Sitting Down with “The Bourbonists”

Out in American suburbia, there was a podcast that lived in a garage—not a stinky, damp garage, but a warm, dry one with plumes of cigar smoke wafting through the air and the sounds of conversation reaching the ears of its listeners everywhere. I had the outstanding opportunity to talk with the hosts of a podcast called the Bourbonists. They are a dedicated group of three men who sit together to have deep conversations about what it means to be a man in a rapidly changing world, all under the backdrop of a good drink and a really good smoke. They have already had a series of great guests, including Cigar Public’s own Joe Kenney, Demetrius Cane of Nobletons Distillery, and Mark Sutherland of Stowloch Whiskey.

Tyler: Alright, let’s get this going. So, I am sitting here with Adam Adams, Joe Hill, and Dan Keathley of The Bourbonists. If you could sum yourselves up in a sentence, who are you guys?

Joe: We are three guys who get together to talk about life and journey together. We came together through our love of cigars and whiskey

Tyler: And how did you guys all meet each other originally?

Adam: So that’s a funny story. Joseph and I met first. My wife moved here about nine years ago. Her family moved here, and Joseph was one of her first friends. When she and I met in 2019 and subsequently started dating, she told me over and over that I would get along with this Joseph guy. The funny thing was, she also used to have a thing for him. So, I always said that as the man in me, he is the threat. I invited him, per her request, to my son Gideon’s diaper party, and he brought Powers Irish whiskey and three cigars. At that point, I wasn’t a cigar guy; I was a pipe guy. He and I stood out on the deck and had a Brickhouse together—fantastic low-level cigar. People will shit on Brickhouse, but they are really great daily smokers. I thought, well, the cigar’s good, and it came from a guy I didn’t really respect due to preconceived notions. I’ve had trauma in the past, so you know. But it really started to blossom from there. You guys take it from here.

Joe: Well, Dan and I met through a mutual friend, and we got to know each other. When Dan decided to come into the Catholic faith, he picked me as his sponsor. So, he and I would get together every week for a cigar and a drink.

Dan: You know what’s funny, it was every Wednesday. Now our episodes are released every Wednesday. Sometimes we would watch a movie, but a lot of times we would end up just talking. I’d stay over at your house until midnight or one in the morning, and we’d have bonfires, a movie, some whiskey and cigars, and just talk. One day he was like, “Hey, would you mind if we changed things up?” and it was a Wednesday, and I said no, and he said, “I was going to go see a friend named Adam, and I think you guys would really get along.” So, he invited me over. We sat in this garage, had a cigar, had some whiskey; we were going to watch a movie, but we never did. Within twenty minutes, Adam said, “Dude, this is awesome. I gotta get your number.” And my first thought was, why the hell can’t this ever happen with the ladies?

It’s really been a trip ever since. We’ve all been friends since then. One day, Adam and I were sitting on his back deck having a cigar. We were talking about things that we both needed to hear. Adam said, “It’s a shame that no one is here to hear this.” And I said, “That’d be kind of funny if we had a mic in between us.” And I meant it as a joke. And Adam thought, yeah, that would be cool. So, a week goes by, I ended up seeing Adam again, and he said, “I can’t get that thought out of my head.” And I told him, the more I thought about it, the more I’ve been inspired and motivated. Within three to four months after the initial thought, it kind of blossomed into its own thing. The first part of October was the first time we recorded an episode in here.

Adam: It was an amalgamation of ideas, and we had Greyson as a part of it too. That was Joe’s idea because he was going to be marrying his sister Jordan, and he thought that we’d really get along with his brother-in-law. He came over, and we bought a couple of cheap mics, turned them on, and tried to see if it would sound good. I have since trashed that recording. Actually, it might be on my wife’s tablet.

Joe: I want to see if people want to hear it.

Adam: Yeah, it still might be there, but I got real drunk.

Joe: Oh yeah, that’s right, you did.

Adam: Well, we had four different whiskeys to try, and I just went glug, glug, glug.

Dan: And a lot of them were barrel strength.

