← The Bourbon Brother
The Origin

How Bourbon Brothers came to life

"When I became a man, I put down my childish ways and collected bourbon."

— Tripp LaRue

Bourbon has a remarkable way of pulling people together. Long before this book took shape — before the mystery, the road-trip chaos, and the puzzle-filled adventure — there was simply a group of friends who loved learning good whiskey, good wine, and good company.

We called ourselves the DGC, the Distinguished Gentlemen's Club of Greenville, South Carolina. What began as a small whiskey-and-wine enthusiast group meeting once a month for blind tastings slowly grew into years of shared bottles, inside jokes, and unforgettable pilgrimages to Kentucky.

A rickhouse aisle in black and white — the DGC's first Russell's Reserve barrel selection, 'Dusty Funk'

The DGC's first barrel selection… "Dusty Funk"

Engraved DGC Glencairn glasses beside gold Dusty Funk limited edition barrel-pick labels

Engraved glasses, numbered labels — the club documented everything

Looking back, it's clear how much of Bourbon Brothers grew straight out of those moments. The characters in this book are fictional, but their personalities, quirks, humor, and brotherhood are rooted in real DGC members. If you know our group, you'll recognize the spirit immediately. If you don't, you're about to meet them and, hopefully, laugh along with our playful banter, mid-life insecurities, competitive streaks, and brotherly loyalty.

2015–2025

From screenplay to novel

This story actually began in 2015 — not as a book, but as a movie screenplay. My amateur writing goal was to capture the chaos, heart, comedy, and bourbon-soaked mystery that defined so many of our Kentucky road trips.

But each time I wrote, the world kept expanding. More layers. More history. More family heart. More of what makes bourbon culture special.

Slowly, the screenplay became too big for the screen, and over the next four years it transformed into a full-length novel with deeper characters, richer emotion, more bourbon lore, and a far more ambitious adventure.

In service of something

The DGC and the birth of the Medicinal Whiskey Charity

As the DGC matured, something unexpected and incredible emerged from our group. A few of our members helped create what became the Medicinal Whiskey Charity — now known for raising millions for sick and in-need children.

A lineup of DGC private barrel selections and Medicinal Whiskey Charity bottlings on a tasting table

DGC barrel picks beside Medicinal Whiskey Charity bottlings — the record, on the table

The spirit of that charity — generosity, community, lifting others up — became woven into the heart of Bourbon Brothers. It shaped the camaraderie, the mission, and the deeper meaning behind the story.

Bourbon culture, in service of something. That part isn't marketing — it's the record.

That tradition carries into the app: 10% of every Founding Sipper seat in The Bourbon Brother goes to the Medicinal Whiskey Charity.

A note on how this book was written

In a world where AI is everywhere, Bourbon Brothers was crafted the old-fashioned way: countless early mornings, late nights, revisions, road trips, and years of very serious "bourbon homework."

No generative AI was used in the writing of this novel. Just a love of story, friendship, culture, and adventure.

The love letter

Why I wrote it

Bourbon Brothers is my love letter to bourbon culture — to the friendships that grow around the tasting table and to the belief that adventure never disappears; it simply changes shape.

Ten years of memories poured into five years of writing, all in the hope of giving readers a hero's journey filled with laughter, mystery, heart, bourbon geekery, and a reminder of the people who make life meaningful.

If this story gives you even one good laugh or one warm reminder of your own group of friends, then it was worth every minute.

Cheers,
John McKillop

Co-Founder, Medicinal Whiskey Charity · @BourbonBrothersBook · bourbonbrothersbook.com

About the founder

John McKillop

John McKillop is a Greenville, South Carolina–based author, medical doctor, and patent examiner whose life has taken him from the beaches of Miami to the fast-paced world of medical patent law. His path has been anything but linear — blending science, storytelling, creativity, and community into a life rich with experiences that shape his writing.

A graduate of Davidson College and the Medical University of South Carolina, John has worn more hats than most: college professor, charcoal portrait artist, biomedical researcher, cover-band keyboardist, and even a mediocre wedding photographer. Every one of these roles contributes a different layer to his curiosity and voice as a writer.

Married for 23 years and a father of four, John draws inspiration from the joy, chaos, and perspective that come with family life. He's a storyteller at heart — mixing humor, run-on sentences, and big, unanswerable questions best explored around a campfire or over a well-poured drink.

John is also co-founder of the Medicinal Whiskey Charity, a Greenville-based nonprofit that has raised roughly $2 million for pediatric care. The camaraderie, bourbon culture, and late-night tasting memories from this community directly inspired much of the world behind his debut novel, Bourbon Brothers.

When he's not writing or evaluating new biomedical innovations, John can usually be found chasing his kids, limping through marathons, strumming a guitar, or exploring the Carolina coast with his family. His passion for storytelling, fatherhood, friendship, and vintage bourbon remains central to everything he creates — essential ingredients in a life well lived.

John McKillop holding two hardcover editions of Bourbon Brothers in front of his bourbon shelf

John McKillop, M.D. — physician, novelist, whiskey historian

The method lives on

Fifteen years at the tasting table. Now it's at yours.

Meet The Bourbon Brother — free

Or collect the novel where the Method was first published.