The Story Behind America’s Most Patriotic Bourbon (ft. 2A Bourbon)

John and Kaylee sit down with Tim, the founder of 2A Bourbon, for a conversation about how a retirement plan turned into a Second Amendment bourbon brand built to give money away. Tim is a lawyer and lifelong serial entrepreneur who has owned a nightclub, a bottled water company, and a digital label company he ran for 16 years. He says he will turn 75 next month, and he explains that the idea came from a single moment on a golf course over Memorial Day weekend of 2022. He sliced a ball on the 18th hole and it landed on the name of his son-in-law's twin brother, a fallen North Carolina soldier killed in Iraq, written in chalk down the fairway as part of a Folds of Honor tribute. From there he decided to build a charity, heard on a podcast that a charity needs a following, and landed on guns and bourbon. Tim walks through the build. He locked the name, the .com, and the trademark in about 15 minutes, then got his label approved by the government in three days when most people told him a Second Amendment label would never get cleared. He took three people to Kentucky to taste bourbons because he wanted real Kentucky bourbon rather than going to the well-known Indiana distillery, and he found a bottler known as the Bourbon Rabbi. The brand pairs gun-company toppers with each run, capped at 20,000 cases to stay collectible, and the current edition carries Smith & Wesson, who licensed their name and logo for free because they did not want to be in the revenue stream. Tim says he has not taken a penny from the company and has raised over a quarter of a million dollars in two years for groups including Folds of Honor, Stop Soldier Suicide, and a ruck walk in Clearwater, Florida. His reasons run personal: a brother who died by suicide at 18 and a son-in-law's family touched by war. The back half moves into advocacy. Tim, a lawyer, argues that Congress is for sale and that enough money could push gun rights out of reach, which is why he supports GOA and the Second Amendment Foundation, the groups he says are in court keeping the rights. The hosts and Tim trade thoughts on D.C. v. Heller, grassroots versus elite funding of gun groups, and Senator Tim Kaine's claim that rights come from government. Tim's soapbox is a plea to get along across the aisle, framed by his mother's line that the Second Amendment is like a bird that needs a right wing and a left wing to fly. The episode closes on voting with your dollar, the GOA 50th anniversary in Iowa, and a half-serious plan to do a GOA barrel pick. Questions this episode answers What is 2A Bourbon and why did Tim start it? 2A Bourbon is a Second Amendment bourbon brand built to give its proceeds away to veteran and gun-rights causes. Tim, a lawyer and serial entrepreneur, started it to turn a retirement plan into a charity, choosing guns and bourbon as the following a charity needs. How did a moment on a golf course lead to the founding of 2A Bourbon? Over Memorial Day weekend of 2022, Tim sliced a ball on the 18th hole and it landed on the name of his son-in-law's twin brother, a fallen North Carolina soldier killed in Iraq, written in chalk as part of a Folds of Honor tribute. That moment pushed him to build the brand. How did Tim get a Second Amendment bourbon label approved by the government? Tim locked the name, the .com, and the trademark in about 15 minutes, then got the label cleared by the government in three days, even though he was told a Second Amendment label would never get approved. His prior experience with high-end liquor labels gave him an edge. Why does the bottle carry the Smith & Wesson name and logo, and what did it cost? Each run pairs a gun-company topper with the bourbon, and the current edition carries Smith & Wesson. Smith & Wesson licensed its name and logo for free because it did not want to be in the revenue stream, only to help the cause. How much money has 2A Bourbon raised, and which charities does it support? In about two years, 2A Bourbon has raised over a quarter of a million dollars, and Tim says he has not taken a penny for himself. The money supports Folds of Honor, Stop Soldier Suicide, and a ruck walk in Clearwater, Florida. Why does Tim, a lawyer, believe gun rights are at risk and why does he support Gun Owners of America? Tim argues that Congress is for sale and that enough money could push gun rights out of reach. He supports Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the Second Amendment Foundation because those are the groups he says are in court keeping the rights. What is Tim's argument for keeping the Second Amendment a nonpartisan issue? Tim makes a plea to get along across the aisle, framed by his mother's line that the Second Amendment is like a bird that needs both a right wing and a left wing to fly. He ties this to voting with your dollar and a cultural shift on gun rights. Why did Tim choose real Kentucky bourbon and who bottles 2A Bourbon? Tim took three people to Kentucky to taste bourbons because he wanted real Kentucky bourbon rather than the well-known Indiana distillery. He found a bottler known as the Bourbon Rabbi, and runs are capped at 20,000 cases to stay collectible. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome and meet Tim from 2A Bourbon 00:20 — Rapid fire: age, proof, and tasting notes 03:39 — The golf course moment that started it all 05:49 — Naming it, trademarking it, and label approval 06:44 — Choosing real Kentucky bourbon and a bottler 07:37 — The charities: Folds of Honor and Stop Soldier Suicide 09:26 — Gun-company toppers and the Smith & Wesson deal 11:45 — Why Kentucky over the big Indiana distiller 16:13 — Where to buy it and shipping to 44 states 18:35 — Why the Second Amendment drives the business 24:53 — Rights, Heller, and grassroots vs elite funding 35:39 — Soapbox: get along, left wing and right wing 43:40 — Voting with your dollar and the cultural shift 53:50 — GOA 50th in Iowa, a barrel pick, and where to find 2A Bourbon About the guest Tim is the founder of 2A Bourbon, a Second Amendment bourbon brand that donates its proceeds to veteran and gun-rights causes. He is a lawyer and a self-described serial entrepreneur who has owned a nightclub, a bottled water company, and a digital label company he ran for 16 years, which gave him experience with high-end liquor labels. He says he will turn 75 the month after recording and is based in North Carolina. He started the company after a moment on a golf course over Memorial Day weekend of 2022, where his ball landed on the name of his son-in-law's twin brother, a fallen North Carolina soldier killed in Iraq. The brand is nearly two years old and has raised over a quarter of a million dollars for causes including Folds of Honor and Stop Soldier Suicide. The cause is personal for Tim, who says his brother died by suicide at 18. Key quotes "And guess where my ball ended. On top of my son in law's twin brother's name." — Tim "I've not taken a penny from 2a. I'm giving it all back." — Tim "Smith and Wesson says we don't want to be in the revenue stream. We want to help you to help the Second Amendment." — Tim "The Second Amendment is like a bird. It takes a right wing and a left wing to fly." — Tim "The only thing that politicians fear is losing power." — Kaylee "The very next amendment is the freedom to protect that speech and protect everything in between." — John