About
About Us
About The Bourbon Culture
We share candid whiskey reviews, bottle stories, and practical guides to help you choose your next pour — and tell you when a bottle isn't worth what the shelf says it is.
1 — Instagram page, where this all started
890+ — Bourbon reviews, scored & published
2 — Co-owners. Every review, start to finish
0 — Paid reviews. Scores are never for sale.
Why this site exists
The Bourbon Culture started as an Instagram page. Michael was working at a liquor store, teaching himself bourbon one pour at a time, and posting what he found. People kept showing up, and the page kept growing.
When he moved to Indianapolis, he found Mike F. Same obsession, different strengths. Michael took the technical and business side. Mike F took the writing and the reviews. They made it a 50/50 partnership, and it has stayed that way ever since.
The rule has not changed since that first post. Every review is independent. No score is for sale. And we publish the ones we do not like, too, because a verdict you can trust is the whole point of this site.
The voices behind the reviews
You will not find headshots here. That is a choice, not an oversight. A verdict is judged on the tasting, not on a headshot, and a byline on this site means one of two people drank the bourbon and wrote what they thought. Those two people are Mike B and Mike F — the co-owners, the only reviewers, and the only voices behind the reviews.
MF
Mike F
Co-owner · Content creation & reviews
The palate and the pen.
Writes: reviews, tasting notes, bottle stories.
Standard: “If Mike F wouldn't buy it twice, it doesn't get recommended.”
MB
Mike B
Co-owner · Technical & business
The engine room.
Runs: site, YouTube, membership, partnerships.
Standard: every price claim on the site has to be checkable.
Two people, 50/50, since the start. No staff writers, no ghost reviewers, no AI-generated tasting notes — when a review has a byline on this site, one of the two people above actually drank the bourbon.
How a review happens
1
We taste it properly
Neat, in a Glencairn, more than once. Nose, palate, finish — noted before any score exists.
2
We score it straight
The score reflects what's in the glass only; rarity, hype, label art don't add points.
3
We check the price
Every bottle compared in the Brown Book against what drinkers actually pay.
4
We give a verdict
Buy it, buy it on sale, or pass — in plain language, at the top of the review, not buried.
What we don't do
- ✕ Accept payment for a review, a score, or a ranking.
- ✕ Let a brand see a review before it publishes.
- ✓ Accept samples — disclosed in the review when we do.
- ✕ Publish a review of a bottle we haven't tasted.
- ✓ Use affiliate links — disclosed, and they never change a verdict.
- ✕ Delete a negative review because a brand asked.
Start where most readers start
Watch a review before you read one, check a bottle's price before you buy one, or join the members who get the full Brown Book.
Questions readers ask
Mike F is the lead reviewer and content creator; Mike B runs the technical and business side. No staff writers, no ghost reviewers.
Yes, independently owned. No distillery, distributor, or retailer has a stake, and no one pays for a review or sees one before it publishes.
Occasionally, and it is disclosed in the review when we do. A sample never changes a score or a verdict, and brands never see a review first.
A price-verdict database: whether a bottle is fairly priced, overpriced, or worth hunting for, judged against what drinkers actually pay.
Use the Contact page for bottle suggestions, business inquiries, advertising, and corporate or private tasting inquiries (https://thebourbonculture.com/contact/).