Mick Unplugged - Dixon Dedman: The Man Behind The Bottle

Episode Date: October 5, 2026

What makes a bottle worth remembering? For Dixon Dedman, the answer starts with the people who share it. The master blender behind 2XO joins Mick Hunt for a conversation about bourbon, hospitality, creative conviction, and the legacy he hopes to leave his children. Dixon explains how his family's hospitality roots shaped his purpose, why blending requires more than mixing percentages, and how he approaches mouthfeel, maturation, and secondary oak exposure. Mick also tastes Rapper's Delight during the conversation, and Dixon shares the story of a father and son celebrating a new generation with a bottle of Kentucky Owl. That moment brings the conversation back to his because: making something that becomes part of another person's meaningful experience. In this episode:  How hospitality shaped Dixon's purpose and approach to bourbon The challenge of reproducing a small sample blend at barrel scale Why creative conviction matters when developing a whiskey His focus on mouthfeel, viscosity, and the overall drinking experience The personal connections that matter beyond awards and ratings His hope that the next generation will carry the family legacy forward Listen for the lesson that travels beyond bourbon: exceeding expectations can turn a product or service into a moment someone remembers. Chapters 00:00 A moment beyond selling bottles 00:40 Meet Dixon Dedman 03:06 What is your because? 07:30 Moments, memories, and personal connection 10:07 Unplugged Truth: the craft of blending 15:20 Putting a personal mark on whiskey 19:27 Hot Takes: tasting Rapper's Delight 22:01 Mouthfeel and the drinking experience 35:00 The Room: a toast to three generations 39:29 2XO and the recorded plans discussed 42:20 Unplugged 5 46:08 The legacy Dixon hopes to leave 48:08 Closing reflections Follow Mick Unplugged for more conversations about purpose, leadership, and the because behind the work. Connect & Discover Dixon Dedman: Instagram: @dixon_dedman LinkedIn: @dixon_dedman X: @dixon_dedman Website: 2xowhiskey.com                          FOLLOW MICK ON: Spotify: MickUnplugged Instagram: @mickunplugged  Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube:  @MickUnpluggedPodcast  LinkedIn: @mickhunt  Website:  MickHuntOfficial.com Website: howtobeagoodleader.com Website: Leadloudseries.com Apple: MickUnplugged Book: How to be A Good Leader When You’ve Never Had One #MickUnplugged #Leadership #Podcast #DixonDedman #2XOWhiskey

This guy sent me an email and he said, you know, I just wanted to send you this picture. He and his son, they had a bottle of batch two of Kentucky Owl, and they were toasting with little styrofoam coffee cups. In the background, it was a big window, and what was beyond that was this gentleman's grandson and his son's firstborn son, and so it was the first, the second, and the third that had just been born. It was one of those moments where you get that. and you think you're doing something that goes beyond selling bottles. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged, and today's show gets personal. I'm talking to a guy that I call the Prince of Kentucky.

If you know bourbon, you know him. I'm from his beginning roots at Kentucky aisle to now leading 2XO, which is my favorite bourbon on the market, and I have no shame putting that on record. We are talking to none other than the brilliant, the amazing, the master blender himself, Mr. Dixon, Dedman. Dixon, how are you doing today, brother? I'm a lot better after that intro.

I'm not sure I deserve it, but I sure is like appreciate it. That's awesome. Thank you. Bro, you deserve it in so many ways. I mean, again, I've been a huge fan of you and your story. the family history that you have with Bourbon. Like I've been telling folks for the last 18 months. You can't tell the story of Bourbon without talking about the Deadman family.

And I'm just honored to truly have you on, man. Like I've looked up to you forever. We're around the same age. We have a lot of connections. So I'm honored, Dixon. I truly am. Listen, I feel the same way. I mean, I think what you

you've done is amazing. You've talked to some amazing people. You, you continue to kind of, you know, it was a, it was a real honor, real privilege. When the invitation was extended to get to talk to you. It was something that meant a lot to me. And I certainly do appreciate the opportunity and goes both ways here, my friend. Well, much appreciated. And this show, was about you and it's about 2XO. And, you know, knowing the story, and we'll get into it a little bit, but, you know,

you sold Kentucky Alda Stoli, right? And you could have shallaxed, as I like to say. You could have, you know, rode off in the sunset, found other things that you wanted to do, but you came back to bourbon. And I don't know many master blenders, right?

