Masters of Bourbon OCTOBER 10–12, 2024
The Masters of Bourbon series is back at Big Cedar Lodge on Thursday, October 10th. Throughout this exciting three-day event, guests are welcomed to savor exquisite bourbons and top-notch cuisine prepared by the Big Cedar Lodge culinary team. Kick off your long weekend Thursday with the Angel’s Envy Dinner featuring an impressive selection of six unique expressions. On Friday, take part in afternoon seminars and end the day with your choice of exclusively hosted bourbon dinners. Saturday offers the opportunity to attend informative bourbon seminars and then join the Signature Event at the Buffalo Bar at Top of the Rock!
October 10–13, 2024
4-Day Event Package
This package is the ultimate pass for the Masters of Bourbon and includes a ticket to three Masters of Bourbon dinners, as well as a special brunch at Osage!
October 11–12, 2024
Seminar All Access Pass
The Details
Pricing
Varies by Event
(see details below)
Location
Varies by Event
(see details below)
The Events
This event has passed Please check our event calendar for upcoming things to do at Big Cedar Lodge.
Meet The Hosts
Jason Foust
Brand Educator
Angel's envy
From growing up as a kid in the 80s-90s in Indiana, to being a proud father to two girls, an abundance of learning and lessons have shaped Jason Foust’s character. From curating cutting-edge cocktail programs, fostering industry connections and championing top-tier brands, Jason’s journey is a testament to relentless dedication and unwavering commitment to excellence in the world of hospitality.
This industry love story began when he left his sales career to follow the craft movement in food & drink, which would eventually lead him to start the United States Bartenders Guild Chapter in Indiana. He would then sit on the National
Board of Directors for the USBG helping to navigate the service industry landscape through Covid. His seasoned bar & restaurant career turned to full operations & creative consulting in various industry settings such as chef-driven restaurants, breweries and local pubs which would lead him to the world of bourbon.
In 7 years with Angel’s Envy, now as a National Brand Educator and previously a Regional Advocacy Manager & Ambassador, Jason blends creativity, a deep knowledge of spirits, and passion to craft unforgettable experiences. In addition to his diverse experience and leadership roles, he prides himself on resourcefulness and the ability to work cross-functionally with proven capacity to drive success through collaboration and ingenuity, elevating every project and activation to new heights of impact & experience.
An industry professional? Mostly. A bourbon nerd? Yes.
Kyle Merklein
Master Distiller
Holladay Distillery
Kyle Merklein is Kansas-born and raised and earned his biological and agricultural engineering degrees from Kansas State, with a Master’s research focus on the optimization of various fermentation systems. He is currently working toward a Ph.D. in industrial engineering as well. Merklein is passionate about bourbon - both making it and drinking it - and notes that he probably thinks about time more than most, knowing that what he does today is not what is most convenient now but rather what will be best for six or ten years in the future. “If you produce a high-quality distillate using time-tested traditions, place the distillate in a well-made barrel, and then store the barrel in a rickhouse for several years - good things will happen. That line of thinking is how I try to approach all areas of life beyond just bourbon.”
As a Master Distiller, Kyle brings his passion for the bourbon industry to production, and the evidence is clear in the taste of Holladay Bourbon. When asked what he enjoys most about his career, Kyle shared that he has always been drawn to technical challenges, so he thoroughly enjoys working through the complexities involved with making bourbon and other spirits.
Between troubleshooting a processing issue to analyzing flavor compounds on a GC/MS Chromatogram, there is always a new challenge to explore.
ANDI RYAN
DIRECTOR OF CULTURE & DEVELOPMENT
J. RIGER & CO.
Andi began her service industry career in 2003 as a teenager working in small family owned restaurants in her hometown of Kansas City, KS. In 2012 she joined the team at the renowned Rieger Hotel in Kansas City’s Crossroads neighborhood where she met the owner who would
become her future mentor, J. Rieger & Co. Co-Founder Ryan Maybee.
With the skills she acquired there in tow, she moved to Chicago in 2014 to work at Michelin-starred Boka where she expanded her knowledge of fine dining and wine. Andi hosted, served, bartended, and managed restaurants all over Kansas City and Chicago. In 2015, J. Rieger & Co. hired her to be the company’s first brand ambassador outside of Kansas City. She represented the brand throughout the Illinois region for four years before returning to Kansas City to help support the distillery expansion.
