interview - BourbonSphere

Get to Know: Heather Greene, CEO, Milam & Green Whiskey

Really, I guess, whiskey chose me. I found it interesting, and when you follow your curiosity, it takes you places.

Heather Greene doesn’t resent the fact that her first brush with fame came after writing the book, “Whisk(e)y Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life.” What people don’t see, she says, is writing a book didn’t make her a whiskey specialist at all. Her real expertise was built over a decade working in restaurants and bars, including The Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Edinburgh, Scotland. After consulting for numerous whisky brands there, she returned to the U.S. to work for William Grant & Sons. When the opportunity to consult with Milam & Greene came about, she knew the time had come to invest that talent in a brand she could lead. That, she says, was when her expertise became more valuable than any book byline.

I had a huge whiskey background before I did the book. I became a writer because I already was a whiskey expert. For me and a lot of my other colleagues, they believe that first you have to be an expert in whiskey to write about it. That’s how you become a voice of authority. It’s not like it is now where some people say, “I’m a writer, so I’m an expert.”

When I got into whiskey it wasn’t even a thing. I had all these great whiskeys (at bars where she worked) that I had access to, things that are allocated now, whiskeys that sold later for hundreds and thousands of dollars were … always just there! Whiskey is experiential, so you gain experience tasting it and working in that area and then you write about it.

Really, I guess, whiskey chose me. I found it interesting, and when you follow your curiosity, it takes you places.

My husband was a grad student studying in Edinburgh, Scotland. The first thing I did when I got there was to see if I could work at a bar or restaurant. I’d always gravitated toward hospitality. I liked bartending. I liked making your drinks. I worked for Danny Meyer at Union Square Café in Manhattan. He was a huge inspiration when it came to hospitality and the culture of taking care of employees.

Really, I guess, whiskey chose me. I found it interesting, and when you follow your curiosity, it takes you places. I wound up at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. I was the first woman there.

Eventually I became a consultant helping brands improve. Things like optimizing their barrels, helping with PR and marketing. I helped create a ton of brands and learned a lot about the business. From there I started working at William & Grant, and I was traveling back and forth from the States to Scotland for five years.

I got a book deal because I was a whiskey expert; I was already in the whiskey industry.

So, I already had a huge whiskey background before I did the book. How the book came to be ... that's a ‘New York story.' My neighbors had a party one night, and I met some (literary) agents there who said, “You should write a book.” I’d been traveling all over the world and had experiences that they thought were interesting, so, I said to myself, “OK, I’ll write a book.” I got a book deal and spent two years writing and traveling to get it done. That included spending a lot of time in Japan and starting to go to Kentucky.

Once the book was published, then everybody knew who I was, and I started writing for other publications. They knew me as a writer. To me, that’s how you become a voice of authority in writing. Today there are people jumping in and calling themselves whiskey experts. I read so many writers who aren’t asking the right questions because they don’t know the nuances of whiskey making. … I got a book deal because I was already in the whiskey industry.

To get to Milam & Greene … I consulted for them. I went to (Blanco) Texas and met with some people who had an idea. They were this rag-tag brand of 'whiskey pirates,' as I called them. (Co-founder) Marsha Milam and (master distiller) Marlene Holmes were already there. They asked what I’d do in their situation, and I said, I’d build a distillery. They said, “Why don’t you come down here and do it?” I thought, “Really?” I went back to New York and my husband’s like, “Why not?” I was like, “OK. It’s time to take everything I’d seen and learned at all these craft distilleries I’d worked with and do this.”

How difficult is it to blend whiskey from a pot still with that from a column still? It’s not. If you have delicious, amazing barrels of whiskey, you’re going to have something pretty great already. Then it’s up to the blender to refine it. But there’s so much hard work that precedes blending.

I find the hardest part is designing the barrel program, where you’re going to distill, the mashbill, what your yeast is, what char levels you’re going, what climate you're aging in—Kentucky or Hill Country Texas—what your barrel entry proof is. You have to know how to identify if something’s wrong, and when to know where and for how long that barrel should age in what spot. Fostering those barrels as they become something different is the really tricky but beautiful part. Blending is the icing on the cake.

I look at it this way: Say you’re going to have a garden to grow a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The actual work goes into tilling the soil, planting the seeds, the watering, the fertilizing, the clipping and cutting and the pruning to have this beautiful garden. And at the last minute, you’re going to arrange the bouquet. That bouquet gets all the attention, but it’s the easiest part.

I can only be a great master blender if I’m first a farmer—a harvester of barrels.

