Blink (2024 Documentary) / Whiskey Del Bac Sentinel of the Desert
In this special episode of Film & Whiskey, Bob sits down with Daniel Roher and Edmund Stenson, co-directors of the upcoming 2024 documentary Blink. The film follows a family’s global journey as they race against time to experience the world's beauty before three of their four children lose their vision to a rare genetic disorder. The conversation dives deep into the emotional core of the film, its powerful visuals, and the inspiration behind this heartfelt documentary.
Afterward, Bob and Brad switch gears and turn their attention to Whiskey Del Bac Sentinel of the Desert, a uniquely crafted rye whiskey that blends bold 95% rye flavors with a soft mesquite finish, embodying the essence of the Sonoran desert. They explore tasting notes, flavor profiles, and what makes this whiskey stand out in the growing American rye scene.
Tune in for a heartfelt film discussion and an equally captivating whiskey review!
Timestamps:
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(0:00) – Intro
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(01:22) – Interview with Daniel Roher & Edmund Stenson (Blink Directors)
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(14:00) – Whiskey Del Bac Sentinel of the Desert Review
This episode of Film & Whiskey takes a powerful turn as Bob sits down with Daniel Roher and Edmund Stenson, the talented directors behind the 2024 documentary Blink, which premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival and is slated for release by National Geographic Documentary Films in October. Blink tells the emotional story of the Lemay-Pelletier family, who embark on a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world after learning three of their four children will lose their sight due to a rare genetic condition. Roher and Stenson discuss the challenges and triumphs of capturing such a deeply personal story, highlighting the family’s resilience and love in the face of overwhelming adversity.
As the interview unfolds, listeners are treated to insights about the filmmaking process, the ethics of documentary storytelling, and how the directors balanced the beauty and heartbreak of the family's journey. The conversation also touches on the directors' previous award-winning work, including Roher’s Oscar-winning Navalny.
After the emotionally charged film discussion, Bob and Brad shift gears to review Whiskey Del Bac Sentinel of the Desert, a rye whiskey with a distinctive mesquite twist. This whiskey, aged in the hot Arizona desert and finished in mesquite casks, offers bold rye spice balanced by the subtle sweetness of mesquite smoke. Bob and Brad break down the tasting notes, discussing how the whiskey’s smoky, earthy flavors mirror the rugged beauty of the Sonoran desert.
If you’re a fan of heartfelt storytelling and bold whiskey pairings, this episode has something for you.
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00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,680
On today's Film and Whiskey, Bob
sits down with the Oscar winning
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team behind the documentary
Navalny to discuss their new
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film Blink.
Then we'll be drinking Sentinel
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of the Desert Rye from Whiskey
to El Bach.
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That's all ahead on the Film and
Whiskey podcast.
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Welcome into the Film and
Whiskey podcast.
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We have a special bonus episode
for you.
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Bob normally says that, but I'll
I'll just go into the
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traditional bonus.
Episode.
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We are gearing up for Tuesday's
launch of Season 9.
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We're now right now Bob is out
of town for work, but we are
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going to throw over to an
interview he did a week ago with
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the directors of the new
documentary Blink.
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This film follows a family's
round the world trip just before
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their children lose vision to a
rare genetic disorder, capturing
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their journey to experience the
world's beauty while they can
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still see it.
The movie is out in theaters
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from Disney and National
Geographic on October 4th.
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Let's go to Bob's interview and
then we will come back after the
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break for our Whiskey review
all.
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Right.
I'm joined by Daniel Rohr and Ed
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Stenson, film makers of the new
movie Blink, from National
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Geographic, out in theaters on
October 4th.
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Gentlemen, how are you today?
Awesome.
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Healing.
Great.
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Guys, I I guess the first place
to start is to ask about the
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genesis of this project a little
bit.
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How did you come to find out
about the remarkable family in
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this film?
Ed.
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We, what happened is I think
both of us had heard about the
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family in the news or we'd read
about them, but we had a fellow
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Canadian who worked at MRCA,
sales agent that had a
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documentary division at the
time.
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And they reached out to Daniel
and said, look, we've optioned
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this story of this incredible
family.
