Behind the Pursuit: From Bourbon to Brand
Take part in a journey to build a bourbon brand. Brian Beyke sits down with the founders of the top whiskey podcast, Kenny and Ryan of Bourbon Pursuit, to figure out what it takes to bring their whiskey label to life. Experience the highs, lows, and everything in between from investments, filling barrels, and shipping bottles. Special episodes will feature in-depth tasting notes for single barrel releases. It's your chance to have the first ever inside look into the bourbon business and learn about the whiskey industry with Pursuit Spirits.
Episodes
September 24, 2025 • 51 mins
We are continuing in our Pursuit University discussion we began in Episode 094.
Herb Heneman, now an instructor at the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits at the University of Kentucky, teaches students about marketing and building a spirits brand from the ground up. Both Ryan and Kenny share a connection with Herb, and not long ago he invited Kenny to guest lecture for his class. The session covered a series of insightfu...
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September 10, 2025 • 43 mins
Another year, another festival recap! In this episode of Behind the Pursuit, we share our takeaways from the 2025 Kentucky Bourbon Festival. We dive into how our booth placement shaped the weekend, the activations we brought to the event (and a few others that caught our eye), and the trends we noticed across the festival floor. We also talk about the reception to our expanding lineup, from Cognac Rye to the Mellwood Collection, pl...
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August 27, 2025 • 36 mins
“It’s been a whirlwind.”
After three years of talking about it, we’re finally settling into our new home at 722 W. Main Street in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.
Today, we’re taking you back to that first walk-through in August of 2022, and reflecting on the journey that’s brought us here. From unforgettable experiences to limited releases, and yes, even our own little basement bar for when our wives kick us to the couch, there’s ...
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July 30, 2025 • 33 mins
Herb Heneman, now an instructor at the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits at the University of Kentucky, teaches students about marketing and building a spirits brand from the ground up. Both Ryan and Kenny share a connection with Herb, and not long ago he invited Kenny to guest lecture for his class. The session covered a series of insightful questions about the industry, but unfortunately, it wasn’t recorded. In this tw...
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July 16, 2025 • 34 mins
With the launch of Pursuit Spirits' new Cognac Rye, we're taking a step back to explore the product’s development and the broader journey of experimentation at Pursuit Spirits. From the early days of P.Club to the upcoming gift shop exclusives, we dive into how the brand approaches innovation in a world where opinions on finished whiskeys still vary widely. How do you know when a small-batch test is ready to scale? And in an indust...
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July 2, 2025 • 41 mins
Why do whiskey drinkers chase after marketed checkboxes - like age statements, mash bills, or bottle rarity - that don’t always guarantee quality, while overlooking great-tasting whiskey that may lack the same level of hype? Is the playbook always used? Are there products that break the cycle? What started as a casual conversation turned into today’s episode: a deep dive into the psychology of the whiskey consumer, and whether a bo...
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June 18, 2025 • 31 mins
Another PursuitPalooza is in the books! Each year, the guys host a unique and immersive experience here in town for their listeners and fans. The event includes distillery tours, barrel picks, tastings, and social gatherings from relationships they’ve built over the years of running the podcast. This year, the event featured visits to Angel's Envy, Lux Row, and the new Heaven Hill Springs Distillery. Participants had the opportunit...
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June 4, 2025 • 32 mins
We know - Whiskey Row still isn’t open. But don’t worry, we’re just a “soft 30 days out.” Delays in buildouts are pretty much inevitable, but what does that really mean for the team, the experience, and the products at Pursuit Spirits? In this episode, we dig into how shifting timelines affect more than just the grand opening.
We hit on:
The Current Status of Downtown
Challenges and Delays in the Project
Impact of Dela...
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May 21, 2025 • 42 mins
It's another solo episode today with Ryan, and we dive into the complexities of entrepreneurship, discussing the entrepreneurial mindset, the challenges anxiety can bring, and even the balance between content creation and business realities. We dig into the current state of the whiskey industry, financial stability, and navigating the ups and downs of business ownership. From maintaining a positive mindset to setting achievable g...
