Jennifer Brian Events is thrilled to offer private, in-home bourbon tastings.  Want to expand your knowledge of bourbon and taste some amazing things in the process?  Interested in spicing up your holiday party or gathering?  Let our Executive Bourbon Stewards guide you through all of the ins and outs of what makes bourbon so special.  From beginners to experts, we will make the evening an unforgettable experience.  

Already know what you like?  Our hard-to-find and rare bourbon tastings are sure to make your event the highlight of the season.  Contact us today and let us show you what we love about Bourbon. 

We celebrated the scary with an appropriately terrifying bar for Halloween and a delicious new fall cocktail, The Root of All Evil, courtesy of thewhiskeyscout and Ben Carpenter.  Check them out for all of the lovely recipe details.  And be prepared to make them all night long.

The hosts for this Halloween spectacular live on THE HALLOWEEN STREET in Louisville.  Their house theme is all things Voodoo and Bayou.  From witches around cauldrons to frogs and toads and snakes adorning the railings and fence, we needed to carry the theme throughout the house.  What better way than with a potion and poison bar?

Skull bourbon bottle courtesy of Steven G Cheek Ceramics

Antique apothecary jars courtesy of Crescent Hill Trading Co.

Dry ice smoked and fell throughout the evening in cold fog curtains and the sound of the ice "boiling" added to the effect. 

We made batch after batch of the cocktail and it was the perfect balance of bourbon and fall spice while we watched the thousands of trick or treaters line the street.  We can safely say even though the costumes are put away for another year, that cocktail isn't going anywhere for some time.  Cheers to autumn, friends!  

Every year when September rolls around, casks of aged, amber deliciousness are emptied, bottled and released to the eagerly awaiting public.  Bourbon Heritage month isn't just a name, it's a culture (damn near religion) here in the great state of Kentucky.   We spend the entire month visiting all of the area liquor stores, chatting up our favorite proprietors about what lovely bottles are coming in and what it will cost us to get our hands on the most coveted bottles.  

WHAT SHOULD I BE DRINKING?

Granted, Pappy VanWinkle is the holy grail of bourbon, but accessibility is much of the game this month and, quite frankly, there are so many delicious bottles for much less money.  If you will only have one bottle of bourbon on your bar for the rest of time, that 20 year old would be the one.  But if you want some variety and would like a few bottles on the bar, leave the Pappy to the winds of fate and experiment with all of the great bottles coming out every year that are much more accessible.

Knowing what you like in a whiskey will guide your purchases.  Like your bourbon hotter on the front end?  Like a longer finish?  Living for the vanilla-caramel-butterscotch flavor?  Like a leather or tobacco nose to it?  Taste as often and as many as you can until you know what you love.  Bourbon bars are a great way to do that.  Our local bourbon bar scene is an ideal place to have a flight and experiment.  Or call on us at JBE to come and do some in home tasting parties.  We recommend staying within a budget while you figure out what needs permanent places on your bar.  There are dozens of delicious bourbons for well under $60 a bottle.  Don't be afraid to experiment with the less expensive bottles.  If they aren't fit to drink neat, you have a new well bourbon for mixing cocktails. 

Here are our favorite special releases so far this month at JBE.  

OLD FORESTER BIRTHDAY BOURBON

Each year on September 2nd, in honor of their founder George Garvin Brown’s birthday, Old Forester releases a limited-edition, 12-year old vintage-dated expression.   It was the third release of this special bourbon and it has proven to be a home run each and every year of its release.  Beautiful nose of tobacco and oak, a sweet vanilla flavor, and a dry, nutty finish.  This is certainly one of our top picks of the month.   

MICHTER'S TOASTED BARREL FINISH BOURBON

This bourbon is made by taking Michter’s US 1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon and then aging it for an additional period in a second custom made barrel. This second barrel is assembled from 18-month air dried wood and then toasted but not charred.  The result is a bourbon with depth and complexity to it.  Front end of cinnamon and candied fruit with a finish that is all sweetness with vanilla, caramel and even some toasted marshmallow.  A delicious first release of this bourbon.  We hope it is added to their lineup for a yearly release.