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Are you interested in coming on
board and making this movie with
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us?
And Daniel at the time was going
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through a lot of kind of
tortuous work on the the Oscar
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campaign for Navalny.
And he'd recently and he just
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didn't maybe have the headspace
to fully work on the film by
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himself.
So given that he and I have been
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collaborators for, I want to say
best part of 10 years now, he
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reached out to me and said, Ed,
do you want to go on a trip
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around the world and make a
documentary with this incredible
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family?
And I didn't really have to hear
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the end of the sentence to say
yes, absolutely.
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You guys really have operated
kind of across the spectrum of
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documentaries now.
I mean, we've had political
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intrigue, we've had musical
biopic of sorts.
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What are the unique challenges
of doing this style of film
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where you're it's it's part
travelogue, part human interest
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story as opposed to what you
guys have done in the past?
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Well, first and foremost, I want
to say thank you for saying that
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because it's kind of my dream to
have a career where I can just
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bop around and and do wildly
different things.
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It's a gear shift, you know,
it's, it's just a change of
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speed, which is why I love this
job.
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One of the things that I'm so
afraid of after I finished my
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last film was like being put in
a box or being pigeon holed.
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It's like, oh, this is like the
political intrigue guy, like,
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you know, following up Navalny
with with like the film about
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some other dissident somewhere.
And it's like, I, I didn't want
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to do that.
That's not how I am.
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That's not how my brain works.
That's not how I how I frame
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myself in the world.
And I thought that the best sort
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of palate cleanser for that sort
of intense political thriller of
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a movie was to do something
that's just wildly different and
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unique.
And that's more of a reflection
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of where I am in my life now.
And what better way to do that
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than with, you know, my best
buddy?
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And so it's it was sort of in
that spirit that we went off and
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started making this movie.
I'm watching the movie and I
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obviously you guys are filming
in these incredible locations
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and National Geographic
obviously known for the visual
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look of their movies.
But I couldn't help but keep
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thinking, how much more
responsibility do you feel as a
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filmmaker when the subject
matter is, these are some of the
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lasting images that these
children are going to remember
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throughout their lives?
How does that affect the way the
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lensing of the movie?
The visual stylings of the film?
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I think for us, we were very
careful at the beginning to to
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look for visual references of of
of worlds and films that spoke
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to the sensibility we wanted to
create.
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In this case, we looked at
Terrence Malick films, we looked
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at Tree of Life and we were very
interested at keeping things at
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kids eye view whenever we could.
And we saw a lot of that and in
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the work of Malik.
And I think that taking that as
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an inspiration, that that was
our kind of starting point of
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like, if we can get into the
kids had in a visual way,
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because kids are such kind of in
some ways, unknowable,
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irreverent creatures that are
kind of doing their own thing
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and living their own lives that
we thought, well, if we can
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visually represent their
experience in whenever we can,
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that would be a strong entry
point to the film.
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And we both thought, we've not
seen that much in documentary,
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right, Daniel?
We look for references within
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the documentary landscape and
there are films here and there,
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but it felt to us that we needed
to turn to fiction to find some,
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to find the right references.
And I I would also add the.
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Yeah, go ahead.
I, I was just going to say the,
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the other thing that that was
sort of on our minds and close
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to our thoughts was just the,
the creative challenge of making
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a documentary for children.
So often documentaries pigeon
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holed as big, serious, intense
subjects and it's, and it's
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almost alienating to younger
viewers.
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And in partnering with Disney
and National Geographic, it was
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like the gauntlet was thrown to
us to be like, let's see if we
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can make a movie for, for the
whole family that children can
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enjoy.
That's like meaningful and life
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affirming, but also like deals
with a subject matter that in an
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unflinching and very real,
earnest, honest way.
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And it was sort of in that
spirit that that we set out on
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this journey.
That's a great segue into
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talking about the family dynamic
of the film itself.
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And one of the things I really
appreciated is the kind of, for
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lack of a better term, like the
role with it Ness of the parents
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in the film and the way that
yes, they've got this trip
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planned out, but obviously
things happen that are
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unforeseen, But also just life
with small children is a is a
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very different kind of thing.
