WhiskyCast - SoundSage

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While politicians in Scotland debate a potential ban on the harvesting of peat, author Mike Billett writes of the undeniable ties between peat and whisky. In his new book “Peat and Whisky: The Unbreakable Bond,” the peatland scientist explores Scotland’s peat bogs, healthy and not so healthy, and how whisky companies are helping to restore damaged peatlands back to health. Mike Billett joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, whisky industry leaders are worried about the results of Tuesday’s U.S. election and the potential for new tariffs in a second Trump Administration.

Episode 1082: November 10: 2024

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This week, Ardbeg and Glenmorangie’s Dr. Bill Lumsden joins us to answer your questions posed in the WhiskyCast Community app. The questions ranged from why the new Ardbeg 17 is chill-filtered and bottled at 40% ABV to what it was like working with Beyoncé on her new SirDavis Whisky. We’ll have Bill’s answers on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Scotch Whisky industry leaders are calling this week’s UK excise tax hike a “betrayal” and a “kick in the teeth” — and we’ll hear from Scotch Whisky Association CEO Mark Kent, who’s also worried about the potential impacts of this week’s US presidential election on tariffs. We’ll also have the rest of the week’s news, tasting notes, and much more.

Episode 1081: November 3, 2024

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Lost Lantern Whiskey took the Scotch Whiskey tradition of independent bottlers and applied it to American craft whiskies. Founders Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonski weren’t the first independent bottlers of American whiskies, but their selections over the last four years represent an eclectic variety of whiskies from around the country. They’re about to release their Fall 2024 tranche of whiskies, all at or close to ten years old, and we’ll catch up with Nora and Adam on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, it’s budget week in the U-K, and Scotch Whisky makers will be watching closely for news of an excise tax cut. We’ll have the rest of the week’s whisky news as well, along with this week’s tasting notes and a look at so-called “vatted malts.”

Episode 1080: October 27, 2024

Image courtesy Lost Lantern Whiskey.

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Ever wanted to find out how a spirits competition works? This week, we’ll take you inside the recent American Craft Spirits Association’s annual judging of craft spirits to show you how the judging process works. It only takes a couple of minutes for trained judges to assess a whisky’s aroma, flavor and finish and determine a score. In the news, American electoral politics could affect the price you pay for whiskies in the future, no matter where you live in the world.

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John Campbell has long been regarded as one of Scotland’s best distillers, but he shocked the whisky world this week by leaving Scotland to join the tiny Sespe Creek Distillery in Oxnard, California. He’ll explain why he’s making the move to distill Sespe Creek’s Warbringer Bourbon in his first interview since moving to California on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Sweden’s Mackmyra Distillery has been bought out of bankruptcy, while Diageo is looking at options for a new Talisker Distillery on the Isle of Skye.

Episode 1078: October 13, 2024

Images courtesy Sespe Creek Distillery.

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Wes Henderson retired recently from Angel’s Envy, the whiskey brand he and his father, the late Lincoln Henderson created. Retirement didn’t suit Wes well, though, and he’s back in the Bourbon business with True Story’s finished Bourbon and Rye whiskies. He’s also building a $92 million distillery in Versailles, Kentucky and upgrading the nearby Kentucky Castle boutique hotel and event space to make it more Bourbon-focused. We’ll talk with the busy Wes Henderson on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, a port strike on the U.S. East Coast is over, clearing the way for shipments of whisky from Europe. We’ll also have the trophy winners from this year’s International Wine & Spirits Competition.

Episode 1077: October 6, 2024

Image courtesy Saga Spirits.

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Few places are as remote as the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, and that makes the Faer Isles Distillery the world’s most remote distillery. A group of friends founded the distillery several years ago, and have persuaded more than a thousand shareholders to join them via two crowdfunding campaigns. The first Faer Isles whisky is set for release in late 2026, and co-founder Danial Hoydal gives us a preview on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, a coming port strike on the U.S. East Coast could play havoc with whisky shipments for the holidays, and in our Behind the Label segment, we’ll go behind the creation of The Storyman whisky with actor James Cosmo.

Episode 1076: September 29, 2024

Image courtesy Faer Isles Distillery.

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Caitlin Bartlemay of Oregon’s Hood River Distillers is one of the up-and-coming craft distillers on the American whiskey scene. She makes the whiskey widely regarded as America’s first single malt whiskey, McCarthy’s, and joins us this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Edrington offloads The Famous Grouse, Campari takes a minority stake in three Scottish distilleries, and a new report highlights the problems craft distillers face in the current economic climate.

Episode 1075: September 22, 2024

Image courtesy Hood River Distillers.

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Few people know the whisky industry as well as Sukhinder Singh. He’s a renowned collector of rare whiskies, founded The Whisky Exchange with his brother Rajbir, and is now building a distillery on Islay. We’ll talk with Sukhinder about the coming whisky loch, progress on his new Portintruan distillery, and much more on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Scotch whisky exports fell significantly during the first half of 2024. William Grant & Sons plans a major expansion at its Girvan complex in Ayrshire, and Pernod Ricard’s new North American Distillers unit plans to build a hub around its Rabbit Hole distillery in Louisville.

Episode 1074: September 15, 2024

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This week, we’re on the road at The Whisky Exchange’s Whisky Show in London. We’ll have highlights from the weekend, including an interview with Dave Broom on his latest book, the third edition of the World Atlas of Whisky.

Episode 1073: September 8, 2024

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U.S. craft distillers are facing a crisis, with an average of one distillery shutting down each week over the past year. Inflation and cutbacks in consumer spending get part of the blame, but there’s also a distribution crisis. Just three companies control the route to market for many craft distillers, and their focus is on high-volume brands as opposed to the low-volume craft distillers. Margie Lehrman of the American Craft Spirits Association is one of the leading advocates for “direct to consumer shipping,” which would allow distilleries to ship their whiskies directly to consumers. The option is only available in 10 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and wholesalers have vehemently opposed any attempts to expand that number. We’ll talk with Margie Lehrman on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, economic headwinds cut into sales for both Pernod Ricard and Brown-Forman, while Angel’s Envy co-founder Wes Henderson plans to build a $93 million dollar distillery in Kentucky.

Episode 1072: September 1, 2024

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September is National Bourbon Heritage Month, and the folks at Bourbon & Banter have a unique challenge every September. They want Bourbon lovers to taste a different Bourbon each day during the month. If that sounds daunting, Bourbon & Banter founder Pops Garrett says it can be fun, too. We’ll talk with Pops Garrett about the Challenge on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Sweden’s Mackmyra Distillery has filed for bankruptcy, and we’ll get your views on whether this is a sign of things to come for the whisky industry.

Episode 1071: August 25, 2024

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Washington’s Woodinville Whiskey is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, and hundreds of people lined up this weekend to get first crack at the distillery’s latest release, an 8-year-old Bourbon that’s the oldest Woodinville release yet. We’ll talk with co-founder Orlin Sorenson on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, a proposed alcohol tax increase in Nebraska has been voted down, while the Justice Department is appealing a Texas judge’s ruling that a ban on home distilling is unconstitutional.

Episode 1070: August 18, 2024

Image courtesy Woodinville Whiskey Co.

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Diageo’s Brora Distillery in the Scottish Highlands celebrated the third anniversary of its revival this summer, and is now pouring new Brora single malt whisky on its tours. The venerable distillery underwent four years of restoration work before reopening in 2011, and its whiskies from the days before 1983 when the distillery closed are becoming harder to find. We’ll talk with Brora’s Andrew Flatt on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, taxes on alcohol are going up around the world, while one of the world’s leading online whisky shops is back in the U.S. business again following its sale.

Episode 1069: August 11, 2024

Image courtesy Diageo.

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Two years ago, the Treasury Department’s Tax & Trade Bureau opened the bureaucratic process for issuing an official definition of American Single Malt Whisky. After a brief public comment period, the agency has yet to act on the proposal, and that has distillers of American Single Malts frustrated with the lack of action. We’ll talk with Steve Hawley, executive director of the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission, about a new campaign to put pressure on the TTB to act. In the news, Diageo reports a sales decline for its fiscal year, while Campari beat analyst forecasts despite economic headwinds. We’ll taste three American Single Malts in the What I’m Tasting This Week Department, and in our Behind the Label segment, we’ll explain why “bottled in bond” doesn’t just apply to Bourbons.

Episode 1068: August 4, 2024

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The wife and husband team of Georgie Bell and Fabrizio Leoni gave up their day jobs last year to launch The Heart Cut, an independent bottler dedicated to finding great drams from all over the world. They’ve released seven single casks so far from distilleries in Israel, Finland, Denmark, and the U.S., and did it all while Georgie was pregnant with twins. We’ll talk with Georgie Bell about The Heart Cut and work-life balance this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Irish Whiskey tourism is up from a year ago, but still below pre-pandemic levels, while sales are lagging at Möet Hennessy and Rémy Cointreau.

Episode 1067: July 28, 2024

Photo courtesy The Heart Cut.

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Utah’s High West Distillery moved production operations from its downtown Park City gastropub to a state of the art distillery in nearby Wanship. The mountaintop distillery is producing award-winning whiskies and equally winning awards for its food and bar programs. This week, High West celebrated its annual Protect The West gala to raise money for three regional charities, and raised $100,000. We’ll visit the distillery and talk with Master Distiller Brendan Coyle on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Buffalo Trace has a French flair for the Paris Olympics, and we’ll look at the latest auction results.

Episode 1066: July 21, 2024

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Speyside’s Dallas Dhu has been a historic site since it closed in 1983, left intact the way workers left it on the final day of production. Now, there are plans in place to revive the venerable distillery, which is owned by Historic Environments Scotland. HES has signed a deal with Murray McDavid owner Aceo Limited to resume production at Dallas Dhu while maintaining it as a historic site. We’ll talk with ACEO managing director Edward Odim on this week’s WhiskyCast about the challenges — and the responsibilities — in taking on the revival of Dallas Dhu. In the news, the Black Bourbon Society has launched a boycott of Molson Coors products, while Pernod Ricard is bringing all of its U.S. brands under one umbrella.

Episode 1065: July 14, 2024

Image courtesy Aceo Limited.

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Uncle Nearest Whiskey founder Fawn Weaver spent eight years researching and writing “Love & Whiskey,” the story of Nearest Green and Jack Daniel. During that time, she also launched the Uncle Nearest brand, one of the fastest-growing whiskey brands on the market, and the book also tells that story as well. We’ll talk with Fawn Weaver on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, and share tasting notes for the Uncle Nearest Rye whiskey in the What I’m Tasting This Week Department. In the news, there’s a deal in place to revive the historic Dallas Dhu Distillery in Speyside, and the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2024.

