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In fact, several significant Louisville bourbon bars reported being sold out within weeks of placing Hudson on the shelf. When he talks whiskey, May is less of jokester. "I'm sure there's some comedy in having a British guy talking about American whiskey—especially New York State whiskey—over here," May says. "There's always a fine line between making a joke and maintain- ing a serious attitude about the integ- rity of the product you're selling." That particular product, Hudson Baby Bourbon, is made from rye and white corn sourced just a few miles down the road from Tuthilltown Distillery in New York's Hudson Valley. "Ninety percent of everything we use is from New York State. This differentiates us from other small distilleries," May says. After a short lost period, we find ourselves at Woodford Reserve, where May can't stop drooling over the grounds. "This is so beautiful," he says, taking a photo with his iPhone. Unfortunately, we discover that tours are finished for the day; the fried chicken and mock oysters have derailed our schedule. So I call my whiskey buddies in the area, 3 p.m. on a Sunday, to see who would want to meet with their competition for a drink. Whiskey Learning, Whiskey Teaching Dan Gardener, Regional Sales Manager for Four Roses, is one of the coolest guys in the business. He's a blues music nerd and once worked with Booker Noe at Jim Beam. I thought May, a former sculpture student who bartended in Edinburgh, and Gardener, along with the rest of the crew, would hit it off. After a quick cocktail session at the ADI conference, the Ambassadors and I meet Gardner at Bourbons Bistro in downtown Louisville. Here, May can see Kentucky at its finest: The place has nearly every major bourbon ever made, including a few pre-Prohibition bottles. Monkey Shoulder Launches in Chicago When Monkey Shoulder launched at The Bedford in Chicago this spring, the brand's unveiling ceremony was sufficiently cheeky, a true homage to the Scotch blended malt whisky that breaks all the rules. From writhing contortionists to turning tables on attending journalists by compelling them to concoct their own Monkey Shoulder cocktails, the event was unlike nothing else the Windy City had seen from Speyside. "Normally when people go to these events, they can be a little boring. This was a bit more unusual," says Freddy May. The brand stands out from the pack in the bottle as well: "Monkey Shoulder is more than just a quirky name," explains May. "We've never had a blended malt whisky that people can get behind as something that's really meant to be mixed as well." —Rachel Burkons Freddy May at the entrance to the vault at The Bedford, a former bank turned restaurant in Chicago. may 2012 / the tasting panel / 75 The ensuing conversation among Gardner, Callan and May is a whiskey geek's heaven. Gardner shares Four Roses' latest batches, while May talks Monkey Shoulder. "The goal of Monkey Shoulder is really to break the stereotype of Scotch whisky," May says. "It's a no-rules malt whisky, a license for bar- tenders to make cocktails with scotch. There are so many rules attached to drinking single malt whisky, and even blended malts. One of the things Monkey Shoulder benefits from is that it's all Speyside whisky that goes in the blend." Being just Speyside, Monkey Shoulder is ultimately smooth, and the barrels are all first American oak, May says, leading to a sweeter scotch than normal. From there, we sip more whiskey— even stuff made before most of us were born. That's what you do when you come to Kentucky: You drink and talk whiskey. And May fits right in, just like he belongs. PHOTO: JAY SCHROEDER