Did you ever have one of those nights when a dinner invite turned into a blossoming business opportunity?

This east coast whiskey lover was traveling through the heart of bourbon country on a road trip. I knew I’d be near Louisville on my way to Nashville, and reached out to the founder of the Whisky Chicks, Linda Ruffenach, to invite her to lunch or dinner that Friday.   After stopping for a quick visit to the oldest distillery in America, Buffalo Trace, (and stashing a bottle of Eagle Rare bourbon in the car, taking a bit of Louisville back home to Rhode Island)  I met Linda at a lovely bar and enjoyed conversation over appetizers and good Old Fashioned cocktails.  There was so much energy around our discussion to expand the popular brands Linda and her husband, Fred, had built.  The Whisky Chicks social club. Her new book, ‘How to Be a Bourbon Badass’,  his website, Bourbon Basics.  They had a lot of momentum, and were ready for national expansion.  We continued the conversation into the night, and took them up on the offer to take part in a VIP tasting she was hosting at a food and music festival the next day.

With Fred as our camera man, we shot this Facebook Live video, exploring five bourbons from Fred’s global collection.  She has so much knowledge to offer, and made me realize that even though I had a lot to learn, it was okay to start my journey at the beginning.  There is no way you can do it wrong – unless you miss your mouth, I suppose.

Thanks for being a gentle guide as we all step into the bourbon classroom, Linda.  I look forward to many more lessons, and hope they are all as fun as this one!