W.L. WELLER 12 YR SPECIAL RESERVE

We are big fans of Buffalo Trace Distillery here at JBE.  I haven't had one single bourbon that they produce (and their are quite a few) that I don't love.  The Weller line is no exception.  This bourbon uses wheat instead of Rye in it's mash and the result is a smooth, sultry whiskey.  This bourbon has a sweet vanilla front end with butterscotch and some smoke on the tongue.  It finishes with caramel and honeysuckle.  Don't even hesitate on anything Weller.  

Old Forester 1897

100 Proof

While this is the second Old Fo on the list, this bourbon was a big surprise for me this season and it has grown on me the more I drink it.  This 100 proof is the second release in the Old Forester Whiskey Row Series specially crafted to honor the U.S. Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. After the U.S. Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 to be labeled as Bottled in Bond, whisky must be the product of one distillation season, one distiller and from one distillery. This bourbon has lots of front end heat with a long butterscotch finish.  It is one of the biggest bourbons on the list and if you like a big bourbon this is certainly one for your collection.

  We love so many things about bourbon.  It is a marriage of personal taste, tradition, history, and the craft of the best master distillers in the business.  It is a great adventure to begin and a wonderful tradition to continue if you are already a fan.

Want some help navigating the world of bourbon?  Contact us and let us help you host a tasting of your own.

La Samanna Beach, St. Maarten, West Indies

The differences between being a tourist and a traveller are nuanced.  We have found a big deciding factor in that is in the planning of a vacation.  Whether it is multiple weeks on the beach, travelling to another continent to sightsee, a weekend away with the girls, or a romantic getaway for two, having some details in place for your getaway sets up the trip for huge success rather than leaving it all to chance.

The planning can become challenging if you don't know what to see or where the best places are to eat or even which hotels offer the best packages for your interests.  It becomes even more challenging if you truly want to experience a place and have no idea where to start.  This is when it is great to have a travel ally; someone who knows the ins and outs of the city and can help you navigate the perfect vacation for you.   More than simply a travel agent, we are curators of experiences and want our clients not to just see the sights, but truly experience the best of all that the local culture of a place has to offer.

Everyone's perfect vacation is different and we are committed to helping you find out what makes your trip exactly right for you.  From action packed sailing vacations, to Derby week packages that include backside access, fantastic parties, and millionaire row seats, to spa weekend getaways that indulge and pamper, to a fall festival weekend with amazing food, distillery tours, and rare bourbons, to art filled mountain vacations, we will plan every detail for you so that all you need to do is show up and be whisked away to the vacation of a lifetime.

Backside in the Horse Barns at Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY

The Barn restaurant at Blackberry Farms, Great Smoky Mountains, TN

Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY

The Paddock, Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY

The Bascom Art Center, Highlands, NC

West Baden Hotel and Spa, French Lick, IN 

Stone walls on the way to Frankfort, KY

The Bourbon Festival, Bardstown, KY

Let us help plan your next getaway and you will wonder how you ever managed to simply be a tourist when there is so much more to experience as a traveller.  

We love our downtown weddings here at JBE!  This one was especially beautiful with a bride and groom that could've been on a magazine cover they were so gorgeous!  The event took place at the Marcus Lindsey in Downtown Louisville and was such a fun day!

The ceremony took place outside in the courtyard.

Sugar Woods magical confection creation.

We are fortunate enough to work with amazing vendors and this day was no exception.  Louisville's own Don't Forget the Flowers provided stunning arrangements for the wedding day both on the tables and pergola. 

 Porcelain bells handmade by the groom's mother were placed at every place setting and rang out beautifully throughout the night after toasts, dances, and kisses.

 The rehearsal dinner was at a great downtown spot as well in the Bourbon Barrel Lounge of the BBC.  The evening was full of friends and family, great food and cocktails.

Rehearsal Dinner Flowers by Jennifer Brian Events

The Boys

Lounge area seating.

Bourbon Barrel Lounge, BBC, Louisville, KY

The Girls with the Happy Couple
 

Wishing all of the new brides and grooms from this summer years of happiness and laughter together!!