For the second year in a row now, I ask, how did I come to this point in my life where I have chosen to blog about bourbon? Why did I ever think this would be a topic that people would like to read about? Well honestly, I never thought my reviews would be read; rather I started this as a hobby and creative outlet. But somehow, the views on my website continue to increase and with the addition of my 2023 Bourbon Release Calendar, views have now quadrupled.
First, I want to deeply thank the love of my life, Mrs. Bourbon Bossman®, for supporting me on this crazy adventure over the past two years. She has always been a huge supporter of mine, especially in taking up writing again, and I even think she too now enjoys hunting for bourbon across NoCo on the weekends. Additionally, I want to thank everyone crazy enough to follow my bourbon reviews, the website rants, and the posts I make on social media platforms. As I mentioned above, I never intended these reviews to actually be read or the bourbon release calendar to be viewed daily, but I am grateful for this, so thank you all.
Secondly, I wanted to quickly self-reflect a bit about what I continue to learn with the bourbon industry and what I look forward to over the next year. I find the more people I meet in this industry, the more I am drawn to want to be a part of it in the future; perhaps a second career later in life or some type of retirement gig. Either way, the people working in the industry, from those at the stores to those at the distilleries, to the people reviewing the products, are all here because they enjoy the final product, bourbon!
Unfortunately, in the same breath, it still has to be mentioned that there are faults in the process. As the secondary market prices continue to be an issue and spiral out of control, companies also seem to believe it is alright to release products at double to triple the prices they should be; things will need to change. No matter how you might feel about these issues, I unfortunately believe that if there is not a change in pricing, there is going to be another “bourbon recession” in the coming year. People will begin to once again search for a less expensive libation and perhaps that is why we are now seeing the increased interest in the booming tequila market.
Nonetheless, I am still excited about the future of bourbon, and whiskey, but am worried about how the market will affect my interests. I will always look forward to the annual releases I can find, like Heaven’s Door Bootleg, Michter’s 10 Year, Russel’s Reserve 13, and Angels Envy Cask Strength, just to name a few of my favorites. But more importantly, I look forward to new products being released on the market and any new expressions from distilleries that I have fallen in love with over the last year; like Redwood Empire, Penelope, and my forever go-to distillery, Bardstown Bourbon Company.
Like many industries, the true future of bourbon and whiskey is unknown, but I know for a fact this industry will not fall, it just might look different over the next decade. I look forward to continuing to write reviews, share my experiences, and perhaps be lucky enough in the future to have more distilleries send samples. Not only is this an exciting experience, but it allows me to share my experiences of products, that I might have not overwise found in NoCo, and which might help some of you decide whether the product is worth the money.
By no means have I even come close to becoming an expert on this subject, yet when it comes to tasting or reviewing bourbon, I sure continue to have fun doing it! No matter what, I will continue to be very honest when it comes to reviewing, regardless of where the bottle or sample comes from, and I will always follow my very simple rating scale of; Save It, Drink it, Mix it, Donate it or Pour It. So if you are curious about bourbon, whiskey, or scotch like I am, and enjoy reading reviews and possibly the occasional rant, please feel free to subscribe and follow my continued adventures into 2024.
Cheers! Prost! Sláinte!
Bourbon Bossman®
