Whiskey Bits

"Chattanooga 111 Proof Bourbon; New Friends"

• Matt Sommerfield & Phil Stokes • Season 1 • Episode 53

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Have you ever found yourself giggling at the gym over the antics of fellow fitness enthusiasts? We certainly have, and in this hilarious episode of Whiskey Bits with Matt and Phil, we're thrilled to welcome Brook as our special guest. Join us as we recount the amusing tale of our meeting at the gym and sip on a Tennessee straight bourbon from Chattanooga, a delightful choice courtesy of Brook. Together, we uncover the humor in daily life and the joy of shared laughter over a good glass of whiskey—a tradition Brook has embraced so fully, he even left us a rave review!
 
Our whiskey-tasting adventure takes a humorous twist as we explore the peculiar world of nosing, where popcorn flavors become unexpected influencers on the palate. With a high malt whiskey in hand, we engage in a lively exchange about its grain, caramel, and honey notes. Nostalgic reflections on Indiana and the Quad Cities enhance our banter, as we humorously ponder the quirks of small-town America and the regional slogans that make us chuckle.
 
Finally, we journey back to small-town roots, reminiscing about the charms of places like Aledo, Illinois, and the close-knit bonds that flourish in rural communities. From the annual Rhubarb Fest to the warmth of farm life, these stories highlight the enduring friendships and values we hold dear. As we blend our love for whiskey with comedy, our aim is to recreate the spontaneous joy and creativity that fueled our beginnings—inviting you along for this whiskey-infused adventure filled with stories, humor, and heartfelt connections.

#WhiskeyTasting #ComedyPodcast #BourbonLovers #GymFails #WhiskeyBits #SmallTownHumor #TennesseeBourbon #NosingWhiskey #PodcastLife #WhiskeyAndLaughs 

🔔 Don't forget to like, share, subscribe, and hit the bell for more Whiskey Bits with Matt and Phil! Cheers to laughter, great whiskey, and memorable moments! 🥃✨

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Whiskey Tasting and Funny Gym Stories

Speaker 1

Phil, we're not alone today. We're not alone in the universe today. Phil, Some would say you're never alone. That's true. I don't know who that person is, but we are not alone. We are not alone, Hi Brooke.

Speaker 2

What's up, guys? You're just sitting there like.

Speaker 1

Yep, they brought me on and.

Speaker 2

I don't.

Speaker 1

I don't know how long this is going to go before they even acknowledge my, my presence. Welcome to whiskey bits with matt and phil, where we sip on everyday whiskeys and find the funny in our everyday lives. So this is, this is your friend, brooke? Yeah, this is no, this is my friend brooke.

Speaker 2

Oh yeah, this is your friend, this is my friend brooke.

Speaker 1

Okay, tell us, how do you, how do you know? From the gym I think I'm kind of like he just looked cool and muscular more so than me, because when I go to the gym I'm like I don't know what I'm doing. So I'm like that guy looks like he knows what he's doing and he's not one of those people that's just doing random hip thrusts against the wall. So I'm gonna go talk to him and that's. That's how we met oh yeah, we work on the same gym.

Speaker 1

Same gym, yeah, absolutely so. Hip thrusts against the wall no, he doesn't do oh I'm sorry I miss, I miss, I don't know.

Speaker 2

It might be, uh, might be a good idea. Maybe I'll try that tomorrow, you should, I know you've seen, you've seen the, the weird people though, at the gym that you do like the one guy that's doing like air karate.

Speaker 1

You remember he wears?

Speaker 2

yeah, no I, I'm like I don't know how you can forget that guy. Yeah, no, I'm not sure he's still there anymore. I don't think he is, to be quite honest with you, but uh, yeah, I mean gyms are just it's going to attract all kinds of you know, yeah, people who actually enjoy being there working out, and then people that you know just got released from a mental institution. So it's kind of hard to tell.

Speaker 1

Those are the two kinds of people that go yeah, that's right. Which one do you think I am? We all know I'm going to say that Mental institution.

Speaker 2

Leaning towards that, but that's okay, that's fine.

Speaker 1

You just got to make, you got to have some uh entertainment while you're there, exactly exactly, you know, otherwise it's uh monotony. Well, yeah, yeah, um, but you're our listener, you're I'm it, man.

