About The Pourch
Stories, Sips, and America’s Whiskey
I used to be the guy at the party who nodded along when someone started talking mash bills. Wheated, high-rye, four grain — sure, I’d heard the words. I just didn’t have a clue what any of it meant, and honestly, I figured most of it was noise. Collectors losing their minds over allocated bottles? Seemed like a lot of fuss over brown liquor.
Then one night I poured a glass of Woodford Reserve, and that was that. It wasn’t flashy or hard to find. It was just good — approachable, layered, nothing like the stuff I’d already written off in my head. One pour, and I went from skeptic to somebody who reads the back label before the front.
Not long after, I won a whiskey tasting at a school fundraiser. An evening with a Level 4 Whiskey Sommelier, the kind of guy who can pull apart a pour and tell you exactly why it tastes the way it does. I learned how to taste with some intention instead of just drinking. A trip to Buffalo Trace didn’t help matters — that’s where curiosity turns into a hobby you can’t quit — and eventually I picked up my Executive Bourbon Steward certification. These days I still train my palate on the regular, because there’s always another bottle with something new to say.
What You’ll Find Here
The Pourch is built around honest bourbon and rye reviews, the kind that don’t dance around a bottle just because it’s popular. I’m partial to craft distilleries — the small operations making genuinely excellent whiskey without sending you on an allocated-bottle scavenger hunt or a price tag that requires a second mortgage. But the big names get their due too. Some of the best conversations happen when you put a legacy distillery’s flagship next to what an independent three states over is doing with the same grain.
You’ll find Pour Tour stories from distilleries, tasting rooms, and whiskey bars I’ve actually walked into — not press releases dressed up as reviews. Tasting notes that tell you what a bottle is actually doing in the glass, and why it’s worth remembering, or isn’t. That’s the whole operation: reviews that cut through the hype, and stories from the road that put you there with me.
Media & Appearances
In January 2026, I sat down with Good Day Sacramento to talk about how The Pourch got started and what pulled me into bourbon in the first place. You can watch the full conversation on the Media page.
Who This Is For
Maybe you’re new to bourbon and need a place to start that isn’t a wall of intimidating bottles. Maybe you’ve been at this a while and you’re hunting for the next thing worth pouring. Or maybe you just like a good whiskey story and the people behind the bottle. Doesn’t matter which one you are — there’s a seat on the porch.
Contribute to The Pourch
The best conversations around whiskey have more than one voice in them. If you’re a distiller, a brand rep, or you’ve got a whiskey story worth telling, I want to hear it. The Pourch is open to guest contributors, distillery collaborations, and reader stories that add something real to the conversation around American whiskey.
Get in touch at [email protected].