Adam: So halfway through the recording, I was drunk, which is why I trashed it. Or at least why it hasn’t been released to the public. But, when I sat down and listened, I just knew it was a very, very clear come-to-Jesus moment that this is what you are supposed to do.

Dan: Well, and the funny thing was, even before we recorded the first episode, it was when we were building this studio. We finished this table, got our first couple of mics, and Adam and I just sat behind these mics for the first time. We weren’t recording; we weren’t doing anything. We just sat down after building a lot of this, and we both put the mic in front of our mouths, and we looked at each other. Adam said that this feels really good, and the only thought that I had was, this feels like home. It feels like where we were meant to be

Tyler: So, Joe, how did you get into this venture with these guys?

Joe: Adam and Dan really came up with the idea to do the podcast. But the three of us were getting together to talk about life and challenge each other.

Adam: Yeah, that’s an important distinction. That was the foundation of this whole thing. The three of us were inseparable. If we had a free Wednesday night, we were getting together, and this is what we were going to do. We were going to sit down, have a cigar, have a drink, share a new whiskey we got, try different cigars, things like that.

Joe: The conversations always went deep. We would talk about faith, family, and struggles. And Adam and Dan were saying that we should start recording this, that it could be fruitful for other people. So, you guys pitched the idea to my brother-in-law right when I got back from the honeymoon. We met at Lit Cigar Lounge. We talked about doing the podcast. You guys had already built the studio and said this was happening and that you wanted Greyson and me to be a part of it.

Adam: That was such a nerve-wracking thing for me. I was so terrified. I don’t like finding out I wasted my time. I don’t like finding out that my ideas aren’t validated. The worst outcome for me was that you and Greyson decided you weren’t interested. But lo and behold, you guys were like, “Let’s do it.” And it wasn’t just an agreement; you started spitting out ideas, and it was like, great. This is what it’s going to be. Obviously, we’ve had our struggles, hiccups, and hit our speed bumps, but the bottom line is it very much changed from a passion project to what we are supposed to be doing.

Tyler: You guys blend tobacco, whiskey, and pop culture references together during your podcasts. How do you think that those conversations about manhood, about being a man, blend with the different aspects that you bring into the podcast?

Joe: Well, one thing is that we are talking about. One of the core elements of the podcast is we are drinking and smoking cigars. These are two things that are kind of frowned upon in certain circles, especially by certain Christians who say you cannot drink. But one thing that we try to bring to the table is that you can enjoy these well-crafted spirits and cigars in a responsible way, and if used properly, they can foster deeper conversations. They level the playing field between people. A CEO can sit down with a guy like me, or like you guys, and we can all talk to each other and share our experiences of life, creating a doorway into depth.

Dan: It provides an opportunity for wisdom to be shared and gained. It provides an opportunity for individuals to share what they’ve experienced. For the people who are listening to said experience, to learn something from it. You get the whiskey, which kind of brings the wall down, especially the more you drink. You get the cigar, which, with the nicotine, gets the brain synapses flowing a little bit better.

Joe: There’s also a contemplation that takes place with both cigars and whiskey. It’s not just a passive thing. When there’s a lull in the conversation, it’s not awkward because you can just sit back with the whiskey and cigar for a bit and then change to a new topic.

Adam: Yep, one of my favorite things, and I’ll quote it for you because it runs through my head every time we do an episode, every time we smoke a cigar, and Joe’s voice is in my head. You said something that changed my life, which was, “Cigars and whiskey bring an atmosphere of depth. If done properly and in the right camaraderie, it creates an atmosphere where you have to sit.” Even if you are a fast smoker, which I don’t recommend because then you don’t enjoy the cigar, it still takes a good half an hour to enjoy the cigar. And when you’re sipping and enjoying, it’s almost like it was made for it. It creates an atmosphere of depth; it creates this place where you feel comfortable sharing. Where you say, “Hey man, I’ve been really struggling this week, what do you think about this?” or “Here’s something I’m thinking about, here’s something that really hurt me, have you guys been through this?” Because at the end of all things, men need their trial, men need other men. I mean, you could look up consistent psychological studies over the last sixty years—you can’t dump all your shit on your wife. You need those men in your life to bounce those ideas off of and to be like, hey, I’m really struggling with this right now, but I don’t want to tell my wife because she has enough on her plate already and she’ll feel more responsible. I want to take care of her, so I need to get this stuff out in the open and get others’ opinions. I need to get my friends’ and my brothers’ opinions so I can handle this the best way that I can. And that’s what this group is. At the end of the day, yes, we are speaking to the outside world and giving opinions and mostly it’s experiences, and that’s great. And it continually draws us closer together, just the three of us.