Speaker 2

I mean, you know it's great though you've been listening, though that's great. You know, you guys uh put a concept together. It was awesome. I sent it to some other buddies, oh, really started to listen a little bit. I don't know if they left any reviews. Extremely rude.

Speaker 1

Bad ones. They're like this sucks, but no, are they still your friends Are?

Speaker 2

they still your friends as of a few months ago. They are. That's a good sign, but we'll see, so you know we'll get it out there. Man, that's awesome dude, yeah.

Speaker 1

Well, thank you. I want to thank you for listening and for subscribing and for letting everybody know that what we're doing here and uh, we're, we're having fun well, and he left a review too.

Speaker 2

He did, I did, yeah, yeah, it was like the first one, I think all right, it was like good. Right after, like our one host, our wives were like hey, we should jump out.

Speaker 1

No, my madison, she like did a ghost name, that's right she created a different account. Your wife didn't even no, leave a review she doesn't care. Madison doesn't listen or watch. Madison created another account so that it wouldn't come back to her yeah, and she said something about fried chicken.

Speaker 2

I was like, what that's good, some good stuff there, I mean.

Speaker 1

I do like fried chicken who doesn't? But you brought the whiskey to it. I was going to say, speaking of fried chicken, yeah, speaking of fried chicken, kentucky fried Kentucky Fried Chicken. Kfc Kentucky is where whiskey comes from.

Speaker 2

Well, it's sometimes.

Speaker 1

Okay, but today we're going to go a little bit further south, oh okay, a little bit further east.

Speaker 2

I feel like I need an adult, and we're going to hit Chattanooga, tennessee, chattanooga, chattanooga. So thank you, brooke, for bringing this oh yeah, of course, I'm really excited to try this. I've heard a lot of stuff, a lot of good stuff about the chanel whitney uh whiskey company um, so this is their kentucky. I'm sorry, this is a gosh tennessee. We have a guest I'm serious, so nervous. I know it's brooke dude like freaking here, let's go.

Speaker 1

So used to saying kentucky straight bourbon whiskey on this podcast, but we've got a tennessee straight bourbon whiskey. This is a cast strength 11've got a Tennessee straight bourbon whiskey. This is a cast strength 111 proof. This is their Tennessee high malt, and so you said you've had a sip of this before.

Speaker 2

I've had a sip of that one and they have like three or four others. You know, shout out to our my buddy, frank.

Speaker 1

Frank. He's going to be on to that. Thanks, Frank. Hey, we should have Frank on. Let's get him.

Speaker 2

He's a tall dude. It's not Frank Galassi, is it? No, okay, I don't know how he's going to fit through that door.

Speaker 1

He won't, and he won't be able to fit, do this.

Speaker 2

Yeah, he's a former college basketball player. Oh, that'll just be fun.

Speaker 1

He's a tall dude.

Corn Husk & Whiskey Nosing

Speaker 2

Fun to watch the here, no problem, yeah, he's a fun guy um so, yeah, no, I, I wanted to bring that and, um, you know, really appreciate y'all having me and yeah man, I'm excited, all right, well, let's get into this thing.

Speaker 1

So, all right, you know the drill time to nose. I'm gonna move this a little closer to your face so that when you're breathing heavy, I can hear it. I'll turn it up and it'll put me to sleep at night. Sounds good, I love it. That was the creepiest thing I've ever heard you've just like you're creating asmr for yeah yourself for myself, yeah, out of brook like from your breathing, yeah, yeah, this is totally that's my ploy, let's get into this.

Speaker 2

All right, knows it so you know this one well they list this as a high malt.

Speaker 1

Okay, do you know what your dom nas, your dom dominant nostril?

Speaker 2

uh, it's got to be my right. You're right. Yeah, I'm a righty.

Speaker 1

You lean right, you lean to the right.

Speaker 2

I love it A little bit Me too.

Speaker 1

Yeah, tonight is the right. There's a lot of. It's not overly sweet for sure.

Speaker 2

How many sniff tests do you guys do? A lot we smell it a lot. Okay, We's like. What are we like?

Speaker 1

We're like the Biden of whiskey drinking right now.

Speaker 2

Interesting Come here little whiskey girl.

Speaker 1

Oh my gosh, it's the creepiest episode I've ever done.

Speaker 2

Well, I mean.