People say, “You just contract and source.” No, I don’t. I’ve been with these barrels since the beginning of their lives. Years and years and heart and soul and millions of dollars go into those barrels. And if you’re not in that garden and helping it flourish, no matter what you do, you’re not going to be able blend anything good.

I need to know where that barrel is, know if it needs more time or if it needs to be moved somewhere else. We do a lot of movement between states; taking barrels from Kentucky (where they’re filled and aged) and move them to the Texas heat for two years. So, we have two different climates on that barrel. I can only be a great master blender if I’m first a farmer—a harvester of barrels. I’m only as a good a blender as what I’ve ‘grown’ for those five years.

I’d describe Milam & Greene whiskies as refined, subtle, elegant, luxurious and nuanced. That’s not easy to pull off given that bourbon has become kind of one thing, one target. Even in malt whiskey, there’s Speyside, Highlands, Lowlands and Japanese. Not for bourbon. It’s one thing only.

One way we can create the flavors we do is by having one foot in Kentucky and another in Texas. What we do in Texas is different—a pot still, climate, terroir—that’s Texas magic. I think consumers are looking for something else other than bourbon being that one thing. We want them to think that if they’re not in the mood for something really bold, they turn to a Milam & Greene whiskey to get something that’s refined and nuanced.

Get to Know: Glencairn’s Martin Duffy

The busiest part of my year begins in February when whiskey events start. … Then things slow down some later in the year, and I work on creating distillery trails for different states. Yes, that’s for Glencairn.

As the North American brand representative for Scotland-based Glencairn Crystal, Martin Duffy travels Canada, the U.S. and, increasingly, Mexico looking for events, brands, bars and restaurants that could use his employer’s signature whiskey glasses. The job requires a lot of cold calling that, because of Duffy’s engaging style, become warm welcomes and lasting relationships. He likes people, people like him and a lot of people like that elegant glassware line—which has grown well beyond its immediately recognizable whiskey glass.

Duffy took a moment to chat about his job, traveling and taking care of himself while endlessly on the road. This short version of his story is in his own words.

I was a small-time actor in the 1980s. Yeah, I really wanted to do it. I guess my most notable job was as an extra in the Paul Newman movie, “The Color of Money.” He was a nice guy. Bought all the actors a beer once. Budweiser, of course, which was his favorite.

I didn’t make much money acting, so I was a waiter at a pizza parlor. But the better money to be made was tending bar. So I did that for 12 years, in Chicago, where I grew up and still live. In 1996, I was told about a position for Johnnie Walker Scotch, where I was in the Kilted Clan. Yep, we wore kilts, ran into bars and bought people drinks for four or five minutes and then left and did it again at some other bar. Yeah, it was fun. You’re all about the brand and you go and make people happy.

Eventually Johnnie Walker made me a Scotch ambassador and then a brand ambassador. I taught a lot, sometimes 150 to 200 people a session, and sessions were sometimes back to back. The point was to sing the praises of Johnnie Walker and tell them what Scotch was. Eventually they wanted full time brand ambassadors in the U.S. for Johnnie Walker and, eventually, other Diageo stuff like Bulleit, George Dickel and Bushmills.

Eventually I put together my own Irish whiskey history classes, which I taught in Chicago. Also round that time, Dave Schmier, who owned Redemption Rye at that time, was running an indie whiskey festival, and had me run his Redemption table for him. It was a success, so I convinced him to create and co-operate the Chicago Independent Spirits Expo.

I met Raymond Davidson, founder of Glencairn, back in 2001 at WhiskeyFest Chicago. Raymond saw that the event lacked real whiskey glasses, and he and his son, Paul, thought it was a good idea to create them. I’d see the family anytime they came to Chicago, and when I went to Scotland for my own work, I visited them.

In 2014, Andy Davidson, Raymond’s youngest son, asked if I wanted to work for Glencairn. The job had no real description, so I got to create it by figuring out what my role entailed. To this day much of what I do is I travel throughout north America and Canada attending events that feature our glass. It’s a great way to meet brands who are our customers. I go to other trade events to see if they could use our glassware. It’s a lot of hellos and handshakes, just making contacts. A lot of traveling, too.

The busiest part of my year begins in February when whiskey events start. … Then things slow down some later in the year, and I work on creating distillery trails for different states. Yes, that’s for Glencairn. Ohio just launched a distillery trail, and I’ve done it also for Michigan, Colorado, Texas and Wisconsin.

