Author name: Mark Gillespie

Happy Hour Live with Tasmania’s Fannys Bay Distillery (Episode 946: May 4, 2022)

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

A True Crime…and Whisky Story (Episode 945: May 1, 2022)

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 »

Pernod Ricard to Invest $110 Million at Speyside Distilleries

April 29, 2022 – Pernod Ricard is planning major expansions at its Aberlour and Miltonduff distilleries in Scotland. The two Speyside distilleries will receive a total of £88 million ($110 million USD) in upgrades that will increase production by 14 million liters of alcohol annually. In a news release, the company’s Chivas Brothers unit unveiled plans for an all-new still house at Aberlour, along with a new visitors center to replace the tiny shop at the distillery’s main gate. The distillery’s production will be doubled to nearly eight million liters of alcohol each year using sustainable distilling technology as part Read More »

Heaven Hill Plans $135 Million Bardstown Distillery

April 27, 2022 – Groundbreaking is expected in June for Heaven Hill’s return to distilling in Bardstown, Kentucky. The family-owned distiller plans to build a $135 million dollar distillery in Bardstown. When it opens in 2024, the distillery will make Heaven Hill’s first whiskey in Bardstown since the historic 1996 fire that destroyed the Shapira family’s original distillery. The announcement comes after Tuesday night’s approval of zoning changes for the site by the Nelson County Planning Commission. The distillery will be built on a 61-acre vacant piece of land just east of Bardstown Community Park along Highway 245, just west of Read More »

On the Road in Las Vegas (Episode 944: April 24, 2022)

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 »

Happy Hour Live with Starward Whisky’s David Vitale (Episode 943: April 20, 2022)

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

Coors Enters the Whiskey Business (Episode 942: April 18, 2022)

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 »

Happy Hour Live with Rachel McCormack (Episode 941: April 14, 2022)

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

An Old Elk Learns New Tricks (Episode 940: April 10, 2022)

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 »

Happy Hour Live with Tara Nurin (Episode 939: April 6, 2022)

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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