But what I can tell you is that you've perfected something that I would say most people haven't. But my first question to you, Dixon, is this, and this is what I ask all my guests. Like, what's your because? That deeper purpose, this deeper than your why, why does Dixon, Deadman, continue to do what you do and give back the ways that you give back? Like, what's your because? What's your purpose today? You know, I think about, yeah why did I come back and do this

but to me and I think with a lot of things like it just always there's it goes deeper like there's a deeper current to a lot of that stuff you know I grew up in the hospitality business

my family very you know a lot of tradition a lot of history you know long legacy generational business kind of a historic and, you know,

long-time Kentucky. So there's a lot of pride there, right? There's a lot of, you know, continuing that legacy, extending that legacy, building on that legacy. So that was kind of the way I was raised, right? And a big part of that is about the people component, the hospitality component, the, I used to talk to our team about it a lot.

It was like, you know, when people come to stay with us, when they were coming to visit us, you know, we've got really a number of options, but the one that we're after is to provide them an experience that is unexpected, that is beyond, you know, know, if they think they're just coming here to stay for a night in a hotel and have dinner and sleep and have breakfast and leave the next day, or if they think they're coming to stay here for four or five nights, but this is just kind of base camp and they're looking for all of these

ancillary things to do outside. All of that, you know, it's like, okay, our goal is to exceed that, right, is to become a part of their special moment, become a part of their experience. to elevate their expectations, to go beyond their expectations, and to be a part of something special for them. Yeah. And so, you know, with Kentucky Owl, as I got into the bourbon world,

and all of a sudden we're creating these things, and, you know, they, in a different way, they become part of somebody's special, like, special moment, special experience. There, you know, it's like, you get the note, I've been saving this bottle until a certain, you know, a certain, you know, time, certain moment, certain, certain thing happened. And this is when we opened it.

This is when I shared it with my son or with my father, with my friends, or this is how we celebrated that, you know, whatever. All of a sudden, it's like, oh, you know, you can kind of do the same thing in bourbon that we were doing in hospitality. and that's, that's, you know, being a part of someone's special moment. And, and so I think, like, leaving Kentucky out and wanting to create something else was a lot,

when you say the because, the because is that it's, it's just really special to, to, like, be able to passionately develop something, put yourself into something, to really, you know, to create something that then goes out into the world and, and becomes a part of people's, of people, you know, something that, that, that, that, that excites people. That, they, they say, hey, you know, I have that bottle and, and that reminds me of this,

or we use this to celebrate or, you know, or whatever. I mean, it's, it's, probably you were looking for a one-sentence answer. that question, but that's what I got. No, that was perfect. And what I take away from that is this. And again, it's something that I applaud you on because you've mastered this. And I'm going to say blends. So no pun intended on master in blending, right?

But I believe that life is about moments and memories, right? And if I were to say, what has Dixon, Deadman done almost better than anyone else on earth? is that through hospitality, that background that you have, and the passion that you have with that and bourbon, you've allowed the world to have moments and memories. And I don't know if that's purposely what you've done and if that's tied to your because. But you have done that.

And that's what I think I appreciate and respect the most from you is that you've allowed me personally in the last 18 months. to have lots of moments and memories that are associated with you and the things that surround you. Well, you know, that means a lot. And that is, it's going to take me a while to unpack that compliment because that's really special. I think what I have enjoyed the most about my experience in Bourbon

is that, um, It's always been more of a passion project for me rather than a, you know, a business model. Yeah. I, you know, and, and, and, and I think that it's become this incredible way to, um, to interact on a, on a very personal and emotional level with people that, um, and my partners and the people, you know, everybody's like, maybe you should focus more. I mean, yes, focus more on the business side of this. But, you know, the reward, the real reward in a lot of what we've accomplished in the

in the bourbon space has been kind of the what you gain because you've created these personal, emotional connections with people through. And so that's, I don't know. I just, I feel very, you know, very, very blessed, very honored to have, you know, kind of my path to go the way, you know, to go the way it's gone. No, absolutely. Absolutely. And, you know, this next segment of the show, I like to call the unplugged truth. And I'm going to start with the truth that I'd love for you to elaborate on because you kind of hinted on it earlier when you talked about, you know, holding something for the right occasion or pulling it at the right.

