Booking May/ June Private Events Now
Booking May/ June Private Events Now
Become the most popular person in your circles when you ask
The Bourbon Whisperer to co-host a tasting of top shelf, limited release or impossible-to-find bourbon for your closest friends or best clients. Rod narrates events of all sizes, from intimate "Party of 8" dinners to formal, seated affairs for 100+ attendees. Discover the updated alternative to the typical "steak dinner evening". Throw an event your friends and colleagues will be talking about for years.
Rod is an Executive Bourbon Steward, a Kentucky Colonel and a lifetime member of the Stave & Thief Society of Louisville, Kentucky. He is certified to lead classes for individuals wishing to become Certified Bourbon Stewards. The class can take the form of an epic, customized tasting event.
He also utilizes his vast bourbon network to help enthusiasts (or their wonderfully-devoted spouses or friends) locate specific vintage bottles for their private collections.
Combine an educational bourbon tasting with an auction element, live or silent, culminating in a very successful fundraising effort for your organization and an event to remember. This option has become an extremely popular request, and The Bourbon Whisperer can assist in event planning as much or as limited as desired. He recently conducted a catered, seated tasting/ auction event for 130 participants, having secured everything from event venue and catering to custom etched souvenir glassware and gifts.
"What a trip!! Thank you for the "Bucket List" bourbon tour. What a phenomenal experience! You exceeded every expectation, from the well-planned route to the distillery stops and introductions (both people and whiskeys). We will never forget this trip, the bourbons tasted and wonderful folks we met, yourself included. We are extremely grateful you took the reins and made it such a brilliant affair. We most appreciate your unsurpassed knowledge of not only the drink itself, but also the histories behind each sip. I hope we get to meet up again soon. Thanks again, Rod!" -Jake & Kristen S. / Dallas ,TX
Instead of loading into a slow-moving tour bus with 50 of your "new closest friends" and making only two stops a day, why not customize your trip and travel swiftly with an expert? We'll plan the routing to include not only all of your favorite distilleries (and our favored exclusive retail stops), but V.I.P opportunities to meet with Master Distillers and owners. Come away with a series of one-of-a-kind experiences and stories to last a lifetime.
Fun and elegant lodging accommodations off the beaten path; hidden speakeasies; behind the scenes tours of ancient bourbon historic locations. The kind of experiences which make the difference between just being a tourist or arriving as a guest and leaving as a friend. We'll show you Bourbon Country at its finest and most entertaining.
What if your entire bar staff were Certified Bourbon Stewards?
Rod is asked by restauranteurs for two things: 1) train their bar staff to become Certified Bourbon Stewards, and 2) help expand their retail bourbon offerings with the development of unique bottle collections, both of which are certain to increase sales and customer loyalty.
Certification helps service staff increase sales, expand their knowledge of product lines, and learn anecdotal industry history to share with customers and identify tasting notes.
There's a big difference between a "store pick" where the distributor sends a few bourbon samples for a store owner to choose, versus a hand-selected, "barrel pick" from personal tastings conducted at the distillery. Store owners with limited process knowledge or no time to travel to Kentucky ask Rod to either accompany them or go in their place, using his trained palate to choose outstanding barrels with knowledgeable distillery staff members. Rod also joins bourbon clubs in their distillery sojourns to lend his expertise and assist in identifying true "honey barrels" for their picks.
Laser-engraved messages or corporate logos on cases of "Barrel Select" bottles? Wooden gift boxes or custom glassware? Be it holiday gifts by the dozens, or one-off rare collectible bottles to celebrate the closing of a special deal, Rod can locate and acquire memorable bourbon-related items which will leave a lasting, positive impression.
Join me on my Instagram and Facebook feeds "bourbonwhisperer"
(all one word, no spaces, look for my logo). There you will find interviews w...
All over Kentucky
I will be on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail shooting video content and making the distillery rounds with hosted VIP guests. I'm available to boo...
All over Kentucky
Traverse City, MI
Join me in Traverse City for educational fundraising and a lot of fun as we taste our way through a variety of mash bills and learn all abou...
Traverse City, MI
Live & Virtual
I'm hosting a variety of tasting events this winter; everything from in-person small private parties to large virtual corporate events. We h...
Live & Virtual
Roaring Social in Alpharetta, GA
Enjoy a little history and a lot of fun at my latest Certified Bourbon Steward class. Become a member of the Stave & Thief Society and be ab...
Roaring Social in Alpharetta, GA
Kentucky Colonel Rod Arnold is a certified Executive Bourbon Steward, a lifetime member of the Stave & Thief Society of Louisville, and currently serves as the president of the Atlanta Bourbon Cartel. A highly-regarded search industry executive for three decades, Rod increasingly found himself involved in "all things bourbon" as his personal hobby became part of a nationwide obsession shared by thousands of enthusiasts and new converts. His vast product knowledge is sought out by retailers, restauranteurs, chefs, spirits industry representatives and casual enthusiasts alike.
"Rod, I can't begin to tell you how much the organization appreciates your time and effort in organizing the bourbon tasting fundraiser in Denver. We raised over $65,000 in 3 hours. Many members are saying its the best event of ours they've ever attended. I hope you're up for organizing another in the future."
-Peter L. / Fundraising Executive
"Thank you for donating your "Evening with The Bourbon Whisperer" event to Pace Academy's annual fundraiser gala auction. I was thrilled to win it for my husband's birthday surprise party. You did a really great job. Even the 'serious bourbon guys' were impressed with the tasting, especially the surprise bottle you curated as his gift from me."
-Michele J. / Atlanta, GA
"You know, our company used to have brand ambassadors, but these days we're so busy, it's 100% about sales. Rod, you know more about our bourbons than my staff does. We'd like to explore having you come in to teach us about our own heritage and product lines."
- Industry executive
"I do not have the words to tell you how much we enjoyed the bourbon tasting. Our friends have thanked us profusely for inviting them to meet you. We appreciated getting to spend so much time with you."
-B. Price / northern Georgia
Corporate gift assistance: Rod curated 50 vintage bottles of a Single Barrel Select product; each bottle was autographed by the Master Distiller.
"Thanks so much. I'm still enjoying the client feedback; I even squirreled away a few bottles for myself!"
-Merrick O. / Atlanta, GA
"I finally got the chance to open your Maker's Mark Private Select pick last night. Absolutely phenomenal! I'll be bringing this to future bottle tastings of my Houston area club to let some of our real OG's try it. I'm in for another!"
- Jason H. / Houston, TX
Reach out to Rod directly to visit about your potential bourbon tasting event, other tastings on his calendar, vintage bottle requests or to arrange a consultation.
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Available for events nationally/ globally
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