Speaker 1

You bring out the creepiness in me.

Speaker 2

I guess yeah, can you breathe a little deeper? I'm nervous.

Speaker 1

Into the microphone. I'm nervous too. I would appreciate that. Yeah, okay, so it's Okay, we got the Grainy.

Speaker 2

It's a little grainy. I just I get sweet though. Yeah, it's good, I get a little sweet notes there. Yeah, some, wow, that is complex. You're complex. I'm sorry, I like to think so. It's kind of a it's good. Yeah, it's not bad that, especially that first hit yeah how, what's?

Speaker 1

the proof 110. This is their cast. 110 or 111 of his guys. Do you want to do this? No, I see 11. One one I thought is that that's fine, it's 111.

Speaker 2

Oh jeez, I didn't I didn't bring my glasses, so don't even ask me. Yeah, you can't read it. No fine, is it really 111, 111?

Speaker 1

yeah, oh, okay, it doesn't. It doesn't drink like a high, like a high proof it. Well, the burn kind of goes away a little bit. Yeah, like faster. Yeah, it goes pretty quick. Yeah, yeah, I'm wondering, with, like the second, I purposely didn't eat too much popcorn because I was like, oh, is it gonna mess with?

Speaker 2

I purposely ate a lot of popcorn, hoping that I just you know it was really good, because it's popcorn, I was hungry yeah, fresh popcorn, I like it, I, I it's. It's not overly sweet um yeah, it also doesn't really good, it's it's definitely not bitter um, second was much bitter, second one's much better. Yeah, second one's much better yeah.

Speaker 1

Has a little bit of a burn, but not like you know, when you have a, you'll have a sip and it's almost like the first one is like oh my gosh, I'm having acid reflux.

Speaker 2

And I don't know what it is Like.

Speaker 1

Yeah, and sometimes it's not even that it's a higher proof. It just like kills you, yeah. But this one is like it kind of is smooth and sweet and yeah, it definitely has a um, yeah, there's, there is a smoothness and a sweetness to it. I I like I'm getting a ton of just different grains, though like I'm not getting the sweet caramely, um, sweet uh, they make a bottled and bond one too, do they?

Speaker 2

yeah, I think that's that's the. Uh, that's a really good one. They didn't have it when I uh snagged that one.

Speaker 1

Okay yeah, so this is uh, I've seen it, I've never had it though mash bill they don't. They don't give a percentage here, but yellow corn malted rye, caramel malted barley and honey malted barley. So a lot of barley lots of caramel.

Speaker 2

I taste a little bit of caramel in there, yeah, which is I tend to pull out sweeter notes.

Speaker 1

Just, I don't know if my palate's just like we love everything sweet, but like I tend to get the sweeter notes typically yeah and um, I could, yeah, I could see the honey kind of like on the back end a little bit. Yeah, I, I for sure, for sure, I'm getting a lot of corn husk. No, we're gonna do every single time.

Speaker 2

Yeah, we're gonna do like a special episode for our one year.

Speaker 1

When it comes out, we're gonna like all the times I've said corn husk and we're just gonna play it one after the other and all the times like I've been like corn husk are you a closet?

Speaker 2

uh, corn husker fan, I guess. I guess, like I guess you're a nebr guy. I guess?

Speaker 1

Yeah, I must be, because I'm always tasting the Cornhusk.

Speaker 2

I mean.

Speaker 1

I really love. I married a Hoosier, that's true. She's from Indianapolis, that's something yeah.

Speaker 2

They like corn down there. That's a thing they definitely do.

Speaker 1

What did you say? Indiana, more than corn.

Speaker 2

Isn't that what their slogan was? Yes, that was their slogan.

Speaker 1

It's like Crystal Lake a good place to live, Not great. Why not great?

Speaker 2

That's their slogan, though I don't know, man Crystal.

Speaker 1

Lake a good place to live. So, Brooke, where did you grow up? Okay?

Speaker 2

Shut down, so you want to talk about corn. Yeah, I mean, I was surrounded by corn pretty much for 18 years of my life. Do you know where the Quad Cities is at?

Speaker 1

Yeah, rock Island. Yeah, I never know what that means.