To do, it I drive a lot between distilleries and map out what I think would be a convenient trail to take if I were a tourist. I really enjoy traveling like that because it lets me wander some. I like seeing things off the beaten path—the world’s largest taco, the world’s largest pencil, stuff that just interests me. Of course, I like meeting new people, and they always have their personal recommendations for places I should eat.

Are those places I regret going? No! Their suggestions interest me! But eating right is a tough part (of traveling a lot). Sleeping, too. I’ve learned the hard way … to drink considerably less than I once did, and I won’t drink unless there’s food.

For me, the best part of the job is at events. That’s where you see so many friends you’ve made over the years. Craft distillers are especially interesting because so many have been in other careers before they took the leap into whiskey making. You see them during the event, and then, maybe you go out to dinner, and then, maybe to the hotel bar for one last drink before you go to bed and do it all over the next day.

How many glasses has Glencairn sold? As of 2020, we’d sold 25 million whiskey glasses. But now the line has grown so much that I have no idea what that number is. We have Wee Glencairns, copitas (for tequila), gin goblets, crystal tumblers, Glencairn Mixers and other stuff. We’ve gone well beyond just whiskey, and I think there’s still room for more product ideas.

Q&A with Carey Bringle, Peg Leg Porker Tennessee Bourbon

During Carey Bringle’s corporate sales and marketing career, his side hustle was barbecue caterer. Leveraging his talent and passion for smoking meats, he dove into barbecue full-time in 2013 with Peg Leg Porker BBQ, an expansive restaurant and bar he co-owns with his wife, Delaniah, in Nashville’s trendy Gulch neighborhood.

And as if the big and busy restaurant didn’t burden him enough, that same year he created Peg Leg Porker Spirits and its flagship liquid, Peg Leg Porker Tennessee Bourbon. That’s right, not Tennessee whiskey—even though he uses hickory charcoal to create just a whiff of smoke in his spirits.

Like his barbecue business (one of four total restaurant concepts), he’s built his spirits brand slowly and sustainably, growing market share within the reach of the brand, adding markets cautiously, and collecting numerous spirits awards along the way (including "World's Best Bourbon,” Tasting Alliance World Championship, 2023).

I met Bringle in 2019 to write a story on pairing barbecue and bourbon. Knowing next to nothing about his bourbon, I wondered about the quality of a barbecue man’s whiskey. As we ate a mountain of barbecue and sipped from the numerous bottles shown on the table in the photo above, it was clear that his was not only delicious, but well suited for my favorite food and drink pairing.

A man of firm opinions, Bringle is also hilarious. The face in the photo below belies his easy laugh and friendly grin, and it shows his growing line of PLB whiskeys.

In his words …

I’m a bourbon drinker. Always have been. I’ve worked with Jim Beam Black for years since they became the sponsor of my barbecue team, The Peg Leg Porkers. They still sponsor my BBQ team even though I have my whiskey brand.

I got into the whiskey business at about the worst possible time—right after the restaurant had just opened. I’d always wanted to do my own whiskey brand but never dreamed it would happen. I had a friend from Beam whose son wanted to buy a batch of (barreled) bourbon. He wanted to sell some of it off to lower his risk, and he offered that portion to me. We put together $50,000 and bought it.

As my brand was coming out and I started talking about it, some people would say, “Oh, so you took somebody else’s bourbon and slapped your label on it.” Well, that probably got under my skin a bit, so I started thinking about how to differentiate it. Eventually I developed my own process to finish this bourbon.

A lot of people expected me to have a smoked bourbon because of my barbecue background. But one thing I know a lot about is smoke and fire, and smoke is bitter and acrid. If you merely smoked the bourbon, you’ve captured those pollutants in the liquid, and that’s not what I wanted to do. What I needed was something that would capture the flavor of barbecue in the bourbon.

So, I loaded up our pit up with charcoal, shoveled some (burned) coals out of the firebox and put them into a bucket of water. In very small batches I’d pour my whiskey through those coals. The effect was extremely subtle, but it changed flavor enough to be different. It had the flavor I was after.

I still use some coals from our pit to do that, but as we got bigger, I found a commercial source of byproduct, which is fine, like sand. It gives me more surface area and saturation with the bourbon. We do that after we de-barrel the bourbon, which I think gives it a little cleaner taste and makes it a little smoother. It also imparts the smoke flavor.

Personally, I like 8-year-old whiskey, which I think is kind of a sweet spot for bourbon. But we’ve got older stuff, including a barrel from the first lot that I ever bought. It’s 16 years old and it’s 148 proof. I was asking a chemist if I should bottle it at 148. All I know is when I try it, I feel like I’m being stabbed in neck!

