The Hunter’s Toolkit

Whether you’re new to bourbon or you’ve been pouring 80-proof for years, this class is for the part of you that’s looked at a bottle of barrel-strength and walked away. The Hunter’s Toolkit isn’t about turning you into a barrel-proof chaser — it’s about giving you the simple tools to handle any bourbon, including the high-proof ones, on your own terms.

Most of the most flavor-dense bourbons on the shelf are barrel-strength — and most people skip them because they assume “high proof = burn.” But proof is a volume knob, not a verdict. With the right glass, a few drops of water, and a couple of techniques, the burn becomes flavor density. And the toolkit applies to every bourbon you already drink, too.

Two hours, in a small group, with Certified Executive Bourbon Stewards. By the end of the class:

• You’ll pour any barrel-strength bourbon and enjoy it — no burn, no flinching, more flavor than the lower-proof version
• You’ll get more out of bottles you already own — same bourbon, different glass, two drops of water, a bigger experience
• You’ll stop avoiding the most flavor-dense bourbons on the shelf and stop missing what’s there
• You’ll know the simple chemistry behind why proof, glassware, and water change a pour — no degree required
• You’ll have the toolkit that turns every bourbon you encounter — the $20 daily driver and the $80 barrel-proof — into something you can adjust to your palate

The session opens with a barrel-strength Old Fashioned — same recipe as Class 1, built with a barrel-proof bourbon, so you feel flavor density before the lesson explains it. Then a sensory experience that shows you what a Glencairn, a rocks glass, a copita, and a wine glass actually do (one bourbon, four glasses, smell only).

The flight is built differently than the other classes. You’ll work with one barrel-strength bourbon several ways — different glasses, different techniques, the same liquid — then apply what you’ve learned to additional barrel-strength bottles, choosing your treatment per pour. The class closes with a Unicorn reveal — a bottle that, six months ago, you might have walked past for fear of the burn.

By the end, every bottle on every shelf will be accessible to you — and the bourbon you already pour will give you more.

What’s next: Class 5 — Behind the Label.