Taking the Leap

Rod Arnold discusses his leap from a 30+ year career as a healthcare executive and marketing to start a new career as the "Bourbon Whisperer" to share his passion for the art, science, and history behind American bourbon.

Show Notes

Rod Arnold graduated from Texas A&M University and was a member of the famed Corps of Cadets. He is the Chairman of the Board of The Delta Chi Educational Foundation, CEO of All Pro Rush, and the CEO of the Bourbon Whisperer. Follow him on Instagram at the 

Show Notes:
  • Rod starts by sharing his origin story and what motivated him to leave a 30-year career as a healthcare executive to become the "Bourbon Whisperer." How did he discover this opportunity? Why did he make the leap?
  • (15:00) - Rod discusses how his wife was an essential part of starting the company and helping him craft the business plan. He recognizes how this pivot will be better for him and his career. Having situational awareness of what is going on in the world around you is important to see opportunities.
  • (20:00) - Rod discusses how sales classes and learnings from his career helped him during the transition and manage the tensions and stress of making a dramatic career shift. How do you break out of patterns and habits to do something new?
  • "The chains of our habits are unnoticeable until they are too strong to be broken!"
  • (27:00) - Rod started his business by finding a place to serve others! Start by serving others and you will find a way to grow.
  • (30:00) - The first crisis for the industry was Prohibition from 1920 to 1933. The second crisis in American bourbon history came during the 1960s as the younger generations turned away from their parent's whiskey and turned to clear liquors. When Sean Connery as James Bond asks for a martini "shaken not stirred," this marks the cultural shift.
  • (33:00) - The Heaven Hill Distillery fire shows how this industry, with many generations of family-owned businesses, are connected, and help each other in good times and bad.
  • (39:00) - What is the right way to drink bourbon?
  • (41:00) - Women have three times the taste and olfactory senses men have. They are much better at picking up the tastes and smells in food, wine, and alcohol. 
  • (44:00) - Frank Sinatra always drank Jack Daniels. He was the first celebrity endorser of a product and never got paid for it. He had a favorite drink and a secret way to drink it. Rod gives the story of Frank Sinatra.
  • Book Recommendation - "The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and The Lost Art of Livin"
  • (50:00) - Bourbon does not need to be made in Kentucky but must be made in the United States to be called a Bourbon.
    • The weather, water, and barrel, all impact the bourbon as much as the ingredients.
  • Bottle and Bond - passed in 1897 was the first consumer protection act in America to protect citizens from the "snake oil salesmen" in the old west selling poor-grade alcohols, tonics, and elixirs that were killing people. 
  • (1:07:00) - What has happened to give the industry a resurgence today? American Whiskey is booming today.
    • Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery
    • Weller, Old Fitzgerald, and Makers Mark were brands sold off to other distillers. The family held on to one brand "Old Rip Van Winkle."
    • The Japanese market and investment also helped save the American bourbon market.
  • "Wheated Bourbons" are softer and smoother. A few examples are Larceny, Weller, Old Fitzgerald, Old Rip Van Winkle, and Makers Mark.
  • Follow Rod Arnold at The Bourbon Whisperer and on Instagram
  • No matter what you do in life have enthusiasm. If you don't have it in your current job it might be time to start looking around for something else to do.
  • Book Recommendations
    • Bourbon Curious by Fred Minnick
    • Bourbon Justice by Brian Haara
    • Pappland by Wright Thompson
    • Four Roses - The Return of a Whiskey Legend by Al Young

Creators & Guests

Host
Robert Dickie
CEO, Author, Entrepreneur, Investor
Producer
Mitch White
Freelance Audio Engineer, 2011 Recording Connections Certified Audio Engineer
Designer
Tristin Dickie
Nashville Fellows Program 2022, Marketing Assistant for Affinity Technology Partners, Professional Photographer freelancer. Go VOLS!

What is Taking the Leap?

Taking the Leap Podcast hosted by Robert Dickie III discusses changes in our global economy impacting the way we work and live. For young professionals starting their careers, mid-career professionals navigating changes and late-career professionals thinking about starting an encore career, Robert and his guests discuss the global economy, technology, workplace developments, and all the latest changes impacting our professional lives.