Author name: Mark Gillespie

Happy Hour Live with Ashley & Colby Frey, Beth Behrs, and Gareth Howells (Episode 900: September 22, 2021)

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” Read More »

Pernod Ricard Jumps Into Retail, Acquiring The Whisky Exchange

By Mark Gillespie September 21, 2021 – Like other spirits companies, Pernod Ricard has been nibbling at the edges of the e-commerce business with in-house platforms. Now, the number-two spirits producer is taking a shark-sized bite with a deal to acquire London-based retailer The Whisky Exchange from founders Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh. The brothers entered the retail business 22 years ago with a single shop in London, and have expanded over the years to become one of the world’s leading online retailers of whiskies and other spirits while opening two additional locations in London. Terms of the deal were not Read More »

Is Now the Golden Age of Bourbon? (Episode 899: September 20, 2021)

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 Read More »

Happy Hour Live at the American Whiskey Convention (Episode 898: September 15, 2021)

Live broadcasting is sort of like walking a tightrope…most of the time, it works. Then, there are those times when one’s walking the tightrope while juggling chainsaws, and that’s what happened during our #HappyHourLive webcast Friday night at the American Whiskey Convention. While the live video stream was plagued with technical glitches, our audio backup made this episode possible! Thanks to all of our guests who joined us Friday night, as well as those of you who watched the live video stream. Links: Catoctin Creek | Kentucky Artisan Distilling | Jefferson’s Bourbon | Cooper Spirits | Altered State Distillery | Read More »

Kentucky Bourbon’s Next Generation Comes of Age (Episode 897: September 13, 2021)

Distillers like to say they’re laying down whiskies for the next generation, but in many cases, it’s their next generation who will be bottling those whiskies. That tradition is being passed on now in the Noe and Russell families, as Freddie Noe and Bruce Russell take on more and more responsibilities at the Jim Beam and Wild Turkey distilleries. Freddie is the eighth generation of his branch of the Beam family tree, and will eventually take over for his father Fred Noe as Beam’s master distiller. Bruce is the son of Wild Turkey Master Distiller Eddie Russell, who had to Read More »

Heaven Hill Workers on Strike

By Mark Gillespie September 11, 2021 – With the biggest weekend of the year in the “Bourbon Capital of the World” just a few days away, visitors  to Bardstown, Kentucky for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival may be greeted with picket signs at the town’s newest attraction. Heaven Hill workers started a strike today after their five-year contract expired at midnight and are staffing a picket line outside the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience, which opened this summer after a two-year renovation and upgrade project. Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 23-D voted overwhelmingly in favor of the strike Read More »

Happy Hour Live with Brent Elliott, Darryl McNally, and Christopher Coates (Episode 896: September 8, 2021)

Four Roses is releasing its 2021 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon this month, and Master Distiller Brent Elliott joined us on the latest #HappyHourLive webcast with the details. We’re also joined by Darryl McNally. who stepped down as Master Distiller at Ireland’s Dublin Liberties Distillery recently to start his own Limavady Irish Whiskey brand and revive his family’s distilling heritage in Northern Ireland’s County Antrim. Whisky Magazine editor Christopher Coates makes his first appearance on our Friday night webcasts, too. Join us each Friday at 5:00pm New York time for our live webcasts on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook Read More »

80 Years of Patience Pays Off for Gordon & MacPhail (Episode 895: September 6, 2021)

On a cold, wintry Scottish day in February of 1940, one of Gordon & MacPhail’s Sherry casks was filled with new make spirit at Glenlivet Distillery. That cask lasted through wars, recessions, and a couple of generations of Urquhart family members to become the oldest Scotch Whisky ever bottled: the Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 80 Years Old. Stephen Rankin of Gordon & MacPhail joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth to share the story behind this rare whisky…and we’ll taste it, too! In the news, global shortages of glass bottles and packaging materials caused by the pandemic are about Read More »

Happy Hour Live with Steve Beal, David Blackmore, Ewan Morgan, and Owen Martin (Episode 894: September 1, 2021)

Make sure your battery’s charged for this one, since we spent nearly two hours talking the other night with longtime Scotch Whisky and Bourbon ambassdors Steve Beal, David Blackmore, and Ewan Morgan, along with Stranahan’s head distiller Owen Martin. We covered everything from Steve’s ongoing fight against pancreatic cancer to life on the road and Owen’s latest distillery exclusive bottling for Stranahan’s. Join us each Friday night for our #HappyHourLive webcast at 5pm New York time on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook page, Twitter, and Twitch. Links: Stranahan’s | Glenmorangie | Ardbeg | Classic Malts | Bulleit Bourbon

10 Years of Whiskies with FEW Regrets (Episode 893: August 30, 2021)

Paul Hletko opened FEW Spirits in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois in 2011 as part of the explosion of small-scale distilleries around the United States. He became a leader in the craft distilling movement, and is celebrating FEW’s 10th anniversary with the release of a commemorative four-grain Bourbon this week. We’ll talk with Paul about balancing the art and commerce of making whisky on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, travel restrictions may be going back into effect that could affect whisky tourism, while the owner of a Kentucky distillery has now agreed to plead guilty to charges Read More »

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