Sharing Bourbon…and Banter for a Good Cause

The bourbon industry is so hot right now that it’s easy to get caught up in the game chasing down the next great thing or trying to just keep up with industry chatter. At times I get more than a little overwhelmed with it all and question if I should just move to a remote part of the world with my bourbon and enjoy it without distraction. Fortunately I tend come to my senses quickly knowing that bourbon without banter gets boring real fast. So when my wife and I recently had a chance to play host to some friends and neighbors who purchased a bourbon tasting in my home from the annual auction at my kids’ school, we decided to go big and create an event that was all about spreading the bourbon gospel.

The original auction tasting included three bottles of bourbon for the group accompanied with some basic appetizers. The winners were to take home the remaining bourbon to share with other friends as they wished. We decided to call an audible about 5 days before the event that involved opening up my entire personal bourbon collection for the group to enjoy along with some selected bottles to help introduce them to the world of bourbon. Additionally, my wife outdid herself by creating an amazing spread that included everything from candied bacon to chocolate covered figs. Everyone had a great time and I was thrilled to have been able to introduce folks to bourbon in a way that made it more accessible and enjoyable.

Coming right on the heels of hosting this tasting (purchased at last year’s auction), we attended this year’s auction on Saturday night. Inspired by how well our modified tasting was received, we donated it again to the school auction. After about 8 minutes of intense oral bidding activity the dust settled and we discovered that we successfully raised $1,600 for the school. Boom!

I couldn’t be more thrilled knowing that we were able to take our crazy little bourbon obsession and leverage it for a great cause.

I know we’re not the first folks to auction off a bourbon tasting or dinner, but the fact that the winners are not whiskey geeks or diehard bourbon lovers is amazing. It just goes to show how much bourbon has goes mainstream and that everyone is getting interested in learning more about this amazing whiskey.

When we started this blog over three years ago we started with a mission to share the bourbon gospel. We’ve done a pretty good job of that and these recent events only strengthen my belief that anyone open to learning more about bourbon can become one of the bourbon faithful.

So I challenge each and every one of you to open up your home and invite some friends over for an evening of bourbon, education and banter. Together I know that we can spread the bourbon gospel far and wide.

Cheers!