Mark Gillespie - BourbonSphere

Ask the Distiller: Ardbeg’s Dr. Bill Lumsden

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… Read More

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 Sir Davis Whiskey. 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

Bacardi Completes Upgrades at Aultmore Distillery

Bacardi has completed a £15 million project to upgrade its Aultmore Distillery in Speyside. The project includes a new tun room, still house, and boiler… Read More

Bacardi has completed a £15 million project to upgrade its Aultmore Distillery in Speyside. The project includes a new tun room, still house, and boiler house, and will double the distillery’s production capacity.

The upgrades will also make Aultmore more energy-efficient as well, with the new boiler designed to operate on either natural gas or hydrogen fuel. The distillery has also incorporated the latest thermal vapor recompression technology to capture and reuse vapors in distilling to improve efficiency.

In addition, Bacardi has also invested in three new maturation warehouses at its Poniel blending and maturation facilities in Glasgow. The state of the art warehouses are designed to increase capacity by 15% over the bond’s other warehouses. The company also recently completed upgrades at its Macduff distillery, which produces The Deveron single malt.

Bacardi Vice President of Supply Chain, Europe, Keith Hogg said in a statement “our investment in Aultmore and Macduff distilleries and our Poniel blending and maturation centre is an important step in the bold plans we have for our premium and ultra-premium whiskies. We are so proud of the exceptional quality of our award-winning Scotch whiskies and are investing in its growth for the long-term.”

Scotch Whisky Association Blasts UK Excise Tax Hike

The Scotch Whisky industry is accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government of going back on its campaign promise to back Scotch makers “to the hilt.”… Read More

The Scotch Whisky industry is accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government of going back on its campaign promise to back Scotch makers “to the hilt.” Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ first budget address to Parliament Wednesday included a 2.7% excise tax increase on distilled spirits in line with inflation, while giving a tax break to beer and cider served on draught in the on-premise market.

“Just raising further tax does not mean you’re going to get more money into the revenue for the Exchequer for public services, and indeed, the government figures show the opposite is the case,” Scotch Whisky Association chief executive Mark Kent told WhiskyCast in an interview. “The last time that the previous Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, raised the tax rate by 10.1%, that led to a fall in 300 million pounds for the treasury revenue…what we’ve seen as a result of this is that we’ve been put at a further competitive disadvantage to other alcohol categories such as beer and cider.”

Kent said the tax hike will damage the Scotch Whisky industry as well as the Scottish economy and undermines the Labour government’s commitment to “Brand Scotland,” given that 70% of UK spirits are produced in Scotland. The increase will take the tax bite on an average bottle of Scotch to above £12 for the first time.

Buffalo Trace Releases 2024 Antique Collection

Buffalo Trace Distillery has unveiled the annual Antique Collection, with five whiskies ranging from the George T. Stagg uncut and unfiltered Bourbon to the Sazerac… Read More

Buffalo Trace Distillery has unveiled the annual Antique Collection, with five whiskies ranging from the George T. Stagg uncut and unfiltered Bourbon to the Sazerac 18-year-old Rye whiskey.

This year’s release of William Larue Weller Bourbon also marks a milestone for the distillery. 25 years ago, Sazerac Company acquired the rights to the Weller brand. In a news release, Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley said “for more than two decades, we’ve worked hard to craft the signature flavors that whiskey enthusiasts love, both within the Weller brand and the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Our commitment to this tradition is stronger than ever, and we look forward to carrying it well into the future.” The 2024 William Larue Weller Bourbon aged for more than 12 years on the lower floor of one of Buffalo Trace’s rickhouses, and is bottled at 62.9% ABV.

This year’s Eagle Rare 17-year-old Bourbon was distilled in the spring of 2007, making it 17 years and four months old at bottling time. It is bottled at 50.5% ABV as a tribute to the original Eagle Rare release in 1975.

The 2024 edition of Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye whiskey is a 6-year-old uncut, unfiltered rye bottled at 63.6% ABV, up from last year’s offering. It’s named for the bartender who first used rye whiskey in the original Sazerac cocktail.

The Sazerac 18-year-old rye is named after the official cocktail of New Orleans, and was bottled at 18 years and five months. Last year’s version was awarded the “Gold Outstanding” medal in the 2024 International Wine & Spirits Competition.

Finally, the 2024 George T. Stagg Bourbon is a 15-year-old whiskey bottled at 68.05% ABV, and is named for the original purchaser of what was then known as the O.F.C. Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky.

All five bottles are available in limited amounts nationwide with a recommended retail price of $149.99 each. However, local retailers are free to set their own pricing and frequently raise the price of the Antique Collection bottles.

Image courtesy Buffalo Trace Distillery.

Shining a Light on Lost Lantern

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… Read More

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.

Behind the Scenes at a Spirits Competition

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… Read More

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.

From Scotland to California: John Campbell’s New Journey

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… Read More

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.

True Story: Wes Henderson’s Next Chapter

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,… Read More

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.

The World’s Most Remote Distillery?

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.… Read More

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.

Nelson’s Green Brier Maple Old Fashioned

Rachel Ramirez, the leader of the cocktail team at Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in Nashville, Tennessee created this variation on the classic Old Fashioned using… Read More

Rachel Ramirez, the leader of the cocktail team at Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in Nashville, Tennessee created this variation on the classic Old Fashioned using maple syrup and Nelson’s Green Brier Bottled in Bond Tennessee Whiskey.

2 ounces Nelson’s Green Brier Bottled in Bond

1/4 ounce maple syrup

2 dashes Angostura bitters

1 dash orange bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir. Strain into a rocks glass over one large cube. Express the oils from an orange peel over the top of the drink and insert the peel into the drink.