LEXINGTON, Ky. (February 6, 2024) — Anthony Limperos, dean of communication and associate dean of communication graduate programs in the University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information Studies, just completed his third year as co-host of the weekly bourbon review podcast, The Mashup. . “The Mashup” Podcast episodes are released weekly, starting with the first episode in January 2021.. Outside of communication classes, Limperos also teaches rhetorical analysis and documentation skills, but only about bourbon.
The idea for The Mash Up podcast was conceived in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic by Limperos, friends and future co-hosts Stephen DeLucia and Michael Kinney. came up with this idea when I was looking for a safe way to spend my downtime. The trio met weekly to celebrate UK basketball games with bourbon. Their regular reviews inspired me to share other bourbons with his community.
Mr. Limperos was first exposed to bourbon culture when he moved to Kentucky in 2011, but he didn't begin to embrace it until 2017 when he won a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 15 Year Old in a lottery at a local liquor store. Ta. community. Limperos was interested in radio before becoming a communications professor and has been featured on several radio programs for his research. This audio experience and communications background made him feel comfortable and gave him the insight he needed to bring his podcast idea to life.
“I plan the structure, format and talking points,” Limperos said. “It’s a cliché, but I go back to my experience teaching a basic COM course when I was outlining and planning speeches. I used those basic skills a lot. .”
Limperos is also one of the first Beam Institute Faculty Fellows at the James B. Beam Kentucky Spirits Institute in the Martin Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and the Environment at the University of Kentucky. He said the institute was still in its infancy and had many big plans, including establishing a faculty sensory committee and integrating more of UK's faculty into spirits culture. So far, his research hasn't focused directly on bourbon, but Limperos is open about where this new title will take him and his research.
“I want to keep an open mind and see this as an outlet to collaborate with people on research and how it could be mutually beneficial,” Limperos said. said. Looking to the future, Limperos hopes to expand her research on media psychology and understanding the message reception process and learn more about the impact of bourbon-related media while serving as a fellow. As for the future of podcasts, he hopes to feature underrepresented groups in the bourbon industry.
“I want to work on building more connections within the industry, especially with people who are underrepresented,” Limperos said.
However, his top priority is maintaining the credibility of his podcast reviews. DeLucia and Limperos are the mainstays of the podcast, but they recently welcomed friend and bourbon enthusiast Kenny Mills as a regular co-host. “I think the reason people listen to us in the first place is because we're not sponsored by industry, and people know they're hearing something authentic,” Limperos said. Told.
This podcast regularly appears in the top 100 in the food category on Apple Podcasts.
Mr. Limperos will combine his hosting skills and bourbon knowledge to moderate the “In the Business of Bourbon” virtual panel scheduled for Tuesday, March 19th. This panel will feature UK graduates from a wide range of areas within the industry including distilling, sales and more. , branding, etc. For more information, visit ci.uky.edu/cibourbon.
