My name is Sterling, and I am excited to share my spirits journey with you. A bit about me, gosh, where to start! I started delving into the spirits space around 2015 when I was scrambling to find a memorable bottle for my best friend's wedding. I wandered into a Spec's, which is a local liquor store in Texas, and ran to the whiskey aisle. I soon became overwhelmed with what I was looking at! What is whiskey? Is it bourbon? Is it Scotch? Why are some spelled whiskey and others spelled whisky? I quickly found someone to help me and they pointed out Balcones Single Malt as the bottle that would be perfect for fledging drinkers. I brought it to the wedding and it was a huge hit!

Being a researcher in a STEM field in college, it started to nag at me that I didn't understand something that so many people talked about daily, and furthermore, had so much to say about it! I quickly started dove into the deep end and soaked up as much information as I could. During the pandemic, I became a Certified Whiskey Steward and enjoyed hanging out at my local liquor store with the owner and talking with liquor reps. After a few weeks, the owner of the liquor store offered me a consulting job to help kickstart his barrel-picking program. I became completely immersed in the spirits scene, using the project management skills I had honed at my day job to manage and roll out over 15 barrels to the store. It was exhausting work, but I loved every minute of it. 

My passion has only grown, joining a group of fellow bourbon seekers that help to educate and help ensure that future generations are drinking just as well as we are. So, please, join along, be critical, provide feedback, and engage with me while I harness my ADD and wander around the spirits scene!