We started small, and in the past several years we did 3,000 to 4,000 cases. Now we have our own botting facility, and this year we’ll do 10,000 cases. Next year we’ll ramp up to 25,000 cases. We’re in 11 states now, and the next are Texas and Florida, which are behemoth markets.

In 2019, we started contract distilling with Tennessee Distilling in Columbia, and laying down our own barrels. We still buy mature product if it’s good and available. But now we have our own supply in addition to that, which means we control our own destiny a lot more than we have in the past.

I’m a rarity in the whiskey industry since I’m 100 percent independent. No partners, backers or outside investors. Just me and the bank. You need some deep pockets and big balls to do it that way. If you don’t have that, you ought not get in this business.

We want to grow the business for sure, but we want our bottles to be more allocated. We don’t want to be a commodity bourbon, but our PLP white label is a $40 daily drinker. Too many of our (craft) peers come into the market with $60 and $100 bottles that people aren’t buying. I don’t think that’s a sustainable brand.

So, what’s harder: A whiskey business or a restaurant business? They’re very different, but both are fun. I’m lucky that I’m doing two the things I absolutely love. You’re dealing with a lot of people in the restaurant industry: customers, of course, and employees you have to train to keep the product consistent every day. But bourbon … you get it right on the front end or you don’t. I can also run the bourbon operation with far fewer employees and produce similar revenue with a bigger margin—sometimes, anyway.

We’ve taken the approach that turtle wins the race, so we’re trying to build a lasting and sustainable brand. Still, we might sell the brand someday—if we get the right offer. This business is not for the faint of heart. It’s capital intensive and comes with risks, so again, if we get the right offer. But if we don’t sell, we have a viable and profitable business that’s built for the long haul. We can operate that and enjoy it.

Q&A with Hall of Fame master distiller, Jerry Dalton

“Master distiller” was a new title back then, and Dalton believes he’d never have received it without Booker Noe’s blessing.

Over two decades in the American whiskey industry, Jerry Dalton worked at Barton 1792 Distillery as its chief chemist, and James B. Beam Distillery, from which he retired as master distiller in 2007. In 2023, he was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame.

His appointment at Barton came in 1987, when distillery employees never made headlines. Back then, the venerable distillery needed help refining and standardizing its some of its processes, and after running his own independent environmental lab for years, he was a good fit for the job.

When he moved to Beam in 1996, master distiller Booker Noe was retired from production but remained as its beloved brand ambassador. His son, Fred Noe, would soon become master distiller and adjust to the evolving life of a whiskey maker cum celebrity. Beam’s second distillery, the expansive Booker Noe Plant, located in Boston, Ky., needed a distillery manager, and Dalton was happy to assume the low-profile job.

In His Words: Angel’s Envy Master Distiller, Owen Martin

What’s different between what I do now versus what I did at Stranahan’s was operating mostly as a blender and finding complementary finishing casks. I really enjoyed that, but to come here was an opportunity to do that on a bigger playground.

Nearly two years ago, Owen Martin accepted the master distiller’s job at Louisville Distilling Co., home to Angel’s Envy Bourbon. In multiple conversations with him, he’s made clear that moving to Kentucky was “stepping up to the big leagues” of American distilling. In his six years making American single malt at Stranahan’s Whiskey Distillery in Denver, he learned a lot about blending and cask finishing, skills beneficial for the job in Louisville.

He'd been told the camaraderie among Kentucky distilleries was strong, but he said it’s exceeded all expectations. What’s also impressed him is the access to a wide range of high-quality, affordable finishing casks available through Bacardi, owner of Angel’s Envy. He views these casks as levers to create a variety of new and unique finished cask releases for the brand that started that trend in bourbon.

Following are his words about working in Kentucky and how Angel’s Envy’s first non-finished release, a Bottled-In-Bond, was created.

Taylor Hughes Praying to the Whiskey

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On this week’s podcast episode we have Taylor Hughes Praying to the Whiskey. Taylor visited Jeptha Bend Farm and preformed some of her latest music for us while sipping on three bourbon expressions that she chose off my shelves. While she belted out her song Praying to the Whiskey, we sat there sipping on Elmer T Lee and the words to the song made me think back to memories of Ten High while deployed to Korea and drinking a bottle of Jack Daniels on a New Year’s Eve in Northern Michigan. Not my finest moments in life for sure.

