Our Revamped Patreon Page & Renewed Effort to deliver the Patreon experience you deserve!

A Note from McNew

We have been on Patreon for over a year now and we have had some amazing individuals step-up and support us since the beginning. While our efforts haven’t been what they could be in regard to our Patreon experience (we were too busy focusing on content), we are stepping up our game now as Steve is getting some help running our page.

I’m going to be taking over the leadership role in the running our Patreon page. In this role, I will be coordinating the efforts of the entire ABV Network to ensure the best possible experience to our supporters… whether we are talking our loyal individuals who have been with us the whole time, or people just wanting to get involved now. In addition to revamping our Patreon gifts for supporters, we’re also adding some cool new features to being a Patreon supporter of the ABV Network.

Check out these new benefits:

• Increased Interaction - I will be leading the conversation with our Patreon members. Have a question? Turn to Patreon for a quick response!

• Monthly Contests with Focus on Experiences - What’s better than a gift? Well, how about something money can’t buy? That’s what we are focusing on with our new monthly Patreon drawings starting in February… custom experiences you can’t get anywhere else other than our Patreon page.

• Unique Content - We’re now creating shows just for you. Every other week we are releasing a show you won’t hear anywhere else other than through our Patreon page exclusively for our patrons.

• Surprise Gifts - You never know when we might just send you something kinda cool.

  On behalf of Steve and the entire ABV Network team, we thank you for the support and hope you enjoy all of the enhancements to our program.

  -Stephanie McNew

Patreon “Bourbon Life” Experiences - The Pillar of our Patreon Campaign

Bourbon experiences you can’t buy or get anywhere else.

July 2020 (June 20 - July 5) - This month our winner gets to join us for a recording session of The Bourbon Breakdown, the Patreon only show. The date is Friday, July 17 at 8:00 PM Eastern / 7:00 PM Central. The lineup is you, Steve, McNew and one other person from the ABV Network… your choice, as long as they are available we’re good. If not, we may need a backup but you get to make the choice who is with us.

June 2020 (May 20 - June 5) - This is a very special edition of the Bourbon Life experience because there is no contest… if you want in, all you have to say is, “I’m in.” For this unique offering any level of Patreon supporter is welcome to jump in. It’s a live recording session of The Bourbon Daily via Zoom. See Steve, McNew, Miss Beka Sue, Christi & Justine will do an episode of The Bourbon Daily. Afterwards, we’ll hold a question and answer session where you can drink and chat with the team. Again, no contest here… just say you want in and you are in (we will be posting the Zoom invite here later).

May 2020 (April 20 - May 5) - Have you ever wanted to take over The Bourbon Daily and produce some shows? Well, here’s your chance. The Bourbon Daily is all about personalities. A rotating list of cohosts and special guests ensures a daily show can maintain a high level of fun. Sometimes we forget that new listeners might not know the history of the cast, who they are or how they got there. With this in mind, occasionally, we’re committed to shows where we talk about who we are and our history. We’re going to let one Patreon supporter take this over though as we’ll do two shows, one with an interview of Steve Akley about himself and the company and another with Steve where he will talk about anyone on the team you want to ask about. You truly get to produce these shows as you can decide if you just want it to be you and Steve or if you want to add anyone from the team to the mix. Do you want to read the lead in or would you prefer someone else to do it? Well, it’s your show so these are the types of decisions you will be making. We’ll be recording both of these shows on Monday, May 11 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

April 2020 (March 20 - April 5) - ABV Network Announcer for a Day - This is a fun one! On Monday, April 20 (8:00 p.m. Eastern) we will assemble Steve, and the ABV Network team members of your choosing for a working event and a private Skype party just for you. We’ll start off the night having you cut some bumpers for The Bourbon Daily as well as record a new Moonshine Still Pro commercial. Then, we’ll do an episode of The Bourbon Daily and let you be the announcer. Finally, work is done, let’s have a few drinks and hangout. When the crew gets together one thing we can assure you… hilarity ensues.

March 2020 (February 20 - March 5) - Own a Used Bourbon Barrel - For most bourbon fans, the ultimate bourbon collectible is a used bourbon barrel. We are going to give you exactly that opportunity. Lenny Eckstein of Deerhammer Distillery is going to give one lucky winner a bourbon barrel. Now, please remember his distillery is in Buena Vista, Colorado and. you will have to get it… but if you can make the journey, the barrel is yours. He can ship it, but all shipping charges would be the responsibility of the winner!