And Daniel, I've, I've seen some
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clips of you giving interviews
while holding your son and
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taking him with you on
interviews this morning.
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Where?
Are those?
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I want to see those interviews.
Where did you find those?
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I'll send you the YouTube links
for sure.
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Yes, please.
This morning I'm prepping for
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this interview.
My son comes in and he's just
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like dad.
I can't remember how the chicken
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dance goes.
Can you explain it to me again?
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So that's.
So cool you have to your son
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even remembers how the chicken
like my son, like he, he, he
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can't like crawl yet.
So the fact that like one day my
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boy will come in and be like
dad, I don't remember how the
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chicken dance goes and I'm gonna
be that I have to be like, well,
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you shake your hip like this and
then you move your leg and I'm
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like T-shirt like that.
That is mind blowing.
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So I feel like we're at very
different stages, but I
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certainly appreciate the spirit
of of the the question.
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It's it's coming for you is what
I'm saying.
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And I guess what I'm wondering
is like, does that spirit extend
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to the way the movie has to get
shot, has to get put together?
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The the fact that like this, you
know, I don't want to not too
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many spoilers for the movie
happening here, but like this
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horrific event is happening and
then all of a sudden the kids
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are just all farting at each
other.
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Like how does that affect the
way you have to structure the
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film?
I think you, yeah, you're
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raising an interesting point.
It's one that we noticed early
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as we were crafting the story in
production.
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It's that kids don't always
follow the narrative through
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line of family events, as you,
you know, as I'm sure you know,
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as a father.
And we, as we got into the edit
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suite and we were looking at all
these incredible moments where
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our kids say something off the
wall or strange or irrelevant to
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the matter at hand.
There was something immediately
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so charming and wonderful that
it didn't really matter
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cinematically.
At times we felt whether this
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had a direct relationship to
where a scene was going, because
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00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:09,800
children bring this energy and
this joy at times and this this
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00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,480
humor that kind of brings you
out of yourself.
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And I think we we wanted to
capture that in the film.
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But it was also a very delicate
balance because as soon as you
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overdo it, cinematically
speaking, your film can feel a
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bit random or a bit
discombobulated.
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So it was definitely a very
delicate balance of how many
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times can we have our kids do
something very childlike and
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silly and irreverent and still
keep the audience's attention.
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00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:39,919
And again, this this challenge
of, of making a documentary,
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again, a medium that in a mode
that is often reserved for sort
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of the trophy serious, intense,
social, justicy political
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subjects and framing something
through the lens of the child to
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make a film for children was a
great creative challenge.
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And, and it's, and it's as
simple as like keep the camera
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lower, keep the camera the, at
the height of the, the kids, you
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know, like we see what they see.
We're in their perspective,
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we're in their POB, you know,
experiencing the world literally
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through their lens.
And then the last part of, of,
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of the answer has to do with,
with not the visual language of
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the movie, but the Sonic
language of the movie.
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Cinema is an art form of, of
images and sound.
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And it's something we took very
seriously.
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And, and, and in the future, as
the children's illness
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progresses, hopefully not for a
very long time, and they are not
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able to experience the film
visually in the same way.
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They'll still be able to hear
it.
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They'll still be able to hear
their laughter.
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They'll still be able to hear
the sounds of the calls to
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prayer in Indonesia or the quiet
of the white desert or the, the
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sound of their mom's voice or
their dad's voice or my favorite
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00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:47,120
moment when when they're
tickling one another in the
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00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:49,280
tent.
The sound of the laughter.
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00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,880
You know, that is something that
is incredibly evocative, that is
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00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:57,120
is almost as important in this
film as the visuals, if not more
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so.
You made reference to one of my
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favorite shots in the movie is
we're just following one of the
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00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:06,040
children on the walk to school
and it's filmed at waist level
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00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,200
of the adults, but at at his eye
level.
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And it reminded me so much of of
Spielberg.
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There's so much ET in that scene
and the the trick or treating
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00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:16,640
sequence and ET.
And I understand that.
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00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:19,360
Bob, thank you so much.