Speaker 2

Okay, which cities are the Quad Cities for once in my life? So it's Rock Island, illinois. Okay, moline, illinois. I've heard of that. Bettendorf, iowa. I've heard of that. Davenport, iowa, I've heard so you take 88 West, you run right into East Moline and there's your house. Yeah, you got to keep going. Fill up with gas, fill up with gas. Keep going, we're still going, still going. That's too metropolitan we're going, rural we're going rural country man Okay.

Speaker 2

So take that all the way. You're going to go past the John Deere plant until you get to Route 67. Yep, you all the way gonna go past the john deere plant to get to route 67? Yep, yeah, head south and there's this little town called aledo, illinois that's where I grew up it's about 3500, 4000 people, that's a farm community yeah, um did you grow up on a farm?

Speaker 2

I did yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, yeah, did you milk cows? Uh, I did not milk cows, but my dad had, uh some milk cows, um, before I was born. That's amazing. Um, and then, uh, once he sold them, uh went into uh, black angus beef oh, wow, that.

Speaker 1

So yeah oh, no way. Yeah, that's awesome.

Speaker 2

So they were beef farmers, and yeah, not grain farmers, but beef, yeah, I mean we had, we had you know for, for that area I mean, we had like a very small, like there's some farms down there that are just you know massive, you know For cattle or for corn. Cattle, hogs, like whatever. I mean, it's just some of those farms are just massive. That's awesome, ours is tiny compared to a lot of those.

Speaker 2

How many acres do you have? Less than 150. Okay, yeah, it was really small. So were you in Alito proper or were you, uh, rural? Yeah, I was. I literally lived at the four mile corner, is what they called it. Huh, okay, yeah, you know this place um.

Speaker 1

I do you grow up there, phil?

Speaker 2

no I mean, he's like good, he was excellent proper excellent questions, though what is it?

Speaker 1

yeah, yeah, yeah. No, the reason I asked specifically, is because my wife grew up in Joy, illinois. Get out of here.

Speaker 2

No, kidding, no, get out Stop it Nope, totally serious, 100% serious.

Speaker 1

Yeah, that's right next door, yeah.

Speaker 2

So you know, aledo.

Speaker 1

Yeah, of course I do.

Speaker 2

I spend a lot of time in Aledo. You guys probably met each other.

Speaker 1

I was married in Aledo.

Speaker 2

Really, where'd you get married at?

Speaker 1

We got married at the church.

Speaker 2

Hey, phil, the one church. Let me tell you something, phil, there's like 18 churches in Aledo, I know. Take your pick, the one church, take your pick.

Speaker 1

So I actually don't know, because her family doesn't this is unbelievable, this guy.

Speaker 2

I had no clue. All this stuff out right now, yeah Huh, how about? Or he has done some major research. How did you?

Speaker 1

feel? How would I know that? How did you feel when they finally put the stoplight up at corner of 17? And it was a big deal. It was a big deal, yeah, yeah, I think I might've been gone.

Speaker 1

It might've happened when I was in, okay, but uh, I do remember going back and seeing a stoplight and was just like wow. It was like, yeah, there's three. It was the second one. We finally made it. We made it as a town. Well, the first one was over by the walmart and mercer market. Oh my gosh, that, that one was there, this guy's, I'm gonna help you out. How will you? How do?

Speaker 2

you, your your name in mercer market. Now what's?

Speaker 1

mercer market. This is insane.

Speaker 2

I'm there. You want to talk about fried chicken?

Speaker 1

yeah first remark incredible fried chicken. Let's go tonight after this, tell me what. What do you think of? Uh, vitalis, were you a big fan of?

Speaker 2

vitalis. Okay, so shout out to my buddy vinnie vitali. Uh-huh, who owns it? One of my best friends since kindergarten, joey's kid um yeah joe vitali right joe, yeah, yeah, yeah, wonderful family you guys are very, very good people.

Speaker 1

Could you excuse us?

Speaker 2

I had no idea that we were going to be talking Aledo here. How?

Speaker 1

about it. I had no idea either. And as soon as you said the Quad Cities, I was like okay, that's interesting.

Speaker 2

I still know where the Quad Cities are. Yeah, it's getting closer.

Speaker 1

You keep going and take a left on 67 and I'm like we're doing this.

Speaker 2

We're going there, we're doing this, and then you landed there and then he's like a little town called Aledo Illinois, home of a.

