older than I am, and a special pour I promise you won’t find anywhere else. This event is available ONLY to people in the Whiskey Ringers Facebook group or to website subscribers. As of this recording, eight of the fifteen spots are already claimed, so grab yours today, and join the Facebook group for discount codes and insider access.
• In August, I’m switching gears and hosting a two-part event, an introduction to Japanese whisky. The first event on August 11th will focus on the beginnings of Japanese whisky going back to the 17th century and through the founding of Japan’s two titans, Suntory and Nikka. The second, on August 18th, will focus on the new guard of Japanese whisky makers and the evolutions of the old guard. Both will start at 8:30pm to accommodate folks in the Mountain and Western time zones. 

Finally, please do like and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening - it really helps the Whiskey Ring Podcast move up the rankings. 

If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website. 

Thanks for listening! Now here’s David Mandell of Kentucky Owl, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, and (formerly) Bardstown Bourbon Company.

David Mandell, Kentucky Owl, and KBF Links

Kentucky Bourbon Festival

Kentucky Owl Bourbon

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