Tyler: How do you think that, through your experience, the men listening feel that same connection?

Dan: Absolutely, men and women. Our target audience is primarily men, but I’ve even had a female friend of mine recently reach out and say, “I just recently broke up with a boyfriend, and I’ve recognized that listening to your episode helped me through my breakup. It’s helped me recognize more about myself, and it’s helped me understand how a man’s mind works.” So it helped her mentally and emotionally get through it. And I think a lot of that has to do with cigars, whiskey, and the potential in every single human being. When the people who plant the tobacco seeds and the master blenders who pick the tobacco leaves see the potential in those leaves for something beautiful, it takes time, patience, and constant intentional effort to create that beauty. Same with whiskey. The Lagavulin 16 is one of my favorite scotches, and it takes 16 years for that whiskey to age before it’s even bottled. The same goes for every individual. Every individual has the potential for greatness, and the only way to achieve that greatness is with intentionality and patience.

Tyler: Well, that was beautifully said. Let’s get into the lighter side of things. What’s been your favorite whiskey that you’ve had? Dan, I know you just said Lagavulin 16, are we locked in there, or is there something else?

Dan: That’s one of my favorite staple scotches now, as well as the Ardbeg Uigeadail. It’s a real smoky scotch, and I bought it for my brother, who really likes Islay scotches, when he was having his first kid, which turned out to be twins. When we had it, I work at a country club, and sometimes we pass out these hors d’oeuvres that are strips of bacon coated in brown sugar and sprinkled with pecan bits on top. We call it Pecan Bacon or Sweet Bacon. If you stuck that in a smoker for 24 hours, like smoked sweet bacon, that’s what it tastes like. It’s amazing. But one of my favorite whiskeys… I don’t know if I can say it. It came from one of our buddies, Demetrius, and it’s Planters, but it’s a special bottle of Planters.

Adam: We’re not allowed to talk about how old it is. There are some seriously good things going on at that distillery.

Dan: But the whiskeys I can talk about—anything from Planters, and then I’ll be honest, the Stowloch Whiskey Cask Strength.

Joe: The one from today is one of my favorites as well, the Lagavulin Rum Cask Finish. But I have such a short memory—you guys have given so many incredible whiskeys that I cannot even remember half the names of them, so it’s tough. We had the 18-year Highland Park. That was another good one.

Dan: That’s killer. But also, the Highland Park 12 is like a fifty-five-dollar bottle and is one of the best all-around scotches that I’ve had.

Adam: We try to stay away from the hard-to-find whiskeys as well. I don’t want to advertise those because it’s like, yeah, it’s good, but I can’t get that anywhere.

Tyler: Alright, so we talked about a lot of different whiskeys, but I am here for Cigar Public, so I gotta ask, what is your favorite cigar?

Adam: If I can start, I cannot, cannot get over Privada. I don’t know how he did it, and I understand why so many people are angry at him because he procures these cigars that are just amazing. The Cuban Sandwich is one of the best cigars that I’ve had this year. Anything Room 101 makes is killer. I love the perfecto Johnny Tobacconaut. I could smoke that every single day. It’s just toasted marshmallow the whole time. It’s a phenomenal stick. Anything that Matt Booth does is just amazing. He just knows what he’s doing. But also, the king of cigar makers, A.J. Fernandez. I had the Antonio. Privada provides it—it’s where I got it from anyway. It just tastes like smoked gouda and salted peanuts. Just the cleanest smoking cigar. There really is no favorite stick. I could smoke the Cuban Sandwich every day. I’m really looking forward to the Mansa—it’s a dessert cigar. It’s supposed to taste like apple pie filling.

