In my previous bourbon columns, I’ve extolled the virtues of the Bourbon Real Talk Podcast and Community. It’s my go-to for news about the industry as well as recommendations for bourbons I haven’t tried yet — not to mention the giveaway that inspired my last Whiskey Wednesday column.
This week, I had the privilege of speaking with Randall Sullivan, the founder of Bourbon Real Talk. It was a fun, wide-ranging conversation where we talked about the origins of this amazing community, the power of whiskey to bring people together, and some of his favorite bourbons.
Randall told me that his inspiration for the community came after he lost his brother to suicide in 2014. He discovered that his brother had lost contact with some of his friends, and Randall realized that some of his friendships were less healthy than they should have been.
Related: Whiskey Wednesday: Reviewing My Knob Creek Giveaway Flight
As Randall realized that people were bonding over whiskey, he discovered something unusual.
“There was this strange phenomenon that I observed that just never made sense to me, and it was people sending each other samples of whiskey,” he told me. “And I was like, ‘Bro, if you wanna come over our house and we can have a drink together, that's great. I love that idea. But I'm sending you a to-go box of whiskey.’ Like, what is that about? And, I thought, ‘I don't get it. Maybe I should just do it because everybody seems pretty excited about it.’”
Randall had begun sharing instructional videos about whiskey in his local whiskey club, which led one member to encourage him to start a podcast. The Bourbon Real Talk Podcast was born.
“So it was really more about taking the time I was spending that was just for my own edification and trying to find a way to make it have some sort of social benefit and bringing people together,” he said.
I’ve pointed out in other columns how some bourbon podcasts sound like you’re eavesdropping on private conversations with inside jokes that you don’t get. Some podcasts are all about name-dropping, while others are obsessed with pretentiously talking about the most expensive bottles they can get their hands on.
Bourbon Real Talk is different. I mentioned to Randall how I appreciate that he covers the industry in general, along with bargain bourbons and the occasional expensive bourbon. He and his guests make you feel at home in the conversation, which is refreshing among podcasts of all kinds, but especially among bourbon podcasts.
Randall saw how infighting and splits led to a glut of whiskey groups full of people with loyalties. He didn’t intend to start a new group independent of his whiskey group, but others encouraged him to start Bourbon Real Talk Community.
Bourbon Real Talk Community is all about culture. Randall sees this group as a community for the 99% of people who are hesitant to participate in other communities because of the drama. The rules are extensive — hardly anybody reads them all — but they serve to help the group stay troll-free and make moderation easier.
Another feature of the community is the encouragement to do good for the community and the world around the members. Randall told me the story of a cigar group he encountered at an air show and how a leader of the group gave him a challenge coin. That gave Randall an idea.
Bourbon Real Talk Community issues challenge coins to members who have done good things for the community. (As a lurker, I have to admit that I wasn’t aware of them, but I love the concept.)
“And so, we came up with this system,” he explained to me. “There's a person who looks at every post every day, and there's between 100 and 150 posts a day, to identify behavior that we have defined as coin-worthy. And when she finds something, she puts it in a spreadsheet that all the team has access to. So anybody on the team can put somebody in the spreadsheet for a coin. And then my full-time employee, once a week, goes in there and fulfills all of the coins and mails them to people.”
“We have special mailers that are a thicker cardboard so they don't bend,” he continued. “And inside with the coin is a letter printed on heavy cardstock. Then on one side, it's like, ‘Congratulations, blah blah blah.” But on the back side, it tells you what you did to get the coin. You never show anybody the backside of the paper. And so far, no one has. And so that was a very instrumental part of helping people feel like, even though we're just a Facebook group, our community is a little bigger than just that.”
Related: In Praise of Inexpensive Bourbon
Our conversation turned to the reasons why whiskey brings people together. There’s a definite biological explanation for how any intoxicant lowers people’s inhibitions and helps people relax, and there’s a fascinating history of how people developed distilling to keep grains from spoiling and thus conserving community resources.
There’s also something about how people just like to share whiskey with their friends and loved ones. As Randall put it, “I think it's just such a powerful subconscious element of human nature to share whiskey with others.”
I asked Randall what his go-to bourbons are, and his choices impressed me: “Benchmark Full Proof. Wild Turkey 101. Knob Creek 9-year. Those are my top three.” These are all excellent options for someone who wants to try good bourbons on a budget.
Randall said that he likes the Knob Creek 9 when he’s out and about because it’s readily available at bars and restaurants. He also explained how Benchmark Full Proof grabbed his attention.
“There was a high-proof, low-cost Buffalo Trace Mashable One option, which Buffalo Trace Mashable One is my favorite whiskey,” he told me. “I love E. H. Taylor. I like Eagle Rare. I love George T. Stagg. And so when they came out with the 125 proof, it's a lower age. Because I've always liked Buffalo Trace base bourbon, but it's 90 proof, so it's lighter than what I normally drink. So Benchmark kinda supplanted Wild Turkey 101 ne for me as my number one at-home whiskey.”
Randall is a man after my own heart when it comes to budget bourbons over more expensive options.
“I very rarely drink expensive bourbon,” he said. “I only drink my rare bourbons when there's somebody else here with me, maybe on my birthday or something. You know, I'll have a half ounce or something that I really like. But I'm so happy with bottom-shelfers that I just almost never drink anything allocated.”
Randall also mentioned some smaller craft distilleries that offer options that he enjoys.
“The other one that I've been going through is the Barrel Craft Spirits Foundation,” he said. “It's $55, so it's a little expensive for a daily drinker, but in that category of spirits of non-distillery produced whiskey, it's one of the most solid pours that's not on allocation.”
“And then there's some craft producers that I'm just obsessed with,” he continued. “I love Frey Ranch. Watershed. I love Holiday, Soft Red Moon, or Wheat Bourbon. So, you know, if I'm willing to pay, you know, around $60-$65 for a bottle, there's a lot of small crop producers out there that have, you know, solid pours.”
This was a fun conversation that deepened my appreciation for what Bourbon Real Talk does. If you’re looking for an encouraging community of bourbon lovers, check out Bourbon Real Talk Community on Facebook. For a fun and informative look at the world of bourbon, give the Bourbon Real Talk Podcast a spin.
