FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Will 2025 At Last Hold the Fuller-Cowdery Union?
BARDSTOWN, KY — September 2, 2025 — After an eight-year absence, renowned whiskey writer Chuck Cowdery is set to return to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival this week. His arrival coincides with the relocation of his longtime social media sweetheart, Whiskey Wanderer Cary Ann Fuller, to Bardstown—igniting fresh speculation about whether their legendary Facebook engagement will finally culminate in vows, rings, or at least another witty comment thread.
A Romance, Aged in Oak, the Internet, and the Windy City
Cowdery and Fuller first met via email in the early days of 2015, a correspondence that quickly grew into spirited exchanges about whiskey, industry gossip and current events. They met in person that August, setting the stage for what would later be described by historians as “The Meet Cute That Shook the Industry.”
But it was their intoxicating reunion during the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown on September 13, 2017 at the Moses Black Tavern that truly altered the course of whiskey history. The sparks from that evening—part bourbon, part chemistry—ignited a Facebook engagement that has now entered its eighth legendary year.
“That first moment I saw Chuck across the bar was electric,” said CA. “He was holding a Glencairn. I was holding court. There was something in the air—maybe yeast. Definitely love flutters.”
Subsequent visits by Fuller to Chicago in October and November of 2017 deepened their commitment. There, the couple periodically trysted—whispering sweet nothings over cinnamon rolls, sharing sly smiles at Fountainhead, lingering longingly at Longman & Eagle, and gazing lovingly across bar stools at The Gage.
The pair even shared an unforgettable evening under the stars on a summer evening in 2022 in Chicago’s Grant Park, as Beethoven’s Eroica symphony swelled—a crescendo worthy of a bond that has outlasted countless bourbon releases, limited editions, and label redesigns.
Rendezvous aside, their “engagement” has lived almost exclusively online, baffling and delighting mutual friends of the couple like Dave Schmier, JT Webb, and Paul Hletko. Jealousy, threats of violence, and heartbreak expressed by the likes of LeNell Camacho Santa Ana and Jonathan Piercy were quelled quietly. Their friends have spent years speculating on possible dates, locations, and bourbon-themed unity rituals. Steve Bashore, present at the Moses Black reconnection, since offered his Best Man services to Cowdery.
On the possible celebration Scott Ivancic mused, “the wedding reception of the century for whiskey geeks!” Dave Nicholls of third-tier fame in Nashville exclaimed, “A marriage of whiskey knowledge for sure!”
Festival Speculation Reignites
Kentucky Bourbon Festival organizers are now preparing for every eventuality—including a surprise wedding, an elopement at the new Old Heaven Hill Springs Distillery Grand Opening, or perhaps a simple renewal of engagement vows. A limited-edition bottling of Heaven Hill Master Distillers Unity is rumored to have been created to commemorate the occasion and bless the predestined union.
To support the couple’s ongoing Chicago–Bardstown commute, a wedding registry has been established for airline miles and gas cards. Those interested in sponsoring the union may inquire at SponsorOurBourbonUnion@fuller-cowdery.com.
Tony Bagnulo, spirits industry veteran, committed to the Platinum Bands sponsorship with enthusiasm. “I would like to sponsor the reception. Heavy branding. Lots of t-shirt cannons,” he quipped.
“Honestly, I thought they got married during COVID and just didn’t tell anyone,” admitted Paul Hletko, founder of FEW Spirits. “I hosted a small celebration in July of 2022.”
When asked for comment, Cowdery simply replied with a wink: “I’m just coming for the whiskey. And maybe the whiskey woman.”
The Kentucky Bourbon Festival runs Thursday through Sunday. Guests are encouraged to bring a tasting notebook, wear cocktail attire just in case, and mentally prepare for whatever unfolds under the tents on the lawn of Spalding Hall.
Media Contact:
Friends of the Longest Engagement Ever
Email: SponsorOurBourbonUnion@fuller-cowdery.com
Phone: Please don’t. Just DM us.
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