Fearless Leadership: Gridiron to Greatness with Jared Allen

[00:00] Looking for more than just a job? Brightview Senior Living is opening Brightview North Facts in Fairfax, Virginia. And we're hiring across all departments, from dining and caregiving to maintenance, sales, and leadership. This is your chance to be part of something from the very beginning. At Brightview North Facts, you'll find a team that supports you, values you, and a career that can grow with you. Text BVJOBS to [redacted phone] or visit [00:30] The NFL, everybody's fast, everybody's strong, everybody or some form of an All-American problem. What makes all these people in college the 1% of 1%? When you get to those levels where everybody's good, everybody's great, it is a mindset and it's your work ethic. [00:44] guys that work hard that are hustlers like that motors all that you hear the high motor and i'm like [00:49] you're actually using those in a negative connotation. At that point, [00:54] Everybody's talented. [00:55] So the fact that I'm willing to outwork you [00:58] just shows that mentally you're weak. And that's how I equate it. I wasn't willing to work out to meet the standard that I thought was acceptable. [01:04] We hung on for paychecks and racked up five sacks a year and done the minimum, but [01:08] That's just not who I was. And so it's, I take that same philosophy of what we're doing. So if that passion for something burns, or if I'm not willing to put that effort in, then we get out of it. We don't do it in the first place. What greater mission or greater purpose to be all in on than your kids? [01:20] in your wife and in your faith, all this goes away. [01:23] When we go in front of our maker, whoever you believe your maker is, when you go in front of them, [01:26] Dollar size and zeros in your bank account mean absolutely nothing.

[01:30] You're listening to Mick Unplugged, hosted by the one and only Mick Hunt. This is where purpose meets power and stories spark transformation. Mick takes you beyond the motivation and into meaning, helping you discover your because and becoming unstoppable. I'm Rudy Rush, and trust me, you're in the right place. Let's get unplugged. [01:54] Ladies and gentlemen, today's guest... [01:56] is a phenom. [01:58] If you look up the word or the term man's man in the dictionary, [02:02] you find this guest. [02:05] NFL Hall of Famer. [02:07] legendary in everything that he does. [02:10] Man of faith. [02:11] and a man who is the owner of the best bourbon I've ever had in my life. I am talking to none other than the GOAT himself. [02:19] Mr. Jared Allen. Jared, how are you doing today, brother? Oh, I'm doing great. I mean, I need you to just be around my house 24-7 every morning with that intro. You can't have a great day after that intro. [02:30] I apologize for dogs barking over here. My golden dude will think she's a Rottweiler. All good, brother. All good, man. I'm doing great. How about yourself? I am great now that I am with you. I'm honored to have you on. There's so much I want to talk to you about because you're someone... [02:46] who on and off the field I've admired for a long time. [02:51] You're someone who, when you played sports, [02:54] Even the things you do off the field, you don't hide your faith. You never hid your faith. And that's something I truly admired about you, man, because you're

[03:00] You know, when you have the spotlight on you like you did and all the things that you were doing, [03:06] You still gave honor where honor was due. And I've always respected you for that. Well, I appreciate that. Yeah. You know, you know, like, like a lot of people, you know, I grew up in the church. I had my ebbs and flows, right? I was, I was laughing sick growing up, you know, had that heart rate monitor relationship, right? You know, Sunday morning was always an apology for Saturday night at some point. Right. And as I got older and as I grew, you know, going through challenges in my life, you know, I had, you know, I had great people around me. I have a great family. [03:35] um you know for all their all their flaws and my mom and dad are fantastic people and you know even though [03:41] You know, they weren't, they were married. Uh, my whole, my, there's nothing I'm married. I mean, I got divorced when I was young, but you know, uh, [03:47] My stepdad's an amazing person, so... [03:49] You know, I got. [03:50] Great influence. That's what I'm just trying to say. And, and, you know, as you go through life like that, you tend to always come back around to your foundations. Right. And so as I got older and made mistakes and, you know, I had my grandfather is a big part of my life. A lot of people heard me talk about him. [04:03] And then my best friend's dad growing up was our pastor. And, you know, I remember, I remember forget he said, you know, [04:10] I'll never forget that. I was 20, roughly good and aggressive. I was 24 years old, 25 years old, maybe, I guess, 26 years old somewhere. And that's what he said. He said, the world needs more moral heroes. You know, there's enough assholes in the world. And when your pastor cusses at you, you're kind of like, okay, yeah. [04:24] You know what? I need to... I need to... [04:27] I need this relationship. [04:29] Yeah, right. That's right. Anybody's been married. I'm going on 16 years of marriage. I got to tell my friends too. I said,

