Community Updates

Important reminder!! If you watch the podcast on Youtube, it has now moved to a separate channel! Since podcasting is a pretty specific medium, I’ve decided to keep the @whiskey_noobs channel on Youtube as only Shorts and horizontal videos, and then move all of the podcasts to a new channel, @whiskeynoobspodcast. Make sure you subscribe to both if you want all of the content!

One other important reminder - Our first Whiskey Noobs Crew Barrel Pick is still planned to be released at the end of this month, barring any logistical issues. I don’t know how fast it will sell, so I highly recommend joining the Whiskey Noobs Crew to get priority access to it! The link will go live to the highest tier, then the next tier, etc, and then I will send it to the free members of the crew as well as this email list! We picked a really special barrel, and I can’t wait for you guys to try it!

Know the Terms - Types of Oak

I had a buddy message me the other day about a bottle of Mizunara finished bourbon, and he mentioned he didn’t know why it said Mizunara, but he heard it was good. It was then that I realized there are a growing number of oak varieties being used in whiskey making these days, and it is probably something worth talking about. Let’s break down the major ones:

General “American Oak”: This is the most common for bourbon, and it is typically harvested from oak trees in the Ozarks or in the Appalachian area of the United States. You can expect your standard bourbon notes - vanilla, some black pepper, maybe some sweetness, etc.

Vermont Oak: I felt the need to include this based on my recent visit to the WhistlePig farm. This is American Oak as well, but one of WhistlePig’s claims to fame is that they use oak harvested from Vermont in some of their expressions, and due to shorter growing seasons, the rings of the oak are closer together, adding more sweetness and smoky/peppery flavor into the whiskey (specifically the compounds vanillin and guaiacol). It may just be marketing, although it did hold up to a recent blind tasting I did on the Whiskey Noobs Crew. In general, just be aware that you can also get oak from other places in the US, and it might affect the flavor.

French Oak: This is a finishing method that has been around for quite a while (thanks to Maker’s Mark Number 46), and it is still one of my favorites. French Oak brings a nice complexity into a bourbon to make it taste bolder, with some combination of what I would call cinnamon, cherry, vanilla, and cracked pepper.

Amburana: This is a wood that comes from Brazil, and is often referred to as “Brazilian Oak,” although it isn’t actually a type of oak. This is famous for creating a strong cinnamon flavor in whiskey, but it can easily be overdone if it is finished too long, and the whiskey will be totally overtaken by cinnamon. When done properly, I personally think it is delicious.

Mizunara: Unlike Amburana, this is actually a type of oak. Sometimes referred to as Japanese oak or Mongolian oak, Mizunara is characterized by it’s chaotic structure - lots of knots and twists. I have only had a couple of Mizunara finished bourbons, specifically Bardstown' Bourbon Co’s Hokkaido Mizunara finished bourbon and Barrell Craft Spirits’ Mizunara finish, and I have read through both of their explanations of the flavor. Here is what I agree with: in both cases, you get more of a sandalwood type flavor and a more floral, almost perfumy note, which Bardstown calls “incense.” I think those are fair descriptions of how the flavor varies from normal bourbon, and I would add that it makes it more complex.

Toasted Oak: While this isn’t technically a different species of oak, it is a different finishing technique that has gotten pretty common. “Toasted” oak refers to barrels that had the inside scorched at a lower temperature and for a longer time than “charred” barrels. Think of toasted barrels as toasting a marshmallow up over the flames of a fire until it is golden brown and mushy on the inside, and think of the standard char as putting the whole marshmallow straight into the flame, burning the outside, and pulling it back out. Toasting is said to bring more of the sweet compounds out of the oak, which, ironically, give it a vanilla, marshmallow-y flavor to me.

A New Way to Support - Buy Fantastic Bottles!

In case you don’t know already, I have started a retail storefront online where you can access some of my favorite bottles and, in some cases, get good deals! I will also be adding discounts to the retail shop on the Whiskey Noobs Crew for our members soon.

Next time you want to try some new stuff, especially bottles that you hear me talk about regularly, I highly recommend you check out our store at NoobsWhiskey.com! It is a great way to support the channel while spending money that you already planned to spend on whiskey anyways!

Content - Moving to Youtube?

Lately, I have been strongly contemplating a change in my content focuses. Specifically, I think it might be time for me to focus more heavily on Youtube videos while spending less time on short form Reels, Tiktoks, etc. There are a few reasons I find myself moving this direction:

Relationship to viewer: Youtube style videos really seem like the best way to have a real interaction with the audience. The longer format allows more authenticity and less need to just be catchy and fast paced.

Brain Rot Culture: This might be the biggest reason - it is nearly impossible to have good video performance on short form apps without making the video super flashy, catchy, and, simply put, brain-rotty. Part of me wonders if I am not contributing to the phone addiction problem by hammering so much Instagram content

The Rise of AI: Yes, of course, there is always this dark shadow looming in the background. I have gotten some AI videos that even fooled me, and it is only getting worse. I am not saying AI influencers are wrong or evil by any means, but they are certainly upping the competition to a degree that makes me uncertain for the future of “real” creators.

Robustness against banning: No platform is perfect, but Meta has recently taken measures against alcohol accounts. Many business accounts had their posts flagged with little to no ability to appeal. This is one of my main issues - if I don’t grow a Youtube following before Meta takes further measures, you may stop seeing my content without even realizing it.

With all of these things being said, I am not planning to disappear from Instagram any time soon. I still think it is a useful platform to keep folks updated on my life, start conversations around whiskey culture, and of course, provide quick and helpful education. However, I do want to shift my focus toward growing my Youtube platform and see where that takes me. If you would like to support this goal, check out my channel at the link below, and make sure to interact with the content so that the algorithm knows that you like it!