Rick and Ricky Johnson are the purveyors of 15 Stars Fine Aged Bourbon, a brand that hit the market in late 2022.

The father and son team focuses on sourcing and blending the best bourbons and whiskeys they can find, then fine-tuning them for release, at the same time pairing it was Kentucky history (view the 15 Stars collection of historic artifacts). At the same time, the pair are aging their own whiskey that was produced using proprietary corn varieties. Those whiskeys should be releasing in the coming years.

We asked the Johnsons five questions about their collective bourbon journey. Here’s what they had to say:

What was your gateway whiskey – the one that made you love whiskey? 

Wild Turkey Rare Breed was our probably our very first step toward something a bit more premium. But as we started distilling, and afterward sourcing great whiskey for our brand, the real revelation that excited us was when we were tasting aged barrel samples. After we compared them, we blended the remainders in our glasses at the end and found that we often liked those blends the best. That’s when we discovered the depth of flavors that we really loved.

What is your favorite part of the selection and blending process? 

Blending is the art of finding bourbons that have complementary flavor profiles, and then crafting the perfect balance of those whiskies. So for us, it feels great when we find that perfect balance that allows the great flavors of each of our aged bourbons to shine through and add to the complexity and flavor depth in the final blend. Then we take it one step further with what we have coined as “Flavor Proofing” which means that we take our blends and taste them up and down the proof range looking for the optimal proof to showcase the very best flavor, and that’s the proof where we bottle the whiskey.

What trends do you believe are forthcoming in the spirits industry? 

We don’t really think about trends. Our focus is on only one thing, and that is crafting the very best whiskey that we can possibly make. We don’t think that will ever go out of style. 

Other than your own brand, do you currently have a favorite bourbon, whiskey or other spirit? 

We have so many whiskies that we like. When crafting our blends we always compare them with what we call our “reference collection”. This collection of great bottles includes most of the aged special releases that end up selling for big money on the secondary market. These are the best of the best in many ways. Some of our favorites include the 2006 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon that we think is amazing, as well as the Parkers Heritage Collection Promise of Hope that is super special. In the rye whiskey category, we love the Van Winkle Family Reserve 13 YO Rye as well as the Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Cornerstone Rye. We also enjoy Japanese whiskies and the subtle nuances of flavor that you can find in those. 

Neat, rocks or cocktail?

With an exceptional aged bourbon, we always start neat to really understand and enjoy the nuances of the whiskey. But we also like to try them with a rock and enjoy what we call “the journey” as it slides through the proof ranges. And yes, we also have to say that we totally enjoy the flavor variances that each whiskey can deliver in an Old Fashioned. We like it all!

Read more: Five Questions With 291 Colorado Whiskey’s Michael Myers

About Five Questions

Five Questions is a series on Fredminnick.com in which professionals in the whiskey business offer insights into trends, favorite spirits and more.