By Kevin Gibson

Fred Minnick has been writing about bourbon for nearly 15 years. In a recent video, Fred talked about the five pieces of advice he would give his young self — or any young bourbon enthusiast today — about how to best enjoy bourbon.

If you haven’t seen the video (above), here’s a quick look at Fred’s whiskey-loving advice:

5. Make Friends. “If you are getting into bourbon for the first time, find a group. Find a group of friends on Facebook, on Reddit, on some kind of social media … friendships is what bourbon is really all about.”

4. Support Your Retailer. “If you support a retailer over and over and over again, you have a much better chance of getting an allocated product than the person who jumps from retailer to retailer.”

3. Don’t Focus on the Proof. “Proof is not an indication of how hot it is on the palate. … Look at it as a guide to how you train your palate to perceive alcohol on the tongue.”

2. History and Stories Don’t Matter. “You know what matters? What’s in the glass. … Don’t be influenced by what marketers want to shove down your throat.”

1. Have Fun. “I can tell you right now, I enjoy every single day that I wake up and I get the opp to talk about this … This is something that I love and I have found the passion of my life from a professional perspective. If you focus on having fun, bourbon will be with you as long as you will allow it.”