First Annual BB/BS Big Night of Bourbon 2020 Recap

I had the privilege to attend the First Annual Big Brother/Big Sisters of Delaware County Big Night of Bourbon that occurred on Friday, November 13th. The event was capped at 300 participants and quickly sold out. 

Each participant was provided a gift bag that was available for pickup at the Bogey Inn at their outdoor patio. The bags contained three samples of various Woodford products (100ml each) as well as a bespoke tasting glass, cigar cutter, Woodford koozie, spices from Toomey's, and more. 

There was also a charity auction that had items such as a Blanton's Collection, spa package, golf and dinner for four, African Safari Wildlife Park & Dinner, and multiple auctions for bourbon. 

The event began at 7pm. with NBC 4's Matt Barnes as the MC. and featured Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris. Matt kicked it off talking about the great work that BBBS does... and then... anyone who works from home with Zoom and Teams knows... we got to work through people on mute and trying to connect. It brought me back to every work meeting that I've been in since March. 

After about 2 minutes, they had it figured out and Matt threw it over to Chris Morris who went over what Woodford is all about, including a mini tour of the distillery and their process for making world-class bourbon. Things I learned...

1. Fermented for 7 days (longest in industry)
2. Stills were made in Scotland
3. Still use pot stills... most distilleries use column stills
4. Woodford is triple distilled (first in America)
5. Barreled at 110 proof
6. There are 215 flavors identified in Woodford Bourbon (I could pick up about 3)
7. Double Oaked is in the second barrel for an additional 1 full year
8. Chris Morris has been in the industry for 45 years
9. Bourbon mash bill is 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malt
10. Rye mash bill is 33% corn, 53% rye, 14% malt

BB/BS plans to make this an annual event with the hope that they can do this in person next year and rent out a portion of the Bogey complete with a full night of charity, dancing, and bourbon. This was an amazing night and I can't wait to see what's in store in the future. 

I want to send a personal thank you to Richard and Marc for inviting me to attend and I encourage everyone to check out the great work that Big Brothers / Big Sisters does and consider volunteering, making a donation to their cause, or marking this event on your calendar for next year... it's an event you won't want to miss!