She has since provided leadership as director of hospitality, developed the distillery tour program, managed the front desk and gift shop, and acted as on-premise brand manager for the sales team. As director of culture and development Andi expanded J. Rieger & Co.’s training and education programs and seminars for both internal employees and industry partners, a true passion project for someone so devoted to helping others in the industry reach their full potential. Andi is known as the “Rieger Hype Girl” because of her infectious enthusiasm for the brand and her pride in its rich history and commitment to excellence.
Mark Nutsch
Former U.S. Army Ranger & Special Forces Officer
Horse soldier
Mark Nutsch is a former U.S. Army Ranger and Special Forces Officer. As Captain and Commander of the ODA 595 Special Forces group, Mark led a team 12 Green Berets, to be the first to land in Afghanistan in response to the attacks on our country on 9/11. Their historic and unconventional warfare experience earned them the moniker, “The Horse Soldiers”, and has been brought to life in the Hollywood film, “12 Strong”, as well as in other numerous leading books, and documentaries. Today, Mark is a Brand Ambassador for the international award-winning ultra-premium Horse Soldier Bourbon brand.
Bruce Russell
Brand Educator & Private Barrell Lead
Wild Turkey Distilling Co.
Bruce Russell is astutely aware of the Bourbon legacy he was born into. The son and grandson of legendary Bourbon distillers Eddie and Jimmy Russell, Bruce displays the same trademark Russell good humor and humility when speaking of his famous family. Bourbon is in Bruce’s blood, as he becomes the fourth generation of Russell to forge a career in the American Whiskey arena – at a time in spirits history when American Whiskey is becoming a global phenomenon.
Growing up in the shadow of the distillery and his larger than life lineage, it was practically inevitable that Bruce would join the family business. Following graduation from the University of Kentucky in 2014, Bruce worked as an apprentice, learning from the world’s only active father-son Master Distillers. The youngest Russell got a taste of what Eddie and Jimmy already knew… there are worse ways to make a living than being paid to talk Bourbon - and spreading the gospel of Wild Turkey and Russell’s Reserve one glass at a time.
Bruce knew he’d learn a lot about the ‘Jimmy’ way of making Bourbon, but what he didn’t expect was how much he’d learn about his father and grandfather themselves. Anybody can Google Bourbon and pick up the basics, like the right mash bill, oak barrels, alligator char and just the right amount of time in the rick house. But the youngest Russell, like his forefathers before him, is learning that while making good whiskey is a science, making great Bourbon is an art.
Having recently relocated back to Kentucky, Bruce now serves as the Brand Educator and Private Barrel Lead for Wild Turkey while also apprenticing in the same fashion as his father and grandfather before him – learning the bourbon trade from the ground up. When not at the distillery plying his trade, Bruce can be found frequenting his favorite bars and restaurants around Lexington and Louisville.
Cayla Gaseau
Sensory Manager
high west distillery
Cayla Gaseau (pronounced “gauze-oh”) started her career in whiskey and distilling though an uncommon “root”– tree physiology. After graduating in 2015 with her MSC in Forest Biology, Cayla decided that her love for trees and wood was better served in barrel than beaker. Cayla pursed this passion through both theory (IBD Distilling Certificate and WSET Spirits Level 2) and practice (2017 Oregon wine harvest).
Her love of whiskey, however, truly ignited once she joined the High West Distillery team in 2018. She started as a Blender/Cellar Hand, but soon embedded herself in the lab and sensory team, becoming Lab Supervisor in 2021 and Sensory Manager in 2024. In her
current role, Cayla leads blend quality, new product development, and the Single Barrel program for High West. Cayla can vouch for the fact that ‘whiskey sensory manager’ is really as cool of a job as it sounds! Cayla loves that she gets to bring tantalizing new barrel finishes to life for her fellow whiskey enthusiasts.
In her free time, Cayla enjoys hiking with her husband and two rescue dogs, gardening, reading murder mysteries, and crushing the 90s music round at trivia. Come join her at the Masters of Bourbon Event from October 11-13th to nerd out about science and whiskey!