Speaker 1

There's a semi-famous country star that came from Aledo Illinois. It's true, yeah. His name is Brooke. Oh, sorry, it's not you.

Speaker 2

No, it's Susie Boggess, right, susie Boggess, what bogus, bogus, bogus, bogus, suzy bogus yep from alito illinois. That's not a real person. No, it is. I don't know it is she's uh, yeah she's. She's saying, yeah, beautifully, yeah her sign. She got a big sign on the uh as soon as you come into alito wait like susan boyle no, stop, oh, okay remember that lady.

Speaker 1

She's like oh she's, she actually sang pretty well, yeah, so my, yeah, my wife's family is all from all from Mercer, so she went to Westmore High School before it closed down? Yeah, they all came to Aledo, that's right. Mercer County, that's right Now they're all. Mercer County. Screaming Eagles right, golden Eagles, golden Eagles.

Speaker 2

Golden Eagles or screaming eagles, whatever Doesn't matter. It doesn't really matter, they kind of do both.

Speaker 1

I mean the gold ones, I'm sure scream.

Speaker 2

They're flying up there. They could.

Speaker 1

Yeah, so my wife's family is from there. There's a hunt club just south of town. I mean, I guess it's technically in joy that my father-in-law runs. He runs a hunt club and you didn't tell me that I love hunting. Dang it, Phil. Does he still do it? I mean, it's not, it's it's privately owned, and so he's just there and helps out with. But yeah, but yeah, they've got, they've got. They've got a few acres. You know, just South, let's see 115th street. Cool, enjoy, it's technically Seton, it's a.

Speaker 2

Seton yeah, yeah, absolutely those are. Those are actual Lido kids there, yeah.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 2

Great, great time growing up there. I mean, it was just so unbelievably slow pace compared to you know. I mean what it, what I live now.

Speaker 1

But I mean, mean just incredible incredible people back there I feel, though, like I've, because I've driven through I actually think I would love that lifestyle. To be honest, like, look at me, I like like I probably need it. Um, it's like a natural shot in the arm of like chill dude. Yeah, um, I think my grandpa lived out in like cuba city, wisconsin, which was like in the middle of nowhere, um, but I get I get creeped out when I wisconsin, which was like in the middle of nowhere, um, but I get I could get creeped out when I drive out those ways, like in the, in the nighttime but like it's like an episode of children of the corner.

Speaker 1

Well, just, like well, because my dad growing up, my dad's always like, oh, we drive through barrington, oh, we saw ufos in the sky, or we saw, you know, or munger road. You remember that movie that came out years ago, these guys in St Charles, it was like a railroad track off of Munger Road and it was like this scary movie. But, did you ever living out in the cornfields? Is that freaky? Not cornfields, but the cow fields?

Speaker 2

No, not really. I mean, you just get used to it. It's not anything that's going to. You know, what are you going to be scared of?

Speaker 1

UFOs.

Speaker 2

Axe murders run around out there. There's got to be UFOs running.

Speaker 1

The scariest thing is a deer that's going to pop out of nowhere.

Speaker 2

Have you seen signs there could be a deer? Have you seen signs there?

Speaker 1

could be a deer. The other thing is a lot of these country roads. They don't have traffic control devices, so there's no stop sign, it's just you. You're hoping that you see a plume of of dust from the gravel road from over the corn so that you don't t-bone another car or you don't get to go in as you go, no? And then all the streets are named like a, b, no, they all have numbers, but you have no idea what they are a1 I was like it's a steak's a steak sauce?

Speaker 1

No idea. It's like my wife used to joke. We would drive into Aledo and she would say, take a left at the bank. And I was like okay great it's when I'm looking for a bank.

Speaker 1

Right Turns out, the bank is one block over, but there used to be another bank. And so that's what she would just say like. And so that's what she would just say like, just take a left at the bank. And I'm like that doesn't make any sense, but those are the directions that you give in those parts, man, I mean, that's it, you know, because, guess what?

Speaker 2

Your GPS is probably not going to be working really well, no, probably not.

Speaker 1

I mean at least it didn't, you know, years ago. It's a little bit better than MapQuest. Maybe they work now, but uh, I still used I I think map quest still exists. Well, we did a lot of stuff.

Speaker 2

I love math. Yeah, it was like that was like the lifeblood to get anywhere yeah, that's true.