right time. Blending bourbon is an art, obviously, as you know. And I personally feel like it requires a lot of patience. It requires a lot of variables in testing. Tell us a truth about blending bourbon that most people wouldn't know or understand. You know, that's such a good question. And there's really too, I mean, there's like the technical piece of it and that's the part that is that makes it a lot more difficult than

than people realize. I think, you know, you have I mean no disrespect here, you know, but a lot of times, you know, people fancy themselves as like you know, home blenders because, you know,

They take a measuring cup and it's 30% wild turkey and 40% weller and a little bit of, you know, whatever. And that's, you know, the real, honestly, one of the real challenges with blending, with blending whiskey is, you know, working from sample bottles, 200, 200 ML sample bottles. or whatever, and creating a blend that you can actually replicate when you start dumping, you know, full barrels. And so, you know,

the challenge is having an understanding of, you know, the fact that this particular component is actually, you know, roughly, say, 46.5 proof gallons per barrel at a certain proof

with this. this component is 47.5 proof gallons per barrel. This one is 53 and this one is, you know. So to create a sample in the lab, you know, it's not just like 20% of this, 30% of that, 30% of that because the volumes of the barrels are different. Because, you know, so when you went and dump those and in reality, that blend, that ratio is going to be off. So that's the technical challenge that a lot of, you know, a lot of times.

is not, you know, people are like, oh, I could do that, you know. Well, that's the hard part. I think for me, in terms of blending, it's about the, it's really about the confidence. And I don't know if it's, confidence may not be the right word, but, you know, when you are trying to create something. Yeah. there has to be some amount of confidence or maybe selfishness to say, I'm going to make the,

I'm going to create the best bourbon, the best whiskey that I can make. Yeah. And the, you know, if you, to me, as soon as you start blending or creating for someone else,

you know, you're you're you kind of the certain amount of credibility you know what i mean you know it's just not it's not a true expression of what you can what you can make right you know i and i think that's that's part of it is is to you know when you sit down and when you go through this process you know it's like that's interesting that's cool that you know whatever but at the the end of the day, this, to me, as far as I'm concerned, this is the single best thing that I could put together. And that's what we're going to release. And you know, you trust that people out there enjoy what you create, trust your palate, you know, trust what you can make. But

the moment you start saying, hey, I'm going to make this for a certain selection of the population out there, whatever, you know, you're, you're not really, you know, you're really doing the, the work anymore. You're just kind of,

you know, you might as well have, have a, have a robot doing it, you know? Nah, I agree, man. And, you know, like, it irks me a little bit when I hear,

I'm going to say the, the, the whiskey influencers now, because they, they're out there in droves now. And I respect it. And I would never consider myself a whiskey influencer because I just like really good bourbon.

And that's just what I drink, right? But, you know, you'll hear people talking like, oh, well, this is just Buffalo Trace juice or this is MPG juice or whatever. And I'm like, you have no idea what blending actually takes. Because if that were the case, like, yeah, we know juice is juice, but then all bourbon would taste the same, right? Like there's an actual process.

There's an actual skill to get the different notes that you enjoy or that the master blender wanted you to experience. And it irks me, but I've always wanted to ask you that question. Like when you hear people talking about, oh, well, this is Buffalo Trace Juice or this is MPG juice. Like, is that bother you too? I mean, you know, when I first started doing this 15, 16, however many, you. years ago, you know, it was, it was, it was, it was, it was almost like, you know, it was taboo to be

what they called an NDP, like a non-distilling producer, somebody that they got liquid from somewhere else. And so to, when I, when I kind of created the model for what we were going to do, um, that was two X, or that was Kentucky Al then. And, and I carry this forward now, even though all the whiskeys that we're using in 2XO were distilled for our program. I always wanted to put my thumbprint on the whiskey. Like I always wanted to put my mark on it so no one could say, oh, you're just buying, to your point, MGP or whatever. You're just buying it, put in a bottle, and claiming that it's yours.