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May 7, 2025 • 32 mins
Six months ago (back on Episode 077) we mentioned an upcoming packaging update, one that not only helps us stand out against other brands on the retails shelves but also simplifies the language we use in an effort to help consumers understand our product better. Today we launch that new packaging, and with it comes new 88 proof and cask strength offerings of our classic United Bourbon and Rye. On today's podcast the guys talk about...
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April 23, 2025 • 35 mins
As we’ve seen increased success with Double Oaked, the announcement Mellwood Collection rolling out, and downtown opening in sight - what does it look like when talking about how to distribute products best, especially products that need allocation? Today's episode highlights the challenges of maintaining relationships with distributors while ensuring sales across all products, the complexities of incentivizing sales in the whiskey...
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April 9, 2025 • 43 mins
Tariffs, the pull back of larger brands from International distribution to domestic distribution, shelf space, and the pricing of barrels all make this an interesting time for a brand like Pursuit that sits right in the middle. In this episode we dive into the impact of tariffs on the market, the challenges faced by new brands in a saturated market, the dynamics of barrel prices and consumer trends, the future of bourbon in interna...
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March 26, 2025 • 42 mins
In this episode we welcome Stace Stewart, the new General Manager of Pursuit Spirits, who shares her journey through the restaurant industry, her passion for bourbon, and her experiences in management roles. We dive into her background, the challenges of opening new establishments, the importance of transparency in bourbon branding, and the importance of training staff in spirits knowledge. Stace reflects on her time at various res...
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March 12, 2025 • 38 mins
With so many moving pieces it can be easy to miss the latest with all the things happening behind Pursuit. In today’s episode we run down a series of updates from P. Club to the Mellwood Collection to downtown and what comes next.
We hit on:
Transitioning to Full-Time Pursuit
P-Club Launch and Membership Growth
New Releases from Pursuit Spirits
Exploring Future Product Opportunities
Creative Outlets
Milestones and Celebrat...
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February 26, 2025 • 34 mins
Today on the podcast we introduce you to P.Club - the inner circle of Pursuit Spirits. Ryan has long romanticized about a bourbon version of his beloved Napa Valley wine clubs, and with countless hours behind the scenes he and Kenny have finally unveiled the ultimate all-access pass to all things Pursuit. No secret handshake, just great whiskey. Tune in as we dive into it all.
We hit on:
Why the name P.Club?
what exactly is P....
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February 12, 2025 • 35 mins
Building a team can be hard. Not just finding people who jive with the brand but also passing the baton on responsibilities. In this episode, we discuss the evolution of the team at Pursuit Spirits, the challenges of hiring in the whiskey industry, and the importance of building a strong team culture. We dive into the dynamics of communication within a startup, the significance of defining roles and responsibilities, and the need f...
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January 29, 2025 • 33 mins
How do you balance the 'lifestyle' that is usually portrayed in marketing strategies in the whiskey space and the 'authenticity' the current consumer wants to interact with? On today's episode we break free from some of our earlier conversations on brand strategy and communication that we talked about in Episode 029 and start to focus on narrowed efforts you may have seen in 2024 and ongoing in 2025. Specifically Ryan has been givi...
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January 15, 2025 • 39 mins
As we kick off the new year, we dove right into the topic: what do you think the biggest hurdles in the industry are that will affect the brand in 2025? Ryan & Kenny discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the bourbon industry in 2025. They reflect on the impact of larger distilleries on smaller brands, the shift towards online sales, and the importance of tourism in downtown Louisville. The conversation also touches on the...
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January 1, 2025 • 53 mins
Happy New Year everyone, and welcome to 2025! We are taking the week off for some travel and rest, but will be back at it next episode to talk our goals and predictions for the new year. It's hard to believe we've been doing Behind The Pursuit for almost three years now, so we are jumping back to our first Year End Review episode, Episode 027, where we wrapped up 2022 and look forward to 2023. I love being able to see which goals r...
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December 18, 2024 • 41 mins
While Kenny was out we sit down with Ryan and dive into current blending projects and inventory decisions that have to be made to keep up with current demand. We also reflect on the whiskey industry as a whole in 2024, what some of our favorite pours have been, and the landscape of what other producers are doing help form how he blends or thinks about whiskeys heading into 2025.
We hit on:
How has the PUPS program changed over th...
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