[04:36] You know, you don't want peaks and valleys, right? This is flatlining and marriage is a great, is a great thing. Yes, sir. Consistency. And so that's kind of where, where I was at, you know, and, and I'm always, you know, [04:46] So I think, you know, again, this is my long-winded version of getting back to kind of why I always – [04:51] wanted to live the way I lived and be so transparent with people is that, [04:56] You know, I understood that feeling of, you know, when people would ask you, what's the one thing people don't know about you? Oh, I'm a Christian. Like, that's not what you want to say. Right. And that's not being also through that process of growing up and learning that you are a role model, whether you want to be one or not. Right. [05:09] Um, so, so what, so what is it? And that's, you know, kind of going back to how I was raised is like, who are you? What is that authentic person that you look like? Right? [05:17] You know, if you're praying and you're reading your Bible and you're doing certain things, why are you hiding it, right? [05:24] And if you stay on, if this is how you were raised, what you stand on, then you need to live by those, those, those, those factors too that you stand on. Right. And so those are kind of those mature, that maturation process of maturing and stuff like that. And, you know, I realized. [05:37] you know, that again, I'm just going to be me. I don't know how to be anybody else but me, right? It's too hard to try to be a different version of yourself or different people. It's that I tell my kids, just be authentically you. And so I tried to pass that along. And then I think I also had a great understanding of, [05:52] I genuinely loved what I did for a living. Right. And I, I had a lot of respect because, you know, I came from, I didn't, I didn't have a lot of money growing up. I mean, we had, [06:01] We had prosperous times and we had really, really poor times, you know? So, you know, I understood and would read fan mail when people would talk about, you know,

[06:08] you know, football was their escape, right? Or this guy was making a couple hundred bucks a week and he's spending a couple hundred bucks a week on his season tickets, you know? Yeah. You know, making, so you understand the importance of what football was bringing to people, whether it was a distraction, whatever that fan, whatever the fandom was for. And so for me, I'm like, some people are going to pay their hard-earned money to come watch me play. [06:29] I mean, I'm just, I'm going to, I'm going to give it all. I'm going to be me. And part of that me was, was my faith. And I think people saw me grow in that. You look at me as a rookie. [06:37] running around to where I was [06:39] you know, at the end of my career, you're like, man, there's, there's a maturation process of a human being right there. Right. And I think that was important for me to show people that, [06:47] you know, [06:48] And I didn't know it at the time. It wasn't like my goal was to show this process of change. But when you look back at it, you say, you know what? I think I did a good job of being me and setting an example of, [06:59] Listen, young, fun, dumb, immature. [07:03] Growing into responsibility, you know, you're getting married, having kids, that whole life change that you could be an example for people that are out there running and gunning that don't think they're ever going to slow down. Or there's people that, you know, hey, I can stand on my faith and it doesn't have to be this legalistic view of what people think your faith is. [07:20] Right. Of this list of do's and don'ts. Um, [07:23] Christ calls us to be a light to the world, not to hide in the darkness and not to judge others. [07:29] Um, I just tried to, I said, I just tried to do. I just tried to live it out authentically and be who I was. And, um, yeah. [07:35] Because again, like I said, it's too hard to try to be multiple people. Hey, that is the truth, bro. That is the truth. And this is a great...

[07:43] you know, conversation. I had [07:46] my kids who are older they're in their 20s now but [07:50] My middle child, my oldest son is a football coach now. [07:54] And, [07:56] We watched your Hall of Fame induction. [07:59] rewound it probably a hundred times no exaggeration because i'm like that's freaking jared allen right there right and you talk about authentically being yourself and that is you [08:09] And I like to call it your because or your purpose, right? Like you do so much that people... [08:15] the ordinary person doesn't know about right like I know how connected you are [08:19] to veterans. I know the things that you do for kids that you don't ever gloat about or talk about because it's about those individuals, man. Like, [08:28] If I were to say Jared Allen in 2026, [08:31] What is your because? What is that thing that's deeper than your why? I like to call it [08:36] like your true purpose, that foundation. [08:38] What's your because brother? [08:42] You know what I think? I think it's my kids right now. Honestly, [08:45] It's, and I know that's kind of generic and cheesy because we're still, we're still doing stuff with the foundation. I got a great team that, that handles most of that. [08:53] Um, but you know, right now, like my kids sports, my kids are in volleyball and, um, [08:57] you know, they're at that pivotal point in life or teenage. I have one teenager and one, you know, preteen. Right. And so they're at that pivotal point in life where, where decisions matter. And I'm not talking about football decision, like life decisions. Right. So, you know, and they're, and they're deep into sports. And I think mom and dad being present.