Episode 1064: July 7, 2024

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Canadian Whisky pioneer J.P. Wiser started making whisky 165 years ago in eastern Ontario, and the brand that bears his name to this day has now released its oldest whisky ever, the J.P. Wiser’s 42 Year Old. We’ll talk with master blender Dr. Don Livermore, who created the new whisky, about Wiser, his legacy, and the new Decades Series that begins with the 42 Year Old. In the news, Ian Macleod Distillers has expanded to India with a new distillery, while Brown-Forman has restored a piece of Bourbon history at Woodford Reserve.

Episode 1063: June 30, 2024

Image courtesy J.P. Wiser’s.

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Heaven Hill’s new $130 million distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky is still about six months away from being finished, but this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth, we’re getting a hard-hat preview tour from Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll. We’ll also have details and tasting notes for the new Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Collection of whiskies as well. In the news, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail is celebrating 25 years of Bourbon tourism, the owners of Justins’ House of Bourbon have reached a settlement with state regulators, and the International Whisky Competition announces its 2024 winners.

Episode 1062: June 23, 2024

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Kentucky’s Wilderness Trail Distillery has grown over the last decade from a small barrel-a-day distillery to become one of the nation’s largest Bourbon distilleries. Dr. Pat Heist and Shane Baker founded Wilderness Trail as an offshoot of Ferm Solutions, their consulting business that works with distillers and brewers around the world. This week on WhiskyCast In-Depth, we’ll talk with Pat Heist about the origin of Wilderness Trail — in a rock band, of all places, and the circumstances that led to their decision to sell the distillery to Campari in late 2022. In the news, Laphroaig is planning a major expansion, while whisky auction prices have yet to recover from recent declines.

Episode 1061: June 16, 2024

Image courtesy Wilderness Trail Distillery.

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Barry MacAffer is leaving Laphroaig Distillery and his native Islay for a new adventure: building a malt whisky distillery in South Korea. This week on WhiskyCast In-Depth, Barry tells us why he’s making the move now and what he’ll miss most about Islay. In the news, the threat of tariffs hangs over the whisky industry again as the U.S. Presidential election heats up, another new distillery is in the works for Scotland, and Rosebank Distillery opens its doors to visitors for the first time.

Episode 1060: June 9, 2024

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There’s one distillery on Scotland’s Isle of Jura, and Jura master whisky maker Dr. Kirstie McCallum joins us from the island this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth. We’ll talk about Jura’s festival day as part of the Islay Festival of Malt and Music, this year’s Festival bottling, and her 25-year-long career in the Scotch Whisky industry. We’ll also have details on the week’s new releases, tasting notes, and much more!

Episode 1059: June 2, 2024

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Many distilleries take great pains to be involved in their surrounding communities, but Scotland’s Glen Wyvis Distillery goes to an extreme. That’s because many members of the Dingwall community are shareholders in the community distillery, which was built with a crowdfunding campaign. The distillery donates a percentage of its profits each year to grants for local community programs, with a goal of improving life for all of Dingwall’s residents. Distillery manager Matthew Farmer joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Wild Turkey honors Jimmy Russell with its new visitors center, while Scotch Whisky industry leaders are worried about a potential return to tariffs after the U.S. Presidential election.

Episode 1058: May 26, 2024

Image courtesy Glen Wyvis Distillery.

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Islay’s Ardnahoe Distillery has released its first single malt since the distillery opened in 2019, and we’ll talk about the journey with Scott Laing of Hunter Laing & Co. on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, longtime Glen Grant master distiller Dennis Malcolm is retiring after 63 years in the whisky business, while Oregon officials have decided not to prosecute six former state liquor regulators for diverting stocks of Pappy Van Winkle whiskies for their personal use.

Episode 1057: May 19, 2024

Image courtesy Hunter Laing & Co.

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James Espey and Tom Jago founded The Last Drop 15 years ago with a goal of finding casks of rare whiskies and other spirits and bottling them. Since then, the company has been sold to Sazerac and Tom’s daughter Rebecca is now in charge, but the goal remains the same: finding those unicorn whiskies that may have fallen through the cracks…or just don’t fit into someone else’s plans. We’ll talk with Rebecca Jago about The Last Drop’s 2024 Collection and the difficulty of sourcing those rare casks in today’s market on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, labor problems hit Heaven Hill and Whyte & Mackay, while a longtime Highland distillery manager has retired.

Episode 1056: May 12, 2024

Image courtesy The Last Drop Distillers.

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O’Shaughnessy Distilling master distiller Brian Nation arrived in Minneapolis nearly three years ago after leaving Ireland’s Midleton Distillery, and it’s been an interesting transition. We’ll catch up with Brian and learn about the new Keeper’s Heart 21-year-old Irish single malt coming later this summer on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Beam Suntory has changed its name to Suntory Global Spirits, while Buffalo Trace takes a look at global expansion with its first home place in London.

Episode 1055: May 5, 2024

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Dixon Dedman’s family history in the whisky business goes back more than a century. 2XO (for Two Times Oak) is his second act in the Bourbon business after reviving the family’s Kentucky Owl Bourbon brand in 2014. Dedman has just released the latest edition in 2XO’s Icons Series, the Kiawah Blend, named for his family’s favorite vacation spot, Kiawah island in South Carolina. He’ll join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, we’ll have quarterly reports from Pernod Ricard and Remy Cointreau, along with details on “The Badonkadonk” and the week’s other new whiskies.

Episode 1054: April 28, 2024

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Beam Suntory has successfully tested the use of green hydrogen as a fuel source for directly-firing stills, and is part of a pilot project to create a hydrogen conversion unit that could be deployed at remote distilleries. We’ll learn more about the potential of hydrogen as a fuel source for distillers on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Laphroaig is looking for a new manager, while R&B Distillers has received planning approval for a new distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland and Dr. Bill Lumsden of Glenmorangie makes a surprising admission about this year’s Ardbeg Day release.

Episode 1053: April 21, 2024

Glen Garioch Distillery photo courtesy of Beam Suntory.

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For 41 years, the Port Ellen Distillery on Scotland’s Isle of Islay sat silent. Last month, a multi-million dollar restoration of the distillery was completed when the first spirit flowed at Port Ellen since 1983. While it’ll be years before we see new bottlings of Port Ellen, the distillery will be open to Islay visitors from around the world. Diageo’s Ewan Gunn was on hand when that first spirit flowed. He’s been part of the revival since it was announced in 2017, and joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, The Demeter Collection auction raised £49,000 for the Our Whisky Foundation, while William Grant & Sons is expanding its Blended Scotch portfolio with a new range of whiskies.

Episode 1052: April 14, 2024

Image courtesy Diageo.

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Texas is booming as a whiskey region, with distilleries all over the Lone Star State. That history only goes back about 15 years, when pioneers like Balcones Distilling and Garrison Brothers started out. During the recent 15th anniversary celebrations at Balcones, Texas Whiskey Festival co-founder Jake Clements moderated a panel (and tasting) on the first 15 years of Texas whiskey. We’re bringing you that discussion this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth, with panelists Jared Himstedt of Balcones, Dan Garrison of Garrison Brothers, Ironroot Republic’s Robert Likarish, and Ty Phelps of Andalusia Whiskey. In the news, The Lakes Distillery in England is being sold, while Edrington is selling off its Noble Oak American Whiskey brand.

Episode 1051: April 7: 2024

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Louisville’s Michter’s Distillery took top honors in the 2023 Drinks International survey to find the “world’s most admired” whiskey brand. Andrea Wilson is the Master of Maturation for Michter’s, as well as the company’s chief operating officer, and has the final say on any whisky that carries the Michter’s name. We’ll talk with Andrea about the pressure of living up to that reputation, as well as her Hall of Fame whisky-making career, on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Kentucky lawmakers have approved a bill to close loopholes in the state’s Vintage Distilled Spirits Law. We’ll have the details on that and the rest of the week’s whisky news, including a rare collaboration between Australia’s Starward Whisky and Lagavulin.

Episode 1050: March 31, 2024

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James Saxon took on the role as chief whisky maker for Compass Box following founder John Glaser’s sudden departure several weeks ago. It’s a journey that started with a Compass Box tasting Saxon organized as a student at the University of St. Andrews a decade ago. He’ll answer your questions about Compass Box in this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Port Ellen Distillery is alive and humming once again, while Rosebank plans to open its new visitors center in June. Woodford Reserve has created a $15,000 Bourbon to celebrate the 150th Kentucky Derby May 4, and we’ll have details and tasting notes, too.

Episode 1049: March 24, 2024

Photo courtesy Compass Box.

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Carin Luna-Ostaseski wanted an approachable Scotch whisky for newcomers, so she decided to blend her own. 11 years ago, the first bottles of SIA Scotch Whisky hit the market, becoming one of the first crowd-funded whiskies to successfully go on sale. We’ll catch up with Carin on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Irish Whiskey sales took a hit on 2023, but remains one of the fastest-growing segments of the whisky market. We’ll have the details, along with the rest of the week’s whisky news and much more.

Episode 1048: March 17, 2024

Image courtesy SIA Scotch Whisky.

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Chivas Brothers recently introduced two new Longmorn single malts. The 18 and 22-year-old malts represent a long-term commitment to the brand, with all future Longmorns to be at least 18 years old. Chivas Brothers blending manager Kevin Balmforth was instrumental in creating both whiskies, and he’ll join us to discuss them and his day-to-day life in the blending lab on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth.

In the news, MGP is suing over two rickhouse projects that have been blocked by local officials in Kentucky, while a new website has been set up to help investors protect themselves from fraudulent cask investment schemes.

Episode 1047: March 10, 2024

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Waterford Distillery founder Mark Reynier has no shortage of opinions about how he feels whisky should be made, and he’s putting those opinions into the bottle. Reynier has butted heads with the whisky establishment many times over the years because of his passion for flavor above all else, critics be damned. He’ll share some of his opinions with us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Compass Box founder John Glaser is stepping down after 23 years, while there’s both good and bad news about whisky exports.

Episode 1046: March 3, 2024

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Scotland’s Nc’Nean Distillery is one of a handful of whisky distilleries certified as “B Corp” for their sustainability efforts. At Nc’Nean, that goes all the way to the use of renewable energy for the distillery and using recycled glass for its bottles. We’ll talk with founder Annabel Thomas about the challenges of making whisky sustainably and organically on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the founder of Bimber and Dunphail distilleries has stepped aside following his arrest on two-decade old charges in his native Poland, while Kentucky lawmakers are trying to close loopholes in the state’s Vintage Distilled Spirits law.

Episode 1045: February 25, 2024

Image courtesy Nc’Nean Distillery.