February 2020 (January 20 - February 5) - ABV Network Announcer for a Day - This is a fun one! On Tuesday, February 18 (8:00 p.m. Eastern) we will assemble Steve, Miss Beka Sue, McNew and one lucky Patreon winner who gets to be announcer for a day. In this role, our announcer for the day will record commercials with the team, cut some bumpers for The Bourbon Daily and even take over as announcer for 2 episodes of The Bourbon Daily with Steve, Miss Beka Sue and McNew.

January 2020 (December 20 - January 5) - Have you ever wanted to take over The Bourbon Daily and produce some shows? Well, here’s your chance. The Bourbon Daily is all about personalities. A rotating list of cohosts and special guests ensures a daily show can maintain a high level of fun. Sometimes we forget that new listeners might not know the history of the cast, who they are or how they got there. With this in mind, occasionally, we’re committed to shows where we talk about who we are and our history. We’re going to let one Patreon supporter take this over though as we’ll do two shows, one with an interview of Steve Akley about himself and another with Steve where he will talk about anyone on the team you want to ask about. You truly get to produce these shows as you can decide if you just want it to be you and Steve or if you want to add anyone from the team to the mix. Do you want to read the lead in or would you prefer someone else to do it? Well, it’s your show so these are the types of decisions you will be making. We’ll be recording both of these shows on Thursday, January 9 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

December 2019 (November 20 - December 5) - As a bourbon fan, is there anything more thrilling than an hour of one of the best bourbon distillers in the country’s time? Believe it or not, there is something better… how does an hour of time from TWO of the best distillers in the country sound? That’s right, Royce Neeley and Alan Bishop, along with the ABV Network’s Steve Akley & McNew will get together with you via Skype for a one-hour meeting on Monday, December 23 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. This is a session where you can ask them anything you like. Topics might include questions about their respective businesses, distilling questions, bourbon industry questions or questions about life in-general.

November 2019 (October 20 - November 5) - What better way to kickoff your holiday season than with a whole bottle of Jason Brauner’s famous bourbon eggnog? That’s right, one lucky winner will get a 750 ml bottle of Jason’s award winning Bourbons Bistro eggnog. This cannot be shipped and you must pick it up at Bourbons Bistro between November 6 and December 24 in Louisville, Kentucky.

October 2019 (September 20 - October 5)/The Bourbon Daily - Join the crew of The Bourbon Daily for a recording session on Monday, October 14 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern / 7:00 p.m. Central. We’ll record two shows, a bourbon bracket challenge and a Patreon-exclusive video simulcast show. You can pick two other members from the ABV Network team you would like to join us (pending their availability, of course). It’s going to be a great time.

September 2019 (August 20 - September 5)/Maker’s Mark Distillery - We’ve got an amazing opportunity for someone. Jason Nally, the “environmental champion” is going to give Steve and one lucky Patreon supporter a behind the scenes tour of the Maker’s Mark grounds. In addition to seeing things you would never get to experience on a tour, our winner, along with Steve and Jason will go fishing on Maker’s distillery property. If that weren’t enough, we’ll even get together to do a podcast about the experience. The date for this one is set, it is Wednesday, September 18. We will get there first thing in the morning and stay until 3:30 p.m. It’s going to be the greatest day ever… a true once-in-a-lifetime bourbon life experience!

August 2019 (July 20-August 5)/The Spirits of French Lick - The Spirits of French Lick in partnership with the ABV Network, brings an opportunity for the Whiskey Connoisseur to “Respect the Grain”. Travel down to the distillery grounds in West Baden Springs, Indiana and engulf yourself in history, distilling, and the dark arts with our distilling team. Begin your day with our distiller, Alan Bishop, and our Assistant Distiller, Steven McNeely, by milling in locally grown grains. You will be educated in our methodology of alternate grains, terroir, alchemy, and barrel aging. Your experience doesn’t stop there as we will allow you to use the knowledge you obtained throughout the day to choose a private barrel to be featured in our tasting bar. At the end of your day you will be rewarded with a Spirits of French Lick swag bag to remember your experience by. As a bonus, the Spirits of French Lick will invite you back to participate in Michael Veach’s Bourbon Country Institute on Sunday, October 13th. Michael Veach is a member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame and is the foremost authority on bourbon history. The Institute is designed to teach those who want to learn more about their favorite distilled spirit, its history, as well as the attributes that make it different from other whiskeys available in the market. Upon completion of the 7-8 hour class you will receive a certificate of completion. Lunch will be provided for both experiences at our Vintage Italian Café!