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I would have several experiences like that throughout my 20’s where I didn’t respect the whiskey. Of course this brought on the prayers that I would swear off whiskey. You can see how that ended up. It wasn’t until I joined the Coast Guard and truly learned to appreciate and respect whiskey. At the time the Coast Guard was having problems with their service members over consuming. Imagine that, you stick a young man or woman in a remote location or keep them on a Coast Guard Cutter for months on end and they find trouble.

In someone’s infinite wisdom the Coast Guard created a training course on how to drink properly. This course was almost like a video game, allowing you to build your own character. What these course taught me was that I was doing this whiskey thing all wrong. It taught me the wave theory which is to drink one drink an hour and get to the top of the wave and stay there. We have all coming crashing off that wave at some point in our life. But to ensure I didn’t do that again I make sure to eat a good meal.

First things first — it’s never a good idea to drink any amount of alcohol on an empty stomach. Alcohol is absorbed very quickly and you’re more likely to feel the effects sooner when you’re running on empty. Focus on PFFF: “This stands for protein, fat, fiber and fermented foods, which is the ideal way to eat for your gut and really your overall health. Something I really love is charcuterie. Charcuterie may be all the rage, but it might also be the perfect meal to pair with your drinking if you make smart choices. Keep an eye out for the usual suspects on the board: cheese, bread, dried fruits, raw vegetables, olives and olive oil.

There is of course some foods to avoid which is funny because most bars serve them. In general, you should steer clear of fried foods. Foods that can trigger heartburn include chocolate, spicy foods and peppermint should be avoided. Jim and I can both attest to those. Something that also might surprise you Jack and Coke drinkers is to avoid caffeine. These can give you that false sense that you can drink more because they can mask the effects of Alcohol. Now that we have covered the food portion let’s get to something just as important. WATER.

Yes hydration is key. I like to drink a glass of water to every drink I consume. If you see me with a drink in my hand there is usually a glass of water very near. Drinking water while consuming alcohol is an important part of minimizing its effects. Staying hydrated not only improves your mental capacity but also helps your body flush out toxins and protects your skin. To end a night I always try and drink do glasses right before bed. This ensures I wake up refreshed and feeling my best. Hope these few tips help you enjoy your whiskey the way I do without the prayers.

Be sure to check out Taylor Hughes Praying to the Whiskey and her other great singles available on all the music platforms. Be sure to check out her website at taylorhughesmusic.com Cheers.

Mike (Big Chief)

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TWJ Interviews: Bozzy

Today we’re talking to the one and only Bozzy. If you’re not familiar with this ex-MIT teacher and his amazing blog, well then I hope I can help you get acquainted. Check it out and I hope you enjoy! Bozzy’s Answers What’s the most memorable drink you’ve ever had? (toast at child’s wedding, birth, on […]

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Bozzy’s Answers

What’s the most memorable drink you’ve ever had? (toast at child’s wedding, birth, on a trip, whatever)

You know what? When I read this question all of a sudden I remembered a night I didn’t think about for a long time… Maybe I shouldn’t try to find something else and tell you that story: I was in Islay… November 2009. My first whisky trip, I am all by my own and visiting the distilleries, hiking and spending one of the best weeks of my life. There is a pub close to my B&B in Port Ellen called Ardview Inn. They carry so many amazing bottles from all of the distilleries on the island and I am trying to taste as many as I can and afford. One very cold night I was sipping something delicious again at the counter of the pub and the guy standing next to me who was probably 10 year or so older than me said: “So, you like whisky..?” I said yes, we started to talk and after a few minutes he showed the tumbler he was holding in his hand and said: “Can I buy you a drink..?” Without knowing what it was I said yes.

He called the bartender and ordered a Scottish Leader for me. He pointed the shelves and said “All those bottles are too fancy for us. We cannot afford them but I like my Scottish Leader. It also has wee Bunnahabhain in it…” He was so nice, so sincere and sweet. I felt kinda bad with the Glencairn in my hand at that moment. I saw his pint being low and ordered two new pints for us and we started to talk. For hours I didn’t drink anything else but pints of Tennent’s and Scottish Leader. His buddies arrived, we continued to drink together and eventually got drunk. They walked me to my B&B made sure that I was safe and then left. It was an incredible night…

What’s the most transformative moment in your career?