[09:14] You know, my kids are in two different clubs, so we're constantly here. Like we're Alabama one week in Atlanta. We're all over the place. Right. But it's it's it's that being present, you know, and I think if you look and if you go really deep into it, you look at society today, there's there's. [09:29] I think a lot of the issues we have in society today because [09:33] There's a gap in parents being present. [09:36] You know, and I'm not just talking about, you know, people from. [09:40] you know, poor communities and that, I mean, you look at a lot of the affluent, I mean, my kids go to affluent school and there's a lot of unpresent parents, you know, there's a lot of, you know, and, and no, no disrespect to people that are, [09:50] that have nannies and that are working in their career. And I fully understand that. [09:55] But for me, and we've been blessed, you know, my wife and I decided when, you know, we decided to have children that we were going to be ever present in our kids lives. Right. And I think that's one of the greatest gifts you can give your kids. So my biggest purpose right now is making sure through these transformable years. [10:10] that the dad is present, you know, and, you know, and that I'm continuing to show them, [10:17] what hard work looks like, right? You know, continuing to show them what humility looks like. [10:22] continuing to show them and hopefully being a man, the man, the type of man, [10:26] that they want around them, you know, not in much later in life. [10:31] Right. It's crazy. Think about it, man. I got. [10:34] I have a 14-year-old. Ten years, she could be getting married. You think about that. You're like, wow, ten years can go by so quick. That's really my main purpose right now.

[10:45] Obviously, we dabble in a lot of stuff, but [10:47] I think, again, just teaching them to find that passion and to be passion driven. And so, you know, that's kind of been what our family centers around right now is really making sure that we can be ever present. And, you know, they don't know. They don't realize it now. One day they'll look back and be like, holy crap, mom and dad were pretty awesome. [11:12] And I'm going to continue to give you praise. [11:15] and applaud you for that because [11:18] Here's the truth. And I just got off stage two weeks ago and told this story of [11:23] I grew up in a two-parent household. [11:26] but really was raised by a single mom. My dad was physically there. [11:31] Right? Yep. [11:32] But he wasn't present. [11:33] And I'm tying everything to what you're saying because you're right. Your kids are going to remember that and look back. [11:40] And you're not just present physically. [11:43] You're present emotionally. [11:45] right you're present mentally you're you're active when we talk about jared allen [11:50] Everybody talks about his motor, right? And you talk about action there. Like what you just said was you're present, yes, but you're being active. [11:59] Right. A hundred percent. I would love for you to talk to the folks that are listening and watching about why and how that is so important in the day to day, not just with your kids. Yeah. But also in the businesses that you have, the communities that you with, you can be present. [12:14] But you really better be active.

[12:15] Absolutely. I love that. I love that phrasing right there. I'm going to steal it. I tell people I have no original thought. Everything I regurgitate, I take from somebody. [12:25] But you know, honestly, I'm one of these weird people when I hear something or read something that sticks me like, I can't forget it, right? [12:31] um it's it's part of the reason why you know we eat the way we do you know as far as we like to grow our own food be very organically you know we eat everything but you know we try to but you know try that certain education process i think but [12:41] Point being is that when I know something, I have a hard time making a conscious decision against it. If I believe in it, right? If it comes down to my... [12:49] my core belief system, I can't I can't consciously make that decision go against it. And so I say that to say when I was young, I mean, I would I didn't have kids at this time. I was in Kansas City of early 20s. I read an article [13:01] that [13:02] said seven, your child, your children will have a 70% less chance of poverty. [13:08] for just two parents being present, being there. [13:12] You can be crappy parents. [13:13] But if two parents are there, [13:15] Right? [13:16] your child will have a 70% less chance of growing up in poverty. And I don't know why that struck me in that moment. I didn't have kids. [13:23] I was reading, I was like, oh my gosh. And then the article continues to talk about now [13:28] if both parents are active right if you're present you're active you're now you're a good parent right now you know you're all parents are going to have you know struggles but [13:38] And that stuck with me. And so, you know, when we decided to have kids, [13:42] Um, and you know, aim decided to stay at home and, and, and be a stay at home mom, which is the greatest gift you can give your children. Right. Um, and then when I retired, I knew it was like, it was, Oh, what are you gonna do? You're going to do media. And I'm like,

