Episode 38 - Season Finale and Woodford Reserve

Welcome to the Backyard Bourbon Broadcast! In this episode, Jerimy celebrates the one year anniversary of the show with Woodford Reserve Double Barrel, talks voting and the theory of wasted votes, and some of the things learned from one year of producing a podcast. This is Episode 38 of the Backyard Bourbon Broadcast!

Hey there, Backyardigans, how y’all are! Hey it’s the one year anniversary of the broadcast, and I can’t believe it! This has been quite the experience, and I’ve learned so much, and one of these days, we’re gonna do a decent episode, I promise you! Today’s not that day, but one of these days… My thanks to the tens of listeners who have tuned in to my poorly-written and sporadically produced show... The fact I’ve had at least one listener at all is amazing. I have really enjoyed doing this and plan to keep it up as long as I can, and truly appreciate your willingness to sit and listen to a guy “sippin’ corn and spillin’ tea,” especially the constant tirades on Stillwater traffic. As it is a fairly momentous occasion, we’re going to enjoy some Woodford Reserve Double Barrel to mark the occasion, and as it’s getting close to Election Day, we’ll also talk about the strange juxtaposition of politics and Halloween.

You know, doing your own podcast is a great way to quickly learn (A) how unimportant you are, (B) how bad you suck at putting your thoughts into words, and © how far you still have to go to make even the most basic of podcasts while listeners have literally millions of professionally-produced options to choose from. When I started doing this a year ago, I had the audacity to think I was the only guy to come up with the idea of drinking bourbon, telling stories and putting it on the air. There are so many great bourbon/whiskey related podcasts, and I’ve learned a thing or two from both listening to them and listening to myself. Probably one of the most important things I’ve learned from my own podcasts is to script them, so I don’t wander too far off topic. It also helps me get to the point. One of the most important things I’ve learned from other podcasts is to keep it short. Some podcasts are 1-2 hours long, and folks, ain’t nobody got time for that. So after I had done about 10 podcasts, I started intentionally limiting mine to about 10 minutes. Leave them wanting more, not less, right? Now this season 1 finale may go a bit long, but for the most part, 10 minutes and we’re out!

Another thing I learned was the power of social media. Although I started podcasting in October 2017, I didn’t start a social media account until about January of the next year. Once I started putting pictures on Instagram, my listener-ship took off, and honestly, I have more people looking at my pictures on Instagram than I do listening to my podcasts. And that brings up yet another thing I’ve learned and am still learning: the art of product photography. I have really enjoyed finding unique places around our house and backyard to take pictures of what I’m happily consuming. If you’ve seen my photos, they’re usual shallow-focus, wide aperture pics. If I’m using the 24-105mm wide-angle lens, I’m shooting at 4.5f at minimum. They’re normally very warm, too. If I’m manually setting the white balance temperature on my camera, I’m normally shooting in the 5200K and upwards range. I shoot in RAW as well, and then run them through Photoshop. I tell you what, that makes such a difference. Now here’s the thing: I learned to take pictures here at Oklahoma State University, taught by the great Shane Bevel, who is now a freelance photographer, was a photographer for USA Today and other large media outlets. And he taught us to shoot, in manual mode all the time of course, but he taught us to shoot, so that our pictures could stand on their own. No enhancements needed, or better yet, allowed. I still do that, and if I didn’t have Photoshop, I’m pretty confident in the quality of the pictures I’d be displaying. But shooting in RAW and combining it with Photoshop, you can enhance each picture so well, and bring out incredible tiny details that you wouldn’t have without it. So if you’re like me, and were taught that “the picture is the picture, leave it alone,” let me join in the chorus of all sorts of other photographers that would invite you to try shooting in RAW and using Photoshop enhancements to make your good pictures GREAT. Now when I’m working on my photos in Photoshop, in some cases, not all, but some, I’m putting that temperature in the 8100K range. Some photos, depending on the lighting conditions, can really look good at that high temperature. Others will look better super cool. Another thing I’m constantly doing is dropping the “blacks” setting almost as low as it’ll go, and it gives such a richer black color. Then you boost the “whites” setting to offset the darker exposure it’ll see to give your pic. At any rate, it gives you plenty of options, and you should just try it. In fact, do it to one of your best photographs, then after you’ve enhanced the RAW photo, compare it to the original and you’ll see what I’m talking about. In most cases, if not all, your original photo will look very bland compared to what you can come up with when you enhance the RAW file.

