{"id":1219,"date":"2025-10-28T00:32:28","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T00:32:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/?p=1219"},"modified":"2025-10-28T00:35:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T00:35:02","slug":"where-ive-been-and-why-im-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/?p=1219","title":{"rendered":"Where I&#8217;ve Been &#8211; And Why I&#8217;m Back."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It\u2019s been quiet here on&nbsp;<em>Drinking Argentina<\/em>&nbsp;for a while. But I haven\u2019t disappeared \u2014 I\u2019ve just been walking a different trail these last couple of years. A Bourbon Trail.\u2122 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-1-Graphis-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"741\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-1-Graphis-741x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-1-Graphis-741x1024.jpg 741w, https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-1-Graphis-217x300.jpg 217w, https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-1-Graphis-768x1062.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-1-Graphis-1111x1536.jpg 1111w, https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-1-Graphis-1482x2048.jpg 1482w, https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-1-Graphis-scaled.jpg 1852w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For those who aren&#8217;t aware, my day job is in advertising. And recently, that work has taken me deep into another world of storytelling: helping lead the creative and writing the new website for the&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/kybourbontrail.com\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/kybourbontrail.com\">Kentucky Bourbon Trail<\/a><\/strong>.\u00ae<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s been a ride \u2014 literally and figuratively. <br><br>Two years exploring the backroads of Kentucky. Telling Bourbon\u2019s story meant stepping into history, culture, and craft every bit as layered and soulful as wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I have to tell you, nearly twenty years of exploring the tasting rooms of Mendoza was the perfect preparation for this assignment. <br><br>Kentucky may be thousands of miles from Argentina. But in many ways, it didn&#8217;t feel so far away. Whether I was exploring a high-desert winery in the Uco Valley or the green, rolling hills of Bardstown, Kentucky, I kept encountering the same traits. Intense local pride. Fierce dedication to quality. The camaraderie of fellow enthusiasts. And an astounding level of genuine hospitality. <br><br><strong>What&#8217;s in the barrel might be different &#8211; but what&#8217;s in people&#8217;s hearts is exactly the same. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s been a phenomenal experience. Along those backroads, my team and I have been able to craft some of the  storytelling I am proudest of in my career. From evocative campaign posters in airports to a global toast that connected bourbon lovers in 30 countries<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Different Drink, Same Passion. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Working in Bourbon didn\u2019t replace my love of Argentine wine. If anything, it sharpened it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether it\u2019s a bourbon barrel in Kentucky or carefully-tended old-vine Malbec in Mendoza, what moves me most are the people who make things with care, and the sense of place that clings to every bottle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And while I\u2019ve loved this detour down the Bourbon Trail\u2122, a part of my heart has always stayed in Argentina \u2014 with the vineyards, the light, and the long, slow lunches with friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Coming Up Next. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m heading back to Mendoza soon for my sixteenth (maybe seventeenth? I&#8217;ve lost count) trip to Argentina. And I&#8217;ll be back on Drinking Argentina, sharing my discoveries and my unbiased opinion. <br><br>In my next post, I\u2019ll be sharing the story of how this journey began \u2014 in a small Buenos Aires wine shop, with a single bottle of <strong>Angelica Zapata Malbec<\/strong> that changed everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the meantime, here are a few samples from our work on the Bourbon Trail.\u2122<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kentucky Bourbon Trail \u2013 Brand Launch Video\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1010034114?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"525\" height=\"295\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-2-Graphis-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"741\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-2-Graphis-741x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1222\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-2-Graphis-741x1024.jpg 741w, https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-2-Graphis-217x300.jpg 217w, https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-2-Graphis-768x1062.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-2-Graphis-1111x1536.jpg 1111w, https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-2-Graphis-1482x2048.jpg 1482w, https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Poster-2-Graphis-scaled.jpg 1852w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Airport-Graphis-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Airport-Graphis-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Airport-Graphis-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Airport-Graphis-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Airport-Graphis-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Airport-Graphis-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KBT-Airport-Graphis-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s been quiet here on&nbsp;Drinking Argentina&nbsp;for a while. But I haven\u2019t disappeared \u2014 I\u2019ve just been walking a different trail these last couple of years. A Bourbon Trail.\u2122 For those who aren&#8217;t aware, my day job is in advertising. And recently, that work has taken me deep into another world of storytelling: helping lead the &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/?p=1219\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Where I&#8217;ve Been &#8211; And Why I&#8217;m Back.&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paRcNu-jF","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1219"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1219"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1241,"href":"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1219\/revisions\/1241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}