If you are looking for a show about bourbon that will give you a good excuse to pour a nice bourbon, then you are in the right place. Jim Gaffigan founded Fathertime bourbon in 2024 and ever since, he just can’t stop talking about bourbon. As a comedian and now small business owner he often, meaning he always, goes out of his way to talk about bourbon so he can write whatever he is doing related to bourbon off on his taxes.
If you have seen the movie Neat and liked it, this is not that. That wonderful movie was about the history and spirit of bourbon. This performance about bourbon from Gaffigan is about the fun things bourbon people often say to each other to justify the fact that they like to drink bourbon. Afterall, what other product would cause a grown man to sleep in their car in a random parking lot, at 4 in the morning, in 30 degree weather just for a chance to get a hold of a unicorn bottle of bourbon. The answer of course is bourbon, it’s always bourbon.
Now that Jim has his own product line with Fathertime bourbon, this whole show is actually tax right off for Jim. In a way, watching this video helps Jim to lower his taxes and who doesn’t want to help a bourbon lover to lower their taxes?
Why Did Jim Gaffigan Launch Yet Another Celebrity Bourbon Brand?
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Jim and his wife Jeannie are the proud parents of five children. Having teenagers made them appreciate the momentary break from the reality of parenting future adults by enjoying the occasional bourbon. Over time, particularly during the pandemic, they fell in love with bourbon – the culture, the history, and of course the spirit. In the past, Jim had been approached by a few of the big bourbon companies about creating his own line of bourbon but he never really took the idea of creating a celebrity bourbon with his name on it seriously.
Here’s how we landed here. During the pandemic, I got really into gardening and bourbon. And what I learned over the past couple years is no one cares about gardening. So, here we are, bourbon. ~ Jim Garrigan
After being pitched on a spirit’s deal, he thought “Why don’t I just try and do something myself? That might make it less cringy and I’d be able to personally guarantee it won’t taste like garbage. If the whole project fails, at least it will be on me.” Jim reached out to Stu Pollard, a college friend from Louisville who is an indie film director and as it turns out, a fellow bourbon lover. Pollard was intrigued by the idea and off they went. Together, they birthed Fathertime bourbon.
Jim Gaffigan: Live from Old Forester — The Bourbon Set
We’ve taken the time to share with you a few highlights from the show as you get ready to pour your favorite bourbon as you listen to the comedy of Jim Gaffigan. Enjoy!
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“You may be wondering, why do an entire show about bourbon?,” asked Gaffigan. “Well, let me tell you, no one asked for it. No one came up to me and like, ‘When are you going to do a standup set about America’s Native Spirit?’ I’m mentally ill. So, I’d like you to keep that in mind. I’m going to be talking about bourbon for 30+ minutes straight. All right? Which is essentially what bourbon drinkers do a couple times a day.”
Ok, this sounds about right, kind of like every bourbon fan I know. Once we start talking bourbon, it’s hard to get a word in edge wise.
“For the record, I would never encourage anyone to drink alcohol unless they want to have fun,” said Gaffigan. “Alcohol can be fun. It can loosen you up. You lose your inhibitions and sometimes your career and family.
“I will occasionally have a bourbon every night. I don’t drink bourbon every day. That would be ridiculous. It’s just at night. But I only have two bourbons, just two. And after that, I lose count.
“Now, I’m not a bourbon expert, but I’m annoying in other ways. And I’m not trying to say all bourbon experts are annoying, but if you’re annoying, you probably know a lot about bourbon. But I get it, I get it, Bourbon is interesting. Bourbon is a uniquely American whiskey, right? To be called bourbon, it must be made in the United States with 51% corn and consumed by a man who’s out of shape. In a way, I’m being patriotic. That’s why I don’t drink vodka. I’m not a communist.
“Comedy is similar to bourbon. The story behind it doesn’t have to be totally true. Like there’s a lot of stories in bourbon and some of them are colorful and some of them are just made up, right? There’s a saying that bourbon is 51% corn and 49% BS. And half of that’s true. Like Elijah Craig, the father of bourbon. The father of bourbon. Is he the father? Let’s just say Mory Povich wasn’t around then. Elijah Craig, you are not the father.
“Now, some of the bourbon BS is more audacious. There was a time when bourbon and whiskey was sold in the United States as medicine. It was considered medicinal, meaning it had healing properties. And I know there’s probably parents of teenagers that are like, “Jim, bourbon absolutely has healing properties.” But really it comes down to a story. Story is intrinsic to bourbon. Right? Many people believe there’s a story in every bottle of bourbon. And as you drink that bottle, that story becomes much more interesting. And when you finish the bottle, you’re like, “What was the story?” And then you have to do it all again.
“But I do love your bourbon because drinking bourbon makes me feel like a man. I’m not trying to alienate the women here, but fellas, wouldn’t you agree? Bourbon is kind of like our Shania Twain song. Come on, fellas. Bourbon is the easiest way to feel like a man.
“But bourbon facilitates a unique manly bonding. Bourbon allows men to gather with other men away from their wives in basements and show each other bottles and have manly conversations about viscosity and mouth feel and unicorns.”
What are the ABC’s of Bourbon Whiskey?
Distillers often talk about the ABCs of bourbon. It’s a craft that has been around for hundreds of years. There is no definitive founder or inventor of bourbon. There are many stories about the Father of Bourbon, The Father of Modern Bourbon and many more you can pick from. Though not every distiller agrees with the origin story, they do generally agree on the ABCs of bourbon as outlined here.
American – In order to be called a bourbon, it must be made in the United States.
Barrels – Bourbon must be aged in new, charred oak barrels.
Corn – Bourbon must be made with of at least 51 percent corn. The other smaller percentage grains that make up the mash bill are typically rye, wheat or malted barley.
Distilled – It must be distilled at no more than 160 proof or 80 percent alcohol.
Entered – Bourbon must be entered into the barrel at no more than 125 proof. It is often entered at a much lower proof.
Filled – It must be bottled at no less than 80 proof or 40 percent alcohol.
Genuine – What is in the bottle must be genuine, made up only of grains, yeast, and water. No other additives or coloring are allowed.
The 5 Stages of a Bourbon Obsession
Gaffigan goes beyond the ABCs of bourbon and shares his own definition of what makes for a good bourbon or at least what makes for a bourbon obsession.
- The first stage is the awakening. You try bourbon and you realize not all hard liquor needs to taste like lighter fluid.
- The second stage is you try premium bourbon.
- The third stage is collecting. You tell yourself you’re not going to overdo it. Just a couple bottles. You’re not going to sleep out in your car for a rare release or hide a purchase from your wife.
- The fourth stage, you sleep out in your car and you hide a purchase from your wife.
- And the final stage of a bourbon obsession is you start watching YouTube videos of other men hunt for bourbon.
Fathertime is available for purchase online for shipment in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
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