The Dram State Podcast: Recent Episodes
Jeff Borker
The Dram State is a podcast exploring the world of whiskey to demystify the things that may have intimidated you from enjoying the spirit. This podcast is for whiskey newbies and those wanting to take their whiskey experience to the next level. Dram State strips away the overly technical jargon and techniques as well as takes out the snobbery many of you have experienced when going into a bar, restaurant or liquor store wanting to explore whiskey. Let’s take this trip together and start exploring your personal whiskey journey so you can share it with your friends and family. Web Resources: http://theclassicdram.com Facebook: @theclassicdram Twitter: @classicdram
Whether you call it White Whiskey, Clear, New Make or even Moonshine, there is a whiskey geek fascination with clear whiskey. This episode we lay out the basics of this type of whiskey and explore expressions from Union Horse Distillery, Wood Hat Spirits, Fernweh Distilling Co and Buffalo Trace.
We are joined by our friend Cory Finley owner of SEVEN Images KC and co-owner of a new coffee house cocktail bar that will be opening this summer in Overland Park called Bear Necessities. Our focus on this episode was a comparison of nine different pre-made cocktails to their bar made counter parts. Is the convenience of a pre-made cocktail worth it when you weigh it against taste?
We take a walk on the wild side this episode and explore non-alcoholic whiskey comparing it to a true bottom shelf whiskey and a basic Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Who wins this battle? Check out this episode of The Dram State
Happy St. Patrick's Day!! This episode we are exploring Irish Whiskey....what is it, how does it taste, some favorite brands and some cocktails you can enjoy it in.
In this episode, we cut our sub-$60 concept in half and explore whisk(e)y under $30 per bottle. We'll explore both Bourbon and Scotch. We also have an announcement of an exciting affiliation with Whiskey University.
The proof is in the barrel on this episode of The Dram State. Today we'll explore barrel proof whiskey....
- What is it?
- Why do they make it?
- How can we enjoy it?
- What are a couple of great representations of barrel proof whiskey
- Booker's
- Wild Turkey Rare Breed
- Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
We pick up from the last episode where we gave an overview of what craft distilling is as well as some examples of our favorite craft distillers from around the country. Today we go inside the glass and do a virtual pod tasting of some awesome craft whiskeys. We'll sample....
- Ironroot Republic Harbinger Straight Bourbon
- Koval Oat Whiskey
- J. Reigers Kansas City Style Whiskey
- Union Horse Rolling Standard Four Grain Whiskey
- Buck-U Monster Buck Bourbon Mash Whiskey
We explore the world of craft whiskey distilleries on this episode. We'll define exactly what craft distilling is and talk about some examples of craft whiskeys around the country specifically...
- Balcones in Waco, TX
- Ironroot Republic in Denison, TX
- Koval in Chicago, IL
The Greater Kansas City area has a number of excellent craft whiskey distilleries. We'll publish a list on our website at www.theclassicdram.com
We also announced our new segment on Rockstar Radio with Billy Gerard heard weekly on the USA Radio Network as well as all podcasting platforms.
Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of 2021. In this episode we'll be talking about winter cocktails. All the recipes will be on our website at www.theclassicdram.com
As our final episode for 2020 we take a look back and a look forward to 2021. We've done so much this year and it wouldn't be possible without our audience, so THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support this year and look forward for some exciting stuff in 2021. Remember..."Come for the Spirits and stay for the Experience!!". Cheers All and Happy New Year!!
We explore the history around prohibition and National Repeal Day, December 5th. We also look at several current day whiskeys that are designated as "Prohibition Style, Pre-Prohibition Style or Repeal Batch". Today's pours include....
- Redemption Prohibition Style Bourbon
- Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Bourbon
- Jim Beam Prohibition Style Rye
- Jim Beam Repeal Batch Bourbon
- Remus Repeal Reserve Series II Bourbon
On this episode we take a trip to the tasting bar to see what's new. We'll cover six whiskeys including a Tennessee Whiskey, a Bourbon, a Rye, a couple of single malts and a real wild card.
This episode is a virtual pod-tasting and exploration of Lowlands and Islay single malt scotches.
From the Lowlands we sampled two expressions from Auchentoshan, their Triple Wood and their Limited Edition Bartender's Malt.
We then went on to Islay to discover the smokier side of single malts with the Laphroaig Quarter Cask, and the Ardbeg 10.
The smoky Islay inspired us to look at an American whiskey that uses smoke in their process....from Waco, Texas, we sampled Balcones Brimstone and compared it to the Islay single malts.