OK ENOUGH PHOTOGRAPHY, right? Before I go any further I want to thank the distillers that were kind of to send me samples to review, and really helped me gain a understanding of bourbon and tasting and aromas and… and… and… Anyway, a huge thanks goes to Four Roses, the first distillery to send me a sample, and by sample I mean a 750ml! Also, Blade & Bow, Cali Distillery (who sent me two 750ml bottles, one of which was the incomparable “Riptide Rye” that I absolutely loved), Ragged Branch, who sent me their two-year old rye that put me over the edge in being a full-on rye guy. There was Slaughterhouse, a very fine distillery that was kind enough to send me two samples, even though I didn’t like either one… there was Nelson’s Greenbrier, the people that make the en vogue Belle Meade Bourbon, and they sent me both a sour mash and a cask strength sample (liked the sour mash, but the cask strength had a black licorice taste to it), and finally, one of my all time favorites, a distillery that, for me, really hits it out of the park in all categories. First of all, the bourbon is incredible. They’re out of New York, and get their water from a limestone deposit larger than the one located in Lynchburg. The bottle style is very unique, their branding is simple but effective, and they sent me not one, but two full-size bottles, one of which I gave to a neighbor to help keep the peace! (I’ll have to tell that story some other time). Again, a HUGE deal of thanks goes out to each of these distillers, as they have really helped out someone who really had nothing to offer them in return. That showed a lot of character, and I’m very appreciative of each one of you!

I also had the opportunity to interview the distillers of Wilderness Trail, and that was such a great experience. They were incredibly gracious with their time, and incredibly generous with their wisdom. I interviewed them back in April, I believe, and they were a wealth of knowledge with distilling and starting up a business from scratch and countless other things. So a huge thanks to those two guys, Shane Baker and Pat Heist, and best of luck to Wilderness Trail distillery, it sounds like things are going great for them. They also came up with the greatest quote on the planet in regards to bourbon. When I asked them why bourbon has become so popular lately, they said “Well, it’s just the most delicious substance on the planet.” Couldn’t have said it better myself, gentlemen.

OK let’s get to the Woodford Reserve! Some bourbons, and let’s face it, some people, have undeserved good reputations, you know what I mean? They get credit for classiness they don’t have, for things they didn’t do… for being what they aren’t. Some others have undeserved bad reputations. But “Woodford Reserve Barrel Finish Select Double Oaked” is well respected, and that reputation is well deserved. Let me just tell you from personal experience, this bourbon is, in no uncertain terms, going to scratch you right where you itch. This is one of the smoothest yet still flavorful bourbons I have ever had. The bottle says it is “Uniquely matured in separate, charred oak barrels – the second barrel deeply toasted before a light charring – extracts additional amounts of soft, sweet oak character.” In my notes I just kept writing “SMOOTH SMOOTH SMOOTH.” I even had my wife try it neat, and she does not take bourbon neat. Now, admittedly, she did say “I smell gasoline” when I had her take a whiff. But she was able to have a few neat sips and is a fan herself. It’s got a wonderful darker copper coloring, I’m guessing it’s due to the second barreling. There’s the slightest hint, maybe not even worth mentioning, of chocolate. Maybe it’s more of a carmel finish. I picked up delicious notes of vanilla, too. Then I wrote “Multiple flavor experiences keep you guessing and intrigued,” one of those things you write when you’re sipping bourbon and think it’s brilliant, only to read it later and think to yourself… “Dear Lord.” Now I know this will go against Buffalo Trace distiller Freddie Johnson’s rule - “Bourbon is to be enjoyed, with friends and family, at the moment.” But I don’t often come across “special occasion” bourbon, so I’m storing it… for now. Just for now, Freddie! Maybe when I graduate, I’ll polish it off with those that can celebrate with me…

OK, we're running a little bit long, but I did want to throw this in as well... please go out and vote. It's getting close to Election Day, and it's proximity to Halloween is more than a little ironic. You never know who, or what, is behind that mask once someone is elected. But a lot of people paid awfully heavy prices for our right to vote, and I believe it's our obligation to fulfill our end of the bargain. Let your voices be heard, folks!

At any rate, this Woodford Reserve is an incredible bourbon. And this year has been an incredible experience! I want to thank each and every one of you for popping in to listen to me ramble! Hopefully, we have entertained you and you’ve enjoyed your time with us. Hey stop by and say hi on social media: we’re on Instagram @backyardbourbonbroadcast and on Twitter @bourbonandstory. Or drop us a line at backyardbourbonbroadcast@gmail.com. Once again, thank you for listening, and we’ll talk to you on the next episode of the Backyard Bourbon Broadcast!