Memorial Day, MGP, and the Great Bourbon Shell Game 🥃🔥

💥 Opening Pour

Memorial Day weekend always brings out the good bottles. Somebody fires up the grill, somebody tells the same war story twice, and somebody inevitably says, “This is the best bourbon money can buy.” 😄

A few summers ago, my buddy Chuck handed me two glasses on his back porch in Kentucky. One tasted sweet and smooth. The other hit like black pepper and campfire smoke. I guessed two different distilleries.

Chuck nearly spit out his bourbon laughing.

📖 The Story

“Same distillery,” he said.

Same state. Same warehouse. Maybe even filled the same week.

That’s when he taught me one of the biggest secrets in bourbon.

Most people think every label means a different whiskey. Truth is, a huge amount of bourbon in America comes from just a handful of distilleries. One of the biggest players is MGP Ingredients.

For years, MGP quietly made whiskey used by dozens of brands.

Some bottles cost $40.

Others cost $140.

Some call themselves “craft.”

Some wear fancy labels and wax tops like royalty headed to a barbecue.

Meanwhile, the whiskey inside may have started life exactly the same.

Now before bourbon lovers riot in the comments, let me say this clearly:

That does NOT mean they taste the same.

Not even close.

Here’s why:

• Barrel location changes flavor

• Age changes texture

• Proof changes spice

• Barrel selection changes personality

• Blending changes everything

One brand may choose sweet vanilla-heavy barrels.

Another may chase bold oak and cinnamon spice.

That’s why two bourbons from the same source can drink like completely different animals.

And honestly, there’s something fitting about this lesson landing on Memorial Day weekend.

Because bourbon, like America, is layered.

Built from tradition.

Shaped by time.

And full of stories most folks never hear. 🇺🇸🥃

🥇 The Weekly Pour

Bottle: Horse Soldier Signature Small Batch Bourbon

Price: ~$90

Proof: 95

Age: 8 years

Nose: Warm caramel, toasted oak, vanilla bean, and a little baked apple 🍎

Palate: Rich honey, cinnamon, brown sugar, and soft leather

Finish: Long, smooth, slightly smoky with gentle spice

✅ Veteran-owned distillery founded by former U.S. Special Forces soldiers 🇺🇸
✅ Big flavor without overwhelming heat
✅ Perfect Memorial Day porch pour

🛒 Buy it now → Horse Soldier Signature Small Batch Bourbon ($89.99)

🍹The Art of Mixing

Bourbon Lemon Tea 🍋🥃

Easy. Cold. Porch-approved.

Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon

• Sweet tea

• Fresh lemon juice

• Lemon wheel

Why it works:
Smooth bourbon + sweet tea feels like summer in a glass.

🍖 Flavor Pairing Picks

What I’m having this Memorial Day weekend: 

🍔 Smashburgers on the flat top — Crispy edges, melted American cheese, and bourbon caramel notes are a match made in heaven

🌽 Street corn with chili lime butter — The sweet corn and spice pull out the whiskey’s vanilla and oak beautifully

💨 Padron 2000 Maduro — Rich cocoa, espresso, and pepper notes make every sip taste deeper and darker

🍑 Grilled peaches with honey drizzle — Warm fruit and bourbon belong together like summer and country music 😄

🧠 Big Lesson of the Week

The best bourbon drinkers stop chasing labels and start chasing flavor.

A fancy bottle can tell a good story.

But your palate tells the truth. 🥃

🥂 Final Toast

To the soldiers we remember, the stories we share, and the whiskey poured slow enough to appreciate both. 🇺🇸🥃

🥃 Repeatable Proverb

Good bourbon comes from barrels. Great bourbon comes from patience.

📖 The Whiskey Journal Is Here

For those of us who believe every bottle tells a story worth writing down.

I finally released The Art of the Pour Official Whiskey Tasting Journal—the same one I use to jot down:

🖋️ Tasting notes, barrel picks, and “finally cracked it open” moments
🗓️ First pours with friends
🧠 Thoughts that hit halfway through a good pour

🎁 And because I love a good surprise, I’m throwing in a free printable Whiskey Tasting Wheel—yep, the one folks keep asking about from past newsletters.

Already a subscriber? You’re first in line.
👉 Get the Journal + Free Whiskey Wheel

Now Its Your Turn

What’s one bourbon that surprised you once you learned where it was sourced from? 😄

Reply back and tell me.

Or better yet:

🥃 Save this newsletter for your next bottle hunt
📬 Share it with the friend who thinks every “small batch” bourbon comes from a tiny cabin in the woods
⭐ Or send me your favorite Memorial Day weekend pour

Cheers to long weekends, heavy pours, and bottles worth remembering,

Ethan “Neat” Whitmore

P.S. Next week, I’m opening the vault on “allocated bourbon” and revealing why some bottles disappear instantly while others mysteriously sit collecting dust. 👀🔥