If there’s one thing that the bourbon community can agree on, it’s that bourbon tastes better together. From bottle shares to barrel pick groups to YouTube livestream chats, we’re drawn to each other to compare notes, split pours, and more. A couple times each year, we might make a pilgrimage to our favorite spirit-centric festival, spending a whole weekend indulging in specialty pairing dinners and immersive expert panels as we chat with aficionado friends new and old.
And if you’re among those looking to take your obsession even further? Meet Bourbon Lore, a bourbon lifestyle brand bred of this desire to drink legendary pours in extraordinary places with the people who share your passion.
He’s Your Huckleberry
Founded in 2023 by fifth generation Arizona rancher-turned-antiquer Mason Walker and New York Times writer and leading bourbon author Clay Risen, Bourbon Lore seems almost more a conviction than a company. Listening to the earnest, verbose Walker describe his dream come to life, you may feel a bit like a follower at a whiskey revival church. Walker’s pearl snap shirts, silver smithed turquoise jewelry, and ever-present Pendleton jacket set him apart from the conventional bearded bourbon bros, but don’t let that diminish his authenticity. His first experiences with bourbon were shared with his father, a cowboy slash antique dealer who raised his family in the same building as the antique store.
“Think about American pickers, and what a unique upbringing that might be having that as your home,” Walker remembers. “My father lived as a cowboy, you know, exploring the American West to find the untold stories and treasures of cowboy Americana, native Americana and all the Western kind of goods. I would go out looking for these kinds of treasures with my pops to a cattle ranch, or in some old ghost town, or sitting at somebody’s home, hearing them share their family history and show off unique relics in their home.
“If they were showing you a saddle – it meant something to them that wasn’t just a saddle or it wasn’t just a spur, but it was a piece of their heritage and their legacy in a way where they didn’t want it to just be sold. They wanted that heritage and that legacy to be shared for another generation to come, and it was almost like they were entrusting Paul Walker and Country Emporium with being able to carry that heritage and that legacy forward for another generation when it came to this respective saddle and to where it would end up next. And these legacies would be shared while sipping on a little Jim Beam, a little Wild Turkey, or a little Jack Daniels. So that journey for me, seeing that spark that you have when you’re able to share a spirit with somebody and create a new friend and a new character in your chapter was really meaningful to me.”
Those relics – and those bottles – held intangible meaning more than physical value to Walker. He eventually left the family business, marrying his high school sweetheart Ashley and moving with her to the Pacific Northwest. It was there that he began his deep dive into the lore of American Whiskey.
“One fateful evening in 2012, at Urban Farmer Steakhouse in downtown Portland, I had a defining moment in my journey. The general manager knew that I enjoyed sipping on some Bourbon and enjoyed my Manhattans, and he told me he had this bottle that he thought I should taste a little pour from.
“He poured me a rye that absolutely blew my mind, and I never experienced something that was so extraordinary from the overall aroma to the first palate experience, with the absolute fireworks that were going off, to the finish that left me hanging for what felt like minutes, enjoying was something that I never thought was possible in an American whiskey pour. That pour turned out to be a Rittenhouse 21-Year Rye. I had no idea what Rittenhouse was at that point in time in my bourbon journey, but I knew that I was in love.”
That pour spurred a collection so large that Ashley once told him that he and the bottles would both be moving to the garage if it kept growing. The collection took on a life of its own – Walker remembers sharing pours with guests at their dinner parties, telling stories about Prohibition and his favorite distilleries, making impressions that transcended the typical table talk. In the stories of American Whiskey, he found profound connections with both his companions and the bottles they drank. Walker set to organizing and photographing this substantive collection. It was only the first step of Bourbon Lore, but Walker knew that there was more to come.
In 2021, the Walkers decided that they were ready for a change of pace. They sold their house, packed up their four children, and embarked on an epic road trip, encompassing 40,000 miles, 23 national parks, and 11 states.
“During that adventure, I turned 40, and I started doing a little bit more of that soul searching. What was it that I was seeking in my forties that maybe I haven’t yet accomplished in my thirties or my twenties?” Walker asked himself.
That same month, across the country on the east coast, Wild Turkey expert and blogger David Jennings happened to mention Walker and his Bourbon Lore collection to his friend Clay Risen. The three got together in early 2023 to dream up what would become the world’s first luxury American whiskey lifestyle brand, encompassing not only the collection, but extraordinary destination experiences, bespoke one-of-one releases, and unique membership offerings. They kicked off in September 2023 with a simple Instagram post – and now, they’ve begun to bring these dreams to reality.
