Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Mullen.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hi, I’m Matt, Marine Corps Veteran turned ER Nurse or “Murse” as some call male nurses. When I am not saving lives, I’m sipping drinks. I’m pretty new to the bourbon community and started adding to my collection over the last few years. I enjoy trying all types of whiskeys and believe that great memories are to be shared over delicious food and tasty drinks…
So there I was… It was 2011. I came home from my second deployment at the end of my four-year enlistment in the Marine Corps. During my time in the military, my drink of choice was a double Jack and coke (I know). After all. . . the Marine Corps was founded in a bar… Tun Tavern! Rah! I went back to college (for real this time) and figured out what I wanted to do. After my time in the Marine Corps, I missed the camaraderie and teamwork that I was was a part of while enlisted. I went through nursing school and graduated in 2016 with my BSN. I felt I could get that camaraderie and teamwork while being a nurse and that is when my career as an ER nurse began. Every day as an ER Nurse is different; there is teamwork and that adrenaline rush I craved; I enjoy helping people when they are at their worst moments.
Fast forward through an interesting life… It was 2019. I had been invited to Georgia for a wedding of a fellow Marine who I had deployed with. My girlfriend, who is now my wife, and I started planning a road trip from St. Louis to Georgia with a stop in Kentucky. While in Kentucky, we took tours of three different distilleries. This is how my interest in bourbon and other whiskies really started to take off- learning how to taste, what notes you can pick up, the history of the distilleries and the distillers, how bourbon is made, what makes bourbon, bourbon? The tours were a huge eye opener and I learned so much, and continue to do so. This was the start of my collection and interest in all things bourbon.
So, now in my free time, I like to host whiskey tastings with friends, Instagram live feeds to regroup with other veterans, nurses and those in the whiskey community. Nothing is better than sharing whiskey and talking about it. It is all about the experience. As a Male Nurse (Murse), I decided to create something that could relate to my hobbies and this is where I decided to go with The Bourbon Murse, Saving Lives. Sipping Drinks. I enjoy doing both.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
So far, so good. With the ongoing pandemic taking a toll and increasing the workload of the hospital staff, it is important to find time to decompress. I find that making time to do things that I enjoy is important and sometimes the most difficult. Creating www.thebourbonmurse.com has been a pretty big challenge along with creating content for people to enjoy. I want my social media accounts and website to be a platform for everyone to take a break and discuss anything whiskey related. One of the biggest challenges is finding the next bottle to review- there will never not be enough. I will have whiskey related merchandise as well as “The Bourbon Murse” apparel available on www.thebourbonmurse.com.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I would consider myself a whiskey connoisseur but I am by no means an expert. I love to have fun and I am constantly learning new things about whiskey. I mainly focus on different types of whiskies and bourbons that are made throughout the United States and am open to spirits outside of the US. I’m working on a website that will relate to nurses and healthcare workers who also enjoy a nice pour of whiskey. I try to post a monthly review on a bottle and discuss what notes I can smell and taste, and what I like or don’t like about it. That is what is so cool about trying new things and hosting a tasting with friends- one bourbon may be incredible to one person and not so much to the other. I am also a big fan of hosting Instagram Live episodes with friends, distillers and others in the community whether it be for a happy hour or a tasting to learn about a particular distillery and their spirits. I am most proud of the people I have met along the way as “The Bourbon Murse”. I am an admin/contributor to “Gateway City Whiskey Society” and have been since Fall 2020. Over 100 members and in some sort of fashion, each person has ties to Saint Louis. We have had several barrel picks come out since then and have an amazing partnership with Lebanon Wine & Spirits and Glenmart BP. If you are ever across the river, check out the stores. If you’re lucky, you can snag a “GCWS” Pick.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Find something that you enjoy because you enjoy it, not because it is the next trending whiskey or because everybody is doing it. Another important lesson is that you don’t have to buy every single bottle at once. I have over 250 bottles in my home bar at the moment and my collection continues to grow. When it is time for a tasting, there are more than enough options to choose from.
Contact Info:
- Email: thebourbonmurse@gmail.com
- Website: https://thebourbonmurse.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebourbonmurse/
- Facebook: Www.Facebook.com/
thebourbonmurse - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJf36ShCE1ZhDMoMijL9sEg
Image Credits
Laura Mullen
Michelle Selesnick
Barb Mullen
February 2, 2022 at 11:53 am
Great story about a veteran reaching out and connecting with other veterans as well as people in his profession. It is very interesting to learn about the different whiskey’s.