I, I, I'm wondering you've
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00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:21,320
already talked a little bit
about inspiration in terms of
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00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:23,280
Malik and filming the grandeur
of things.
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But this movie does such a great
job of kind of Trojan horsing in
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this is a movie about parenting
and are we doing right by our
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kids?
And I'm wondering thematically,
207
00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:34,640
what, where were you guys
drawing inspiration from, from
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00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:37,680
those sorts of films?
Can I talk first?
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00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:40,880
Ed, please go ahead.
The first thing I want to say,
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00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:45,880
this is also just in the spirit
of our our, our directorial, our
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00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:47,760
Co directing.
We spent a lot of time thinking
212
00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:52,720
about what the Co means and how
to be effective Cos and to Co
213
00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:56,360
effectively with one another And
the Terrence Malick's that if
214
00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:00,600
you had told me, you know, oh,
there's going to be a Terrence
215
00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:03,480
Mal tree of life influence of
this movie, My knee jerk
216
00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:06,840
reaction would have been don't
put that art house garbage in my
217
00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:07,840
film.
Like don't get near it.
218
00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:12,880
But I I know that that's Ed
sensibility and I and I knew
219
00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:15,680
that whatever that meant for him
was going to be stunning and
220
00:11:15,680 --> 00:11:17,040
beautiful and meaningful and
thoughtful.
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00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:21,600
And so that in and of itself is
a good example of how we Co
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00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:24,520
effectively.
And so far as like I know that
223
00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:26,720
whatever Ed does, whatever he
delivers, whatever he goes out
224
00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:28,760
and does with his inspirations
will come back and be
225
00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:31,640
thoughtful, useful, beautiful,
all of all of the things.
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00:11:32,680 --> 00:11:36,280
But I think to your point,
whereas Ed's inspiration would
227
00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:39,080
lean towards like Terrence
Malick and like Tree of Life and
228
00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:44,160
like, you know, Lubinski's like
wide angle, beautiful low camera
229
00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:47,840
work, mine, my inspiration would
be more geared towards like
230
00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:53,040
Spielberg towards an ET, towards
like, you know, that type of
231
00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:59,920
film making and exploration of
childhood through those movies
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00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:03,120
that I, I grew up with.
Yeah, I, I'm struggling.
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00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:04,520
Well, thank you for the kind
words, Daniel.
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00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:07,400
Even if your initial reaction to
certain things is get this dog
235
00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:12,680
shit out of my film.
But I, for me, I, I don't know
236
00:12:12,680 --> 00:12:15,640
if I can speak to specific
films, but we were just very
237
00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:18,600
keen.
I wanted to make a gentle film
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00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:23,920
and I wanted to as much as I
can, as you said, but balance
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00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:28,080
the grandeur of things with the
absolute intricacy of tiny
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00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:32,160
moments that contain the kernel
of something universal.
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00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:37,760
And I think of when Mia is being
sent off by her mom for the, you
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00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:41,320
know, her first big party.
And there's this, there's these
243
00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:44,280
moments like that which speak to
so many of us, but are
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00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:47,960
incredibly small details.
They're not these grand gestures
245
00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:52,680
or these big speeches or these
emotionally overwhelming moments
246
00:12:52,680 --> 00:12:55,560
between families.
They're these single shots or
247
00:12:55,560 --> 00:12:59,000
looks that come to standing for
so much of how we experience
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00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:03,440
everyday life.
And I think I knew that I I
249
00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:06,400
wanted to build that into the
universe of our film.
250
00:13:06,680 --> 00:13:09,000
And I, I don't know if this film
makers that you think of when I
251
00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:13,160
say this, but that was kind of
front and Center for me is the
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00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:15,720
minutiae of everyday life and
how beautiful that can be.
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00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:18,200
Guys, I just, I can't say enough
good things about the film
254
00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:20,240
itself.
I I also want to say that I
255
00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:22,960
think you succeeded in what
you've laid out as your own
256
00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:26,120
personal challenge here.
Like Spielberg, like a a film,
257
00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:29,240
like ET, like a Toy Story.
This is a movie that's going to
258
00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:30,920
work when I show it to my 7 year
old.