[13:53] No, like my kids were at that age. [13:57] They were, you know, excuse me, they're like kindergarten. My oldest was starting kindergarten when I retired. So again, fully blessed to be able to do that. And I just knew I'm like, this is my time now. [14:07] to dive in, right, you know, and share the load with Amy and, [14:11] And I could have easily taken a job in media. I could have taken, you know, run and done whatever. But again, I think there's that, there's a level of being active in your kid's life is huge. [14:20] You know, and so for me, that's just what it is. And then when I do something, I go all in. Right. And so, I mean, what greater what greater mission or greater purpose to be all in on than your kids? [14:30] uh in your wife and and in your faith right so like go those those things that actually matter i mean let's be honest all this goes away right when we're you know we when we go we go in front of our maker whoever you believe your maker is when you go in front of them you know you're [14:43] Your dollar size and zeros in your bank account mean absolutely nothing, you know? You said it. And so, you know, so for me, I think I've had a great understanding of that even when I was young. [14:54] And so I just try, I just, I try to be active. And like I said, and then, and then, and you go into the business world of things, right? I literally was on a call with, with a distributor the other day, you know, again, my buddy called me one day years ago, back in 20, uh, cause I guess it's 2021. [15:07] Hey, you want to buy a Coke barrel of bourbon? [15:09] I was like, cool. He's a bourbon aficionado. He's I, I, [15:12] I like to say, I know a lot about bourbon. I enjoy a great glass of bourbon. My buddy is a bourbon geek. He's just, he's all in. And so I was like, yeah, sure. And I had some connections over at MGP. So we bought some barrels. The next thing you know, we bought some more barrels. The next thing you know, we're going to age it until it's 10 years old. Next thing we're sitting on these things for four or five years. And then Fred Minnick's a buddy of mine. He's like, man, this is pretty good. You should probably sell this. Like, oh, okay. And then I just...

[15:36] get down this rabbit hole and now have a bourbon company, right? And we can talk about that as well. But, [15:41] This distributor, he said, he goes, the ones that make it, the brands that make it, [15:46] are the people that show up. [15:49] Right. The people that are active, you have to be active in your own company. You have to be active in what you're doing. You have to be active in your future. Right. So if I expect my kids to have a good future, or if I wanted to set a good role example for them, [16:00] I have to show them what it looks like to be active. [16:02] Now, anybody who's raising teenagers know, [16:04] Half the time, I don't think they see what we're doing. No, at all. But they will. They will at some point, I hope. So that, you know, we always tell them, like, [16:13] Where are you so lazy? My goodness, your mom and I work our butts off around here. [16:18] So I think that's just, that's just the way I've been. You know, it's like, it's that, it's that mentality. It's that all in mentality. It's that, [16:25] You know, if you're, you know, there's the old adage, right? If anything's worth doing, it's worth doing well. [16:29] And so that's kind of what I get. And then when I don't have the time, that's one of the reasons I retired for football. [16:36] I wasn't willing to put the six hours in the gym anymore. Right. I wasn't willing to work out in the off season to meet the standard that I thought was acceptable. Right. I'm going to hung on for paychecks and, you know, [16:47] racked up five sacks a year and done the minimum but that's just not who who i who i was and so it's i take that same philosophy of what we're doing so [16:54] If that passion for something burns or if I'm not willing to put that effort in, then we get out of it. All right. Or we don't do it in the first place. And so that's just kind of what was ingrained in me is hard work growing up. You know, very blue collar family. My dad was a reigning cut horse trainer. My grandfather was 23 years in the United States Marine Corps.

[17:11] which means we were all in the Marine Corps. Right. [17:17] We were raised boot camp style. [17:20] And, and so again, I just, that just kind of translates into, again, my, I try to put that kind of work into my marriage, my faith, my kids, any, any business we're doing. So, yeah, it's just, it's a mentality and it's, it's, it's, you know, again, you joke about, I always joke about it with a mullet, it's a lifestyle. It really is. It's a choice. It's a choice to be. [17:40] Be this way. [17:41] Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So... [17:45] Jared, I'm going to give you an unplugged truth right here. [17:47] you [17:50] And I've said this to anybody that will listen to me. I think I've said this on film too. [17:56] I hate the saying... [17:58] Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't show up. [18:02] And here's why. [18:03] Because I've said this before. [18:06] When hard work [18:08] and talent shows up, you got a monster. And that monster is Jared Allen. I believe that you were the epitome of hard work, motor, [18:19] but then talent too, right? Because yeah, hard work does beat talent when talent doesn't show up. [18:25] But a lot of times, though, when you mix that talent in, you get 136 sacks. That's the different share, right? Yep, that's the different share. I tell that to kids these days. I'm like. [18:34] You get to the NFL... [18:36] Everybody's fast. Everybody's strong. [18:38] Everybody was... [18:40] If they weren't first team All-American, they were some form of an All-American problem. So all the accolades are there, right? So what's that? What makes all these people in college...

