How to host a proper, unpretentious Kentucky Derby bourbon tasting

Bourbon pairs well with most sports. But there’s no place it feels more natural than the Kentucky Derby.

Horse racing’s crown jewel is enough to shut down the city of Louisville, a race that’s over in fewer than two minutes that inspires weeks of celebration. There’s no more important spirit to that celebration — or to Kentucky itself — than bourbon. America’s signature booze can be sipped straight or muddled into simple syrup and mint for a julep. 

Let’s lean into the former to properly celebrate the Bluegrass State. Your local liquor store is loaded with options from Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail, ranging from the bargain pickups to the decent-whiskeys-made-top-shelf-by-overbearing-bourbon-geeks. And while hosting a bourbon tasting may be a gateway toward being insufferable about the spirit and having strong opinions on Pappy Van Winkle, it’s also a great way to drink some of the country’s best alcohol.

First things first. Don’t take this too seriously. The bourbon nerd space is weird and slightly aggressive, a combination of too much money and misplaced aggression. The people who claim to know the most about whiskey and are extremely judgmental about it are the same type of people who think honking will fix a traffic jam.

I’m not here to be anyone’s goalie. I want you to like whatever you like. So if you want to ice up your bourbon, go for it. Willing to try a sip before immediately drowning it in RC Cola? Hell yeah, be yourself.

Here are some basic guidelines you should absolute mold into whatever you like. In the words of Ron Swanson, there’s no wrong way to consume alcohol. Except for maybe in lotion form.