259
00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:34,560
And then when my 7 year old is a
33 year old like me, he's going
260
00:13:34,560 --> 00:13:36,520
to be able to watch it from a
completely different angle.
261
00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:39,560
It's a movie about childhood,
but it's a movie about parenting
262
00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:42,040
as well.
And so it really does speak to
263
00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:45,360
the entire family.
And guys, thank you so much for
264
00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:46,880
joining me today.
I can't thank you enough for the
265
00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:49,120
movie.
And the film is called Blink.
266
00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:52,000
It's out on October 4th in
theaters nationwide.
267
00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:55,000
This has been Daniel Rohr and Ed
Stenson.
268
00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:57,600
Gentlemen, thank you so much.
Thank you, Bob.
269
00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:07,600
OK, so today we are trying
Sentinel of the Desert Straight
270
00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:10,200
Rye whiskey.
This comes to us from Whiskey
271
00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:13,120
Delbach.
Finished in Whiskey Delbach
272
00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:16,760
mesquited casks, right?
I think this is only the second
273
00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:19,200
time in the history of this
podcast we have mentioned the
274
00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:23,680
word Mesquite, the first time
being Matthew Mcconaughey's Wild
275
00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:25,200
Turkey.
What's it called?
276
00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:26,840
Long Branch.
Long Branch.
277
00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:31,960
Long Branch, So it says that
this whiskey is aged no less
278
00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:34,360
than two years.
So that that sounds more like a
279
00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:35,720
warning when they say it like
that.
280
00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:39,280
No, no less than two years.
I'm OK with the two year rye
281
00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:42,680
though, Brad, we've we've said
many times before rye seems to
282
00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:45,960
take on a more mature character
at a younger age, even though we
283
00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:48,360
just said that in the presence
of some whiskey people recently
284
00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:49,840
and they looked at us like we
were crazy.
285
00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:54,280
I stand by it, man.
Yeah, I, I, I'm not thrown off
286
00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:58,960
by the two year age statement.
I do know that you have to have
287
00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:04,680
really high quality juice in
order for it to stand up to the
288
00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:07,800
low age statement.
You know what I mean?
289
00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:09,560
Like it.
It's going to have to be
290
00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:14,000
something really special at four
years for it to be drinkable,
291
00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:15,840
palatable, tasty at 2:00.
Years.
292
00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:19,560
That's a fair statement.
So this is batch #3 of Sentinel
293
00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:21,360
of the Desert.
It's a limited release.
294
00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:25,520
This is 92 proof.
I do not have a mash bill on
295
00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:28,400
this in front of me, but it
comes from MGP.
296
00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:31,200
So I'm going to go ahead and
just assume it's 95.5 and we'll
297
00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:33,360
go from there, Brad.
Gasp.
298
00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:37,560
All right, what are you picking
up on the nose of the Sentinel
299
00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:40,720
of the Desert?
I mean it comes across
300
00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:46,360
similarly, like not in any of
the actualities, but like it
301
00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:51,040
reminds me of a peated Scotch in
the sense that the initial
302
00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:55,200
nosing is way different than any
other whiskey.
303
00:15:56,120 --> 00:16:01,200
Like whatever mesquiting they
have done has given it this very
304
00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:05,320
specific smoky quality that is
nothing like Pete.
305
00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:10,000
I want to be clear, it is
nothing like a Pete Scotch, but
306
00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,600
it has some really distinct
characteristics.
307
00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:17,720
The longer I knows it, the more
you get into the layers of the
308
00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:22,640
rye, and I think that you have
what we talked about already, a
309
00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:26,600
young rye.
But but honestly, that that
310
00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:29,480
young character we get from the
rye, I think it works really
311
00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:31,720
well with whatever they're doing
with these casks because you're
312
00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:33,480
right, there is a smokiness
here.
313
00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:38,600
But it reminds me of like when
people play around with their
314
00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:40,680
smokers and they'll throw things
in there that you wouldn't
315
00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:43,560
typically think of.
Like people do smoked sugar or
316
00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:47,360
smoked fruits.
This is like if you put a like
317
00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:50,360
an apple pie apple like a
Macintosh or whatever you want
318
00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:53,680
to bake your pies into a smoker
for a couple hours.
