This whiskey drinker had never been to Kentucky until I competed in the Bardstown Bourbon Company World’s Top Whiskey Taster (WTWT) finals in November. Florida (Eric “Pappy” Hale) and Texas (Kolby Howard) rode into Bardstown from the airport together. We referred to each other by our regionals, which during a pandemic made the whole thing feel like a spin-off of Zombieland.
I could not wait to meet the other contestants, especially Kentucky herself, Sara Havens. Out of all ten regional winners, we were the only females in the finals. We flocked together to quell the testosterone around us. If it were not for her, I would not have had twice the fun I did.
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During the social, though, Indiana (Jeff Clark) sought me out. Tis moment sticks out because it overwhelmed me with flattery. A friend of his told him to watch my regional video. For my presentation portion, I showed off a non-peated scotch flight. A bold move. After watching my presentation, Indiana went to a liquor store going out of business and bought all the scotches and more.
The highlight of the social was a vintage flight curated for us by VP of Hospitality and Product Development, Dan Callaway. We sat in the Vintage Library surrounded by an amazing collection of antique whiskey. The flight consisted of Old Grand Dad, Very Old Barton, and Old Fitzgerald from decades before I was born. It was incredible, and I will not forget it.
Portland, Oregon – where I’m from and where The Whiskey Wash, of which I write for as a reviewer, is headquartered – is three hours behind Bardstown time wise. That sucked. I ended up going to bed after the social and finishing a review around 3:45am (EST). Bad move considering Colorado (Mike Outcalt) forgot he ordered an ice coffee compared to my hot mocha the morning of the competition. I still feel bad for sternly repeating, “I’m fine,” to our most gracious chaperone, Nicholas Lewis.
I was thrilled there was a tour first. Master Distiller, Steve Nally and Dan Callaway took us to the honey spot of the rickhouse. We thieved from three barrels while other tourists were watching us from Pete’s Place.
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My breakfast that morning consisted of a stale bagel and cream cheese, and I knew it would not be enough. To keep my senses, I made sure to sip and spit. If there was whiskey in our glass, Steve gave us permission to bless the barrels. Simply put, I threw my whiskey over the racked barrels like I was performing an exorcism. Under normal circumstances, I would never waste my whiskey, but I was competing for $20,000 after all.
After thieving some whiskey from the barrels, Steve walked us through the distillery, where I felt most at home in the fermentation rooms. I loved the smell and dipping a finger in the vat to see how it was coming along. However, after all the walking, all I wanted was to sit and enjoy lunch.
I chose to sit at a table with the huge living moss wall with Bardstown Bourbon Company in large letters. My lunch table was the best table. Steve Nally joined us, and then Peggy Noe Stevens showed up and I fangirled hard. I savagely ate the best fried chicken with my hands in front of her and did not bat an eye.
Having lunch with my idol was extraordinary. She is the sweetest and sassiest lady. As one of the judges, she did not know what her round really consisted of. All we knew was that it was a culinary pairing piece, which perfectly made sense since she wrote Which Fork Do I Use with My Bourbon? I even recommended a book to her that I use for bartending and culinary pairings myself, The Flavor Biblewas Matt Porter. He correctly guessed the blind whiskey. Honestly, he deserved it. Meanwhile, I came in fourth place. Not bad out of 400 applicants, and I at least I can say I am the fourth best whiskey taster in the country. I am so grateful for the validation this opportunity gave me, and I am already working on my submission video for next year to seek redemption.