Ok, this is easy… In 2003 when I was 31 years old I accepted a job offer from a theater company (The Wooster Group) I could only dream of working for (I was a fanboy..!) to be their production manager, ended my life in Istanbul while I was making pretty good money at that time, packed whatever I can fit in two duffel bags and moved to NYC to live with a salary of $27K/year. And all this happened within three weeks. Best decision of my life…

Do you have a favorite artist? Writer, painter, pottery maker, etc? If so what draws you to them?

This is an extremely hard question to answer with one name only for me… Instead of my favorite artist(s) let me bend the question a little and answer with the name of a few artists which had the most influence on me: Jean Cocteau, Jean-Luc Godard and David Bowie.

I think I could have chosen different names as my favorites but these artists are the ones who changed the way I look at art and how I interpret it. Maybe they are more like mentors than my favorites.

What about favorite movie or book?

Another hard one… Let me at least change “or” with “and”. I will choose “Wings of Desire” (Himmel uber Berlin) by Wim Wenders and “The Man without Qualities” (Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften) by Robert Musil.

What’s the accomplishment you’re most proud of? (career, life, hobby, whatever)

Although my work stayed more or less the same I managed to start a new life in four different cities… I always felt bad about leaving my friends every time I moved to a new place but now I feel like I am blessed with life long friends in four different corners in the world.

Let’s say you had to give up your current career and you had the resources and time to start over pursuing any career you wanted. What would you do?

Historian/Archeologist or a museum curator…

Do you have any hobbies, obsessions or collections that extend beyond the booze world?

Studying non-stop history, consuming crime-fiction like an addict especially tartan-noir. And music…

What’s your typical Friday night look like?

Because actually Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest times for people in performing arts world (Well, at least they used to be in pre Covid world) a “typical” Friday night would be a work night for me but let me tell you about my “ideal” Friday night instead: Walking into my favorite neighborhood bar relatively early for a Friday night, around 6:30 – 7:00 PM… I would sit at the counter (counter is a must, table is not an option) order a pint of beer while waiting for Teresa to arrive.

I would chat with the bartender and with folks around me sitting at the counter mostly about the game on the TV we are staring at and would watch the bar fill up slowly. Teresa would arrive, we would order food… Pints would follow others maybe even one or two glasses whisky towards the end. I don’t like to be very late on Friday nights anymore because I don’t want to ruin my Saturday mornings. We would leave before 11PM, go home, brew a double espresso maybe another glass of spirit to accompany, listen to music or watch something while we are doing that and then sleep.

What’s your favorite non-alcoholic drink?

Coffee..! Followed by tea and water. Seriously, I love water by the way..!

What’s the most memorable meal of your life?

Another long answer if you don’t mind: While we were touring constantly with The Wooster Group Teresa and I would find the “No Reservation” episode of the city we are traveling to and re-watch that episode (I still have all the seasons on DVD), take notes and make a list. That’s what we did again one time before we travel to London… I don’t remember exactly now what year it was but on our first night off we ended up at Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver’s St. John Restaurant like Anthony Bourdain suggested. Despite of its worldwide fame it was incredibly accessible, affordable, unflashy and honest.

It was dominantly white, plain and simple. The place was stripped of everything that can catch your attention and distract you from the food on your plate. And the food was out of this world… It was just perfect. We simply lost it. Fun fact: Incredible food can make me cry and I wasn’t able to control my tears that day. It was so moving… Now after years St. John is still our favorite restaurant in the world. Every time we are in London we eat there… It’s been a couple of times we intentionally booked our layovers in London on our trips and added an extra night just to be able to visit St. John again. I think no one should die without tasting a food cooked by the one and only Fergus Henderson.

2 openers and one headliner; what’s your dream concert?

Can I have one jazz and one rock concert? Please… Ok:

Jazz: Dexter Gordon and Return to Forever opening and Miles Davis Quintet headlining

Rock: Oasis and Frank Zappa opening and David Bowie headlining

You have 30 days with nothing to do and an unlimited budget, what would be your dream vacation/travel itinerary?

A tour starting from Outer Hebrides, heading to Shetland, Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland. Then Newfoundland and ending in Nova Scotia… I am not sure if 30 days would be enough though.

Finally, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given (life, career, whatever) that you’d like to share with folks?

One of my heroes in this life is Joseph Campbell… I read everything he wrote and everything written about him. His most famous quote (It sounds pretty cheesy nowadays but…) is: “Follow your bliss…” Whenever I tried to decide something important in my life I always heard that phrase in my head. That’s how I left all my life and came to US. I was insecure, scared shitless, thought that I was ruining everything I built in my career and life but I did it. Pretty simple but good advise if you ask me.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Bozzy a bit better, and if you haven’t already, check out his site.