319
00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:57,120
It it has that really nice
character of like being softened
320
00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:58,960
up.
It smells like an applesauce
321
00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:00,880
honestly, but just with a little
bit of smoke to it.
322
00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:03,680
I really like this a lot.
It smells like it's going to be
323
00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:07,000
sweet, which is up my alley for
a rye Brad.
324
00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:10,319
I think that I would give this
an 8 out of 10 on the nose.
325
00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:13,839
I think I'm a little cooler than
you.
326
00:17:13,839 --> 00:17:17,280
It definitely has some cinnamony
notes that would make me think
327
00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:23,160
of applesauce.
I think I'm at a 6 1/2 out of 10
328
00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:25,240
here.
All right.
329
00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:27,480
When we get to the taste.
Where you at on this one man?
330
00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:33,920
You know, I think that the
smokiness of the Mesquite hits
331
00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:40,040
on the finish and on the pallet.
You really do just have a really
332
00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:44,680
classic two year ride.
It's a tiny bit minty.
333
00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:49,960
There's a little bit of like a
sweet dill going on and it
334
00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:53,200
almost jumps into a vanilla
territory for me.
335
00:17:54,520 --> 00:18:00,840
But overall the palate is a very
normal average rye whiskey that
336
00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:04,120
I I'd probably I'd give a 7 out
of 10 to.
337
00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:07,920
I feel like it's always
constantly flirting with like,
338
00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:11,200
oh, this is too young.
Like it's almost tipping into
339
00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:15,200
oh, it's a little too harsh.
It's a little too like sickly
340
00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:18,040
sweet, but it never quite gets
over that line.
341
00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:20,040
And I have to at least give it
credit for that, You know what I
342
00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:21,880
mean?
Like, it's definitely a young
343
00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:24,600
rye, but I think they've done
kind of everything in their
344
00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:29,000
power to maximize the good
qualities that you can find in a
345
00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:31,520
younger rye and to minimize the
stuff.
346
00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:34,560
Brad, we've had some truly
shitty young whiskey on this
347
00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:36,280
podcast.
Oh, 100%.
348
00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:37,640
This is not that, you know what
I mean?
349
00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,800
Like it's, it's pretty good.
I would have much preferred it
350
00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:46,000
at four years old, but even here
it's that Mesquite and the oak
351
00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:49,040
influence makes it really
prickly upfront and you, you
352
00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:51,880
notice it right away.
There's that like heavy, heavy
353
00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:54,760
smoke upfront to the point where
I think it kind of drowns out a
354
00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:56,960
lot behind it.
It's pretty thin on the
355
00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:59,200
mouthfeel.
There's a lot of green apple for
356
00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:03,280
me still and it's good, but it
doesn't quite live up to that
357
00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:06,600
like sweet, bold, bright fruit I
got on the nose.
358
00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:08,800
I'm just going to give this a
six out of 10 on the palate.
359
00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:13,120
Yeah, and Bob, I think that the
finish is the best part of this
360
00:19:13,120 --> 00:19:16,840
experience.
The Mesquite finally comes
361
00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:21,000
through and makes itself really
known and it gives you a nice
362
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:26,640
tobacco Y leather a a really
enjoyable finish.
363
00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:31,760
Like I just took a nice puff on
a cigar and I I actually like it
364
00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:34,160
a decent amount.
I'll come up a little bit here.
365
00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:37,080
I've been stepping my way up.
I'll I'll give it a 7 1/2 on the
366
00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:39,960
finish.
Yeah, I think leather is kind of
367
00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,640
the keynote on the finish here.
It's really nice.
368
00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,480
I just, I wish that there was a
little more rye character,
369
00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:49,000
whether it would be dill or mint
or like anything in that kind of
370
00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:52,560
rye grain realm.
It's almost just like straight
371
00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:57,040
leather, which again, I don't
mind on a whiskey, but like 4
372
00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:00,520
years old, this would be
freaking stellar at two years
373
00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:03,080
old.
I'm impressed for other reasons.
374
00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:05,600
I'm impressed that they got this
out of a two year whiskey.
