Decoding the DNA

Whether you’re new to bourbon or you’ve been drinking it for years, this class is for the part of you that’s tired of regret purchases. Decoding the DNA isn’t about chasing trendy bottles — it’s about turning brand loyalty into family loyalty, so the shelf works for you instead of against you.

Every bottle of bourbon has a recipe — a mash bill — printed on the back label or available on every distillery website. Once you know what to look for, the shelf gets a lot easier to read. And once you know your DNA family, the bottles that fit your palate stop hiding.

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

• You’ll stop bringing home bottles you don’t actually like — no more $40 mistakes
• You’ll know your DNA family, and you’ll find new bottles in it without leaving the bourbon you already love
• You’ll save money on the shelf — your family has neighbors at lower price points than the brand-name bottles you’ve been pouring
• You’ll read any back label in a bourbon aisle and know what’s in front of you before you reach for it
• You’ll see why brand loyalty narrows your shelf, and how family loyalty opens it

The session opens with a mini Boulevardier — a cocktail built on a high-rye bourbon you’ll meet again in the flight, so the DNA is in your glass before the conversation explains it. Then a sensory experience (smell only) where you handle the raw grains that make a bourbon what it is.

The flight is matched pairs — two wheated bourbons from different distilleries side by side, then two high-rye bourbons from different distilleries side by side. You’ll appreciate each pair, and the family resemblance jumps out — same DNA, different brand. The class closes with a Unicorn reveal, a bottle that shows you what your family looks like at full strength.

By the end, you’ll know your DNA family — and you’ll never walk into a liquor store the same way again.

What’s next: Class 3 — The Controlled Burn.