The Story Behind Bourbonado
We started Bourbonado because talking about bourbon had gotten a little too serious. Everyone had a rating, a rare bottle, and an opinion about how you were doing it wrong. We wanted the opposite of that.
How it started in 2025
A handful of friends kept sending each other photos of pours and asking the same questions. What is a mash bill. Is this bottle worth the money. Why does this one taste like a campfire. In 2025 we stopped answering the same thread over and over and opened the door so anyone could join in.
Today 4,500+ people share tastings, reviews, courses, and meetups in one place. Some have been collecting for decades. Some bought their first bottle last week. Both get the same welcome. If you want to see what the lessons look like, start with Bourbon 101, and the home page walks through what happens inside day to day.
What no snobs allowed actually means
It is not a slogan we stuck on a shirt. It is a rule we enforce. Nobody gets talked down to for asking what bottled in bond means. Nobody gets mocked for drinking a twenty dollar bourbon with ice. Nobody gets to wave a rare bottle around as proof that their opinion counts more than yours.
In practice that means beginner questions get real answers, hyped bottles get honest verdicts, and anyone who makes the room feel smaller gets a quiet word from a moderator. It works because members hold the line themselves.
Everyone starts somewhere
Nobody was born knowing what a mash bill is. Beginner questions get real answers here, not eye rolls.
Honest over impressive
If a hyped bottle tastes flat, we say so. If a twenty dollar pour is great, we say that too.
Drink what you like
Neat, on ice, in a cocktail. However you drink it is the right way to drink it.
People before bottles
The shelf is fun. The friendships are the reason members keep showing up.
How the community runs day to day
Everything lives on Skool, so the courses, posts, tastings, and chat sit in one place instead of scattered across four apps. Members post pours and questions whenever they want. A small group of moderators keeps threads civil and answers anything that slips through.
Each month there is a live Zoom tasting, a limited shirt drop voted on by members, and at least one giveaway. Barrel picks happen when a distillery gives us samples, and members vote on the barrel we bottle. Nothing is pay to play, and the community itself stays free.
Join Bourbonado Free
Who runs Bourbonado
Bourbonado is operated by Barrel & Stone, LLC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Same people behind the merch and the barrel picks. If you need to reach us about anything business related, the contact page lists every way to get in touch.
Pull Up a Glass
Bring whatever is on your shelf and meet 4,500+ people happy to pour with you.
Join Bourbonado Free