“What’s Bourbon Lore?”
While hashtags and pics from their tight-knit crew may dominate corners of bourbon Instagram, some onlookers are still confused as to what the group really does. That’s understandable – because in the bourbon world, there’s never been anything like this.
The first look into Bourbon Lore arrived via Walker’s cleanly photographed collection, showcasing some of the rarest bottles of all time. Like flipping through the Macy’s catalog at Christmas, bourbon lovers are able to scroll through the gallery, ranging from Prohibition pints to Black Maple Hill to dusty Wild Turkey and more. This collection is the cornerstone for both the experiences and the newer Bourbon Lore releases. It’s from these bottles that Walker will pour during the extravagant trips around the country, and to these bottles he looks when drawing inspiration for the group’s next steps.
The first bottles from this collection were shared in November of 2023, when Bourbon Lore took their big ideas for their first test drive. Twenty of the biggest names in bourbon, from bloggers to distillers to collectors, gathered in Scottsdale for the inaugural Legends Experience. Videos showed the crew boarding private jets, opening a 16-Year A.H. Hirsch on the rim of the Grand Canyon, pouring a 24-Year Martin Mills in a stuccoed, mission-style mansion, and sampling cocktails and appetizers from bartenders and chefs most have only seen on TV. From guided museum tours to custom-branded Tecovas, Walker showed his guests the best that Scottsdale had to offer.
The public finally got their first taste of the hype in March of this year with the group’s first release, a custom 18-barrel blend released in collaboration with Ben Holladay Distillery in Missouri, at the palatable price of just $99. The blend was crafted by Walker, Risen (now co-founder of the brand), Jennings (officially now the Bourbon Lore Content Director), Emerson Shotwell (Bourbon Lore Creative Director), and Ryan Alves, General Manager at Justins’ House of Bourbon and Bourbon Outfitter. Its hotly anticipated arrival saw 50,000 fans clamoring for one of the 3,900 bottles. Another release was announced just this week, this time a 17-Year Mizunara finished bourbon crafted in collaboration with The Woodwork Collective, and half a dozen more are already in the works.
So what is Bourbon Lore? It’s the collection, the releases, the travel, the friendships, the pours, and more. Put simply, it’s the expedition to the edge of what bourbon has to offer – past, present, and future.
A New World of Whiskey Trips
For those looking to join this expedition, Bourbon Lore recently announced a Luxury Whiskey Experience lineup, with trips to Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Bardstown, Kentucky; and Scottsdale, Arizona. The events are a celebration of not only bourbon, but of both the journey and the destination.
The offerings start with their Enthusiast Experience in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It’s one perfect day in the Grand Tetons (choose July 19th or July 20th, 2024), with a cost of $5,000 per guest. It features cowboy hat crafting, mustang trail riding, and of course, plenty of rare whiskey tasting with venues from Grand Teton National Park itself to the famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. These guests will also be the first to taste and own the Woodwork Collective Mizunara collaboration, and receive other surprise gifts along the way.
If you’re looking to dive a little deeper into bourbon history, join Walker and co. for the Champion Experience in Bardstown, Kentucky from October 25th through the 27th, 2024. At a cost of $10,000 per guest, this trip has an absolute showstopper of a centerpiece – for the first time ever, the famed Heaven Hill Old Bernheim Distillery will open its doors to visitors, exclusively to guests of Bourbon Lore. You’ll not only gain entry to the powerhouse property behind some of bourbon’s most legendary bottles, but also try barrels no bourbon fan alive has ever tasted.
“This more than a barrel pick and a hardhat tour,” says Walker. “We’ll be touring Old Bernheim, and it’s not something that’s open to the public or even to employees – there’s only 8 people inside of Heaven Hill that have access to Old Bernheim. Connor Driscoll, the master distiller and Bernie Lubbers, the amazing brand ambassador of Heaven Hill, are going to be hosting our guests for a private experience, going through rick houses and pulling samples from some of the oldest barrels at Old Bernheim, dusting off the cobwebs and really diving in.”
This is just one glimpse of the two-day trip, surrounded by activities that range from poolside tastings at your boutique hotel in nearby Louisville to a dinner at a stunning Thoroughbred horse farm prepared by the famous Chef Ed Lee. Along the way, guests will enjoy rare offerings from Heaven Hill from both today and before their devastating fire, including Rittenhouse 25, the big brother to the pour that started it all for Walker. They’ll also have the exclusive opportunity to create a Heaven Hill expression with the team, complete with a custom label and available only to the Bourbon Lore guests who created it.