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Diageo is staking a claim in the growing American Single Malt category with the new Bulleit American Single Malt. This whiskey’s release earlier this month has spawned a lot of questions, and Bulleit master blender Andrew Mackay joins us this week with some answers. In the news, Scotch Whisky exports plummeted in 2023, and major drinks companies are blaming economic headwinds in the U.S. for lagging sales. We’ll have the details, along with the story of a British distiller facing extradition to his native Poland after two decades on the run.

Episode 1044: February 18, 2024

Image courtesy of Diageo.

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There’s a unique subset of whisky collectors who spend their spare time scouring obscure liquor stores for vintage bottles. In some cases, the distillers no longer exist or the brands have been sold to their current owners, but in some cases, it’s possible to find vintage editions of today’s classic whiskies. Aaron Goldfarb has been chronicling so-called “dusty hunters,” and his new book “Dusty Booze” will be published on March 5th. He’ll join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, U.S. spirits sales were flat in 2023, with concerning drops for Irish whiskies and Single Malt Scotches in particular. We’ll have the details, along with a new report showing Kentucky Bourbon generates $9 billion a year in economic impact for the Commonwealth.

Episode 1043: February 11, 2024

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Garrard County Distilling Company is the latest distillery to come on line in Kentucky, and it’s starting out with big ambitions. The producer of All Nations Whiskey has two massive Vendome stills and a pair of rickhouses with plans for 22 more over the next six years. We’ll talk with distillery founder Ray Franklin on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Diageo reports more disappointing sales numbers, while Old Forester names an heir apparent for longtime Master Distiller Chris Morris.

Episode 1042: February 4, 2024

Image courtesy Garrard County Distilling Co.

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Distillers around Scotland are teaming up to help the country’s youth through the Distillers’ Charity One of One Auction on October 5. 39 one-of-a-kind bottles… Read More

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Women still face huge barriers to equality within the whisky industry, according to a new survey from the Our Whisky Foundation. The survey found high… Read More

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There’s a lot of data behind the whiskies we enjoy, and analyzing that data can give us some insights into the health of the whisky… Read More

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Valuations for rare whiskies have started to slow down after being one of the best performing alternative investments over the last ten years. The latest… Read More

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Whisky and music go perfectly together, but Felipe Schrieberg and Paul Archibald are taking the volume up to 11 with Rhythm & Booze Records. They’re… Read More

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Thousands of illicit distilling sites exist around Scotland. Derek Alexander and his team of archaeologists at the National Trust for Scotland have barely scratched the… Read More

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The 128-year-old family-owned independent bottler stunned the whisky world this week with news that it will stop sourcing new make spirit from other distillers starting… Read More

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When Rosebank Distillery’s stills went silent in 1993, many whisky lovers assumed the Falkirk distillery was gone forever – especially after thieves stole the copper… Read More

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The Scotch Whisky Experience on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, and this week launches an all-new multimedia tour highlighting the production… Read More

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Back in 1888, Paul Jones Jr. started selling Bourbon under the Four Roses brand. 135 years later, the brand is stronger than ever, and to… Read More

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The collapse of Washington’s Skagit Valley Malting last month left distillers and brewers alike searching for new suppliers of malted barley. The craft maltster had… Read More

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The Scotch Whisky industry is roaring along, setting new records for sales every year as the global demand for whisky continues to grow. The last… Read More

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Westland Distillery co-founder Matt Hofmann is leaving the Seattle distillery at the end of the month to pursue new adventures. With no specific plans for… Read More

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Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State’s first distillery. That ended the run… Read More

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Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State’s first distillery. That ended the run of David DeFazio as Wyoming Whiskey’s president, but he remains the brand’s global ambassador and a part-owner of the distillery. We’ll talk with him about the changes since then, along with what the future holds, both for him and the brand. We’ll also catch up with Wyoming Whiskey’s first master distiller, Bourbon Hall of Famer Steve Nally and master blender Nancy Fraley on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, too. In the news, the drinks industry is Read More »

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With some parts of Scotland facing another long, dry summer, distilleries are making plans to cope with expected water shortages from the lochs and rivers that provide essential water for distilling. Wick’s Old Pulteney Distillery has already announced plans to shut down production for eight weeks this summer after losing much of the last two summers to drought. We’ll talk with distillery manager Malcolm Waring on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Balmenach Distillery has received a £4 million upgrade to make the distillery more energy-efficient, a bottle of the rare 81-year-old The Reach from The Macallan is up for grabs in British Columbia, and there’s a host of new whiskies being released in time for Father’s Day.

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At one time, Campbeltown was Scotland’s whisky capital with more than 35 distilleries. That number dwindled to just three over the years, but now, planning approval is being sought for up to three new distilleries. The latest project is the Witchburn Distillery to be built on the former RAF Macrihanish site, and we’ll talk with project manager and master distiller Andrew Nairn on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. We’ll also hear from Beam Suntory’s Daryl Haldane following the auction Friday of a one-of-a-kind Bowmore single malt to raise money for projects on Islay. In the news, Stirling Council has rejected plans for the proposed Wolfcraig Distillery for a second time, Scotch Whisky Association leaders continue their push to reserve an excise duty hike planned for August, and Jack Daniel’s lost a trademark infringement case in the U.K. to a pair of comedians.

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Whisky lovers around the world celebrated World Whisky Day Saturday. The holiday was created a dozen years ago by whisky writer and consultant Blair Bowman, and we’ll check in with him on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. He’s been involved in several major controversies affecting the Scotch Whisky industry, from protesting the planned Deposit Return Scheme now scheduled to take effect next March to fighting a proposed series of marketing and advertising restrictions for whiskies and other alcoholic beverages. In the news, we’ll have an update on new whiskies released for World Whisky Day, while the owners of Justins’ House of Bourbon have paid $3,000 in fines to settle charges brought by Washington, DC liquor regulators. We’ll also have tasting notes for new whiskies from Jack Daniel’s, Michter’s, and Glenglassaugh.

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Blended American Whisky has been ignored by connoisseurs for many years, largely because the category has been dominated by cheap blends using grain neutral spirits. Now, there’s a new era for Blended American Whisky as blenders explore the flexibility the category offers, from being able to blend Bourbons and Ryes with other styles of whisky to being able to use whisky matured in used barrels. We’ll talk with master blender Ari Sussman about the trend in this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Australian distillers are in a dispute over what should be called a “single malt,” Russian officials raid a factory producing counterfeit Scotch Whisky and other spirits, and we’ll learn what not to do when your golf bag catches on fire. In our Behind the Label segment, we’ll look at what researchers say is the proper amount of water to add to your whisky, and our latest Community poll asks whether you’d prefer to try a 50-year-old whisky or a 10-year-old bottled in 1920.

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Bourbon’s construction boom in Central Kentucky is raising concerns in Nelson County, home to Bardstown, the “Bourbon Capital of the World.” County officials have reached a compromise with whiskey makers for a 90-day moratorium on planning approval for new warehouses in agricultural zones. Nelson County Judge Executive Tim Hutchins wants a review of current ordinances allowing virtually unfettered development of warehouses without public input, while allowing projects in areas zoned for industrial use to move forward. We’ll talk with Judge Hutchins on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth about the moratorium and the impact of losing millions of dollars in barrel tax revenue in the coming years. In the news, Sazerac CEO Mark Brown is stepping aside in a long-planned succession, while Scotland’s Parliament has approved new rules to make it easier for whisky makers to borrow against their stockpiles of maturing whisky. We’ll also have details on a host of commemorative whiskies celebrating the coronation of King Charles III, along with the rest of the week’s whisky releases.

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Rye hasn’t been widely used by Scotch whisky distillers for decades, but Inchdairnie Distillery is doing something different for its first release: A Scottish single grain distilled from 53% malted rye and 47% malted barley. The distillery contracted local farmers to grow the rye grain, and released its first batch of RyeLaw this week. Inchdairnie managing director Ian Palmer joins us to explain the reasons for starting with a Scottish rye whisky. In the news, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says no to reconsidering a whisky tax hike set for August, while Diageo is joining the growing list of whisky makers eliminating cardboard gift boxes from its whiskies.

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Dr. Bill Lumsden has been experimenting at both Ardbeg and Glenmorangie distilleries. His latest Ardbeg release, Heavy Vapours, involved taking part of the distilling system out of the picture just because he wanted to see what would happen if he did. At Glenmorangie, he has a whole year’s worth of projects for his experimental Lighthouse distillery. We’ll catch up with whisky’s mad scientist on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Scotland’s controversial alcohol marketing restrictions have been sent back to the drawing board, while the equally controversial deposit return scheme for bottles has been pushed back to next March. We’ll also have details on a new distillery in Kentucky…that was quietly built six years ago.

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We’re celebrating a major milestone this week with the 1000th episode of WhiskyCast! To mark the occasion, Mark went back through the archives to pick some memorable moments and interviews from the past 18 years for this special episode. You’ll hear from legends like the late Parker Beam and Michael Jackson, along with Jimmy Russell, Jim McEwan, Maureen Robinson, Fawn Weaver, and Richard Paterson…just to name a few. This episode is a lot longer than usual, and there’s plenty more that we could have included. In the news, Scotch Whisky Association leaders are hoping to persuade Parliament to reject a tax increase on whiskies and other distilled spirits, while local officials in Kentucky are looking at moratoriums on new distillery construction following the phaseout of the state’s barrel tax.

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Many have tried, but the Glencairn whisky glass remains the preferred choice of whisky blenders and savvy whisky lovers. There’s more to Glencairn Crystal than just its iconic glass, though, and we’ll talk with Glencairn founder Raymond Davidson on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Campari is investing $160 million to build a second distillery at Wild Turkey in Kentucky. We’ll have details on that and the rest of the week’s headlines, and in our Behind the Label segment, we’ll explain why some whiskies can taste soapy and what causes it.

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The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is marking its 40th anniversary in 2023, and we’ll talk with founder Pip Hills on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. The 82-year-old Hills started the Society as a cask-share scheme with his friends…and their friends…and so on, until now, the Society’s membership stands at 37,000 whisky lovers worldwide. In the news, Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes is retiring, Kentucky state lawmakers have passed the barrel tax phaseout bill into law, and Whisky Magazine handed out its annual awards this past week.

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There’s very little Dennis Malcolm hasn’t seen in his 62 years of making whisky, and the longtime Glen Grant distillery manager joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth to answer some of your whisky questions. Dennis was in New York City for the global launch of the new Glen Grant 21 Years Old, and we’ll have tasting notes for it as well. In the news, Kentucky lawmakers are running out of time to pass a bill ending the barrel tax this year, while the U.S. Supreme Court held oral arguments on a trademark case involving Jack Daniel’s…and dog poop.