And so that's, a lot of that was why I went down the secondary oat process, you know, the double barreling, worked with. different, you know, different maturation methods, different locations in Rick houses, but also blending different distillates, you know, this, this stuff, this match, build out. Because I, you know, I didn't want, I never wanted people to say, oh, you know, you're, you're doing nothing but buying five-year-old stuff, putting in a bottle, and telling a story about it. You know, that, I always wanted there to be, you know, the whole part of the story about the craft of creating these products and developing these products and being involved during the maturation

process and creating variables during maturation to change things. So, you know, yeah, I mean, I get what you're saying that, you know, there is that, there is that piece sometimes where people are like, you don't have anything to do with it. But, you know, for me, it's always been about, like, I can take a certain, you know, number of barrels a certain, you know, and then, you know, it's crafting that. It's developing that into an inventory of different flavor profiles, different components, different, for lack of a better term, different paints. Then all of a sudden you've got this, you know, this, I don't know, a plethora of paints

to create your own individual canvas that no one else could replicate because no one else is carrying all these different variables that you're carrying, if that makes sense. No, absolutely, absolutely. And I'm glad you said that too, because, again, I think there's this new age of bourbon drinkers that are just like anything now, right? Like they look at data and they look at numbers and it's like, no, no, no, no, no. Go sip the bourbon. All right.

Go sip it. And you'll start to really enjoy and understand. And that's a great segue to my next segment that I call the Hot Takes. And so I said I was going to tell you this live and on record because I want to. Right here, your wonderful team sent me over the newest edition of the icon series, Rappers, Delight. And I have a Glenn Karen right here. And because it's my show and I can do what I want, I'm going to see. this live for the first time here.

Love it. Love it. All right. So here's my first hot tape. This is the truth. And I always preface this by telling people, I'm not a bourbon influencer. That's not what I do. I just love really good bourbon.

And I'm not the person that does like the aroma and will give you all the notes. Like I could do that, but that's not the purpose, right? Um, my first hot take is this. Actually, I'm going to do that and then I'm going to sip it. Life. How about that first? It's 2XO. Rappers Delight is amazing.

Um, I already told you the 2XO family is my favorite bourbon and it's not close. Rapper's Delight is amazing. It is damn good, Dixon. Dixon. This is damn good. I'm pretty happy with that way. Come off, come off well. So this is my first hot take.

2XO, and it doesn't matter what I've had. 2XO is the first bourbon that when you get the aromas in your nose and you drink them, it's the same. And that is very, very, very rare. Because most bourbons, the aroma and the taste are a little bit different, right? Like the finishing note isn't like what you originally smell or get in your nasal passages and down to that palette. How the heck did you do that? You ever open the fridge and think, what's for dinner?

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Join the millions who are already banking fee-free with America's number one choice for banking. Head to chime.com slash Mick. That is chime.com slash Mick. Sign up now. It only takes a few minutes. Chime is a fintech, not a bank. Bank. Banking services and chime card provided by Chimes Bank Partners Bank Partners, and limits apply. Go to chime.com slash disclosures for detail. Yeah, well, I do think that one of the, one of, and I'm not saying this is a good thing or a bad thing. It's just my thing. I'm not a, I'm not a tasting note guy, right? Like, I don't, I don't, I'm not going to, when we go through these different blends and work on these different things, it's never like, Hmm.

I want to build on this note, this, you know. Right. To me, it's, I, I'm a feel guy. I want, I want mouth feel. I want viscosity. I want weight. Right. You know, and so, you know, what I'm after is, is, it's like a really pleasant, you know, the nose to me is very important, you know, and there are a lot of.

A lot of times that will, you know, I'll create something and, you know, I will really like the nose and then the taste either won't match up or it, you know, or vice for it. So, you know, for me, nose very important initially. And then, you know, following that, like, where is the mouth? Where does the mouth feel go? Like, where, you know. And is there, you know, if there isn't balance, is the lack of balance okay. Right.

For example, the one that you're having right now would not be a whiskey that I would consider very balanced in the sense that when you taste it, it's a big, rich, sweet, caramel bomb on the front of the palate. Yep. It's not a lot on the back of the palate. There's not a lot of finish. It doesn't, you know, it, you know.

