There are times when celebrities just slap their name on a bottle or buy a distillery and there are others when it is obvious that the celebrity is actually a partner with the distillery to create something new and unique. That's the case with Matthew McConaughey and Wild Turkey Bourbon. 

Bourbon is one of my favorite spirits. This is in large part because of the personalities behind the barrel and how genuine the industry is at the very core. While certainly, the spirits industry as a whole is extremely generous in supporting causes and people, Wild Turkey as a brand has always impressed me with how authentic they are. This includes efforts ranging from simply handing out turkeys to folks so they could have a great holiday meal to larger efforts like this one honoring local legends in Austin, Chicago, Dallas, and New Orleans.

Occasionally you get the chance to try a spirit so impressive that you realize just how great the industry is right now. It's not just refinement of a single style but innovation that makes the whiskey world so exciting. We got a chance to try a review sample of Angel's Envy Cask Strength 2020 - bourbon finished in port barrels. Here are our thoughts...

It’s been 50 years since Jockey Diane Crump became the first female to ride in The Kentucky Derby® -- and this year’s Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep Cup program celebrates that milestone. 

Wild Turkey has a great distillery experience that is also one of the newest. Visitors will get a chance to go "Behind the Barrel" like I did as their guest, but in a much abbreviated fashion. However, for bourbon fans this is a great opportunity to learn, taste, smell, and see one of the greatest bourbons in the country right now.

Last week I had the privilege of joining Wild Turkey for a "Behind the Barrel" experience touring not just their distillery, but some of their partners including Vendome Copper & Brass Works and Independent Stave Company. During this tour, my eyes were opened wide to how complex the science and art of making great whiskey can be. While I knew that the mash bill and number of years aging in the barrel had a big say in how whiskey tastes, there's a whole lot more than that!

This evening, the air is cold and blowing a through a sky broken by large clouds. Inside, my fireplace and kitchen stove churn with heat enough to warm my home, but I’m left wanting warmth that only comfort food can provide – and well, a comforting drink too.

Shopping for our wives and mothers is tough and if you are like me, it is often super easy to transpose what "you want" with what "she wants". 

With the Kentucky Derby almost upon us, it's time to break out our julep cups, crush some ice and mix up some awesome cocktails so we forget how silly those women look wearing their derby hats!

Ok guys, I've shared some easy recipes here in the past and there's something to be said for a cocktail recipe that can be shared in 3-4 lines. However, sometimes it's good to try something a little more advanced and that's what I have to share with you today from our friends at Basil Hayden's, part of the Beam Small Batch Collection.

You've been to beer fests and wine festivals but there aren't that many spirits festivals that are open to the public unfortunately. If you are a fan of spirits and craft cocktails it seems that you're passion is best explored at a bar buying expensive cocktails and new liquors only to find out that you made an expensive mistake and are forced to either finish or let it go to waste.

The San Diego Spirits Festival on the other hand offers new as well as seasoned fans a chance to explore spirits brand new to the market as well as celebrate with friends over tasters of familiar friends like Don Julio, Stoli, and Woodford Reserve. 

I love to drink bourbon, the sweet brown spirit that tastes so good in a rocks glass or mixed together with other ingredients to form a delicious old fashioned, a whiskey sour, or a mint julep. But bourbon also works great with cooking and baking too and luckily I am not alone in my love for exploring the application of bourbon with preparing food, so I did a quick roundup of some of my favorite recipes that include bourbon in them!

The first is my all time favorite recipe featuring bourbon! It is a recipe forWhiskey, Caramel, Marshmallow, and Bacon Bark from Endless Simmer.

I actually discovered this on Pinterest and have made it several times since then. Unfortunately I am not as clever of a cook as they are but the nice thing about this recipe is that even if you have some extra crystals in the caramel or you make the chocolate too thick or the bourbon infused marshmallows are too runny... don't worry! It always tastes great! 

While deserts are great, Bourbon is a fantastic ingredient to use when creating the ultimate glaze for pretty much any protein you can imagine. In this case, we LOVE this recipe for Maple-bourbon Glazed Chicken Wings from Yummly.

As we continue our tour of mixing bourbon and proteins you can't miss the iconicBourbon Chicken with this recipe I found on Yummly.  

This recipe for Bourbon Glazed Salmon that I found on Yummly and hammers home the point that bourbon makes a remarkably find ingredient to put on just about any kind of grilled protein! 

Let's end this roundup with some delicious Bourbon Banana Bread from Smitten Kitchen.

 NOTE: image credits are from the linked-to website below the image. If you are the owner and would like me to remove the image and link, please let me know and we will remove it immediately.

Ok ladies - you tell us how hard it is to find a great present for us for Christmas, birthday etc. I got a great lead for you - Mantry! While Valentine's Gift giving is usually pretty one directional (with hope of getting something back later that night...) it's ok for you to send us gifts and surprise us too.