Speaker 1

We did a lot of uh, we did a lot of family part. We'll get off of alito here, so you can no, no, no, no, no, no one more thing on uh rhubarb fest. Yeah, tell me about rhubarb fest. It's huge, yeah, it's huge.

Speaker 2

So I worked, for I remember if it was my freshman year of college and I was back back home, but I worked for the city of alito, okay, and so we had to do like a lot of mowing for the route. There's a trolley that goes around and, uh, like in the field or whatever, yeah, it goes like through. You know, you gotta you know, you gotta make sure that the grass looks good and it's, you know, mowed, and you know it's a mowed, and you know it's a big deal, man, it's a huge deal.

Speaker 1

It's a big deal. How many people, would you say, probably go to that? A thousand, ten thousand there's.

Speaker 2

I'm not sure. I mean there's hundreds, hundreds of people. It's so popular that one of my friends that grew up in Aledo he was a few years older than me, just awesome athlete he moved to Nashville and he liked Rootbar Fest so much that he drove his mom and his daughter all the way from Nashville up to the Rootbar Fest this last go-around.

Speaker 1

It's got to be what? June, the first weekend of June. Yeah, dude, I really kind of want to go to that. Yeah, I really want to go to that. Yeah, it's a move kind of, it's a really want to go to that. That sounds a good time.

Speaker 2

Sounds like phil has got uh vf connections over the rest for the yeah, he's probably got more connections than I do, that's definitely yeah, hit him up I don't know, but well yeah, my wife's family all still lives there.

Speaker 1

We do so the train depot like we would do a ton of parties at the train depot.

Speaker 2

Oh, you're a partier, huh no, but that was always fun, like birthday parties.

Speaker 1

Yeah, like birthday, like big gatherings and stuff like that, you don't have a lot, like there's not a lot of conference centers.

Speaker 2

Right, so you do the train depot, so you find the train depot or the American Legion Hall and all these other spots? Do they do?

Speaker 1

pie, of course. Then that's I'm, then it's similar.

Speaker 2

It's all and it's so good everything and does that make? Other candles yeah and then you know, and I want, if you go back, I'll hook you up with my, my brother, brad. Yeah, he has a good, you know he'll go down there's another one like you out there.

Speaker 1

He's better, just he's better.

Speaker 2

He's like he's way more, he's way more fun.

Speaker 1

Is he older or younger? Older, he's four years older, so he's Brooke 1.0. You're Brooke 2.0. Yeah, he's, or are you Brad?

Speaker 2

2.0?. Who knows, he's more fun. He'd be more fun to be around. Yeah, you can hang out with him. And then probably my sister Beth is running around somewhere there too. You can hang out with her, brad, she was well protected. Yeah, between you two. Yeah, well, I mean, there's a lot of us.

Speaker 1

How many siblings do you have? Oh, there's nine, holy crap. Yeah, that's a lot of Brooks, that's a lot of kids, yeah, yeah, that's awesome. Did your parents just not know how to stop? I'm joking, you grew you grew up.

Speaker 2

That's amazing. No, we're not catholic?

Speaker 1

no, no, they're farmers. They've got to create the farmhand.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I know it's crazy close in age like no, no, pretty wide discrepancy um. So it's awesome it's pretty interesting. So I had uh, my mom and dad had four kids, four biological children and then they adopted five children. I was one of the ones that they adopted.

Speaker 1

Get out of here, yeah.

Speaker 2

So it's very, very wide range, amazing. Yeah, it's crazy.

Speaker 1

Another freaking thing. Yeah, wait, are you ready for this Brooke? Yeah, are you ready for what's to happen?

Speaker 2

Let me guess Phil nine brothers and sisters and, uh, adoption, no other way around.

Speaker 1

phil has nine felonies um but no, tell them about, tell them, tell them we're not gonna get an only child uh, but we've adopted three of our own yeah, yeah, we've adopted.

Speaker 2

It's a beautiful thing. Man, you have no idea what you're doing for those kids man it is a beautiful thing. Yeah, yeah, that's awesome um Very cool.

Speaker 1

There are only kids, and so it's been, it's been, it's been a fun journey. Yeah, for sure it's been a fun journey.

Speaker 2

And what?