So in terms of it, a balance. Does it have that transition across the palette? No, not as much. But I really am good with the lack of balance on this because I really like the way it resonates on the front of the palate. You feel it. From a nose

perspective, it's rich, it's viscous, it's sweet. It's very interesting. And then on the palette, it does all those things, it just sits right on the front third of the palate and it just kind of coats and there's a syrupy quality to it. And so, you know,

it checks the boxes. I don't, I really, I'm like you, if the nose doesn't match the palate, if those things are kind of out of whack, it's really hard to, for me to get behind it.

No, totally agree. I totally agree. And for me, it's one of those things where I almost expect it now that the nose and the finish or even the first taste aren't going to be the same. And it's just because I'm so used to that. That's why I was so shocked when I first had my first ever 2XO and I was like, wait, this is exactly what I felt going in.

And it was the first time I ever did that. So I was like, okay, let me get to the middle of the bottle, right? Like, you know bourbon folks, right? Like there's the open the neck and then you get to the middle and then the bottom. All the way through that bottle, it was the same thing. And I was like, Okay. And then when the icon series started coming out, it was like, all right? Dixon is doing this on purpose. Like, how the nose is exactly how it goes in. And again, from an age statement, I like Jack Daniels.

I don't like Jack Daniels other than Jack 10 and Jack 14. But I know that what I smell on the nose isn't how it's going to taste. But it's okay because I like how it tastes. I like how it smells. But I just know. How it smells you like a taste. So it just, yeah. I know what I'm going to get, but I like it.

Again, 2XO was the first time that ever the nose and the palate connected. And I was just like, damn. And that's why it's my favorite bourbon. And I'm on record, and I don't care being on record saying my favorite bourbon is 2XO. I love it. I love it. Yeah. And here's another.

I'm going to say a hot take. And these are the hot takes of Mick and Mick only. So don't go yelling at Dixon. It's not him. It's me. I like that. Here's my hot takes. Bring the hot takes, Mick.

So you said something that I connect with too, that bourbon for you is about the feel and the weight. So this is my hot take. I think there are a lot of people that chase high proof because they like chasing high proof and they like to talk about it. I actually think bourbon and traditionally bourbon, like you go back to Kentucky Owl back in the day,

you go back to the older, early established bourbons. They were not high proof. Like they were not hazmats, but it was the weight in the depth that made good bourbon, good bourbon. And I wish people would understand that because you'll get someone that's like,

oh, well, that's just a 104, that's just a 110 or a 116. And I'm like, but you got it. to taste it because it's really good bourbon because I don't like high proof bourbon because I feel like they're immature like a lot of them are immature and you're just getting a lot of noise on your palate right and you're not really tasting bourbon I'd love to get your thoughts on that and and these are your personal thoughts and opinions not like you might love high rye or you may love high proof I just personally don't and part of it is I have heartburn and

anything high proof triggers heartburn for me I used to drink heartproof and then as I get I can't handle it, you know, so it's funny that you say that. I was having this conversation the other day about, about some of the Kentucky Ows and when the early, you know, have another poor. It's fine. Take the rest of the day off. I'm good with it. There we go. When we, you know, some of the very early Kentucky owls that were only a, you know,

you know, a small number of barrels blended and a much larger percentage of the liquid was double-barreled. There were lower proofs. They were, you know, in the, you know, one-oh-somethings, one single digits. As we continued to grow the markets, but also the quantity of what we were producing with each one, and I had more, you know, stocks available to me, and we were still double barreling, but the proof, you know, the proof got higher. They were still very interesting. Like I was tasting, you know, with some people, and they had a batch eight and a batch nine. Very, very interesting.

I mean, I, you know, they're like my children, right, so I can't, like, talk bad about them. They were very good. but they also like with a lot of things, the higher they get and proof at 120s and things like that, they just begin to really lose a lot of kind of mouthfeel, a lot of viscosity, a lot of weight. So they're complex. They have a lot going on.