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TWJ Interviews: Chris Uhde – VP Impex Beverages

Here we go with something new. Today marks the release of the first episode of my new interview series where we get to know the people who make the whiskey industry what it is. I hope you enjoy the journey we’re about to go on! Episode one is live. You can see the video below […]

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What’s the most memorable drink you’ve ever had? (toast at child’s wedding, birth, on a trip, whatever)
The Macallan Lalique 60 year old in the bottom of the Aria Hotel in Vegas.
What’s the most transformative moment in your career?
When I started doing volunteer curation at the Daily Pint in Santa Monica. It was where I started establishing my name in whisky.
Do you have a favorite artist? Writer, painter, pottery maker, etc?
If so what draws you to them? I don’t know if I have a favorite, I enjoy art as a single instance experience. I absorb what I am able to and then move forward as a slightly changed person. I ain’t too complex in my thoughts.
What about favorite movie or book?
Reading has never been easy for me so books are not really a thing, however I love listening to authors talk about their books because I appreciate their insight into relationships and situations. Movie…… Spirited Away – Hayao Miyazaki
What’s the accomplishment you’re most proud of? (career, life, hobby, whatever)
The life I have created in Los Angeles. Wonderful family, fulfilling career, good friends. I am living my best years ever now and it is nothing like anything I would have dreamed when I was young.
Let’s say you had to give up your current career and you had the resources and time to start over pursuing any career you wanted. What would you do?
Wow, so this is one I have to think about, but knee jerk reaction is to open a street taco combo Philly cheese steak shop in Japan.
Do you have any hobbies, obsessions or collections that extend beyond the booze world?
I fucking love playing soccer. I play whenever I can despite being slow and clumsy.
What’s your typical Friday night look like?
Hang with my wife and kid. The good life.
What’s your favorite non-alcoholic drink?
Soda Water or Coffee
What’s the most memorable meal of your life?
Taking my Mom out for Wagyu steak and anything else she wanted on the menu. She is my hero and deserves everything in the world.
2 openers and one headliner; what’s your dream concert?
Queen with original lineup opens, the 1960’s James Brown follows and then The Who headlines
You have 30 days with nothing to do and an unlimited budget, what would be your dream vacation/travel itinerary?
Either intense tour of Japan or Spain/ Portugal
Finally, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given (life, career, whatever) that you’d like to share with folks?
Your child/ children will grow faster than you think, don’t miss it.

The post TWJ Interviews: Chris Uhde – VP Impex Beverages appeared first on The Whiskey Jug.

the Perks of being a book lover

Happy Derby Week! I was so pleased to talk with Amy Smalley and Carrie Vittitoe about what led to Bourbon Justice, books that have influenced us, and what we’re reading. The Perks of Being a Book Lover is a radio show about books, people…

An Afternoon at St. Augustine Distillery

It took me far too long to get there, but I finally paid a visit to the St. Augustine Distillery in, surprise, St. Augustine, Florida. Purported to be the first bourbon distilled, aged, and bottled in Florida, it seems almost too fortuitous that they waited for me to move to Florida to put some in a bottle. I started my afternoon with the free tour available to everyone before having a great sit down conversation with the CEO, Philip McDaniel, so we’ll start there.

The first thing you notice about the distillery is the amazing location. The whole operation, aside from some aging facilities, resides in the first commercial ice plant in the state of Florida. Opened in 1917, this was a crucial service providing the seafood and produce industries with ice need to ship their wares across the southeast. The building itself has a very appealing historic look and the restoration fits right in with that aesthetic. The waiting room has a series of informational displays about the history of the building as well as a great deal of space devoted to their relationships with local farmers. They clearly pride themselves on using anything they can from local, small famers, and utilize small businesses when they have to go outside of Florida.

After a brief wait, we were escorted into a video presentation room. Oh great, another video. I waited with baited breath for the Florida equivalent of the disappearing Indian in Buffalo Trace’s epically sappy intro. Oh glorious day, they didn’t actually show a video! Instead a very cheerful tour guide gave some history and introduced us as “workers”, complete with workplace safety rules. The company takes a great deal of pride in the creation of jobs in the area, so this was actually a nice touch. What came next was interesting. The crowd cheered at every mention of alcohol, and was significantly more interested in ethanol itself rather than the forms it came in. Being used to the Bourbon Trail, I have come to expect throngs of whiskey nerds wanting to drink every last drop of knowledge they can about differences in distillation, mash bills, aging practices, and the like. This crowd was obviously here to drink. And the more I paid attention, reminded me more of a cruise ship shore expedition than whiskey travelers.