Joe: My all-time favorite, which you can’t even find anymore, is the La Gloria Serie N. They stopped making it, and I’m so sad. I used to buy a box of them every single year and I’d space them out for special occasions. You can’t find them anymore. All the La Glorias are great, but Serie N was really special. I have two left and I don’t know when I am going to smoke them.

Dan: For me, I can honestly tell you that my number one stick is the Crowned Head Tennessee Waltz. It is one of the most complex cigars, and I think it’s one of my favorites because it was my first time smoking a cigar in which I got 6-7 different flavor notes all the way through. Usually, I get one at the start, one to two in the middle, and one at the end. Some cigars are pretty standard all the way through. But with the Tennessee Waltz, I could get two to three different flavor notes in the start, the middle, and the final third. Plus, the final third didn’t even smoke hot. It was flush, it was clean, and the draw was almost perfect the entire time. I also like anything that Steve Saka does. The Sobremesa Brûlée Blue—if I had the money, that would be an every-morning cigar. I would pair that with a cup of coffee every morning. I just don’t have that money.

Joe: We’re also forgetting about the Herbert Spencer cigars from Jake Wyatt. There’s one, and I don’t remember which one it is, that was one of the best cigars I ever had. The construction on it was so good, I only had to tap it twice. That was one of my favorite cigars. There was another one, and I cannot remember it, but it was like eating a slice of bread. Like, you could chew on the smoke.

Tyler: You guys have had a bunch of really cool guests on already for being such a new podcast. Who was one of your favorite guests?

Adam: Joe Kenney is a favorite regular for sure. Mark Sutherland, who owns Stowloch Whiskey, was on an episode that dropped recently. He is a profound human being, and he lives his entire life for other people. It is the most beautiful thing. Earlier on, we had my dad. We all look for our father’s approval in life, right? And my dad pulled me aside when the second episode dropped, and he said, “I need you to know that I’m proud of you. I need you to know that you found what you are supposed to do.” Yeah, that’s a big guest for me. We’ll probably have him on again soon. He smoked his first Sobremesa while he was in Jalisco, and he sent me a picture of it, and he had it with a tequila old-fashioned.

Dan: I have one guest that is near and dear to my heart, Ryan Gonzales. He is a buddy from Lit Cigar, where he worked. He ended up starting his own cigar company. He is down in Tampa. His cigar company is called Tantin. It’s a family nickname for the men in his family. He is one of the most genuine, down-to-earth, real individuals that I have ever met. Very similar to Mark, he is always living for other people—almost to a fault. He was one of the first people to really reach out when he heard what we were doing. He pulled me aside when I went to pick up cigars for an episode, and he was like, “Dude, I’m not an individual to blow smoke up another man’s ass, but when I honestly tell you, Dan, that what you guys are doing is downright amazing and if there is anything I can do to help you guys, let me know.” He was our first Wednesday Wind Down guest, and he is an amazing individual.

Tyler: Sounds like you guys have had some really amazing men on the podcast. So, what big projects do the Bourbonists have coming up?

Adam: We will be having a special episode for the Bourbon and Brews festival that is coming out soon. We’re trying to be able to pop in with a bunch of different brewers and distillers. Our website should be coming out in a couple of weeks. A huge shoutout to Bill Potthoff for assembling that. Yeah, and we’re just kind of riding the rails.

Dan: We will be having Demetrius Cain of Nobletons Distillery for one of our Wednesday Wind Downs.

Tyler: That sounds awesome. And where can people find the Bourbonists?

Adam:  Every major podcast platform, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, you can call Alexa and say, “Play an episode of the Bourbonists,” and it will. YouTube, all of that.

Dan: And give it a little time and we’ll have the Bourbonists website.

Tyler: Very nice. Well, this has been amazing. Thank you so much for giving me some of your guys’ valuable time, and I hope to be hearing from you again soon.

Tyler Steitz