There's a lot of notes. But they come. come across is a little bit more thin, you know, and just lack a lot of that kind of viscosity and things like that. And a lot of that also comes from the way products are distilled today, where there's a lot more dilution that takes place in today's whiskeys than took place in whiskeys before. you know, now it's about maximizing volume. So you come off the still higher so that, you know, when you go down to that 125

entry proof, you know, you're going from, say, 145, 150 off the still to 125 entry proof. So you're adding 18 to 20 percent water to that liquid to get it down. And then a lot of these, you know, so the higher you get it in proof and then dilute it back down again, you're adding water after the fact. And all of the water added just detracts from mouth fuel. It detracts from viscosity. And so that was a very conscious decision with what we were creating with 2XO is to spend a lot more time focusing on those feel components rather than, you know.

And so the whole program, the distillation program, the maturation program, is about, you know, the condensing of flavors and then adding that additional viscosity and weight through secondary oak exposure. So it's a, you know, the experience is, is a lot less about specific notes and a lot more about, you know, kind of the weight and feel on the palate, you know, and building more of a, you know, a syrupy, oily quality when you taste it. Because I think at the end of the day, what do people remember? They remember a note of caramelized raspberry, or do they remember, like, that was just a really,

you know, rich, viscous, enjoyable feel of an experience. Yeah. Yeah. You've nailed it, bro. Yeah, I don't, I don't, I get it a lot. Like, this guy the other day was like, you know, when are you going to make a hazmat? And I was like, it's probably not happening.

One, because by the time I got, you know, my barrels to that 140 plus proof, I don't know that there would be any liquid left in the barrel, you know, to get that. But, you know, that's the technical side of things. The reality is, I mean, I've had some pretty amazing hazmat whiskey. before. I worked with some 16 and 17 year old barrels at one point and some stuff I did with Kentucky Ow that were

150 proof and they were unbelievable. But the majority of that stuff, when you get up those numbers, there's a whole lot of concern about eating away the lining of your stomach and not about how

how enjoyable the tasting experience is. I'm telling you, man. Like, I, again, And if you're watching this, if you're listening to this, 2XO is what you want. It is Mick Hunt and Mick Unplug approved. It's my favorite, it's my favorite bourbon. Again, I'm on record.

This is going to live forever. It's my favorite bourbon. And everybody knows that when I say something on the record, I mean it. And it's not just me. It's all of my family members who have come. to my house. And in my bar, I've got William Leroux, I've got Eagle Rare 17. I've got all, I've got really good bourbon here. And I'm not saying that those aren't good or great bourbons. But everyone will tell you when they have a sip of 2XO, they're like, oh my God, this is amazing.

And then when I tell them the price point that you can go get at your local, whether it's an ABC store, or package store, Costco, if you're Westco, like, whatever it is. When I told them, the price point that you can go, the, the, the price point, that you can go, them the price point, they're like, oh my God, and every single person that I know that's coming to my house that's had it, they immediately go get two or three bottles because it's that great. And so if you watch that- I like that hot take. That's a good hot take right there. I appreciate that. Yes, sir. So if you're watching or listening, go get 2XO wherever you go get your your adult beverages because it's amazing. And then talk to your restaurants and your local retail establishments about making sure that they get it in there too because it is it's i promise you it's

great when you have it you'll you'll come back and thank me later you'll come back and thank me later so dixon man i i know we got to run but i have two one quick segment and then i'm going to end it with my rapid fire five so this segment i call the room because every great leader every great entrepreneur that i know there was a room there was a moment there was a dinner there was a leading, there was a conversation that changed their life. For you, what was that room or that moment of that conversation that, like, changed your entrepreneur or leadership life? You know, I think I probably could give you a few, and I say that because I've been

very fortunate, you know, we were rewarded or honored with a, I accepted a James Beard Award, one time and that was a pretty significant moment and that kind of you know that type of recognition that kind of really drives you to to pursue things and some of the things in the bourbon world have been been very exciting and obviously the you know original conversation um that started all of this where i you know i had this idea and and and and and found um a partner and an old friend who helped me figure out how to get from, you know, point A to point B and launch this whole thing. And my friend Mark Carter was, was very, you know, influential. But, you know, it's funny when we talk about, you know, your points earlier. And one thing that

has always resonated with me and really, you know, stuck with me. And it's the same thing that, you know, I learned in hospitality and in my family, you know, in that world. But we hadn't, we hadn't had two X, or I'm sorry, this is Kentucky out. We hadn't had it out for very long and received, you know, we won some, some pretty impressive things right out of the gate, that garden gun made in the South Award and these types of things. But I remember this guy sent me an email and he said, hey, I just, you know, I just, you know, I just won. wanted to send you this picture. And it was he and his son, and they were, they had a bottle of batch two of Kentucky Al, and they were toasting with little styrofoam coffee cups.

