It all started with a group of us sitting around a Boy Scout campfire wishing we had bourbon or whiskey to drink to help us to overcome the cold night while our boys slept peacefully in their tents. After speaking about how we all loved a good whiskey, we planned a bourbon tasting. We did just that in the spring of 2013.
Nine of us came to my home in Mandeville and we each brought our favorite vintage bottle. I brought to the table my 23 year old Pappy Van Winkle which I was saving for 10 years. To say the least, we did not really know what we were doing, even though we thought we did. By the 4th bottle our notes went to hell and we ended up not getting to a lot of the bottles.
We then decided we can do this more formally and be able to talk about it the next day. We created the parent company of, The Original Bourbon Club called Mandeville Bourbon Club, LLC.
The nine “founding fathers” formed this club to be a social gathering with members of various industries and locations who celebrate life, enjoy fine bourbons and whiskeys, as well as, learn how the whiskey industry has impacted our country’s history and our personal lives.
From 2013 to 2018 we grew significantly. In fact, we became too big for a single chapter. On July 1, 2018 we kept the parent name for all business purposes and changed the name to The Original Bourbon Club (“TOBC”), which is registered in the state of Louisiana. Besides starting chapters in LA, we also have started chapters in Texas, Ohio and now Virginia, with interest in many other locations to start chapters in. If you are interested in starting a chapter, reach out to us.
The TOBC now has chapters Mandeville, Covington, Metairie, New Orleans – French Quarter, New Orleans – West Bank, Ft. Worth, TX, Westerville, OH and Charlottesville, VA. Go to our “Members Benefits” page on our website to see what is included with a TOBC membership.