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1983 was a very bad year to be in the Scotch Whisky business. Sales had dried up in the face of changing consumer tastes and economic woes, and the industry was sitting on a “whisky loch” of millions of gallons of whisky no one wanted to buy. That led to the permanent or temporary closings of 14 distilleries, along with blending and bottling plants throughout Scotland. 40 years later, the industry has recovered – but have the lessons from 1983 been remembered? We’ll talk with historians Charles Maclean and Dr. Nick Morgan about the circumstances that led to mass closings back then, and what’s different today.

In the news, UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has slapped Scotch Whisky with a 10.1% increase in excise duty, and industry leaders are fighting back claiming broken promises. Kentucky state lawmakers are trying to get a bill passed in the next few days that would phase out the state’s barrel tax on maturing whiskey, and David Beckham is reported to be stepping away from his bespoke whisky brand.

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Mark Kent left the UK’s diplomatic service 14 months ago to become the new CEO of the Scotch Whisky Association, and admits he didn’t know much about Scotch when he started. With the industry in a state of flux over issues ranging from a potential marketing and advertising ban in Scotland to free trade and climate change, it’s been a busy 14 months for Kent. He’ll join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth to discuss the state of the Scotch Whisky industry and those key issues it faces. In the news, Islay distillers are scrambling to find new sources of peated malt after Diageo’s Port Ellen Maltings stopped supplying outside customers. We’ll also look at record U.S. spirits exports, even though some key markets are still recovering from the impact of trade tariffs, and on this week’s Behind the Label, we’ll look at the role enzymes play in mashing and why many distillers use a small amount of malted barley in their mashes.

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Melissa Rift’s career path is anything but traditional for a whisky maker. She started out as a family therapist before discovering her passion for Bourbon, and it’s led her to become the new master taster for Old Forester. We’ll explore her journey and her passion for whisky on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Jack Daniel’s has been ordered to stop work on one of its new barrel houses after a neighbor sued over whisky fungus problems, while Kentucky distillers are hoping a bill pending in the state legislature could mean the end of the “barrel tax.”

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There are literally hundreds of whisky clubs around the world, with more being formed all the time. This week on WhiskyCast, we’ll hear from some club founders on how they started their clubs, along with advice for those thinking about forming a whisky club. In the news, Russia is planning “grey market” imports of some key whisky brands to evade trade sanctions, while Scotland’s controversial bottle deposit program may be in trouble. We’re also announcing the launch of the new WhiskyCast Community mobile app this week, too!

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Bourbon and many other whiskies must be matured in new barrels by law, but distillers are finding a shortage of available barrels. Cooperages are keeping up with existing demand, but are facing their own supply chain issues with raw logs and can’t keep up with distillery expansions across the industry. It all amounts to “the barrel problem,” and we’ll look at the issue on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Scottish government officials want public comments on whether the sale of peat should be banned, including the whisky industry’s use of peat for malting barley. There’s a scandal in Oregon, where state liquor board officials diverted bottles of rare Bourbon for their own use, and two veteran distillers join Whisky Magazine’s Hall of Fame.

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Last month’s raid on the Justins’ House of Bourbon stores in Kentucky brought a multi-state and federal investigation into the spotlight. Now, authorities in the District of Columbia and at least two other states are investigating potential violations of interstate shipping laws, according to a report this week in the Lexington Herald-Leader. The Herald-Leader’s Janet Patton broke the story and joins us this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, distilled spirits sales outpaced beer for the first time during 2022, while Scotch Whisky exports set a new record.

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It’s hard to believe, but the iconic New York City pub The Dead Rabbit is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. In that time, it’s built a reputation as one of the world’s best cocktail bars. We’ll talk with co-founder and managing partner Jack McGarry about the first ten years and what the future holds for The Dead Rabbit – including expansion to Austin, New Orleans, and other cities. On Your Voice, listeners like you tell us what makes a pub great, and in our Behind the Label segment, we’ll answer a question about the difference between a peaty whisky and a smoky one.

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Distillers like to claim the “authentic” label for their whiskies, but how does one define “authenticity” in whisky? Is a “grain to glass” whisky more authentic than one that’s mass-produced? Stanford business professor Glenn Carroll and Tulane business professor Cameron Verhaal teamed up to study just what whisky drinkers consider to be authentic, and they join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth to discuss their findings. In the news, Irish Whiskey tourism rebounded strongly during 2022 with a 425% gain over the pandemic-affected year of 2021. Diageo shares took a plunge on softness in U.S. Scotch Whisky sales, and a small North Carolina distillery hopes to send barrels of whiskey where no barrels have gone before.

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This week’s episode comes from the Victoria Whisky Festival in Victoria, British Columbia…where a small Vancouver distillery shocked the Canadian whisky world the other night. Sons of Vancouver won Canadian Whisky of the Year honors at the Canadian Whisky Awards with their “Palm Trees and a Tropical Breeze” rye whisky. It was the highest-scoring whisky in the competition, and it wasn’t even close. We’ll talk with the distillery’s Jenna Diubaldo, James Lester, and Max Smith on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, along with Canadian Whisky Awards founder and chairman Davin de Kergommeaux. In the news, an explosion rocked Alberta Distillers in Calgary this week, while a long-running legal saga has come to an end in Vancouver.

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Sarah Burgess has held a lot of different positions during her 25-plus years in the whisky industry, from serving as a seasonal tour guide to running three different distilleries and being a whisky maker for The Macallan. Now, she’s taking on a new challenge as the lead whisky maker for The Lakes Distillery in England. We’ll talk with Sarah on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, a Scottish government consultation on alcohol sales and marketing has the Scotch Whisky industry crying foul, while Irish Whiskey exports set a new record during 2022.

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Whiskies are being released at staggering prices with an eye to investors as well as collectors, but what is the market for these rare whiskies? Duncan Taylor & Co. has just released a £75,000 1969 Macallan, and we’ll talk with Peter Currie of Shand Imports about this whisky and its intended market on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth.

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Distillers are known for helping each other out, but the team at the Bardstown Bourbon Company is taking that collaborative spirit to new levels. The distillery not only makes its own whiskies, but works with more than 30 other brands to produce their whiskies using 54 different mashbills. Now, Bardstown Bourbon is releasing its own mature Bourbon and Rye whiskies for the first time with the Origin Series. We’ll talk with VP of Product Development Dan Callaway about the new whiskies and that collaborative process on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Britain’s King Charles is honoring Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes and Islay’s Jim McEwan on the New Year’s Honours List, Buffalo Trace celebrates a milestone, and we’ll have some of your final drams of 2022 and first drams of 2023, too!

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We’ll wrap up the year with a look at the Irish whiskey industry from both the macro and micro views this week with Denis O’Flynn. He’s the former managing director of Pernod Ricard UK, and since 2017 has been a non-executive director of Clonakilty Distillery. That gives him a unique perspective on the state of the Irish Whiskey industry, and he’ll share his opinions with us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the marriage between Wild Turkey and actor Matthew McConaughey has split up, with both sides remaining friends. We’ll have that story and much more in our final episode of 2022.

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Eddie Russell has been making whiskey for 42 years, and is a Bourbon Hall of Fame member. Still, to many people, he’ll always be known as “Jimmy Russell’s son.” That’s what happens when you work alongside a legend, and now that he’s established his own legacy, he’s passing it on to his son Bruce, and as Eddie put it during our WhiskyCast In-Depth interview this week, “what goes around, comes around.” We’ll talk with Eddie about his two most recent releases, the Master’s Keep Unforgotten edition and the Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse edition, and how he’s still learning on the job after 42 years.

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Is Sweetens Cove a whiskey company with a golf course, or a golf course with its own whiskey brand? That’s something the Sweetens Cove team is trying to figure out for themselves, but while they ponder that question, they’ve released the third edition of their Tennessee Bourbon. We’ll talk with Sweetens Cove master blender Marianne Eaves and CEO Mark Rivers on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, we’ll have details on two new Kentucky distillery projects valued at nearly $350 million and a look at the latest data on the boom in craft distilling.

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Six years ago, the wildfire known as “The Beast” devastated Northern Alberta, forcing the evacuations of 88,000 people in the area around Fort McMurray. At the time, Wood Buffalo Brewing & Distilling had to leave behind a pallet of peated malt to escape the fire, but firefighters managed to save both the distillery and the malt, which had absorbed a lot of smoke from the fire. The distillery pre-sold bottles of “The Beast” whisky made from that malt to raise more than $100,000 for local charities in the months following the fire, and while the distillery later closed its doors, distillers Bryce Parsons and Spike Baker returned to Fort McMurray this weekend to deliver on the promise made six years ago. We’ll catch up with them on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth.

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During the golden age of Irish Whiskey, Belfast-based Dunville’s was one of the biggest brands on the market. While the brand was almost lost to history, it was revived a decade ago by the family-owned Echlinville Distillery in Northern Ireland. Using vintage sourced whiskies, the Dunville’s brand has been preserved for new generations of Irish Whiskey fans. We’ll talk with Echlinville’s Jarlath Watson about the Dunville’s heritage and building new traditions as the distillery prepares to release its own whiskies starting in 2023. Links: Echlinville Distillery | Jack Daniel’s | The Independent | Westward Whiskey | Icons of Whisky Awards Read More »

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Bigger isn’t necessarily better, and we have proof of that this week with our podcast recorded on location at the New Brunswick Spirits Festival in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The festival punches well above its weight class to deliver an outstanding event every year, and celebrated its 25th anniversary this weekend. We’ll talk with founder and chairman Frank Scott to find out his secrets for success on WhiskyCast In-Depth, and we’ll also catch up with another old friend. Martine Nouet has been organizing the festival’s food and whisky lunches for years, but is scaling back her whisky work to pursue other Read More »

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With the holidays coming up, whisky books may be on your gift list. We’ll talk with two noted whisky writers who have new books out this holiday season. Ian Buxton is the author of “101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die,” and Dave Broom’s latest book “A Sense of Place” looks at whisky’s place in Scottish culture. We’ll have tasting notes for a Christmas whisky from Paul John and the new American Single Malt from Jack Daniel’s, and Lochlea’s John Campbell helps us explain how the strength of peated whiskies is measured on this week’s Behind the Label. Links: “101 Read More »

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Nick Offerman has entertained millions of people with his film and television career, but it’s his whisky career that he’s sharing with us this week. From the early days of featuring Lagavulin on Parks and Recreation to his dozens of Tales of Whisky videos for the brand, Offerman has become synonymous with Lagavulin. He’ll join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth to discuss his Lagavulin origin story, working with blender Stewart Morrison, and cutting peat on Islay with the legendary Iain “Mr. Pinky” McArthur. We’ll also have details on the sales of Wilderness Trail and Balcones distilleries, this week’s tasting Read More »

