Author name: Mark Gillespie

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 Read More »

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 Read More »

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 Read More »

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 Read More »

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 Read More »

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 Read More »