This episode looks at the smoky side of single malt scotch...the expressions of the Islay region of Scotland. We look at the characteristics of scotch produced in the region, and yes we'll talk about the peat. Our trip will introduce you to three of the more notable distilleries on Islay....Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Lagavulin...what makes them distinct and which bottles are good starting points for you to enter Islay single malts.
After a great celebration of National Bourbon Heritage Month, The Dram State heads back over to Scotland to continue the journey through the scotch producing regions. This episode explores The Lowlands region and looks at their flavors, production and drops in on a couple of their more notable distilleries, Auchentoshan & Glenkinchie.
In this episode of The Dram State, we take a look at holiday gift ideas for the bourbon lover. Links to the products covered will be on our website under show notes at www.theclassicdram.com
Remember....Come for the spirits, and stay for the experience right here on The Dram State
This episode talks about our recent trip to a number of our favorite Missouri distilleries around the Hermann, MO area. We covered Pinckney Bend in New Haven and tasted their new Heirloom Collection expression "Bloody Butcher". We also opened up their latest batch of Sherry Cask Whiskey. In Hermann, MO we visited The Copper Mule and had a private tasting at Fernweh Distilling Company. Finally we stopped at Wood Hat Spirits in New Florence and sampled their new Missouri Bourbon, Montgomery County Straight Bourbon. Links to their websites will be published on our website.
This episode gives you books, documentaries and magazines that will expand your bourbon knowledge
Books
- Bourbon; The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of American Whiskey; Fred Minnick
- Bourbon Curious; Fred Minnick
- Bourbon Empire; Reid Mitenbuler
- Bourbon Justice; Brian Haara
Magazines
- Bourbon +; www.bourbonplus.com
- Whiskey Advocate; www.whiskyadvocate.com
- Bourbon Review; www.gobourbon.com
The Spirits Network: www.spiritsnetwork.com
Check all these resources out and let us know what you think.
I had a blast interviewing Allie, The TN Whiskey Chick from Chattanooga, TN. We talked about all things bourbon, shared a couple of pours and had a great conversation. Please support Allie on all her social media platforms....
- Facebook; @TnWhiskeyChick
- Instagram; TnWhiskeyChick
- Twitter: @chickwhiskey
We take a diversion from scotch this episode...really the whole month of September as this is National Bourbon Heritage Month. Today we'll be discussing....
- What is National Bourbon Heritage Month
- Things you can do to celebrate bourbon during the month
- What new bourbons hit our shelf
- Upcoming distillery visits
- Preview of upcoming episode topics
- New contest announcement. Some awesome distillery swag provided by our friends at Pinckney Bend Distillery in New Haven, MO
In this episode, we'll be doing a virtual tasting from two of the scotch producing regions.....Speyside and The Highlands. I invite you to taste along with me while I give you my impressions as well as some information on each pour. We'll be sampling....
- Aberfeldy 12 Year Old Single Malt
- Glenlivet Founders Reserve
- The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask
- Oban Little Bay
This is a public service announcement....
Our next episode will be another Virtual Pod Tasting with Scotch. I wanted to give you the opportunity to pick up one of these bottles if you want to taste along with us.
We'll be sampling the following pours....
-
Aberfeldy 12 Year Old
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Glenlivet Founders Reserve
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Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask
-
Oban Little Bay
This episode takes us on a tour through the Highlands region of Scotland. We explore each of the sub-regions of the Highlands...
- Northern
- Southern
- Western
- Eastern
We'll discuss characteristics of each region, some of the more well known distilleries in those regions and some representative bottles from each distillery
The distilleries covered in each region are....
- Northern
- Clynelish
- Dalmore
- Glenmorangie
- Southern
- Aberfeldy
- Glengoyne
- Western
- Ben Nevis
- Loch Lomond
- Oban
- Eastern
- Fettercarin
- Glencadam
- Royal Lochnagar
This is an exploration of the Speyside scotch producing region of Scotland. We'll explore some of the key characteristics of the region as well as a number of classic distilleries in the area. Highlights of each distilleries core range will be discussed as well as some history around each location.
In this episode we start to discuss scotch whisky
- Scotch Whisky History
- Scotch Production
- Rules, Laws and Parameters Specific to Scotch
- Types of Scotch and Regions of Production
Then we'll discuss some industry news and what has been in our glass this past week.
Wild Turkey's new rye expression has hit the shelves.
