My Pursuit

My pursuit is simple, but it’s everything.

It’s my pursuit to discover and bring the best spirits from around the world to the Greater Sacramento Region, Northern California, California, and the entire West Coast. To bring the best spirits into what I call the RoCo Verse — a world built on passion, relationships, trust, and relentless drive.

This journey isn’t about hype bottles or flex culture. It’s about people. Stories. Work ethic. Sacrifice. Faith. Friendship. Family. And the moments that remind you why you started in the first place.

Recently, I spent time with Kenny Coleman and Ryan Cecil of Pursuit Spirits and the Bourbon Pursuit Podcast — two of the sharpest minds in whiskey. I’ve met countless personalities and leaders in this industry, but these two stand out.

And I started thinking… why?

It’s experience.

They’ve recorded over 1,200 podcast episodes, learning from everyone’s wins, failures, mistakes, risks, and lessons. They didn’t just talk about whiskey — they studied it, lived it, dissected it, and respected it. Then they took everything they learned and built Pursuit Spirits.

From blending, to pricing, to packaging, to go-to-market strategy — they did it the right way. They built a world-class whiskey that tastes incredible and remains affordable.

That last part matters.

Today, the market is flooded with sourced whiskey, re-labeled under dozens of brands, all chasing hype and jacking up prices. You see the same liquid in different bottles, getting more expensive every year. Meanwhile, these two guys took on over $8 million in debt to build something real — and still chose to price their whiskey so people can actually enjoy it.

If that’s not the American pursuit of freedom, entrepreneurship, and belief, I don’t know what is.

I’ve always told my clients and RoCo Club members: tasting notes are subjective.
What I care about is the story.

The people.
The relationships.
The business.
The strategy.
The struggle behind the scenes.

That’s why there was no other brand I could start my blogging journey with than Pursuit Spirits.

Not many people know the logic behind how we choose our barrel picks.

Lately, everyone is chasing barrel picks. Retailers partnering with clubs, hunting hype, grabbing anything they can get their hands on — chasing trends, chasing regional popularity, chasing names.

We’re different.

We hunt people.

We hunt stories.

We hunt brands that are built the right way.

My team — Jason (Bourbon.and.Smoke), Kent (Whiskeydizz), Dan (HeavyBourbon), and the River City Whiskey Society Admin Team — we’re relentless. We chase authenticity. We chase craftsmanship. We chase brands we believe in.

To us, pursuit is persistence. Tenacity. And refusing to settle.

We travel to Kentucky 6–10 times a year. That’s how we first discovered Pursuit Spirits — their Triple Mash blew us away.

And then we waited.

For three years, we chased this brand to bring it to California. Three years of no’s. Three years of patience. Three years of believing.

When Kenny and Ryan finally decided to enter California — the fifth largest economy in the world — they made sure we were their very first barrel pick.

That moment meant everything.

But what impacted me even more was watching how they worked.

Kenny took Northern California. Ryan took Southern California. For a full week, they were on the road from 8 a.m. to midnight, every day. No breaks. No ego. No shortcuts.

I remember dropping Kenny off in Oakland for ride-alongs. Later I texted him asking how it was going. He replied, “Bro, thank you for the breakfast burrito — that’s the only thing I ate today.”

That’s pursuit.

That’s hunger.

That’s belief.

They flew across the country, grinding nonstop, meeting retailers, clubs, and consumers — just to pour whiskey and tell their story.

No massive budgets.
No armies of salespeople.
No safety net.

Just hustle.

That’s how brands are built. And it inspired the hell out of me.

We hosted two dinners in Northern California — one with Silicon Valley Whiskey Society and one with River City Whiskey Society.

Over 120 people.
Two barrel picks.
840 bottles sold in two nights.

Every guest said the same thing:

That’s impact.

After chasing them for three years, I finally realized something:

Those three years of “no” gave me more than any barrel pick ever could.

I gained two mentors.
I gained two friends.
I gained perspective.
I gained inspiration.

We’re the same age. We have young kids. Families. Pressure. Responsibility. Risk. Fear. Hope.

We connected.

Recently in Kentucky, during our Willett barrel pick and Bourbon Classic week, we ran into Ryan. His smile lit up the room. He hugged me and said, “Thank you.”

I told him, “No, brother — thank you.”

They hosted us all week at their new Louisville bar, Trial & Error, which became our home base. It was welcoming, warm, full of stories, laughter, and connection.

And that’s when it hit me.

My pursuit isn’t just whiskey.

My pursuit is:

Whiskey tastes better when it carries memories.

You can have the greatest liquid in the world, but if the experience is empty, the bottle means nothing. I’ve seen that firsthand.

That’s why Pursuit Spirits matters.

They represent everything I believe in:
Freedom. Family. Friendship. Faith. Hustle. Heart.

This blog isn’t about ratings or tasting notes.

It’s an inside look into how my brain works.

My life revolves around business. I love business. I love building. I love chasing greatness. And I love bringing that pursuit into every bottle we select.

This is the story behind the whiskey.

This is My Pursuit.

Thank you, Kenny and Ryan — for your friendship, your mentorship, your hustle, and your inspiration. The wait, the grind, and the journey we’ve shared this past month has re-lit a fire in me.

And I’m just getting started.