Special Events

Bourbon Eclipse Of the Sun

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April 12, 2024
By Wayne McBrayer

Rebecca and I woke up early Monday morning with work to do.  I had 2 houses to clean and Rebecca had work for Purdue Global.  We both saw that David Meier, the owner of Glenns Creek Distillery, was looking to go to Bloomington with Vicki to watch the eclipse and wanted to see if anyone was willing to have them join their viewing party.  We tagged David in a post and messaged him explaining that coming to where we live in Newburgh, Indiana would be an easier drive for the both of them and we would experience totality.  He accepted our invite and we were excited to host them.

David and Vicki arrived from Frankfort, KY about 12:30 and we invited them onto the deck of our dock at the lake to taste bourbon and watch the eclipse slowly happen.  We started off with the Casey Jones Eclipse Cask and it was outstanding!  David commented that “this is really good,” and we agreed that it was outstanding.  

David had brought us a thank you gift for inviting them to join us – a bottle of their OCD #5 Premium hand filtered bottle. Obviously, we decided to taste and enjoy that during the eclipse as well.  It was a butterscotch bomb and quite honestly one of the best bourbons/whiskeys I have ever had the pleasure of tasting.  It was an incredible experience to drink it with the person who made it and David explained the process of how it came about.  The story is on the side of the bottle, but to hear David talk about it was so awesome.

Vicki & David
Wayne & Rebecca

Not long after this, the total eclipse took place.  For 3 minutes and 10 seconds, everything went dark and got cool.  It was a breathtaking experience that I’m blessed to have been there to see with my wife and our friends Dave and Vicki.

4/8/24 at 2:04 PM during the total eclipse

Once the eclipse concluded, we gathered on the patio and Rebecca grilled burgers for us to eat. It was a great time to reflect, laugh, and just have fun.

When I started on this Bourbon Journey with Rebecca, I never thought about the relationship aspects that would come about.  We’ve made friends with several distillers on the trail and have developed memories with them. Bourbon is yummy to me, but it’s the time that you share and the bourbon that you share that is special.  Before David left, he signed the OCD #5 Premium bottle, wrote “Eclipse Day” and dated it 4/8/2024.  It was a special moment, with special people.  It’s all about the journey.

This was a great memory for Our Bourbon Journey!

Wayne

Photo credits: Rebecca Herman McBrayer

Feb 2024 Special Event at T.B. Ripy Home

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03/18/24
By Wayne McBrayer

The T.B. Ripy Home in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky is a place I have wanted to visit for the last couple of years. The Ripy house is located near where the McBrayer family owned a house many years ago and the two families were friends. For my 58th birthday, my wife bought tickets so we could hear Brad Bonds and Shannon Smith talk about Revival Vintage Bottle Shop, and the laws pertaining to the purchasing and selling of dusty bottles. It was a night I’ll never forget.

We got there early and were greeted by the owner of the house George Geoghegan lll who was happy that “McBrayer’s were in the house.” The event was on the main floor, which is the only floor that is currently used. A walking tour later would explain the reasons why. It was also raining so we made a point to drive by the next day to get exterior pictures of the house.

Presentation by Brad Bonds and Shannon Smith


We sat down toward the back of the room for the event. The owner decided to sit with us for the night as Brad and Shannon talked about their business and the passion they both have for bourbon. We sampled a 1973 Jim Beam comparing it to the current Jim Beam white as well as a 1969 Kentucky Tavern and and the current version of it. Both older versions were far superior with the 1969 Kentucky Tavern being my favorite of the 4. 

T.B. Ripy Home Tour

After the tasting, the owner led us on the tour of the house.  The estate was built in 1888 and is an expansive 11,000 square feet with 24 rooms!  The family reacquired the Queen Anne Style Mansion in 2010 with the intent of restoring the whole house.  The previous owner wrecked the upper levels of the house in ways that I couldn’t have dreamed of doing.  Painting over mahogany wood, putting up ugly wallpaper, cutting down ceiling high chimneys and the list goes on and on.  I didn’t take pictures of the upper area as it was a night tour and we were using cellphone flashlights to light away in the upper parts of the house. However, Rebecca captured a few photos of the main level.

Always Great People!

The night was wonderful and the people we met were great.  Ran into one of the descendants of the Hatfield family, met Joani Clark, who we connected with on Facebook and is a friend of the McBrayer family, chatted with Shannon Smith during the tour of the house and talked with Brad’s wife Katie Marie. 

Photos of the T.B. Ripy Home

Since it was an evening event and it was pouring down rain, we returned the next morning to capture some photos of the exterior of the house. It is stunning!

Plan a Visit!

I would recommend a tour or better yet, go to one of their whiskey events that they have.  The T.B. Ripy Home webpage has a listing of what’s coming up.

Photos by Rebecca Herman McBrayer