[18:50] that are the 1% of 1%, right? I think, I love math, right? And I had a high school coach tell me one time, and this is when he, [18:57] he was basically trying to tell me like, I shouldn't get my hopes up for, for, for college scholarships when I was like a freshman. Right. He was like, there's like 20,000 colleges in the, in the country. Right. And, [19:07] You know, hundreds of thousands of high school students and high school athletes and this, that only about 20,000 of them get to go to college. [19:13] on a scholarship and then out of that another, you know, 5,000, at least this level, this thing, it was this whole like, you know, 1% of 1% kind of keep coming down. And I think when you get to those levels where. [19:23] everybody's good, everybody's great. It is a mindset. [19:27] and it's your work ethic, right? And I used to laugh about it because guys in the league that work hard, [19:33] that are hustler, like that motors, all that you hear the high motor, you know, a try hard hustle guy. And I'm like, right. You're actually, you're, you're using those in a, in a different, [19:42] in a negative connotation, right? You're trying to say like, [19:46] Hold up, I only have 136x because I worked hard? [19:49] I only had 136 acts because I tried hard. And again, why is working hard and trying hard and hustling [19:55] ever, what has that ever been a bad thing? Those are qualities I'm trying to teach my kids, right? You have to put the work in and that's why I love sports, right? Like you said, because at that point, [20:04] Everybody's talented. [20:05] Mm-hmm. [20:06] So the fact that I'm willing to outwork you, [20:08] just shows that mentally you're weak. [20:10] Right. And that's how I equate it. And so I'm with you. I don't, you know, [20:16] Yes, I would take someone that has a great work ethic that might not be as naturally gifted. I don't like to say talent. I like to say everybody's got different gifts. And I remember having that conversation with Everson Griffin when he was a young kid or young player. I said,

[20:30] Dude, you have more natural... [20:33] athletic ability than I ever had. I mean, this dude was, this dude was running off sub four, five 40 after practice with pads on, you know what I mean? Like two 70. I mean, this dude was just a, a absolute physical specimen. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I told him, I said, [20:48] But when you get this right, [20:50] When you can use your mind... [20:53] When you know your playbook, when you know... [20:58] What that offensive tackles in a set, when you, when you know the game so well, now you're actually using those physical attributes as a, as a, as a tool in your toolbox, right? Cause you're just, you're just surviving on those, you know, but when, when that, when that work ethic and that sort of say the hard work, isn't just, [21:13] in the weight room. You know, it isn't just, um, you know, practicing hard. It's all, it's fine tuning. The details is being willing to pick yourself apart. [21:21] And I tell everybody, the 136 are great. [21:24] I probably remember all the ones I missed more. [21:27] Right? And it's those missed opportunities of what could have been, you know, dang, that could have been even better. And every season, I would just go back and I would just rip myself apart. Okay, [21:36] You're only as good as your last season. How can we get better? Where can we get better? Where are we? Where are we lacking? You know, writing down goals and giving those to my coach to hold me accountable. [21:47] and stuff like that so yeah man i think i i'm with you i think you know talent [21:53] A lot of people get by on talent in all aspects of the world, right? You know, it's like you got a person that's naturally really smart. [21:59] So they don't have to try very hard to school, but imagine if they did.

[22:02] You know what I mean? Like imagine. [22:05] where you could go. And so I couldn't agree more with you. I think, you know, [22:10] You look at anybody that's successful, [22:13] you know, it takes grit and determination. The talent isn't given. [22:17] Now, what do you do with that talent? That's on you. And that comes down to your work ethic and that's why you see guys wash out. Right. It's not because they weren't talented. [22:25] Yeah. You know, it's not, it's not because, you know, and then you got, you got guys that overachieve, you got guys that underachieve and it comes down to that work ethic, like you said. Yep. Yep. Absolutely. [22:35] All right, Jared, I'm going to get in trouble in a good way. [22:38] This is my hot take of the day. [22:41] There's nothing like my American Express Platinum card. I love that I can earn hotel credits when I travel. I can also earn resi credits. So you know I'm hitting the restaurants everyone's talking about. Plus, with the digital entertainment credit, I'm even more excited to catch my favorite shows. All in all, I can access over $3,500 in annual value with benefits and eligible purchases across travel, entertainment, and more. Learn more at AmericanExpress.com slash explore dash platinum. [23:11] Other limits and terms apply. [23:13] but I need some help with this hot take. Okay. [23:15] So sitting right here to my right. [23:18] I have. [23:20] This bourbon. [23:22] Full Ride Bourbon. [23:24] And not only is this take hot, this bourbon is hot on fire. We're talking 122 proof, 61% alcohol content.