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Colum Egan had a unique challenge when presented with the opportunity to build a new Bushmills distillery that would complement the venerable existing distillery: take the best technology of today while making the whiskey taste the same way the old distillery has been producing it for decades. The €37 million project went into production a year ago, but few visitors have been allowed inside to take a look at the new distillery. You’ll get a first look inside with Colum Egan on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Irish Whiskey exports rose in 2021, but will be pressed to Read More »

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Much has been made of the boom in Irish whiskey over the last decade, but one industry veteran says that boom is only the foundation for greater growth in the future. Walsh Whiskey Company founder Bernard Walsh believes the industry still has some growing pains to go through before the “renaissance” really begins, and he’ll share his views with us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. We’re in Dublin this week for a series of distillery visits sponsored by the Irish whiskey Association and Tourism Ireland, and we’ll also have a crypt keeper’s story to share on Behind the Label. Links: Read More »

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Unless you’re drinking a single cask bottling, every whisky you drink has been prepared by a team of blenders. That goes for single malts, too, and Stewart Morrison is the blender behind Lagavulin’s latest release: the Offerman Edition Charred Oak. Morrison teamed up with actor and Lagavulin lover Nick Offerman to create the third release in the Offerman Edition series, and he’ll join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Islay’s distilleries may soon run short of peated malt supplies to meet the island’s growing demand, while U.S. whisky exports are rising following the removal of European and Read More »

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There are at least 774 malt whisky distilleries around the world, according to the 2023 edition of the Malt Whisky Yearbook. We’ll hear from some of the emerging malt whisky makers, including Dhavall Gandhi of The Lakes Distillery in England and Desiree Reid of New Zealand’s Cardrona Distillery, on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. Number 775 could be Jack Daniel’s, which unveiled plans this week to release an American Single Malt next June. We’ll also take a look at a group of whisky lovers that need special attention from whisky show organizers…those who need wheelchairs to get around. Links: Business Post Read More »

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This week, we’re on location in London for The Whisky Exchange’s annual Whisky Show at Old Billingsgate. We’ll have interviews from throughout the weekend on WhiskyCast In-Depth, including Diageo’s Colin Dunn, Oliver Chilton of Elixir Distillers, and Tomatin’s Scott Adamson. Tomatin took home top honors at this week’s International Wine and Spirits Competition Awards, and we’ll have that story in our news segment along with details on a new record for Kentucky’s growing Bourbon barrel inventory. We’ll also have tasting notes from the weekend, and in our Behind the Label segment, we’ll explain the difference between rejuvenated casks and “STR” Read More »

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Until now, Alfred Barnard’s classic book “The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom” was the benchmark guide for whisky historians. Now, a collection of 120 distillery profiles first published between 1922 and 1929 has been published in a Barnard-esque book by James Eadie Ltd. The Distilleries of Great Britain & Ireland is a worthy sequel to Barnard’s original book and fills a critical need for whisky history from the early 20th century. We’ll talk with Eadie’s Leon Kuebler and writer Tom Bruce-Gardyne, who compiled the profiles and wrote the introduction, on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the UK’s Read More »

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The Cabrach region of Scotland’s Highlands has a distilling history that goes back centuries, but The Cabrach has been left behind as other parts of Scotland developed. Now, The Cabrach Trust hopes to create jobs and infrastructure for the region with a single malt distillery, with the profits from its whisky going to fund affordable housing and other projects. We’ll talk with the Trust’s CEO, Jonathan Christie, and longtime distiller Alan Winchester, who’s working as an advisor on the distillery, on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, we’ll hear from Stoli Group CEO Damian McKinney as work begins on Read More »

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Phil Steger distills his single malt in the Scottish tradition at Minnesota’s Brother Justus Distilling, but he’s an outlier in the American Single Malt community. That’s because he believes the TTB’s proposed standards for American Single Malts would keep him from making his whisky the way he thinks is best. He’ll tell us why on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, and he’ll also explain his unique process for “cold-peating” his whiskies. In the news, Ireland’s Midleton Distillery is expanding again with a new €250 million distillery adjacent to the current facility. We’ll also explain what happens to the royal warrants held Read More »

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September is Bourbon Heritage Month, and while Bourbon can be made anywhere in the U.S., Kentucky is known as “the State of Bourbon.” Bourbon makers generate millions of dollars annually for the state’s economy, and their taxes help pay for local services and public education. The unprecedented growth of the industry hasn’t come without its growing pains, though…and we’ll look at some of the issues facing the “State of Bourbon” with Janet Patton of the Lexington Herald-Leader. In the news, Maker’s Mark has lost two of its top leaders as Denny Potter and Jane Bowie leave for a new venture, Read More »

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The Scullys of County Cork have been farming the same land for nine generations over 350 years, but only in the last few years have they started distilling whiskey from their own grain at Clonakilty Distillery. While their whiskey has now reached three years of age, it’ll be a couple of more years before that whiskey sees a bottle. We’ll talk with Sean Scully and head distiller Oisin Mulcahy on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Kentucky’s Bourbon community has raised nearly $1.5 million dollars to help the victims of recent flooding in Eastern Kentucky. Scotch Whisky distillers are Read More »

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Actors Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder discovered their friendship and a mutual love of Bourbon on the set of “The Vampire Diaries” television series. Once the show ended, they decided to launch their own Bourbon brand, Brother’s Bond, and it’s become one of the fastest-growing new Bourbon brands on the market over the last 18 months. While Wesley’s acting career now has him portraying the iconic character of James T. Kirk on “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” Somerhalder is practically a full-time whiskey blender. The Bourbon “brothers” join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the Kentucky Bourbon Read More »

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Andrew Welford is described as a “truffle hunter” for whisky history, but his best find to date didn’t sell for a penny. In fact, he donated an original John Walker & Sons shares ledger from 1944 that he found on eBay to Diageo’s corporate archive in Scotland. We’ll talk with him and Isabel Graham-Youll of Whisky.Auction, who helped bring together the book with its new home. In the news, the Kentucky Bourbon Benefit auction to help the state’s flooding victims is underway with bidding already exceeding $250,000. We’ll have that story and much more, including a Major League Baseball team Read More »

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Scotland’s Isle of Islay is known for its distilleries, and construction will begin soon on the island’s 12th distillery near the shores of Laggan Bay. The Islay Boys, Donald MacKenzie and Mackay Smith, plan to build the new Laggan Bay Distillery across from Islay’s airport on the site of a former RAF World War II barracks. MacKenzie and Smith also own the island’s lone brewery, and plan to make Islay Ales part of the Laggan Bay development. We’ll catch up with Donald MacKenzie on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Kentucky’s Bourbon community is coming together again to help Read More »

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Forty Creek master blender Bill Ashburn celebrated his 35th anniversary in the whisky business this week, and he’s one of those blenders content to stay out of the spotlight most of the time. Ashburn and John Hall put Canadian Whisky on a new course in 2000 when they released the Forty Creek Barrel Select and Three Grain whiskies, and Ashburn’s whiskies have won countless awards since then. He’ll join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, we have details on the U.S. government’s proposal to create an official definition for American Single Malt whiskies, along with Beam Suntory’s Read More »

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Alcohol has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries, even when the healers of history didn’t always know they were distilling alcohol when they made their potions. Some of those potions even sound a lot like today’s cocktails, and drinks writer Camper English has been studying the links between alcohol and medicine for his new book Doctors and Distillers. We’ll explore some of that history with him this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the American Craft Spirits Association has handed out its annual awards, and we’ll have the details. We’ll also get a preview of this September’s Kentucky Read More »

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Jackie Zykan could have kept the security of her corporate job as the master taster for Brown-Forman’s Old Forester whiskies, but she decided the time was right to spread her wings and fly. She’s leading the team behind the new Hidden Barn whiskey brand, and their debut Bourbon hits the market this week. She’ll explain why she made the move…and why she’s nervous about it…on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, local officials have given the green light for Islay’s 12th distillery, while two Virginia men are facing felony charges for selling details on the state’s allocations of rare Read More »

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We all have our own whisky stories to tell, and author Shelley Sackier is sharing hers in the new book “Make It a Double.” She’s gone from hating that first sip of whisky to becoming director of distillery education at Virginia’s Reservoir Distillery over the years, and the book combines serious whisky knowledge with her own unique sense of humor. She’ll tell us what that first dram was and how she learned to love whisky on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, former Old Forester master taster Jackie Zykan has announced her plans for a new whiskey brand, while Read More »

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The whisky industry depends on quercus alba, the American White Oak, for hundreds of thousands of whisky barrels each year, and that makes preserving White Oak forests a key priority for those concerned about the industry’s future. Climate change and other factors are threatening the long-term sustainability of prime White Oak forests in the Midwest, and the White Oak Initiative is bringing together foresters with those who depend on the viability of the forests. This week on WhiskyCast In-Depth, we’ll talk with Brown-Forman’s Greg Roshkowski. He’s responsible for the company’s cooperages and its wood management program, and he’s also one Read More »

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How do our noses help us enjoy whisky? Turns out the nose has a major role to play in our enjoyment of whisky, food, and life in general. The average nose has around 400 receptors that process aromas, and they’re far more sensitive than our tongues are. Dr. Paul Wise is a sensory researcher at Philadelphia’s Monell Chemical Senses Center, and his work focuses on how the nose and our other senses process chemical inputs present in our daily life. He’ll take us deep inside the nose for a unique WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, building a distillery on Islay Read More »

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The Sazerac is one of whisky’s oldest cocktails, and it’s also the official cocktail of New Orleans. They’re celebrating the history of the Sazerac all this week in New Orleans with Sazerac Cocktail Week, and we’ll visit the home of the Sazerac on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. Sazerac House is a free cocktail museum with its own microdistillery producing small amounts of Sazerac Rum and Peychaud’s Bitters, and we’ll talk with Matt Ray, the head of visitor experiences, about the history of the cocktail and much more. In the news, Scotch Whisky distillers could be affected by a strike targeting Read More »

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Catoctin Creek’s Scott and Becky Harris were honored with the Dave Pickerell Memorial Craft Member of the Year Award during last Thursday’s Distilled Spirits Council awards luncheon in New Orleans. The Harrises have been leaders in the craft distilling movement for more than a decade, and are perfectly placed to explain the issues many small-scale distillers face in today’s crowded marketplace. We’ll talk with them on WhiskyCast In-Depth and check in with Nicole Austin of George Dickel on Behind the Label. She was honored with the Emerging Leader of the Year Award, days after shocking a few purists by releasing Read More »