Speaker 1

are the? What are the ages 14, 10 and nine? Okay, yeah. What's weird is now key on African-American. But Same dad, same mom too, also Different from my oldest, our oldest son is. Different parents, the two little ones, I would have said, oh, those are your biological kids.

Speaker 2

It was so crazy. That's cool.

Speaker 1

It's wild.

Speaker 2

We adopted all of them out of foster care.

Speaker 1

They were all foster kids first that came into our houses. Yeah, it's wild.

Speaker 2

Yeah, not on purpose at all. We adopted all of them out of foster care.

Speaker 1

Okay, they were all foster kids first that came into our houses through the foster system and then we adopted them from there. Cool yeah, so kind of a cool story.

Speaker 2

That's a great thing, man. Yeah, that's very cool. So then what's?

Speaker 1

your story, then, are any of the nine siblings biological to you at all?

Speaker 2

No, no, no, no, we're all. No, just uh, the four biological, um original and then uh, five adopted. None of us are related. That's awesome, dude. As far as blood is concerned, yeah Well. I mean, but no, yeah, it's, it's crazy. I mean, yeah, I mean different. You know four biological, obviously they're, they're white, and then five of us are black. And you know, like it's a UN convention, you know, always, always entertaining as a kid, yeah dude?

Speaker 1

No, I mean, that's wow. Now do you have like? What age were you when you were adopted? Do you have contact with your birth?

Speaker 2

parents. What about that?

Speaker 1

That's yeah so it was about six on your first podcast.

Small Town Roots and Farm Life

Speaker 2

I was about six months. Okay, six. On your first podcast. I was about six months, um, and then, um, yeah, you know we met. Uh, I got a chance to meet um, or no, I'm sorry. I got a chance to have some conversation with my biological mother, um, and uh, you know, currently having some conversations with my biological brother. So, um, yeah, we're just kind of taking it, you know, little by little and see where things go, man.

Speaker 1

That's awesome, that's really cool. That's crazy. I didn't see, I didn't know that.

Speaker 2

I didn't know that. Well, you guys have more connections now than I do. I'm going to see him at the gym.

Speaker 1

He's like what do we have to talk about? Really should start going to the gym. Oh, just kidding. No, he's this guy's, he you're running. I feel like when I see you, I'm like you, have he got? Like some people, when they run, they have like all the contraptions like you have. Do you have like a water backpack or something that you?

Speaker 2

use nothing, no, no, just a water bottle. Well, yeah, I got water you have water?

Speaker 1

yeah, like I got some electrolytes.

Speaker 2

Electrolytes in there, yeah, man, but you're on that treadmill. You're cruising man I yeah, winter time's not, uh not enjoyable. We kind of got to hunker down and, uh, figure out a way to get it done, and treadmill is about the only only thing you can do is it?

Speaker 1

are all your siblings like besides growing up in the farm? So did you guys all have certain roles um during that point, or were they kind of done with that by the time you?

Speaker 2

were Not really. I mean, my older brother, my older two brothers were like the main guys that really wanted to farm and that's kind of how it went. You know, me personally I wasn't really that into it. I mean, I helped when I could and did some chores and stuff like that, but it wasn't necessarily my cup of tea.

Speaker 1

The black Angus are they male cows for that?

Speaker 2

Well, most of them are female. Okay so there is a chance you could milk, but you have. Yeah, well, you don't. They're not male cows.

Speaker 1

Angus is strictly for beef Broke, if I can interrupt you like.

Speaker 2

Yes, your cold hands off of me, please do you know I'm for beef.

Speaker 1

All that matt was looking to do is to find out if you've milked anything have you ever?

Speaker 2

no, I was trying to find out. I was just gonna say it was oh, that's a male cow, there's not gonna be any milking going on there trying to probe this situation don't say probe.

Speaker 1

We're talking about milking cows. I'm going to say whatever I want. Did you ever have to deliver a baby?

Speaker 2

cow. I've seen it done multiple times oh isn't that horrible.

Speaker 1

Yeah, no it's great, but they kind of stick their hand all the way up in there.

Speaker 2

Do they ask for permission first? It's fine, okay, I once saw a video of a cow no. Don Don't share it. Oh no, I don't.

Speaker 1

Oh yeah, I was just Of a cow being born, but it was breech and it was not coming out. So they hook up a chain and come along with it. Why don't we do that? Like breech babies?