And in the background, it was a big window. And what was beyond that was this gentleman's grandson and his son. and his son's firstborn son. And so it was the first, the second, and the third that had just been born. And they were toasting with a bottle of Kentucky Owl. And the guy said, you know, I've had this for two years. And, you know, have met you, love your story.

And I thought this was a really appropriate time to open this bottle as the toast with my son shortly after the birth of his first son, and the third, you know, generation. And, you know, that was one of those moments where you get that and you think, you're actually, you know, you're doing something that goes beyond selling bottles. You're doing something that, you know, that becomes meaningful and important to people. And you're becoming, you know, creating something that becomes a part of people's special moments, their special experiences.

It goes back to what we were talking about before. And so, you know, moments like that are, a lot of the, they create the because, you know, that, you know, it's,

a lot of times, you know, people, our team, the marketing team, they get excited because we got, I don't know,

some, some award or some rating from a periodical or some, and those things are great. Like, you know, it's great when, when you get that type of recognition

or, you know, the double goal, whatever. You know, but the personal things are a big part of, you know, what drives me and what, you know, makes me want to continue to do what we're doing. I love it, brother. I love it so much. On Mick Unplugged, we talk about showing up with purpose.

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That's code Mick at IM8health.com slash Mick. Code Mick at IM8health.com slash Mick. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. You've been gracious with your time, man. I'm going to get you out of here with my rapid fire quick five. But before I do that, anything you want to tell the audience about 2XO and what's coming up next. and all of that jazz.

Well, no, I mean, what you're sipping on, that hip-hop blend is pretty cool. It's kind of in partnership from a marketing perspective with the Sugar Hill Gang. So we're going to do some promotional events with them. Yeah, so that's always really fun to be able to do these kind of crossover things. But that's launching end of August, early September. So nationally and all 50 markets. So that's exciting. Shout out to Master G.

A good friend of mine. So yes, sir. I love it. I didn't realize that. But yeah. So that's kind of what's next. We've got some other line extensions on the horizon that we're still working through. But, you know, life is good.

It's... It's good. It's fun. There we go. But that one, that hip-hop blend is, is going to be out there, and it's pretty special. No, it is. I'm sipping. I just, because you allowed me to, because Dixon allowed me to. So, Chris, my C-O, I'm only doing this because Dixon told me to.

That's right. That's right. Yeah, I'll take all the heat. There you go. No, I love it, man. And, yeah, we'll have links to everything in the show notes and descriptions. Do me a huge favor and follow. You know, I'm going to do something before I go to this unplug five.

I want to do like a monthly 2XO little bourbon society that we do on Instagram together. So here's what we're going to do. Everybody that's watching or listening, go buy a bottle of 2XO. I don't care which bottle you get. Just go get one. Send me a picture. And we're going to do like a monthly virtual look. little 2XO mini society Instagram group where we go live. Everybody's invited. Everybody's

cameras are on. We're going to celebrate 2XO. We'll go around the room and talk about what you're sipping. We'll talk about your day, your life, like whatever. It's just going to be a fun little moment that together as a group we celebrate 2XO. So if you want to be in, go buy a bottle, take a picture, message me directly on Instagram. And I'll come. create the group. And, you know, maybe, maybe once a year, twice a year we get Dixon to hop on and toast. What are you talking about? I'm in. You tell me when the first one is. I'm there. I'm already there. I'm already in the room. All right. So if you want to be in, let me know. All right, your unplug five. You ready? Rapid fire. Ready. Right. Right. First question. And everybody in the

world wants to know the answer to this question. So no pressure, Dixon. They want to know when the unplugged blend is coming out. I don't know. That is a good question. TBD, we're working with the Powers at B on that. There we go. Let's make that. That sounds like a lot of fun.