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More than 100 Irish farmers grow barley exclusively for Waterford Distillery, but Trevor Harris is one of a handful using biodynamic techniques on his farm. Biodynamics takes organic farming to the extreme, using naturally-based soil supplements instead of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. We’ll visit Trevor Harris’s farm and the distillery on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, U.S. regulators are taking a second look at bottle size standards, and that could open the door to 500ml whiskies in the future. We’ll look at addition and subtraction when it comes to whisky’s maturation equation on Behind the Label and much Read More »

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This week’s webcast features guests Greg Swartz and Ian Logan. Greg’s Scotch Whisky film “The Water of Life” is headed for PBS stations around the U.S. this month, and Ian is the senior director of whisky for Duncan Taylor & Company with a lifetime of experience in the Scotch Whisky industry. We’ll also have part of Mark’s interview for this week’s WhiskyCast episode with country music superstar Brad Paisley, too. Links: “The Water of Life” on PBS | Duncan Taylor & Co. | American Highway Reserve

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Brad Paisley has entertained millions of people with his music over the years. Deep down, though…he’s a whiskey geek just like the rest of us. From “dusty bottle” searches on his concert tours to hauling around a trailer full of whiskey for his American Highway Reserve Bourbon, he’s learned to enjoy a dram over the years. He’ll talk music and whiskey with us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, and we’ll have tasting notes for the Route 2 edition of American Highway Reserve, too. In the news, the world’s largest bottle of whisky fell short of setting another world record at Read More »

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Whisky lovers are making the pilgrimage to Islay for the first time in two years as the Islay Festival of Malt and Music gets underway later this week. There have been a lot of changes at the island’s distilleries since the last in-person festival in 2019. For instance, it’ll be the first Fèis on the island for Julieann Fernandez as master blender at Bunnahabhain Distillery. She’ll join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, police are still searching for two suspects in the Glenfarclas Distillery break-in, while a Canadian distillery is rebranding as part of a settlement with Read More »

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The “Whisky Sponge,” Angus MacRaild, joined us on the latest Happy Hour Live webcast. Not only is he known for his outspoken blog on the Scotch Whisky world, but he’s also become an independent bottler as well as a collector. We’ll discuss his views on the world of whisky, his disdain for NFT’s, and answer some of your questions, too. Links: The Whisky Sponge | Decadent Drinks

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Lexie Phillips grew up around Lynchburg, Tennessee watching generations of her relatives go to work at the Jack Daniel Distillery. Now, she’s leading the family – and the distillery team as Assistant Distiller alongside Master Distiller Chris Fletcher. She’s been in the role for a little more than a year, and has become a role model for other women working at the distillery. We’ll meet Lexie Phillips on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, thieves strike at Glenfarclas Distillery’s visitors center, while another generation of Beams gets the title of Master Distiller and millions of dollars in whiskies go Read More »

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Photographer Ernie Button’s new book, “The Art of Whisky,” was published this week, and he joined us on last Friday night’s #HappyHourLive webcast along with whisky writers Kyle Swartz of Beverage Dynamics and The Whiskey Wash’s Nino Kilgore-Marchetti. You can catch our live webcasts on Friday nights at 5:00pm New York time on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook page, Twitter, and Twitch. Links: “The Art of Whisky” on Amazon | Beverage Dynamics | The Whiskey Wash

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Blue Run Spirits has only been around for a couple of years, but its whiskies have already found their way into the hearts of whiskey lovers. Of course, it helps to have a Bourbon Hall of Fame distiller like Jim Rutledge as part of the team. The latest Blue Run Bourbon release, Reflection, is out now. We’ll talk with co-founder Mike Montgomery and Blue Run’s new director of whisky, Shaylyn Gammon, this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, we now know what Islay’s newest distillery will be named, the Spirit of Speyside Festival hands out its awards, and Johnnie Read More »

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Mathew and Julie Cooper built Fannys Bay Distillery next to their home in Tasmania, and their small-scale whiskies are just now becoming available in the United States. The Coopers joined us on our latest #HappyHourLive webcast along with Holly Seidewand of First Fill Spirits and Her Whisky Love, who persuaded them to export their whiskies for the first time. We’ll also get the first look at two new bottled in bond whiskies from Jack Daniel’s that arrived via The Whisky Fairy just before showtime. Links: Fannys Bay Distillery | Discovery Bottles

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Two years ago, we brought you the story of Jonathan and Cindy Bray. The Canadian whisky importers were arrested by Idaho State Police on charges of illegally selling whisky out of their storage unit in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and spent 24 days in jail until they were released and allowed to return to Calgary. Last September, they pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge and were sentenced to six months of probation, and last month, the case was dismissed after they successfully completed their time on probation. We’ve never heard their side of the story…until now. In his first interview Read More »

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Back out on the road again for our first whisky festival since the pandemic started! While we were in Las Vegas for The Nth, Richard Paterson and Craig Bridger joined us for a special edition of the Happy Hour Live webcast, and you’ll hear part of our conversation on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the human resources departments at several distilleries are busy with new hires, and we’ll have the details…along with a conversation with Scott Davidson of Glencairn Crystal about supply chain problems affecting whisky makers and how Glencairn is trying to help solve a shortage of glass bottles. Read More »

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Australian whiskies did extremely well at last week’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and Melbourne’s Starward Whisky led the way with 12 Double Gold and 3 Gold medals. That’s the most of any whisky brand in the entire competition. Starward founder David Vitale joined us on the last #HappyHourLive webcast to talk about not only his whiskies, but the success of the entire Australian whisky category. Links: Starward Whisky

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Colorado’s Coors family has been making beer for five generations, but it’s also been supplying many of the state’s craft distillers with malted barley for more than a decade. Now, the family has decided to make its own whiskey using a blend of Colorado single malt made with its own malted barley and Bourbons from Kentucky and Indiana. It’s part of a company goal to expand into distilled spirits, as David Coors explains on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the results from this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition are in, and whiskies from Australia did extremely well Read More »

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Chocolate may well be on your mind heading into Easter weekend, and we’ll look at how well whiskies pair with artisan chocolates with Scotland-based whisky and chocolate educator Rachel McCormack on this week’s webcast! Here’s a hint: not all types of chocolate pair equally well with whiskies. For instance, we found that smoky whiskies work better with lighter chocolates than with dark, rich ones. Catch our live webcasts every Friday at 5:00pm New York time on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook page, Twitter, and Twitch. Links: Cocoa Runners

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In all of his years as Master Distiller at MGP, Greg Metze never had to worry about the blending side of making whiskey. Now, at Old Elk, he’s added blending to his portfolio – and has just released a couple of new Master’s Blend whiskies that blend Old Elk’s unique mashbills. He’s also had to learn the marketing side of the business as well, and he’ll join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, it’s last call for tours at Kentucky’s Barton 1792 Distillery even as other distillers continue to ramp up their visitor experiences. We’ll have the Read More »

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Women have had a long – and under-appreciated – role in brewing and distilling for generations. Beer and spirits writer Tara Nurin explored that history in her book “A Woman’s Place Is In the Brewhouse,” and joined us in-studio to discuss some of that history over a beer and a dram. Links: Tara Nurin’s web site

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Midleton’s Kevin O’Gorman was tapped two years ago to take over for Brian Nation as Master Distiller, and the results of Whisky Magazine’s 2022 Icons of Whisky Awards show he’s succeeded in his new role. O’Gorman was named Master Distiller/Blender of the Year, and combines both roles with his annual release of Midleton Very Rare. WhiskyCast’s Mark Gillespie sat down over drams with Kevin in Dublin just days after the announcement, and you’ll hear their conversation on WhiskyCast In-Depth. Mastering also comes into play with the latest Jameson release, a “remastered” version of the old Jameson 15 Single Pot Still Read More »

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The market for vintage whiskies is hotter than ever, but there are few retailers that can carry things like pre-Prohibition whiskies. One of the exceptions is Justins’ House of Whiskey. Justin Sloan and Justin Thompson opened their first store in Lexington, Kentucky after state lawmakers made it legal for retailers to buy vintage bottles from individuals, and later opened a second store in Louisville because of the demand. They’ve also expanded into producing whiskies of their own, such as the Blackwood Bourbon brand they consulted on with Kentucky Derby-winning horseman Guinness McFadden. We’ll talk with the three of them on Read More »

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Our latest Happy Hour Live webcast features OurWhisky.com co-founder Becky Paskin just after she unveiled the Our Whisky Foundation to increase diversity within the whisky world. We’re also joined by first-time guest cocktail and spirits writer Camper English and Scott Brunow from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and the Scotch Test Dummies for a wide-ranging conversation covering everything from medicinal cocktails to the latest SMWS releases and more. We’ll start this episode off with breaking news, though…as the United States and Great Britain have cleared the way for the end of the UK’s tariffs on Bourbon and other American whiskies Read More »

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This weekend, Kentucky’s historic Castle & Key Distillery will release its first Bourbon since the revived distillery opened several years ago. It’ll be the first distillery-released Bourbon since what was then known as the Old Taylor Distillery was closed by National Distillers in 1972 and abandoned several years later. We’ll tour the restored distillery with founder Will Arvin and master blender Brett Connors this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth, and taste not only Batch #1, but the upcoming Batch #2 from Castle & Key in the What I’m Tasting This Week Department. In the news, Russian whisky lovers are feeling the Read More »

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Longtime whiskey writer and podcaster Fred Minnick joined us the other night on the Happy Hour Live webcast to talk about everything from Kentucky Bourbon and the legislative process to his ties to the music industry, and took some of your whisky questions, too. You can catch our live webcasts every Friday at 5:00pm New York time on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook page, Twitter, and Twitch. Links: FredMinnick.com

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This Thursday will be Brian Nation’s first St. Patrick’s Day outside of Ireland. The veteran distiller joined O’Shaughnessy Distilling in Minneapolis last year after years at Ireland’s legendary Midleton Distillery, and as he tells us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, “it was a cold winter.” Brian and his family survived the cold, though, and he joined us from their spring break vacation in a much warmer Arizona. In the news, Kentucky lawmakers are a step closer to protecting private barrel picks, while Bardstown Bourbon’s founders have cashed out in a private equity sale. Diageo will invest millions to build a Read More »

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This week, our Happy Hour Live webcast focused on sustainability in the whisky industry. After all, we want to be able to enjoy a dram with our grandchildren when they’re adults years from now, right? Shanna Farrell’s new book “A Good Spirit” looks at distillers taking sustainability seriously, while Susannah Skiver Barton’s latest article for VinePair covers the growing shortage of new whiskey barrels for craft distillers. You can watch our live webcasts every Friday night at 5:00pm on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook page, Twitter, and Twitch. Links: VinePair | “A Good Drink”