375
00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:10,760
But I like it's still not a full
throated support of what's in
376
00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:13,640
the glass.
I'm going to give it a 6 1/2 on
377
00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:18,480
the finish and then on in terms
of balance, I'm going to give it
378
00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:19,960
a seven.
I think this is where I really
379
00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:21,840
want to reward their efforts
here.
380
00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:25,320
I have to imagine it took a
significant amount of effort to
381
00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:27,960
pull this much out of a two year
product and they've done a
382
00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:31,560
really good job with it.
Yeah, I I would agree.
383
00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:34,160
I think that they have done some
interesting things here.
384
00:20:35,120 --> 00:20:40,520
I'll give it a 6 1/2 on balance.
At the end of the day, the this
385
00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:44,280
whiskey needs to be aged two
more years, one more year at
386
00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:47,200
least.
And I think that if you do that,
387
00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:51,720
every score is going to come up
a half to one full point.
388
00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,640
And this is going to be a really
enjoyable whiskey.
389
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,880
I'm just struggling with it at
this age.
390
00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:02,200
So yeah, 6 1/2 on balance.
All right.
391
00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:05,160
And then in terms of value, I
think that this is averaging
392
00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:11,480
about $50 online, which like
they've done a secondary finish
393
00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:14,400
process on it.
It's a smaller operation, but
394
00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:17,640
it's also MGP juice and like
it's two year MGP juice.
395
00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:21,720
So part of me thinks it's
slightly justified price, part
396
00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:23,600
of me doesn't.
I don't know anything about the
397
00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:27,840
cost of Mesquite wood, but Brad,
what do you think?
398
00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:31,800
They had $50?
It's like a 5 1/2.
399
00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:36,040
I'll give it a 6 1/2 like I I
don't think it's a bad value and
400
00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:38,080
it's especially because it's
unique.
401
00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:42,960
What I will say, Whiskey Dalbach
release a four year version of
402
00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:45,480
this and I will be on board like
forever.
403
00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:51,200
Yeah, 100%.
Brad, I'm coming out to a 34.5
404
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:52,840
out of 50.
Where are you at on this one?
405
00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:56,520
Just a little lower.
I'm at a 33 out of 50.
406
00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:02,520
I will say I think I'm going to
recommend like this is pretty
407
00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:08,480
much hitting the ceiling of what
a two year rye can do, and if
408
00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:11,560
you'd like to experience what a
younger whiskey tastes like and
409
00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:14,600
how that can be maximized, I
don't really think there's many
410
00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:17,000
places I would recommend you go
other than this one.
411
00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:20,880
Yeah, I, I think I'm going to
stay away from recommending
412
00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:25,120
until they give it a little bit
longer to age, give it a little
413
00:22:25,120 --> 00:22:30,760
bit more flavor from the casks.
It just needs a little bit more
414
00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:35,760
depth of quality to really give
it the experience that like I
415
00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:37,400
could put my stamp of approval
on.
416
00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:43,400
All right, so we came out to a
67.5 out of 100 or a 33.75 out
417
00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:44,760
of 50.
I recommended.
418
00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:46,840
Brad does not.
I want to say thank you to
419
00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:48,840
Whiskey Del Bach for sending us
this bottle.
420
00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:52,480
It's really cool looking bottle.
And folks, what a day at film
421
00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:54,440
and whiskey.
We've interviewed an Academy
422
00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:57,040
Award winner.
We've tried a new whiskey like
423
00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:58,760
it does not get any better than
this Brad.
424
00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:01,800
Absolutely not, Bob.
Thank you so much for your help
425
00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:04,280
on the interview by the way.
Really, really pulled your
426
00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:07,080
weight, man.
Yeah, it it's no problem, dude.
427
00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:12,320
I, I know when you just need to
have that affirmative
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00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:14,680
experience.
So I I wanted you to have that
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00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:16,000
today.
Well, thank you so much.
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00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:18,920
Hey, we'll be back on Tuesday
with another regularly scheduled
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episode.
But until then, I'm Bob Book.
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00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:23,880
I'm Brad G.
And we'll see you next time,
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00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:48,520
music.