Meet John Henderson | Whiskey Blogger & Podcaster

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Henderson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, why did you pursue a creative career?
The short answer is that I (selfishly) wanted an outlet for my writing. I had been freelancing under a pen name for quite some time in a different field, and while I was enjoying the opportunities to research, learn, and expand I was finding myself building up a backlog of thoughts in the American whiskey world that were strongly seeking a way out of my head. In retrospect, I can see now that I also wanted to do my best to have a positive impact in a world (namely whiskey) that I believe had been underserved in terms of both positivity and perspective.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I believe I have found a way to set my writing and reviewing apart from others by leveraging a very conversational style of writing. In all honesty, it’s a lowbrow approach to sharing my thoughts in a format that borders upon monologue. I have tried my best to leave pretense and negativity out of my writing so I’m best able to share not just tasting notes and scores of various spirits, but to also give readers a chance to see things from my perspective–while underlining the fact that any one review/opinion/perspective isn’t inherently correct–least of all my own. Through some of our video content on YouTube under the Weekly Whiskey banner, I’ve learned that regardless of how you frame your thoughts and ideas, there will be negative pushback from the audience; however, that’s something I was able to digest and accept as feedback that I truly need. Knowing what your audience likes can be helpful, but having direct feedback (even in a negative form) helps course-correction where needed, and reminds me to focus on my mission. I can only hope that the content I have created, and continue to create, is able to have a positive impact on someone. That may be as simple as answering the common question of “what is the difference between bourbon and whiskey?” but if I’m able to help someone kick off their own journey through the rich history that is American whiskey, I feel as though I’ve accomplished something of value.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ve been extremely fortunate to meet so many talented and level-headed people throughout my journey that it would be nearly impossible to give the appropriate thanks to each of them; however, some of the folks early on in my path who gave me that nudge to jump in certainly played a strong role in making me realize that sometimes it’s truly as simple as just doing it. Just develop that website. Just write that first blog post. Just share your tasting notes and reviews on whiskey. Kenny Coleman and Ryan Cecil from the Bourbon Pursuit Podcast were certainly helpful in sharing a ‘go get it’ attitude that jumpstarted my journey. Others along the way, such as David Jennings (from RareBird101.com) inspired me to spend the time to write content that went beyond a simple whiskey score, and to share my thoughts and perspectives in my own way. Lastly, I’d be remiss if I left out the co-host I have been involved with so many things on, Jay “t8ke” West. Jay’s brilliance and incredible motivation to attack projects and try anything has constantly helped push me along.

Website: https://thebourbonfinder.com

Instagram: @TheBourbonFinder

Twitter: @FinderBourbon

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@weeklywhiskey

Other: Discord: https://discord.gg/7fusHH4Yye