At Rock on the Range with all the black leather and denim, spikes and studs, ripped t-shirts and bikini tops there’s a seemingly anomaly. A gentleman in a nice jacket with a silk cravat carrying a beautiful case of hidden treasures. Why is he here? What’s in that case? He stops at a table next to me to talk to a radio dj. I eavesdrop and learn that he’s a whiskey expert. Why wasn’t this job mentioned at my highschool job fair?
I was privileged to talk to Fred Minnik, the Whiskey Guy. He’s a whiskey connoisseur, bourbon guru, and all around expert on whiskey. He’s written books about whiskey, he gives lectures and talks about it. Danny Wimmer Presents contacted him to get involved with Bourbon & Beyond. This guy has some juice.
The Rock Pit: How did you get involved with Bourbon & Beyond?
Fred Minnick: How did I get involved with Bourbon & Beyond? I’m a bourbon critic, bourbon author, bourbon historian and anytime someone gets into the bourbon space, they almost always reach out to me. There are a handful of us that are independent, so it’s a small community. Danny Wimmer seen me speak about bourbon. reached out to me about Bourbon & Beyond and asked if I’d like to be a part of it. At first, I was busy. I wasn’t really feeling it. They brought to Rock on the Range, showed me around, said this is what they could do for bourbon. I was, “You’ll be great for bourbon.” I truly believe what Danny Wimmer is doing for bourbon, is what bourbon needs to take it to the next level.
TRP: How did you become the bourbon expert? Can you tell us your history?
FM: It’s a lot of the right time, right place. I also worked my ass off. It all started about 13 years ago when I came home from Iraq. I took a job being a food editor that lead to writing about bourbon. It just kind of took off and one thing lead to another. I started writing books. People started requesting my time to drink with them. So, sometimes people paid me to drink with them.
TRP: You have the ultimate job Fred. (laughter)
FM: You’d think that, but you have to press on the liver sometimes. Ikid. I pinch myself everyday. I cannot believe I’m doing what I’m doing.
TRP: I can’t say that I’m a whiskey connoisseur (Fred raises glass “Cheers.” We drink) in that I drink a lot of them. Being a rocker, I’m a Jack Daniels guy. They’re calling Jack & Coke a Lemmy these days.
FM: Jack is great. It has a place in every whiskey bar.
TRP: Jack gives you the Grrr face. This does not. You can let it sit and not be ‘Oh my god I need to swallow.’ So, how is it different? This is Larceny, isn’t it?
FM: No, it’s actually Henry McKenna. Every distillery is different. Every distillery has its own processes. There’s an artistry to it. Everyone develops its own flavor profile. A lot of people think bourbon taste like bourbon. It’s very unique in that 2 different distilleries could use the same recipe and everything and yet they taste completely different. It could be the still equipment, how long they cook the grain, it could be the yeast. They are so many variables.
TRP: So, it’s truly an art.
FM: It really is. A lot of these guys have been in business for over 100 years. So, their art is more process, but there is still artistry involved.
TRP: So Ollie said this is a wheat whiskey? (Ollie, his assistant shared one with me) How are they different?
FM: No, that was a bourbon and rye. So, to be bourbon it has to be predominately corn, at 51% corn. After that they will add either wheat or rye. Those are called the flavor grains. What we’re tasting here is rye.
TRP: I usually don’t like ryes.
FM: It’s not a rye whiskey per say. This is about 70-75% corn, 12% rye a very small percent compared to a rye, the rest is barley. That’s just a part of it. There’s the distillation technique. Putting it into a new charred oak barrel, and how long its aged and stored in the warehouse.
TRP: We’re going to take a left turn, but still in your history. You mentioned Iraq. Do you mind talking about that to add to your backstory to add to your journey? Thank you for your service.
FM: I was a soldier and I got sent to Iraq in 2003. I served and then came home in 2005 and moved to Kentucky to be with the woman who is now my wife. I was drinking bourbon before than but not in the same way as I do now. It was more in the rock and roll fashion(hearty laugh).
TRP: You started with the rock and roll style of drinking. Then became the connoisseur. Now you’re getting back into music. Now with this marriage of bourbon and music with Bourbon & Beyond, can you expand on that?
FM: When we think about what we taste, we usually just think about 2 senses, the smell and the taste. But no one ever talks about what you hear and what you feel. I believe there’s a level of artistry in the music. And there’s artistry in the whiskey. You put those 2 together. Listening to your favorite song, drinking your favorite whiskey, an amazing kind of composition in your soul just kind of happens. And so, it’s little bit of that.
There are artists I can’t stand and I’m drinking and the whiskey taste like ass.
TRP: All the senses will colour the experience.
FM: To me, music is an experience and whiskey is an experience. All I’m trying to do is bring bourbon full circle in people’s experience. Responsibly of course.
TRP: So, is Bourbon & Beyond going to be just whiskey and music? What else will be happening?
FM: Along with the music (the line up) I’ve curated 30 workshops so you can learn more about bourbon. There will be many tastings, celebrity chefs, and many other things. You will have a great time.
As Fred left, he topped off my whiskey. He’s a class act. If you’re interested whiskey go to his Facebook, Twitter, Website, and Bourbon & Beyond.