Rare Breed Barrel Strength Rye is out at an impressive 112.2 proof
We'll explore our first impressions of this new rye from Wild Turkey and let you know our thoughts and if it's worth the buy.
Stats on Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Strength Rye
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56.1% Alcohol by Volume / 112.2 Proof
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Complete mashbill unknown but believed to be 51% rye
-
Blend of 4, 6 and 8 year old straight rye whiskeys
-
Non-Chill Filtered
In this episode we'll talk about observations from some recent bourbon tastings we've conducted. Two totally different groups with the same exact flights...what were their impressions and results from the event....and the benefits of doing blind tastings. We'll also discuss some new bottles that have hit our bar and what's been going on with our distillery partner, Buck-U Distillery in Ottawa, KS. Some topics on upcoming episodes as well as congratulations to our first Dram State Podcast contest winner will also be revealed.
This episode is an introduction to bourbon cocktails. We'll discuss the basic bar tools you'll need to get started as well as the ins and outs of three classic bourbon cocktails
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The Manhattan
-
The Old Fashioned
-
The Whiskey Sour
We will go over the key ingredients as well as how to construct the cocktail. We will also look at alternative ingredients that will change the flavor profile of the basic cocktail.
Other cocktail components will be covered including bitters, vermouths and sweetening agents
This is our first Virtual Pod-Tasting featuring 4 introductory bourbons.
As a continuation of Episode 3, "Its Bourbon Time" we've selected four bourbons to taste and compare notes on
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Four Roses Yellow Label
-
Woodford Reserve Straight Kentucky Bourbon
-
Old Grand Dad Bottled in Bond
-
Maker's Mark Standard 90 Proof
Follow along with us as we explore these wonderful bourbons perfectly suited for someone just getting into bourbon. While these are all considered entry level bourbons, they each present a wide representation of the flavors bourbon has to offer. If you need any refresher on bourbon in general go back to Episode 3 for a quick review, then join us back here to explore one or all of these bourbons.
We'll provide some additional tasting notes on our website www.theclassicdram.com.
We are also announcing a contest for all of you who finished the virtual pod-tasting with us. Pinckney Bend Distillery in New Haven, Missouri has generously donated some awesome distillery swag and we are going to give some away from this episode.
Simply subscribe and give us a thumbs up rating on whichever podcasting platform you are listening to, then go to The Classic Dram's Facebook page and give us a like and follow...finally in a Facebook comment provide the key words "Pinckney Bend". Everyone who completes those simple steps will be entered into the drawing that will take place July 15th.
This episode is an introduction to bourbon…our American spirit
We’ll be covering the following topics…
-
Bourbon History in the US
-
Bourbon Production
-
Types of Bourbon
-
Tasting Characteristics of Bourbon
o How to Taste
o Nosing for Aroma
o Sipping for Taste
o Common Bourbon Notes on the Nose & Palate
-
Introductory Bourbons to Explore
-
Whiskey News
-
What’s Been in My Glass
o Knob Creek 12 Year
o Old Grand-Dad 114
- Preview of Next Episode – Let’s taste some bourbon
o We will be walking through tasting of the following bourbons
§ Four Roses Yellow Label
§ Woodford Reserve
§ Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond
§ Maker’s Mark Standard 90 Proof Wheated Bourbon
o Pick up any of these bottles and taste along with me
This episode of The Dram State covers the following topics....
- The origins of whiskey....a brief history lesson
- What is the definition of whiskey?
- Why are there two spellings for whiskey...with the "e" and without
- The Big 3 Sub-Categories of whiskey.
- Bourbon
- Scotch
- Irish
- What are the keys that make them what they are and what are some of their basic flavor profiles
- What is proof
- Intro level whiskeys in each of the categories discussed
- What is "Malting" and why is it important
- Basic whiskey production process
- Milling
- Cooking
- Fermenting
- Distilling
- Barreling
- Some news headlines
- What is in my glass this week?
- Early Times Bottled-in-Bond 100 proof Bourbon
- Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve 1824 Scotch
This is the inaugural episode of The Dram State. I’m your host Jeff Borker and in this episode, I’m going to let you know who I am and what this podcast is going to be about. Additionally, I’ll give you some insight as to what The Classic Dram is and what we do. If you are new to whiskey or are thinking about going down the whiskey trail, this is the place for you. This will be a journey we take together talking about all things whiskey. Resources can be found at our website, https://theclassicdram.com as well as all of our social media pages under The Classic Dram.