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Daithi O’Connell thought he wanted to own his own distillery, and almost pulled the trigger on building one. He thought better of it at the last minute, and decided to go the independent bottler route instead. He launched W.D. O’Connell Whisky Merchants in late 2019, shortly before the pandemic, and that turned out to be an even more well-timed move. He’ll explain why on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, and I’ll share tasting notes for a couple of his whiskies in the What I’m Tasting This Week Department. In the news, spirits companies are pulling out of Russia following the invasion Read More »

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Dr. Don Livermore is the master blender at Hiram Walker Distillery in Windsor, Ontario, and the winner of numerous awards for his Canadian whiskies over the years. He’s also a whisky nerd, as we proved during our #HappyHourLive webcast the other night. You can catch the fun each Friday night on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook page, Twitter, and Twitch. Links: Hiram Walker Distillery

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Tickets for this year’s Spirit of Speyside Festival go on sale next Tuesday (March 8), and festival organizers are hoping for a return to normal after two years of pandemic-caused cancellations and postponements. We’ll talk with the festival’s new volunteer chairman, George McNeil, about plans to hold a traditional Spirit of Speyside Festival from April 27 through May 2, along with some of the changes planned for this year’s event. In the news, we’ll look at the Ukraine invasion’s impact on the whisky business, along with more details on plans for a new Campbeltown distillery. Links: Spirit of Speyside Festival Read More »

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St. George Spirits in Alameda, California is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and is one of the pioneers of the U.S. craft distilling movement. In addition, it was one of the first distilleries to make an American single malt whiskey 20 years ago this year – a whiskey that came out of a job interview. We got the story behind that job interview from Master Distiller Lance Winters and Head Distiller/Blender Dave Smith on the latest #HappyHourLive webcast the other night. You can watch our live shows each Friday night on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook page, Twitter, Read More »

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It’s been 24 years since Gordon & MacPhail reopened the historic Benromach Distillery in Forres, Scotland to make a “traditional” style of Speyside single malt, and 124 years since the distillery opened for the first time. Neither distillery manager Keith Cruickshank nor Gordon & MacPhail’s Richard Urquhart were around for that first opening, but both were on hand in 1998. We’ll talk with them about the distillery’s revival and its future, just as it’s being joined by an all-new distillery when The Cairn opens later this spring. In the news, Campbeltown may get its first new distillery in more than Read More »

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It’s been more than a decade since Bill Samuels, Jr. “retired” as chairman of Maker’s Mark and turned the reins over to his son Rob, but the 82-year-old Bourbon legend seems just as busy today as ever. He joined us from his office at Maker’s Mark headquarters for the #HappyHourLive webcast the other night for a wide-ranging discussion of everything from his early days to being a mentor for today’s generation of emerging distillers. Join us each Friday night at 5:00pm New York time for our live webcasts on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook page, Twitter, and Twitch. Links: Read More »

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It takes guts to put your whisky up against those from around the world in blind tastings and agree to publish the results no matter what, but the verdict is now in for The Judgement of Westland. Around 2,000 people tasted Westland’s American single malt against competitors from Scotland, Australia, and India over the last four months, and in the end, all four malts were separated by just a fraction of a point. We’ll discuss the findings with Westland’s Steve Hawley on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Scotch Whisky exports are starting to recover from the double whammy of U.S. Read More »

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Time for our annual visit with the guys from “Off Track with Hinch & Rossi” podcast for a virtual whiskey tasting session. IndyCar veterans Alexander Rossi and James Hinchcliffe joined us for the #HappyHourLive webcast, along with producer Tim Durham and their special guest, Marco Andretti. We tasted the Heaven’s Door Redbreast Edition Bourbon, the Dickel/Leopold Bros. Rye collaboration, Redwood Empire’s Lost Monarch, and the Crown Royal Noble Collection Winter Wheat edition. Join us for our live webcasts every Friday night at 5:00pm New York time on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook page, Twitter, and Twitch. Links: Heaven’s Door | George Read More »

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Jeff Arnett left Jack Daniel’s nearly 18 months ago with a desire to create his own whiskey brand, and that’s just what he and his partners have done with the new Company Distilling. With one Tennessee distillery already in operation, a second under construction, and plans for a third in the works, Company Distilling has high hopes for the future. We talked with Jeff about that future and his past at Jack Daniel’s on our #HappyHourLive webcast the other night, and you can catch all of our live webcasts every Friday night at 5:00pm New York time on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook page, Twitter, and Twitch.

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Links: Company Distilling

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It’s been nearly two years since Uncle Nearest and Jack Daniel’s joined forces to create the Nearest and Jack Advancement Initiative with a goal of creating new opportunities for people of color in the spirits industry. The Initiative’s business incubator program has just graduated its first company after working with Du Nord Social Spirits for more than a year. The Minneapolis distillery was damaged by fire in the unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd by police just a few blocks away in June of 2020, but is making a comeback with plans for an all-new distillery in one of the city’s historically Black neighborhoods and its own incubator program to help other local entrepreneurs. We’ll catch up with Du Nord founder Chris Montana on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Heaven Hill is acquiring craft spirits producer Samson & Surrey to add premium brands to its portfolio, and new economic data shows growing demand for those premium spirits. We’ll also look at what happens when a veteran distiller changes jobs — and has to change their wardrobe at the same time.

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Our live webcast with Clay Risen of the New York Times and Maggie Kimberl of American Whiskey Magazine went all over the place, with everything from winter weather to fake whiskies and much more! Join us each Friday night at 5:00pm New York time (22:00 GMT/UTC) for our live shows on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook page, Twitter, and Twitch.

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Links: The New York Times | American Whiskey Magazine

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Fakes have been plaguing Scotch Whisky collectors for years, but the rising boom in Bourbon’s popularity means more demand than supply — and that’s where counterfeiters see a chance to make money. With empty bottles available for sale online, it’s not that hard to create a fake Bourbon…until you get a call from Adam Herz. He’s a Los Angeles-based whisky collector who’s become an expert in the art of uncovering fake whiskies and the people who create them, and he’ll share his story with us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Kentucky alcohol regulators say the private barrel selection business is operating in a gray area of the state’s liquor laws, and there’s a race in the General Assembly to fix the problem. We’ll have that story and how similar issues could affect distillers in other states, along with a revival in whisky-related tourism, liquor shortages for Mardi Gras, and much more.

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That Boutique-y Whisky Company releases some of the most unique single cask whiskies on the market, and we’re joined this week by Sam “Dr. Whisky” Simmons and Dave Worthington for whisky talk, games, and much more! Join us each Friday night at 5:00pm New York time (22:00 GMT/UTC) for our live shows on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook page, Twitter, and Twitch.

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Links: That Boutique-y Whisky Company

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There was a time when farm distillers dominated whisky production until the advent of large-scale commercial distilling more than 150 years ago. Now, the boom in craft distilling has created a whole new crop of “grain to glass” farm-based distillers like Frey Ranch in Fallon, Nevada. Colby and Ashley Frey founded the distillery in 2013 on the farm east of Reno where Colby’s family has lived for generations, and they see whiskey as a way to not only showcase their grains, but provide a future for their kids. We’ll take an audio tour of the distillery and farm with Colby Frey on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the U.S. and Great Britain have agreed to re-start trade talks that could lead to the end of the UK’s tariff on American whiskey imports, while a new report shows Kentucky’s distilleries have a $9 billion annual impact on the state’s economy. We’ll also have details on expansion plans at Glenmorangie and details on new whiskies, along with tasting notes and much more!

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Our Friday night #HappyHourLive webcasts are back! This week’s show features Billy Abbott, author of the new book “The Philosophy of Whisky,” and Canadian Whisky Awards founder Davin de Kergommeaux. Davin handed out the 2022 Canadian Whisky Awards the night before our webcast, and we’ll discuss the winners along with the state of Canadian Whisky. Join us each Friday night at 5:00pm New York time (22:00 GMT/UTC) for our live shows on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook page, Twitter, and Twitch.

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Links: The Philosophy of Whisky | CanadianWhisky.org

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A century ago, Masataka Taketsuru was using the lessons he learned during his time in Scotland to build Japan’s emerging whisky industry armed with a notebook full of information. While that notebook remains in Nikka Whisky’s archives, it’s now been translated into English for the first time. Ruth Anne Herd and Professor Alan Wolstenholme teamed up for the translation, and there’s a family connection behind the project. Wolstenholme’s grandfather was the manager at Hazelburn Distillery in Campbeltown when Taketsuru was doing his “internship” there, and that’s one of the stories Alan Wolstenholme shares with us in this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. We’ll also have the week’s whisky news, including the winners of this year’s Canadian Whisky Awards, tasting notes, and much more!

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On the Production Methods of Pot Still Whisky: Campbeltown, Scotland, May 1920

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The excisemen of Scotland’s past never found all of the illegal whisky stills being used around the country, and traces of those illicit distilleries can be found to this day…if one knows where to look. Derek Alexander knows, and he’s on a mission to uncover as much of that history as possible in his role as an archaeologist with the National Trust for Scotland. His search started two decades ago with a project to uncover remains of The Glenlivet’s original distillery, and that project continues to this day as well, as he tells us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the wood was flying at the Kentucky Cooperage on New Year’s Day, but it wasn’t from the coopers…a tornado hit the cooperage with 100mph winds. We’ll have the details on that and the rest of the whisky news for the first week of 2022, along with tasting notes and a debate over whether liquor stores should be jacking up the price of Pappy Van Winkle and other rare whiskies.

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We’ll start the New Year off with an anniversary…the 1oth anniversary for the New York Distilling Co. in Brooklyn’s North Williamsburg neighborhood. Allen Katz and his partners opened their distillery in what was at the time a fairly run-down neighborhood, only to see gentrification take shape around them. As Allen discloses on WhiskyCast In-Depth for the first time, that’s forcing them to make plans to move to a new location in the very near future both to expand production and comply with the city’s pending changes to fire safety codes for distilleries. He’ll also explain why they decided to focus almost exclusively on making rye whiskies, including a special 10th anniversary single barrel edition of Ragtime Rye selected by legendary bartender Dale DeGroff. In the news, Europe’s tariffs on American whiskies are now officially suspended with the arrival of 2022, and U.S. distillers are jumping back into the European market. We’ll get an update on construction plans for Penderyn’s third distillery in Wales, and noted chef David Burke tells us about next week’s Beef and Bourbon Dinners at nine of his restaurants to raise money for Western Kentucky tornado victims.

