482 - The Distillery That Kept Waiting with Kyle Merklein of Ben Holladay

Bourbon Pursuit

Hobbies, Food, Arts, Leisure

4.9 • 866 Ratings

🗓️ 3 October 2024

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ben Holiday is making some serious waves and it's really great to see a non-kentucky distiller starting to turn some heads. So it felt like it was time to hear more from the brand that has become a new favorite among many. We invited their master distiller, Kyle Merklein to come on the show. We talk about the history of the distillery and their intention on reviving the brand. There's a lot of intentional things they did when it came to marketing that made it appeal to so many and we find out how they were able to wait 6 years until they released their first bourbon. Show Notes: 00:00-Introduction to Bourbon Pursuit and Ben Holiday Distillery 05:49-The Rise of Non-Kentucky Bourbon 11:56-Kyle Merkline's Journey to Distilling 17:56-The History of Ben Holiday Distillery 24:06-Prohibition and Its Impact on Distilling 29:47-The Distillation Process and Techniques 36:09-The Importance of Aging and Waiting 42:13-Marketing Strategies and Brand Growth Support this podcast on Patreon

Transcript

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0:00.0	You all also had a couple break-ins in the Prohibition, probably from the Ozark Mafia types.
0:06.5	Yeah, probably.
0:07.3	You know, but...
0:08.1	Ozark Mafia.
0:09.1	I didn't know Jason Bateman was alive then.
0:11.3	Yeah.
0:32.3	The This is Bourbon Pursuit, the official podcast of Bourbon, bringing to you the best in news, reviews, and interviews with people making the bourbon whiskey industry happen, and I'm one of your hosts, Kenny Coleman. Ben Holiday is making some serious waves and it's
0:39.0	really great to see a non-Kentucky distiller starting to turn some heads. So it felt like it was time to hear more from the brand and that has become a new favorite among many.
0:48.5	We invited their master distiller, Kyle Merkline, to come on the show. We talk about the history of the distillery and their intention on reviving the brand.
0:56.6	There's a lot of intentional things they did when it came to marketing that made it appeal to so many,
1:02.1	and we find out how they were able to wait six years until they released their first bourbon.
1:07.4	Well, with that, enjoy this week's episode, and now here's Fred Minnick with Above the Char.
1:12.2	I'm Fred Minnick, and this is Above the Char.
1:18.1	This week's idea comes from Derek Hawkins, who writes me on Fredminic.com.
1:23.3	Talking about mouthfeel.
1:25.2	I feel like that should be a song, Derek.
1:26.8	Talking about mouthfe. I feel like that should be a song, Derek. Talking about mouth feel.
1:30.6	What gives that oily feeling when a bourbon hits your palate and just coats it like an oil slick?
1:37.5	I'd like to say butter. Some do that and some don't. But why? What's the home run there for me?
1:46.3	Why do all the flavors hit me there so well? So, you know, I got to be honest with you, this is something that in all of my years of
1:51.4	taking notes and tasting bourbons and everything, the mouthfield is the one thing that will
1:55.6	stop me dead in my tracks, no matter when, no matter where, whether it's in a blind tasting
	...

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