Bourbon and cigars: bringing the community together one sip at a time

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Bourbon and cigars: bringing the community together one sip at a time

 by: Grace Samels, Ethan Dahlen - Posted: Aug 9, 2025 / 10:56 PM EDT    

BLUFFTON, Indiana. (WANE) — Bourbon MD, a Bluffton-based cigar and bourbon bar, hosted a special event Saturday evening, where The Charred Oak Barrel Society met for their monthly gathering.

The owners of Bourbon MD, Joey Mossburg and Nathan Dirig, sparked their idea while working on power lines together in West Virginia. They decided it was time to come back to northeast Indiana and start their business.

Since opening only 5 months ago, the owners of Bourbon MD have been seeing much success and expressed their excitement about the products they sell. “Keeping it on the shelf is the big problem.”

With Dirig being a cigar connoisseur and Mossburg knowing all about bourbon, it only made sense for the pair to team up. Not to mention, they’re brother-in-laws.

In an interview with WANE 15, the two shared their enthusiasm at witnessing their passions come to fruition. Mossburg said, “It’s unreal, you know? We get up, we do the grinding — this goes beyond anything we’ve ever done, and we’re super grateful for everyone who’s come out.”

The duo mentioned how they want every customer to feel welcome by greeting everyone at the door when they walk in, even if it’s busy.

“We want this to be not just a place you come visit, but by the time you leave, you’re part of the family,” said Mossburg.

Dirig, adding to that, said, “One of our visions was to create a space of like-minded people to congregate, to hang out and talk, and be a part of something together.”

While Mossburg was familiar with northeast Indiana and with the Fort Wayne area, Dirig had only visited in the past, as he was previously in the military and was in Alaska by the time he got out. He wanted to move out to the Fort Wayne area, so he called up his brother-in-law.

They started out as linemen, connecting the power grid while dreaming of owning their own business.

The rest is history.

The pair knew they wanted to start their business in NE Indiana, knowing the culture of the community would perfectly tie into how they wanted their customers to feel.

“When you celebrate something, we celebrate it together. There’s nothing like the tight-knit community that we have down here,” Mossburg said.

Dirig added, “It’s just been amazing. You truly do not see this anywhere else.”

Leaning into the community being an essential part of their early success, Saturday, they hosted The Charred Oak Barrel Society. 

The group has been together for about a year, trying to create spaces to enjoy bourbon with the end goal of creating new friendships. 

“We are a 501C7 non profit social group. We are all about bourbon society… building brotherhood one pour at a time,” said Jason Kaumeyer, president of the group. “There were five of us originally, and the more it grew, the quicker we decided, you know, let’s make something obvious that we can give back to the community and be our community as well.”

That looks like monthly gatherings in places like Bourbon MD. 

“I mean, having face-to-face conversations with people and still building that community, that brotherhood, the bond, whether it’s about bourbon or anything else, quite honestly, is truly important,” Kaumeyer said. 

But the organization isn’t just about drinking good bourbon and smoking cigars — the goal is giving. 

Kaumeyer detailed to WANE 15 several events on the horizon, and a long-term goal to put money back into the pockets of those who need it. 

“So we have an event coming up, Bourbon and bingo, 2025, with McMillan Health, we are the bourbon steward sponsor for that. We are also going to be putting on an event in 2026 in June, called Barrels for Bravery. All the proceeds will go back to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital will be divided between the rehab unit and the stroke clinic,” Kaumeyer said. 

You can join the Charred Oak Bourbon Society on Facebook and find out more about Bourbon MD on their website.

Source: https://www.wane.com/top-stories/bourbon-and-cigars-bringing-the-community-together-one-sip-at-a-time/