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OK, the headline is a tease…of course Dr. Nick Savage is a whisky maker. In fact, he’s been the master distiller and blender at Scotland’s Bladnoch Distillery for the last couple of years. He’s just created the latest three Bladnoch single malts, and joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. Speaking of heroes, though…there are a lot of them in the whisky world, and many of them helped raise $3.4 million to help Kentucky tornado victims in the Kentucky Bourbon Benefit auction. We’ll have the details in this week’s news, along with a look at one of the groups behind the auction in our Behind the Label segment. It’s our final episode for 2021, so pour a dram, relax, and enjoy this week’s WhiskyCast!

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There are plenty of collaborations between whisky makers and the entertainment world, from singers and bands to actors who want to make their own whiskies. What’s the key to making one of these collaborations work? We’ll find out from Balcones Distilling’s Jared Himstedt, who just released the Tres Hombres Texas Whisky collaboration with the members of ZZ Top. We’ll also taste several other “celebrity” whiskies in the What I’m Tasting This Week Department, too. In the news, bidding has already reached $1.6 million in the Kentucky Bourbon Benefit auction to raise money for Western Kentucky tornado victims! We’ll have that story, along with the latest update on a new round of COVID-related lockdowns and whisky event changes, and on Behind the Label, the story of one man who found a way to turn his passion for whisky into a profit…without opening a single bottle.

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Ian Buxton is back with another edition in his popular “101 Whiskies” series, “101 Craft and World Whiskies to Try Before You Die.” This time, he’s defining craft whiskies using a similar standard to the classic one for obscenity: “I know it when I see it.” Of course, that’s tongue-in-cheek, and as Ian points out on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, the line gets blurrier all the time. In the news, Kentucky’s whiskey community is coming together to help the victims of this weekend’s deadly tornadoes, and we’ll have the details on how you can join the relief effort, too. A Canadian cannabis company is entering the Bourbon business with high hopes for the future, and U.S. craft distillers are celebrating real growth in their business. In our Behind the Label segment, we’ll look at the classic worm tub and why it’s making a comeback at some of Scotland’s distilleries.

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101 Craft and World Whiskies to Try Before You Die (101 Whiskies)

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John Campbell shocked the Scotch Whisky world a couple of months ago when he disclosed his plans to leave Islay’s Laphroaig Distillery after 27 years, with the last 16 as distillery manager. At the time, he wouldn’t say what his future plans were…but now, he’s joined the young Lochlea Distillery as its production director and master blender. John’s very first interview after confirming the move was with WhiskyCast, and you’ll hear it on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth! In the news, Scotch Whisky distillers raised more than £2.5 million for organizations helping troubled Scottish youth with The Distillers: One of One auction Friday. We’ll have the details, along with news on supply chain shortages affecting the whisky industry, plans for a new visitors centre at Ireland’s Midleton Distillery, and a delay in expansion plans for another Irish distillery because of something a critic compared to “Rapunzel’s Castle.”

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Bourbon is booming, and perhaps no distiller is riding the waves of the Bourbon boom more aggressively than Bardstown Bourbon Company. Over its first five years of production, it’s expanded to the point where the distillery is now one of the ten largest distilleries in the United States and sought out by potential collaborators of all kinds. Those collaborators range from Hall of Fame distillers to winemakers, entrepreneurs, and musicians – including Brad Paisley’s new “American Highway” Bourbon. The distillery’s Dan Callaway joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, there’s a debate over who should be allowed to enforce standards for Irish Whiskey, while another British diplomat is leaving the world of foreign policy behind to join the Scotch Whisky Association.

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The grain used to make many of today’s whiskies isn’t always picked for its flavor, but that’s not the distiller’s fault. Blame the commodity grain system, in which the largest grain customers determine what types of rye, corn, wheat, and barley are most widely planted by farmers. It’s the Golden Rule, in which the one with the most gold gets to call the shots…and distillers aren’t the ones with the most gold. Because of that, many grain types distillers would love to use are consigned to “heirloom” status or forgotten entirely. That’s what happened to Rosen Rye, a strain prized for generations by Pennsylvania distillers that almost disappeared completely – until a small band of mavericks brought it back to life. Earlier this month, a team of craft distillers gathered at George Washington’s Distillery at Mount Vernon to make a batch of Rosen Rye, and we’ll have that story for you on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the whisky portfolio for South Africa’s Distell Group is being split up in a merger with Heineken, while Pernod Ricard has fired up the stills at its first malt whisky distillery in China and another craft distiller is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

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Stock car racing got its start when illicit whiskey makers took their souped-up cars to the track after outrunning the police at night, but Tom and Kim Carter Bard have flipped the script on that story. While they still go racing, they’re also making whiskey at The Bard Distillery, and if that name sounds familiar, it’s because Tom’s ancestors founded Bardstown, Kentucky two centuries ago…though the family never made a drop of whiskey until the Bards opened their distillery in Western Kentucky’s Muhlenberg County. We’ll talk with them on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth as we celebrate the 16th anniversary of whisky’s longest-running podcast series!

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Much has been written, and done, about the impact of Scotch Whisky production on climate change over the last decade. Much less has been written about the potential impacts of climate change to Scotch Whisky makers, from distillery water sources drying up in periods of drought to reduced crop yields for barley farmers. As world leaders are gathered in Glasgow for the UN’s COP26 climate change summit, a new study by University College London researchers looks at those potential impacts. We’ll talk with Carole Martin, one of the lead researchers, and Daniel Sherry of Glengoyne and Ian Macleod Distillers, which funded the study.

In the news, there’s finally an end in sight for the European Union’s retaliatory import tariffs on American whiskies following this weekend’s G-20 Summit in Rome. Diageo is breaking ground on its first malt whisky distillery in China, and Scotch Whisky industry leaders are looking warily at the UK Government’s new plans for taxing whisky and other spirits starting in 2023. We’ll have those stories, and in this week’s Behind the Label segment, a look at how one American distillery makes the most of every drop of water it uses.

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Northern California is known for its wines, but distillers have been quietly making excellent whiskies there for many years. Now, Sonoma County’s Redwood Empire Distillery is releasing its first bottled in bond whiskies: Grizzly Beast Bourbon and Rocket Top Rye, named for some of California’s legendary redwood trees. Distillers Jeff Duckhorn and Lauren Patz join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth along with CEO Aaron Webb. In the news, the Heaven Hill strike is over after six weeks, and you’ll hear from the union leader who led 420 workers out on strike and back to work starting this week. We’ll have the latest whisky news, tasting notes, and another comparison between wine and whisky in our Behind the Label segment.

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Independent bottlers buy casks of whisky and sell them under their own labels, and while they’re common in Scotland and other parts of the world, independent bottlers are much less common in the United States. Last year, Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonski gave up their day jobs to start Lost Lantern with a goal of bottling some of the best American whiskies available. So far, their whiskies have been a success, and they celebrated their first anniversary with a new release of five different whiskies from distilleries around the U.S. They’ll join us on WhiskyCast In-Depth to discuss that early success, the difficulties in establishing an independent bottler, and working together as a couple during the pandemic.

In the news, longtime Johnnie Walker master blender Jim Beveridge is retiring at year’s end, and his successor will break new ground for the 201-year-old brand. Emma Walker will become the first woman to hold the title in Johnnie Walker’s long history. Heaven Hill is hiring replacements for its striking workers in Kentucky, and one of Australia’s largest distillers is planning a major expansion after its latest acquisition. We’ll have those stories and much more…including what can happen when a royal visit to a distillery doesn’t quite go as planned.

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Today’s Buffalo Trace Distillery started out 164 years ago when Daniel Swigert started making whiskey on the banks of the Kentucky River. His distillery didn’t really have a name back then, and the site’s had many names over the years as part of its history…one that includes legendary names like Taylor, Stagg, Blanton, and Lee. F. Paul Pacult’s latest book, “Buffalo, Barrels, & Bourbon” dives deeply into that history, and he joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, tariff talks between the U.S. and the European Union are coming down to the deadline again, and that has Bourbon makers nervous. Distillers in Ireland are proposing to update the legal standards for Irish Whiskey, and the world’s oldest whisky goes on the auction block.

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Springbank’s Findlay Ross and Ranald Watson joined us from Campbeltown, Scotland on the latest Happy Hour Live webcast to answer your whisky questions. We also talked about plans for J&A Mitchell’s third distillery to be built in Campbeltown, with a goal of having it open in time for Springbank’s 200th anniversary in 2028. There are also new environmental initiatives in the works for Springbank and Glengyle distilleries, along with new whiskies and the return of Springbank’s popular whisky school in 2022.

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Links: Springbank

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Master Blender Sandy Hyslop usually creates his whiskies and lets someone else worry about the packaging, but for the debut of the Royal Salute Couture Collection, he had the challenge of creating a 21-year-old whisky to match designer Richard Quinn’s bespoke decanter. We’ll discuss that challenge and the craft of whisky blending on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, longtime Laphroaig manager John Campbell is stepping down, while the Heaven Hill strike in Kentucky is now in its third week. We’ll have those stories, along with the latest whisky news and a bit of advice: watch out for desk chairs…they can have a mind of their own!

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Colby and Ashley Frey own and operate Frey Ranch Farmers + Distillers, a true “grain to glass” farm distillery in Fallon, Nevada. Not only do they grow all of their own grain, but the only thing the Frey family didn’t build themselves was the still – a unique combination of column and pot stills custom-built by Vendome. The Freys did have to assemble the still, though…and that’s one of the stories they shared on our Happy Hour Live webcast the other night. We’re also joined by Aberfeldy’s Gareth Howells and actor Beth Behrs, known for her roles on “The Neighborhood” and “Two Broke Girls.” They’ll tell us about Aberfeldy’s #BarrelsAndBees program to protect and expand critically endangered honeybee habitat, along with Beth’s own experiences in both whisky and beekeeping.

Editor’s note: WhiskyCast’s Mark Gillespie visited Frey Ranch in Nevada before this webcast as part of a tour for drinks writers organized by the distillery. As with all of our content, though, full editorial content of this episode remains with WhiskyCast.

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Links: Frey Ranch | Aberfeldy | Barrels & Bees with Beth Behrs

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Bourbon fermenters are bubbling all over the United States because of unprecedented global demand for “America’s Native Spirit.” September is Bourbon Heritage Month, and there’s a sound argument to be made that history will remember this as one of the brightest periods ever for Bourbon. We’ll look at the business fueling that growth this week with Steve Beam of Limestone Branch Distillery in Kentucky, Trey Zoeller of Jefferson’s Bourbon, and Craig Johnson of Pernod Ricard USA. His colleagues have been among the most active investors in Bourbon over the last five years, including acquiring Jefferson’s 18 months ago. In the news, the U.S. will open its borders for whiskey tourism starting in November, while the Heaven Hill strike continues in Kentucky. In our Behind the Label segment, we’ll look at two different methods of distilling whiskey…both involve grain, of course, but that’s where the similarities end.

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