[23:34] But it's the presentation, bro. [23:36] Like, got some signatures right here on the side. [23:39] Right. [23:40] We got some limited edition stuff that I love. So I wanted to do this live. [23:45] Uh, we're going to open this. Oh, I like it. Okay. We're going to open this. [23:50] And I need everybody to see this right here. [23:53] This. [23:55] is... [23:56] Amazing. [23:57] This is amazing. [23:58] And, [23:59] This blend... [24:01] is number one of 25. [24:04] It's how special Jared Allen is to me. [24:06] This? [24:07] has become [24:08] my favorite bourbon and that's what i'm gonna get in trouble i love it and i'll tell you what that is that is fantastic [24:15] And... [24:16] It's nine o'clock. [24:18] I don't know if I should have a sip live. [24:22] I didn't say if it was 9 o'clock a.m. or p.m. It's just 9 o'clock, right? Ain't no judgment here. [24:27] No one knows if you've even swallowed it. So that, so that, so there was special about this one too is you know, this one is our, is our higher pressure because, so this was actually, you know, [24:36] I, when we, when we made this blend, [24:39] This was only for my Hall of Fame party. [24:41] Right? [24:42] So we made this blend special for my Hall of Fame party. So that was batch one that we bottled in 2025. [24:48] That's where the 125. So you should have a number on your canister. That'll tell you which bottle of 228. So after the Hall of Fame party, I was never going to release this into the public. Right. And then. [25:00] We had some issues with our, we had some delays in our glass because our batch two is our 115, which is cool. It is primo. We've softened the front end up a little bit. And so we had 228 bottles sitting in a tote over at our bottling company in Middle West. So we said, you know what, let's make a custom canister for it, right? I'll sign all of them individually because, you know, our brand isn't built around me as an athlete, right? It's built around the bourbon. Like that's the other thing too. It's like,

[25:28] You know, when you do something, you got authentic, like, [25:30] There's a ton of celebrity brands, athlete brands. Like that's why we put all of our focus into our juice. And that's why we have, we sat on our MGP until it was eight years old. [25:40] I went out, we bought 13 year old barrels of Kentucky bourbon. [25:44] That are fantastic. And we literally created this blend. [25:49] While we were there to figure out how we were going to blend out our MGP with our Middle West. [25:53] And we ended up with this, which was totally. So we shifted in the ninth hour, right? I mean, we just were like, the juice is going to lead the way. We're going to do what it takes. So anyway, we did this. We signed this. We got this out. And that is why it's at the elevated price of $2.95. Our batch two retails at $99.99. [26:09] Um, but this is, this is one of my favorite just because this is, this was like, this was that completion of an idea again. Right. We just hadn't, me and my buddy sitting around called me up one day, like. [26:19] Yeah, let's do it. And then knowing nothing of the spirits world. [26:23] Just... [26:24] Just work the process and took our lumps and just work, work, work, work, work, work. And this is what we got, you know, in time for the Hall of Fame party, be able to give that as gifts for everybody. [26:33] And then, like I said, to have that left over and be able to release a very, very small limited run to the public. [26:39] which you are lucky to get one. It is cool. And I will say, [26:43] It is fantastic. [26:46] But I'm a cube guy, too. [26:48] And that 122 on a cube is... [26:51] Ah, Bellissimo. I don't even know what Bellissimo means. That'll be good. It's amazing. Nah, but I'm a Cube guy too.

[27:01] But, like, this is so... [27:05] great meat. Yeah. And by the way, that canister was 122 of 228. Okay. Okay. Perfect. And here's what I'm going to do. Release the video. I sat here in this office and I signed every single one of those canisters. I freaking love it. [27:20] I freaking love it. Here's what I'm going to do because I need to do this right now before... [27:24] uh, [27:25] the rest of them get sold. I'm going to go ahead and buy another two [27:30] bottles okay if they're available i'm going to check literally they should be i don't speak easy they should be [27:35] Yep. Yep. So. [27:38] Here's what I want. I want... [27:40] uh people that live here near me so my friends so john moreau [27:45] My cousin Randy, my cousin Torrance, [27:49] We're going to do a special... [27:51] We're going to film it. We're going to do some cool things for social to really push this brand out here. [27:56] I love it. Well, we'll get you sent. Next weekend, when I'm home. I'm sorry, keep interrupting. No, no, no, no. We might call or FaceTime Jared Allen and get him on with us too. But we're going to go celebrate this right here. We're going to celebrate Jared Allen, but we're going to celebrate Fulbright bourbon. I love it. Because if you're watching, if you're listening. [28:16] It is the best bourbon you're going to have. And this is where I'm going to get in trouble. [28:20] Because everybody that knows me knows that, you know, I love the difference. Chris Voss, one of my very good friends. [28:26] Chris, we're now number two, Nick. We're number two. Full Ride is my number one. They know I love a vintage Yellowstone. Ooh, yeah. My vintage Yellowstone is now number three. I love a Jefferson's. Jefferson has now moved to number four.

