Whiskey, Women, and Walking Away from Rules: A Conversation with Misty Blu Stewart of Bourbon Plus

The night before I met Misty Blu Stewart, Director of Brand Experience at Bourbon Plus, she had just wrapped up a filming session at Liquor Lab in Nashville, where attendees got to mix cocktails on camera for Bourbon Plus’s new YouTube channel.

Misty Blu is a whiskey industry professional more people should know about. She built her home bar before fixing the roof of her new home. She keeps 400+ bottles organized with strict house rules about what guests can pour. She’s also the daughter of a Southern Baptist Deacon who made a career selling bourbon into a calling that even her sober father eventually understood and supported.

Misty grew up all over America as a Navy brat, spending a lot of time in California before eventually landing in Nashville. She’s been there for more than half her life now.

When I asked her what keeps her in Music City, she didn’t give me the usual tourist answer about the honky tonks. Sure, she appreciates that you can walk into any bar at any time and get good whiskey with live music. But Misty’s connection runs deeper.

Before joining Bourbon Plus, she spent years at Brown-Forman. She calls herself the “fun governor” from those days, running on-premise activations with the Titans and the Predators. She’s seen Nashville from every angle, from the party scene to the industry side, from the locals’ perspective to the tourist trap reality.

Misty’s father is a Southern Baptist Deacon who’s been sober since she was five or six years old. Can you imagine that conversation? “Hey Dad, I’m going to work in the whiskey industry.”

Misty told me it was difficult at first. Her parents didn’t understand why she had to wear branded polo shirts while golfing with her dad or why her hat always said something about whiskey.

Misty has her own bourbon theology. She figures if God made corn and everything else that goes into whiskey, he obviously intended for us to figure out how to make the good stuff. We’re supposed to be living in joy and bliss, and whiskey is definitely part of that equation.

Misty’s go-to order is Jack Daniel’s and water. She says she bleeds Jack Daniel’s and can taste it just by saying the name. A lot of people who’ve evolved their palates beyond the traditional Old No. 7 black label don’t want to go back, but for Misty, it always feels like home.

She’s also loyal to Four Roses Small Batch and Elijah Craig. And after many years at Brown-Forman, Woodford Reserve still rings true for her.

One thing that came up was the role of women in the whiskey industry. I’ve noticed that women make up a high percentage of tasting panels. Maybe 50 or 60 percent, even though they’re probably only 20 percent of bourbon drinkers.

Misty says a woman’s palate tends to last longer than a man’s does. Women also pick up on more subtle flavor profiles. They’re better at nosing. It takes more work for many guys to get past vanilla and caramel and start finding orange peel, leather, and tobacco.

Misty’s advice is to let your memory take you there. If something smells crazy at first, follow the rabbit. Sometimes you smell something and think it smells like a Marlboro Red. Let your mind take you there, and then figure out what you’re really smelling. Follow the rabbit.

When Misty moved into her new house, the first thing she built out was the bar. Not the kitchen, bathroom, windows, or roof.

The bar came first because she had to take care of her bottles.

She’s got over 400 bottles in her collection. Not all of them are opened, and she’s got a house rule about which ones guests can pour. Anything on top of the bar is fair game. Anything on the shelves is off-limits.

Her industry mentor, John Hardaway, taught her to always get three of something she loves. One to keep, one to share, and one to give away. Some of those 400-plus bottles are waiting for the right moment, the right person, the right opportunity to become a meaningful gift.

That’s the kind of thoughtfulness that separates collectors from hoarders.

How can someone with a less experienced palate improve their whiskey tasting skills?

Practice nosing before tasting, and don’t rush the experience. Start with broad categories like sweet, spicy, or smoky, then move on to specific notes. Taste different whiskeys side by side to compare profiles. Use a whiskey flavor wheel as a reference. Most importantly, let your memory guide you when you smell something familiar, even if it seems unusual. Following those sensory connections will sharpen your palate faster than memorizing tasting notes.

What makes Tennessee whiskey different from Kentucky bourbon?

Tennessee whiskey must undergo the Lincoln County Process, where the spirit is filtered through sugar maple charcoal before aging. This charcoal mellowing gives Tennessee whiskey its distinctive smoothness and slightly sweet character. While Tennessee whiskey meets all the requirements to be called bourbon, producers choose the Tennessee designation to honor this additional step. Jack Daniel’s and George Dickel are the most famous examples of this regional style.

Is it worth visiting distilleries in person, or can you learn everything online?

Visiting distilleries offers experiences I can’t replicate online. I smell the mash cooking, feel the temperature changes in rick houses, and taste whiskey straight from the barrel. Many distilleries offer exclusive bottles only available on-site. I love the storytelling from guides and master distillers. Plus, I get to meet other enthusiasts and professionals. Nothing replaces being there in person.

How do you know when a bourbon is worth its premium price tag?

I consider age, proof, production methods, and scarcity, but ultimately I trust my own palate. I don’t think a $200 bottle is automatically better than a $50 one if you don’t enjoy it. I like researching the distillery’s reputation and reading reviews; I find the best value is finding well-made whiskeys at mid-range prices. Allocated and rare bottles often carry inflated prices due to hype. If I had to recommend one thing, I’d say taste before you invest heavily, and never buy based solely on price or scarcity.

Misty shared her philosophy on why people drink whiskey. First, it tastes delicious. Second, it gives you the buzz. But third, and most importantly, there’s something romantic about anything with history, legacy, and a story to tell. The storytelling is what really brings people together.

She pointed out that the new CBD drinks, THC drinks, and psilocybin potions might be interesting in theory, but they don’t encourage the social element. Alcohol encourages social fun, energy, and connection.

The pendulum, I think, is going to swing right back to what it’s always been. People want to hang out with their friends and have a good time.

Misty is launching a Bourbon Plus YouTube channel featuring a hybrid blind-tasting panel and podcast format. She hosts these panels with a rotating cast of chefs, master tasters, distillers, industry pros, and mixologists.

The twist is that she gives them vague categories. One episode was called “The Malt Shop,” and the panelists had to infer whether it was all malted whiskey or all sweet whiskey. Then they have to guess the mash bill, the age, and the proof.

During the reveals, someone will taste something and swear it’s one thing, only for it to turn out to be something completely different. Misty told me about an artist who came in for an American Songwriter interview and did a blind tasting with his own whiskey. He got his own whiskey wrong.

Misty Blu Stewart is proof that you can love whiskey without fitting into anyone’s notions of what that should look like. You can be the daughter of a sober Southern Baptist Deacon and still build a career around bourbon. You can give preference to your bar rather than your kitchen.

You can also order two baby rocks with Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Rye because you don’t want that big giant ice cube watering everything down too fast.

If you want to see what Misty and the Bourbon Plus team are up to, check them out at the Bourbon Plus website and their new YouTube channel. And if you’re ever in Nashville, raise a glass of Jack and water with two baby rocks in her honor.

See our full podcast with Misty at whiskeyshenanigans.com. And for more conversations with fascinating people in the whiskey world, check us out on Instagram @whiskeyshaniganspodcast