At Ocean City’s Reimagined 1945 Steak & Seafood, an Intimate Bourbon Dinner with Trey Zoeller Brought Kentucky Craft, Family Tradition and A Sense of Discovery to the Shore.
Some dinners are built around a menu. Others are built around a story. At 1945 Steak & Seafood—the newly reimagined Ocean City destination formerly known as The Embers—an exclusive meet-the-maker bourbon dinner featuring Trey Zoeller offered both. Guests gathered for an intimate evening of pours, pairings and firsthand insight from one of bourbon’s most innovative modern voices: the master blender of Jefferson’s Bourbon.
Trey is the force behind a label known for rethinking what bourbon can be, from finishes to famed ocean-aged expressions. His bottles are poured in top bars, collected by enthusiasts and sought out by connoisseurs who appreciate tradition with a twist. And for Ocean City and 1945, the evening brought to the Shore a heritage-rich bourbonexperience and a fresh take on culinary tradition.
Origin Story
Trey founded Jefferson’s Bourbon in 1997 with his father, Chet, a bourbon historian. Rather than recreate tradition, Trey built the brand on experimentation. Jefferson’s Bourbon became known for pushing boundaries through finishing techniques, wood trials and its acclaimed Ocean Expression, in which barrels age while traveling by sea.
That spirit of curiosity made the pairing with Ocean City’s 1945 a natural fit, coinciding with the restaurant’s relaunch. The Taustin family, longtime hospitality operators, wanted to introduce guests to something immersive and memorable as their new chapter unfolded.
The idea took shape after Cole Taustin, his father Jay Taustin, and a group traveled Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail last fall. “We wanted to upgrade our knowledge on everything bourbon,” says Cole of an excursion that was especially memorable because of his father’s company. “Getting to experience this with my father and be creative with him was incredibly fun, rewarding and
something we’ll never forget.”
One stop on the Bourbon Trail was Kentucky Artisan Distillery, home of Jefferson’s Bourbon, where the group explored a private barrel selection. Conversations soon expanded beyond the tasting, with plans taking shape to bring the experience back to Ocean City for a barrel-unveiling event. Bringing this heritage home was an honor.
“Some distilleries are hundreds of years old and others are relatively new. But they all have a tremendous and very interesting backstory,” Cole says.
That narrative energy carried into the sold-out Ocean City dinner, capped at just 50 seats to keep the experience personal. Guests began the evening with a cocktail reception and previews of new seasonal dishes before moving into a five-course seated dinner. Pairings included four bourbons, highlighted by 1945’s own Jefferson’s single-barrel private selection. “The whole goal was to keep it intimate,” Cole says, hinting that 1945 will introduce more wine and specialty dinners throughout the year.
A 1945 Barrel
For Cole, choosing that barrel became one of the most
meaningful parts of the process. “One of the coolest things is that we got to taste the bourbon and decide,” he says. The chosen barrel stood out for balance and versatility. “It had the most potential for flexibility,” Cole says. “You can enjoy it on the rocks, and it is subtle enough to enjoy neat. It isn’t overly hot and has a balanced flavor.”
During the 1945 dinner, Trey guided guests through the history of Jefferson’s Bourbon, his approach to innovation and the development of the private barrel. Attendees also had the chance to purchase bottles and have them signed.
“Some distilleries are hundreds of years old and others are relatively new. But they all have a tremendous and very interesting backstory.”
For 1945, the night marked more than a special event. It signaled the kind of destination experience the restaurant hopes to create moving forward. If the relaunch of 1945 is about refinement, this dinner made another point clear—that memorable hospitality often comes down to bringing people to the table and giving them something worth talking about long after the last pour.
“As far as having the founder and master blender come, that was absolutely a landmark opportunity for us,” Cole says. “And it was something completely new to Ocean City.” CS