[28:42] Yeah, which is all right. Is that truth? I appreciate you. And so I do do this to our and we can send you a bottle of our of our batch to write and taste them against each other because that's that's the coolest part about when you have both of them is, you know, everybody's kind of trying to figure out what always the difference. And so. [29:02] We have about 10% more wheat in our batch two. [29:06] Okay. All right. So again, one of the reasons, one of the reasons that we got to the one 22, when this is, this is the reason everything's all high proof bourbon. Like the reason I love high proof bourbon is, [29:14] is the complexity of the blending process and the making process, right? [29:18] The ability, A, because we're not drinking like we're going to the clubs anymore, you know, like we're in our 20s, right? Give me a glass. I'm ready for sleep. A glass that I'm going to sip for 30, 45 and just enjoy it, right? Yep, exactly. And as Fred would say, you graduated from a drinker to a taster. And so high-proof bourbon is, some people get so scared of it. But it's like heating up your spices or toasting your nuts before you make a meal, right? It just adds a complexity of flavors to it. [29:48] that you can't get any other way. And then the challenge is making it drink like a low proof. [29:53] And that is why I love it. And that is why, you know, we have the partners we have over at Middle West and our blenders. [30:00] um you know they just acquired old elk which is a great brand as well and so we we get we get we get the ability of just [30:08] Being able to source, and that's why we like to source too, because I'm not going to sit here and pretend I'm going to be a distiller and redo the world of bourbon. There's so many great barrels of bourbon out there.

[30:17] The key is finding those, putting them together, and then creating the blend that, again, is authentic. I think it's great. You think it's great. Some people might not. But that's what I love about the challenge of it. And then with our batch two. [30:27] you know, we wouldn't say, okay, how can we, how can a, we make, you know, [30:32] the batch different right uh i like i love orphan barrel for that reason like they go out it's it's all it's always different it's always loading right [30:40] And they said they have some staples like barter houses, which is fantastic. But... [30:45] That's kind of the premise behind full ride. It's like, we'll always let the juice lead. [30:49] you know we have what we have you know we have our barrels that will base it but if someone comes up to me is like hey I just found something. [30:55] insane and we can get it like yep we're gonna and if it works with our [30:59] with our premise of what we're trying to put out, then we'll do it. But this is why, so our batch two, we just, we softened it up just a little bit. It came, the proof came down to 115 based on, based on the extra wheat. So the 122 was hard to hit because the wheat, our weeded bourbon was only coming in at like 100 and, [31:17] I think 113 out of the barrel, right? It was a little lower out of the barrel. In our Kentucky, it was like 130. So we were trying to balance like how we were trying to get these to meet a standard [31:27] And I really wanted to kind of be in that 120, above 120 for that first one, something really special. [31:33] And we think we nailed it. And then the 115, [31:36] uh is our batch two i always call them by their proofs because i think right now our batch two [31:42] Um, I would love for you to taste them together and give me your thoughts on them because it, that has, it has a little, it's going to be a little, a little softer on the front end.

[31:51] Not as grain forward. Now it depends on what you like. I love the taste of the grains of a bourbon, right? Like I'm just, I want to taste what I'm drinking. And so again, it's such a fun process. [32:02] And you get kind of, you know, the science behind it. And you just try to get into this, like, [32:07] This play of trying to, you know, how can we soften the mouth? How can we do this? How can we do this? And hopefully we continue to throw out good products. So I'm glad you love it. And I look forward to hearing what you think about the other one too. Yeah. So that's what I'm going to do then. I'll get another bottle of this one. Cause this one's mine. I'm not sharing that. I'll get another bottle of that one. And then I'll get batch two. And then next weekend I'll have some of my guys over. [32:33] And we're just going to sip. [32:35] and talk and share. How about that? I love it. I love it. Yep. And shoot me a text or FaceTime me and I'll pop in and give my two cents if you want it. I'll share a toast with you. I love it. I love it. [32:48] I'm going to get you out of here in a moment, but I always like to ask this question. I call it the room. [32:54] you [32:56] And you've done so much on the field, off the field, [33:00] Was there ever a room, a meeting, a dinner, [33:04] that you can look back to and say, that meeting, that room, that moment changed my life. [33:10] Man, um... [33:12] Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I can't, I mean, not, and, and not from a full, not from a football standpoint, right. It was a, uh, [33:19] And again, it's well documented that in 2006, I got in a little trouble and made some bad decisions.