It does. It does to me too. All right. So I know you are Kentucky born and raised. You went to Wofford, so you're a terrier. I want to know who is your favorite college basketball team and why is it my alma mater, the University North Carolina tar heels.

I'll take a simple way you answer that question. I don't have any real problem with the tar heels just because of the fact that my biggest problem with any college basketball team is Duke. You know, I'm a, I'm a UK fan, I'm a Kentucky fan, always been a Kentucky fan, season ticket holder. So we hate Duke together. Yeah, we do have, we have that Duke hate together. That's for sure.

There we go. There we go. Now I'll ask serious questions. So hospitality is where you started. What's one hospitality rule or core value that still lives with you no matter what you do in life? Well, you know, I know that like it's probably everybody expects you to say the customer is always right. And I don't think that's. They're not always right.

I don't think that's the case. You know, I mean, I, you know. You know, prevailing wisdom in anything is common sense. And you can, you know, and common sense in hospitality is very important. Like, why, you know, what, what, you know, they're expecting this. Common sense will tell you, okay, how do we get, you know, beyond that to provide an experience that, that, that, I used to call it disruptive hospital. with our team. And it's funny as my friend Will Godara calls it unreasonable hospitality, but I used to call it disruptive hospitality. And it was, you know, the attempt to disrupt

their expectations by going above and beyond with, with service or opportunity. And, you know, so fundamentally, it's, you know, how do we exceed, you know, not how do we meet, but how do we exceed the expectations of our guests, of our clientele? Yeah. Good stuff. Good stuff. Fourth question. You're sitting down for dinner with your favorite pour of 2XO.

What is that meal? Well, I have to admit that I'm a red meat guy, but my, you know, my, probably, vice. Prime rib. I am a huge I like to fancy myself a you know a prime rib connoisseur if we're if we're traveling I'm always looking for so give me a nice glass of 2XO and and the a nice slab of prime rib and I'm a pretty

happy guy. Okay. I love it. I love it. Last question and this is for me personally man because I'm such a huge fan of you, the entrepreneur, the leader, the family man, the husband, everything that you are, I want to know this for me.

30 years from now, when the world is looking at a bottle of 2XO, what do you want to, what do you want them to know about the man behind the bottle? What do you want them to know about Dixon Deadman? There's no, I don't want to put any, this is not, there's no pressure here.

Like I'm not that, that guy. But if, you know, if I had, if I could, you know, right moan, you know, had a genie that could, they could grant me this wish.

30 years from now, a bottle of 2XO. And they said, the man behind it, it would be, at that point it would be one of my, one of my children. You know, that it was, that it, that it had gone to another generation that, that one of my children or all of my children or some common, you know,

that it was, that had gone past me, that we had created something that it wasn't like, oh, that, that old guy that used to be involved, that it's like, oh, no, there's another generation, there's some, you know, and, and there's a, you know, a tradition that's being continued through another generation. Maybe that they don't even remember me. They don't even think about me. When they say who's the guy behind it, it's 30 years from now, like, you know, be, you know, be one of, one of, or a combination of my sons who are carrying the flag,

and they don't, you know, nobody knows who I was. And that would be, that would be my dream come true. Amen to that, brother. Amen to that. Ladies and gentlemen, this is. been my good friend, my brother from another mother, Dixon Deadman. You've heard me talk about 2XO a lot. It is my favorite. I don't care. We're going to watch this 10 years from now. It's still my favorite. But it's because of the man that Dixon is. Yeah, the bourbon is amazing.

But the man behind the bottle, the family behind the bottle, the team behind the bottle, our first and it lives in every poor that you'll have. But Dixon, man, I wanted to tell you this man to man, eyeball to eyeball. I freaking love who you are. I'm a huge fan of you. If there's ever anything I can do for you, I promise you I'm there.

There's so much love and adoration for you, the human, and what you do and what you mean to the world, man. And I just want you to know that. No, listen, it goes both ways. I'm proud of you. I appreciate more than you know you having me on and extending the invitation. And I'm small potatoes compared to your normal guest, but it's truly an honor. And I think what you're doing is amazing.

It's a really big deal for me. And I mean, it goes both ways. Thank you so much for the opportunity. You got it, brother. And if you're watching or listening and remember you're because. is your superpower. Go Unleash it.