King Bourbon Press

08/06/2026

Grateful for the opportunity to listen and learn about the Midwest grain chain and terroir at the Artisan Grain Collaborative distiller field day at Chicago’s beautiful and spacious Judson & Moore Distillery distillery and tasting room. Topics included estate distilling, regional sourcing and harvesting of grain and peat, permitting, and so much more, with organizer and moderator John Clarke and panelists - Judson and Moore head Distiller Collin Moore, Thornton Distilling’s Head Distiller Ari Klafter Ari Klafter, and Far North Spirits’ Farmer and Distiller Mike Swanson. Shoutout to Publican Quality Bread for the excellent local grain inspired sandwiches and appetizers, and a huge thank you to John Clarke, Joe Luna, and Collin Moore for the invitation. 👑🥃

08/06/2026

It was wonderful to connect in person with Erin Chandler at Granddam in The Manchester in Lexington, along with her incredibly talented production team and entourage. Our fathers were childhood friends growing up in the Bluegrass, both sons of major figures in Kentucky’s cultural history. Today we both find ourselves exploring their legacies and those of the times and places they inhabited. No one is doing more to preserve, advance, and celebrate Bluegrass culture and history than Erin, from her work with Rabbit House Press to the forthcoming documentary based on her true crime memoir Bluegrass Sons, a story we discussed in issue ten of King Bourbon from King Bourbon. We’re proud to support the documentary, grateful to enjoy her support for our own work, and happy to share her friendship. 👑🥃

08/06/2026

You gotta know what’s goin’ on!

Uncle Nearest mess, disappointing Anthology secondary, 5 questions with Dave Bob Gasper, bourbon I forgot I had, and more.

04/24/2026

04/02/2026

It was great to meet up with Ray Marcano, writer of the awesome newsletter at bourbonresource.substack.com, when he rolled through Chicago last week. Ray is a great guy, and his newsletter has King Bourbon’s highest recommendation—go subscribe!

03/26/2026

Thankful for the shoutout from dear friends Chris and Kat from sharing our connections to the Calumet Farm 15 Year bourbon label. This bottle is full not only of exceptionally good bourbon, but also of family stories dating back to the 1910s and stretching from Juarez, Mexico to Lexington, Louisville, and Chicago. We explored these stories and others from the Kentucky Derby in our second issue - link in bio!