2022: The Driveway HandshakeShon & Steve
It started with a classic trade. Shon and Steve were standing in Steve's driveway, swapping a bottle of Weller 12 for a Weller Full Proof. Steve did what any decent guy would do, he invited Shon inside for a pour.
Through some great conversations, it turns out, they lived exactly half a mile away from each other. A few weeks later, Shon brought Steve over to show off his own collection, introducing Steve to brands never experienced before. The first bourbon relationship and tastings began. The bottles were cracked, and a lasting tradition was born.
Late 2023: The Panic Call & The UnicornEnter PJ
Steve had a plumbing crisis and couldn't find his main water shut-off. He threw a hail-mary post onto Facebook, and PJ rolled up to help.
While hunting for the valve, PJ had to walk through Steve's bourbon room, where he froze. PJ's ultimate unicorn bottle, an E.H. Taylor Single Barrel, was just sitting right there. Steve didn't look at it like a trophy; he poured PJ a glass, handed him the bottle, and said, "Sit down."
A few days later, PJ was invited to the fire pit.
Map check: PJ lived half a mile in the other direction.
2025: The Lackluster DropEnter Tom
Tom was an IT guy who knew PJ for many years. During a local bottle drop, PJ introduced Tom to Steve. After a lackluster drop, Steve invited PJ and Tom over to the house.
The next fire pit night came, which was Tom's first invite. Tom stumbled into the fire pit circle carrying a bottle of Jack Daniel's 12-Year. Tom instantly got the memo: the liquid in the glass matters, but the fellowship around the fire matters more.
And yeah, you guessed it, Tom lived within a half-mile radius too. What are the odds? Four guys, four great collections, all within walking distance.
Early 2025: From Collector to DrinkerEnter Dan
Steve met Dan at a neighborhood block party. Dan was a "collector"—the kind of guy with a beautiful, pristine, unopened stash. Steve invited him back to the house, cracked open a 12-Year Split Label Wild Turkey, and gave Dan a wake-up call that stuck with him forever:
Bourbon is made to drink with friends. You can't take it to the grave.
That night, a collector stepped aside, and a true drinker was born. Now the count was up to five dudes in a half-mile circle.
Early 2026: The Hunt Before the PourEnter Dustin
Dustin was Tom's and PJ's friend, but he started out with a major limitation: he was strictly a vodka drinker. However, Dustin had a real knack for the hunt well before he ever developed a taste for the liquid itself. He was regularly tracking down rare bottles and unicorns to contribute to the collective, often before he even fully realized exactly what kind of gems he was holding.
To show him what the hobby was all about, the guys dragged him on a road trip to Kentucky for some real distillery tastings. Dustin was instantly hooked. He went from having no bourbon bottles on his counter to building a full custom home bar with a 50-bottle rotation to entertain friends in less than two months.