Their third upcoming experience will be next year, the Legends Experience in Scottsdale, Arizona, running from November 14th to 16th, 2025. At a price tag of $25,000 per person, guests would expect top-shelf luxury – and Bourbon Lore delivers. From five-star lodging in mountainside casitas to private flights over some of the most gorgeous views in the world, guests will be swept off their feet with plenty of multi-course meals and rare bourbon pairings along the way.
Guests to the Scottsdale 2025 experience will also be granted access to their own Pride of Anderson County release with Rare Character and RareBird 101, crafted from the shortest barrel of the lot. As for vintage tastings, Walker reaches deep into his collection for this event, promising pours from a 1909 Old Overholt Rye, a 1960s 12-Year Very Very Old Fitzgerald, a Michter’s 25-Year Rye, and more, all enjoyed against the stunning backdrop of Arizona’s multitude of mountain ranges with famed members of the American whiskey industry.
“There’s an extraordinary level of natural beauty associated the American West, with the Sonoran Desert, the Grand Canyon, the red rocks of Sedona. And you have this amazing native culture that’s been here for tens of thousands of years between the Hopi and the Anasazi and the Pueblos, and now the 20 plus native tribes that we have today in this state. When you add this whole element of the kind of cowboy Western American culture that is here in Arizona, we’re incorporating all 3 of those extraordinary pieces together to create a world exclusive American whiskey destination experience known as the Bourbon Lore Legends Experience, right here in Scottsdale.”
A separate Scottsdale experience, launching the Bourbon Lore book, will take place this fall, with details to follow.
Although the destinations, activities, and pours for each experience differ wildly, Walker sees a thread of commonality that runs through them all.
“There are three core elements for me for each experience. First, there is the overall destination, and where you are, and how can you take in that destination in an amazing way? There’s the culture and community associated with that destination that I think enriches the experience, if you can find a way to be able to incorporate it in a thoughtful way.
“Second, there’s the actual expressions themselves – the bottles and the product and the love affair, including the releases that we have happening. Guests will have the opportunity to try limited releases from a distillery, like the Old Fitzgerald 25th Anniversary from Heaven Hill. They’ll also be able to open bottles from the Bourbon Lore collection to kind of go back in time and find those great treasures and relics of whiskey generations from the past. And most impressively, one of the most beautiful things we want to do with Bourbon Lore is create a new chapter of lore in American whiskey. We’ll be curating a one-of-one expression with our guests and these partner distilleries that is being uniquely and exclusively released with them and for them.
“Third, at our experiences, we aim to create a truly immersive and unforgettable journey. As part of this, each event will feature honorary guests who will bring their own unique stories our destination and share exclusive Bourbon Lore offerings, adding depth and richness to the attendees’ experience. At our November event, for example, Cody Sanderson, a world-renowned Navajo silversmith, will join our guests. Cody began silversmithing in 2001, and since then, he has gained world recognition for his exquisite pieces. With Cody’s presence, attendees will have the opportunity to witness his craftsmanship firsthand and learn about the evolution of silversmithing.”
Find Your Lore
Walker and his team aren’t slowing down with the collection, the releases, or the experiences. They plan to open membership applications this fall, accepting just 50 members for the 2025 calendar year.
But if exclusive travel and membership clubs are outside your budget, don’t fret. You can still experience the magic of Bourbon Lore through their public offerings. Walker hopes to introduce two new bottles to the world every year, and has both heritage distilleries and newer craft brands already in line to craft these special expressions with the Bourbon Lore team. Their website specifically teases Bardstown Bourbon Company as their next public launch later this fall.
To Walker, these custom releases are the through line from his collection to the future of the bourbon world.
“I love history, I love folklore, and I love community, and that’s what my journey is about – understanding and appreciating where those before us have been. What are some incredible chapters of lore that should be shared and continue to be shared? And how do you create a community where you invest and give freely to share what you’re passionate about? So when you look at Bourbon Lore and our releases, we are wanting to ensure that for the fans and the enthusiasts out there,” he explains.
“There’s a level of commitment that we’re going to help curate one-of-one impressions that are truly unique, special and meaningful that tell the story of American whiskey and tell the story of the distilleries that we collaborate with, but also extraordinary in a way where the taste experience and the palate experience of each release is hopefully equal to the history and the lore associated with that release. We may not get it right all the time, but you know we’re going to do everything we can to try to get that combination to be in perfect symmetry.”
Want to talk to the Bourbon Lore team about upcoming trips, membership, and more? Reach out here!