July 2019 (6/20 – 7/5)/Bourbons Bistro – We have an incredible prize package for you. Jason Brauner, one of the key individuals in the ascent of bourbon, will have dinner with you and a guest at his restaurant Bourbons Bistro. You can talk bourbon, history, the value of bottles, or whatever you want. Afterwards, Jason will share a couple of pours from his personal whiskey collection. This is the stuff of legends… and it’s exactly what we do at the ABV Network.

June 2019 (5/20 – 6/5)/Neeley Family Distillery - We have a brand new offering at the ABV Network, the #ABVNetworkCrew Club: abvnetwork.com/club. One of the club benefits offered by Neeley Family Distillery is the ability to buy a bottle from a honey barrel reserved exclusively for club members. Well, you are going to get to help pick that barrel! With this prize pack, you will get to come to the Neeley Family Distillery to meet with Royce, PawPaw, as well as Royce's parents Roy and Michele. Steve Akley and Bo Cumberland will be on-hand as well. The family will give you a tour to show you how they make bourbon and share their family history of making whiskey for 11-generations. After the tour, you, Steve, Royce and Bo will sample bourbon right from the barrel. When you find that perfect barrel, you get the first bottle from the barrel on the house! The Neeleys will even throw in a Neeley Family Distillery glass and hat for you to enjoying sipping your special whiskey with. This all goes down at noon on Saturday, June 22 at Neeley Family Distillery in Sparta, Kentucky (about 50-minutes from Louisville) so you will need to be there on that date/time if you want to get your prize.

May 2019 (4/20 – 5/5)/Bourbon Sasquatch Productions – One of the great additions to the ABV Network family has been Bourbon Sasquatch Productions, the division creating movies and TV shows. With this Bourbon Life Experience, you get to be a part of the fun by appearing in one of our TV shows. We’ll be filming on Sunday, June 2 at 8:00 a.m. at Moonshine University in Louisville. The winner of this contest gets to appear in the episode as an extra in a class taught by Colin Blake and Evan Haskill. We’ll have a few other surprise bourbon celebrities in the audience as well.

April 2019 (3/20 - 4/5)/Stumpy’s Spirits Distillery – The ultimate experience for the whiskey fan is to create his or her own whiskey. While factors like huge investments, aversion to risk, and lack of time means most of us probably will never create our own brand, the ABV Network’s Patreon campaign, through our partnership with Stumpy’s Spirits in Columbia, Illinois, allows us to fulfill that very wish for one lucky patron. Adam Stumpf, owner of Stumpy’s, is offering a true once-in-a-lifetime experience: the ability to custom design your own whiskey mash bill and barreling profile. You literally set the grain mixture and, after a consultation with Adam, he will then, in-turn, distill your creation. We aren’t talking a small experimental run, either. We’re talking a full batch meaning approximately 8-barrels of the whiskey you design will be created. Each year, as it ages, you will get a sample so you can see how it’s coming along. What will happen to the whiskey you create? That’s totally up to Adam. It’s his business… it could be released to stores, the gift shop, blended into a product… or, if you really screw this up, he will re-distill it into vodka. No matter what the end result is, it’s an incredible offering we are pleased to be able to have exclusively for our Patreon supporters.

March 2019 (2/20 - 3/5)/Neeley Family Distillery - Have you ever wanted to learn how to make bourbon? Well, here is your chance. Spend a morning at Neeley Family Distillery (neeleyfamilydistillery.com) in Sparta, Kentucky, with Royce Neeley and PawPaw making a batch of Neeley Family Distillery Bourbon. Prepare to roll-up your sleeves, get dirty and have PawPaw yell at you as you make bourbon the old fashioned way; just as the Neeleys have been making whiskey for 11-generations. You will get a chance to cook a mash, run a still and even help make the decision where to make a cut from Heads to Hearts in whiskey production. While what you are making will be laid to rest for years, the Neeleys wouldn't let you get out of there without tasting some whiskey so they will pull a bottle for you straight from the barrel in the gift shop before you leave... unless, of course, PawPaw fires you before you make it to the end of the day. That's a real possibility, but it's also half the fun!