Speaker 2

That would be way easier.

Speaker 1

You'll break them, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2

For sure. Does your family still live down there in Aledo? They do, really don't, and I should. Um, that's awful.

Speaker 1

I just want to apologize. Come on, you know they've been, I they've been, we just happen to have them here.

Speaker 2

Come on in no, they've been incredible to come, you know, see us, because you know I've got the little kids and we're always doing something sports related on the weekend.

Speaker 2

So it's been, it's been great, it's been, it's been great you know, um growing up there and everything so I wouldn't, I wouldn't trade it for anything every now and again when you're, when you're there, you're like, oh my god, I wish I lived in a big city, or I wish I lived somewhere else, but then you start thinking about it and like there's no other place where you're going to get those kind of roots and you know literal values and right right planting work ethic all of it's right there.

Speaker 2

Some of my best friends in the world grew up in the same place and I'm still tight with those guys.

Speaker 1

That's awesome. I feel like if you come from a small town like that, though, the tightness lasts a lot longer than up here, because there's way more people, there's way more stuff to distract you. Yeah, I don't know, yeah, how many people were in your graduating class?

Speaker 2

Just his family 91, 90.

Speaker 1

Oh my, just his family 91, 90 oh, somewhere in there, wow, someone's gonna watch us and be like bro, come on, it was 89, it was 89, whatever.

Speaker 2

No, I think they counted. I think we had like kind of a big class that is a big I think we had like 90, like 90 yeah amy had six that's six that ended up finishing but that was westmer, that was before I had like one million, so it was a little smaller.

Speaker 1

No, I think she was like 13, but there were a couple dropouts that just went and worked on the farm.

Speaker 2

I mean half the class dropped out.

Speaker 1

Right.

Speaker 2

It happens. That's awesome, man Well this was fun.

Speaker 1

I'm glad we got to have you on. We got to know about you a little bit and we're going to do this for every single one of our listeners. Just kidding the one guy's like I can't wait to come on your show. That's great is now we're done, oh because we only have one done torturing. Oh, you're right. You're right, I forgot there'll be others.

Speaker 2

Give it up for the list. There will be others. There'll be others there's gonna be.

Speaker 1

You're gonna find a pocket on when you go and do the research You're going to find a pocket of Western Illinois.

Speaker 2

I'm wondering if we'll see that.

Speaker 1

Now that I know, I'm going to look and see if we get some listeners In Western Illinois. There'll be more than, like the three Of my family that live there Check this thing out. Well, thanks for coming on, dude.

Speaker 2

I appreciate you guys having me on. It was awesome.

Speaker 1

Yeah, anytime. Sorry about the chair. I mean, you know what are you gonna do, man, it's tiny, you know I'll remember that next time. Let's be close yeah, you like bring like a big self, like a. Well, jared remember, brought the huge camp chair. He brought a camp chair it was. He was so obnoxiously large.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I don't blame him, appreciate it. All right, cheers it was. Thanks guys. And thank you again for bringing the whiskey. Yes, of course.

Speaker 1

And go Cubs, I don't know, go Eagles Next time on Whiskey Bits. Got to work on some jokes again, but some of the jokes have come from this show. Well, that's why we're doing the show, is that?

Speaker 2

No.

Whiskey Tasting and Comedy Chats

Speaker 1

Oh, I thought we an excuse to. Well, it's, it was. Uh, remember it was a couple it was. It was a couple things we wanted to do. We wanted to drink whiskey right, that was me. We wanted to talk about whiskey I wanted. I think that was your main thing.

Speaker 2

Originally I was like oh, you want to hang out.

Speaker 1

No, I wanted to hang out. I wanted to, to you know, potentially get into um what it's like to be a comedian. I would love to get into that too. Have we gotten?

Speaker 2

there yet? No, I don't think we have.

Speaker 1

I think the best part about it was that we were hoping to replicate what we did when we first started doing this when we first started writing. Which was writing and drinking whiskey and laughing and all of that would have been boring for a podcast, Except that's when we made it. Hey, thanks for sticking around. That's it for this episode of Whiskey Bits. But if you enjoyed yourself, please like, share and subscribe on your favorite platform.

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Matt Sommerfield

Host
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Phil Stokes

Host