187: Discovering America's Best Craft Whiskey with Blind Barrels

Our guest this week is Bobby DeMars, founder and CEO of Blind Barrels. Bobby developed Blind Barrels as a quarterly blind tasting experience that ships straight to your door. Blind Barrels is an exploration of the craft whiskey scene of America and we were excited to test our palates. Blind tastings remove any "label bias" that whiskey drinkers may encounter when tasting their whiskies and we've found that blind tasting is one of the best ways to get serious about learning whiskey.  Sign up for a one off box, or save some extra cash by signing up for a year's subscription of 4 unique tasting lineups. Check them out at BlindBarrels.com. Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you're there.   We are thankful for everyone who has supported us. A huge shoutout goes to our growing Patreon Community as well! We'd appreciate it if you can take the time to give us feedback on our podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your favorite podcast app, leave us a review, and tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show. Follow  us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.  And please check out our Patreon to learn how you can support our endeavors, earn Bourbon Lens swag, be part of future barrel picks, and more. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected]. Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts, or even purchase your own Bourbon Lens tasting glass or t-shirt. Cheers,Scott and JakeBourbon Lens About Blind Barrels: Blind Barrels was born to disrupt the whiskey industry, by showcasing American craft whiskey that don't make their way to liquor store shelves due to distribution limitations. Our blind tastings are all about discovery, education, removing brand bias, and supporting smaller distillers who are making some amazing, innovative, and delicious products. Every quarter (March, June, September, and December), a premium tasting box will ship to Blind Barrels members, which includes four 50 mL samples, labeled Samples A, B, C, and D. The box will also include an introduction to the club, a tasting table, and a QR Code and link to learn what spirits are in each sample - distillery, mash, abv, tasting notes, distillery back story. If a member discovers a new whiskey they wish to add to their cabinet or share with their friends, shipping discounts are available for full bottle purchases in our Bottle Shop. Members will have access to rare offerings from Craft distilleries, including rare and limited selections from American craft distilleries. About Bobby DeMars: Bobby DeMars is the Founder & CEO of Blind Barrels - a blind whiskey tasting subscription that is disrupting the industry's current distribution model by showcasing American craft distilleries, ones which rarely get the shelf space they deserve. The recent quarantine brought about blind whiskey tastings with friends, and DeMars saw an opportunity for a startup unlike any other in the alcohol industry. These blind tastings are all about discovery, education, removing brand bias, and, of course, supporting smaller distillers that are making some amazing handmade products. Each quarter, subscribers get to test their senses by tasting and discovering hard-to-try-or-find craft whiskey brands - ones that deserve to be discovered. A former USC football player (1997-2001), DeMars is an award-winning filmmaker whose documentary, "The Business of Amateurs" (2016), took on the NCAA's exploitation of college athletes and the prevalence of brain trauma inherent to college football. He is on the oversight committee for the National College Players Association (NCPA). Both the film and the NCPA have been instrumental in passing laws for college athlete rights, including the Supreme Court ruling in 2021 that opened the door for college athletes to make money from their Name Image Likeness (NIL).