Hey, I'm now a Certified Bourbon Steward!

Something I've wanted to do for a few years just happened. You can thank COVID-19 for my having time and opportunity to finally sit down and get this done. I'm now officially a Stave & Thief Society Certified Bourbon Steward. 

What, pray tell, is a Certified Bourbon Steward?  The program was developed in 2012 by Moonshine University "to promote and uphold Kentucky's distinguished Bourbon culture and to set the standard for the authentic Bourbon experience through premier training and education."

The course was fun, and even with my background, I walked away learning something new. I've discovered along the course of my life that no matter how much knowledge you have about something, there is almost always more to learn.

Strangely enough, the part of the exam that made me nervous was the flight creation, tasting notes, and justifying the reason for creating the flight. Let's get real, I plan out tasting flights for my whiskey workshops and I write whiskey reviews. It should have been a cinch, right? Yet, I'd never really been judged on my reasons why I put a flight together, and no one ever graded me on tasting notes. They're just something I do.

If you're curious, I decided to do a vertical flight of Evan Williams.  With all the Bourbons I have in my library, for whatever reason, those bottles screamed out at me.  The flight consisted of the Green, Black, White, and Red labels.   

I was very excited when I received the results a few days after the exam, particularly what I was stressed over:  

The focus a single-producer flight can have is stunning, and an eye-opening experience for some. In this instance, this flight resolves any question in your guest’s mind as to what happens in the barrel – the evidence is right in front of them. Good nosing & tasting notes, too – nicely done. 

There are additional classes offered and I'll be continuing my education.  If you're interested in learning more about the Stave & Thief Society, you can visit them at the Stave & Thief website.  I hope to see you as a fellow Steward, cheers!