[33:26] You know what? [33:28] I was on a phone call with my grandpa. I was literally, I was in the car. So the member of the room was my car. And, um, [33:34] And my grandpa told me, he said, I didn't drag this last name through. [33:38] Multiple wars and conflicts for you to F it up. [33:41] Right. And, and in that same, and in the, in that same year, I was in the locker room talking with, uh, with my pastor, right. My best friend's dad. And, um, and that he's the one. And that was, and that was in locker room. I was sitting in my locker room with the chiefs. And that's what he said. The world needs more moral heroes. We've got enough assholes. Uh, and those, so those two moments right there changed my life. Um, it refocused me. It took me from a child, a child's mindset. [34:04] to understanding what responsibility really was, you know, on and off the field. [34:08] It took me to a place of... [34:11] You know, you worked so hard. I worked so hard at my football career, right? [34:16] That, you know, again, I had this idea that to play on the edge, I had to live on the edge. [34:20] And so in that moment, in that year, 2006, those two phone calls really showed me how you can separate. [34:30] Right. [34:30] you can you can live a conservative responsible life over here and you can play with your hair on fire borderline illegal on the field you know and so yeah so those are those were that was those were the room right those those would be my my room but the most impactful one is in the car with my grandfather um because he is my he is my hero um and uh you know so again i think sometimes you need those moments of truth [34:53] And I was blessed to have people around me that would give them to me when I needed them.

[34:58] I love it. I love it. [35:00] All right, brother. I'm going to get you out of here with my rapid fire top five. Okay, let's do it. Unplug five, as I like to call it. All right. [35:09] You can't have a favorite child. [35:11] but you can't have a favorite teammate. Who is your favorite teammate of all time? Kevin Williams. [35:15] Kevin Williams, I like it. Big sexy. The sack you remember the most. [35:20] My one and only on Peyton Manning. [35:23] It was my first, because it was my first one from Minnesota as well. There it is. There it is. What's one thing that you do every day without fail? What's one thing you have to do every day? [35:34] Drink coffee. Okay. Okay. I like that. I like that. [35:40] If you had one moment, one sit down, I think I know the answer. [35:45] Who would that be with? [35:47] Oh, that's rapid fire. I mean, the obvious is Jesus and I'm going to meet him one day. Um, [35:52] But if I went away from that, oh my goodness. [35:58] Honestly, [36:00] You know, this is going to sound weird. So I've been reading the Ethiopian Bible now, right? And learning more about, you know, the original... [36:08] where that originated from. Yeah, I would love [36:11] to have a conversation, to sit down, [36:14] with the Ethiopian Enoch, I think it was, [36:18] that was on the road who became a Christian. I think when he ran into Paul, [36:21] uh peter i think peter paul i can't i already lose that on the road because there was such it that that dude's life was changed right there and then now knowing what i know about what what

[36:31] has transpired in Ethiopia for thousands of years. I would love to sit down with that dude and see what that transition looked like. That would be, that would be super cool for me. [36:40] I love it. I love it. I love it. Last one. [36:44] And this is personal. [36:46] I want you to finish this sentence. [36:49] I refuse to leave this earth until... [36:52] Dot, dot, dot. [36:54] Ooh. [36:56] Man, I refuse to leave this earth until... [37:00] Oh, my goodness. That's a heavy one. That's a... [37:06] I'll be honest, I don't feel like I have anything... [37:09] That's... [37:10] Unaccomplished? [37:12] I don't live a life with regret looking backwards. Yeah. [37:17] So, I mean, if I have to say, I mean, I don't want to leave this earth until, you know, [37:21] I have seen my grandkids at the minimum. Great grandkids would be cool. [37:25] There it is. [37:27] I love it. [37:28] Ladies and gentlemen, [37:29] This has been Jared Allen. [37:31] Hall of Famer on the field, Hall of Famer off the field. [37:35] Someone who I've looked up to for a very long time just because of the person that he is. [37:40] Jarrett, brother, I mean this when I say it, if there's ever anything I can personally do for you, [37:45] I'm there. You don't have to ask. [37:47] I'm here. [37:48] I love you with everything I got, bro. [37:50] I appreciate that. And right back at you. [37:53] This has been fantastic. Fantastic show. Great conversation. [38:00] It's like talking to someone I've known my whole life. There it is. I love it. I love it. There it is. All right. Ladies and gentlemen, always remember your because is your superpower.

[38:09] Go Unleash it. [38:11] That's another powerful conversation on Mick Unplugged. If this episode moved you, and I'm sure it did, follow the show wherever you listen. Share it with someone who needs that spark and leave a review so more people can find their because. I'm Rudy Rush. And until next time, stay driven, stay focused and stay unplugged. [38:35] you