The tour itself was remarkably brief with little detail, but this is exactly what the crowd wanted. These were tourists who happened to come to a distillery. In a move of pure genius by St. Augustine, the tour was about 15 minutes of going through the facility and then another 20 minutes of instruction on how to mix cocktails with their various spirits, complete with a taste of each. Samples of the straight spirits were never served. By the end of the tour, you got to try 4 cocktails, all of which had branded mixers available for sale so you can do it at home. As much as it pained me to try 3 cocktails made with clear spirits, I played along, and you know what, they weren’t bad. I found out later that they have a nearly 50% conversion rate to sales from the tour, which is remarkable. They’ve figured out their audience and played directly to it; I can’t argue with that.

It was at this point I broke away from the tour and went to talk with Philip, the co-founder and CEO. His passion for supporting the local community was instantly apparent, and this permeates every aspect of the operation. The building itself had been completely run down, and he worked with a group of local families who wanted to restore it and bring additional jobs to the area. They work with Florida farmers and companies whenever possible, and when sourcing other materials, such as barrels, they choose companies which are independently owned, like Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville. Everything they use is produced entirely in the United States, even the bottles. They have an interesting zero waste water system in production that recycles the water within their steam heating system. Sustainability, a focus on the local community, and job creation are the pillars of their operation.

The bourbon itself is interesting in many ways. Philip says he was inspired by Stranhan’s in Colorado and Maker’s Mark, and he wanted to create a spirit somewhere in the middle. This resulted in the first high barley bourbon recipe I have ever seen: 60% corn, 22% barley, and 18% red winter wheat. The barreling process was also unique, and partly due to unexpected results. The Double Barrel bourbon was originally in a 25 gallon barrel for 16-18 months. Soon it became clear that the small barrel and the Florida heat were making what would become black barrel tea. With advice from Dave Pickerell, formerly of Maker’s Mark, they put the young bourbon into used 53 gallon barrels for about another year. While technically this sounds to me like a bourbon barrel finished bourbon, Philip was confident that using the younger age statement makes the labeling correct. We here at BOTB are sticklers for semantics in bourbon, so for now we’ll just agree to disagree. The bourbon is not chill filtered. Cheers to that as we happen to love non-filtered bourbons.

The process of getting here was not easy for Philip and his crew. Initially he was not allowed to serve samples of any kind, and there was a limit on sales of two bottles per customer, per year, per label. To fix the first issue, he helped start the Florida Distillers Guild and campaigned to allow for the serving of samples. To solve the sales issue, he created 3 different labels for each type of spirit they distill. Genius. Stick it to the man.

You may have realized by now that I haven’t talked much about how the bourbon actually tastes, and I’m not going to say a whole lot here. We’ll taste it on the upcoming cast for those of you that are dying to hear more. Briefly, it has nice cinnamon/clove notes but tastes young and somewhat scotchy/irish whiskey-y (that’s definitely not a word) from the high barley. I’m not a big fan of young bourbons or barley based spirits, so this on isn’t on my favorites list, but may hit the spot for some Crusaders. That said, I still want you to buy something from St. Augustine, be it the bourbon for cocktails, or perhaps the gin, which is phenomenal. Off the still at 160 proof the gin was unbelievably epic, and I would buy that all day. I want you to buy something to support what these guys are doing with the knowledge that their goal is a quality brown spirit and they are bound-damn-determined to make one. They have the motivation, the sense to seek out experts to help with what they don’t yet know, and are committed to bettering their community. Think of it kind of like a Kickstarter contribution, but one where you actually get to purchase an existing product that you can make a tasty cocktail with. If you can find the port finished bourbon, that one is actually darn tasty. One that I haven’t yet been able to get my hands on a bottle of unfortunately.

If you’re in the area definitely stop by and see for yourself, the difference in experience from the Bourbon Trail is worth the (free) price of admission by itself. And make sure to check out the Ice Plant next door to get some of their spirits in a carefully crafted cocktail. We didn’t have time on this trip, but will definitely put that on our docket next time we’re down. Cheers to you Philip for an excellent afternoon and your efforts to spread the bourbon gospel to Florida. We at BOTB salute you!

As a bonus, here’s my recipe for making an Old Fashioned with St. Augustine Double Cask Bourbon:

2 oz Double Cask Bourbon

Half-dropper Beehive Spiced Orange Bitters

Splash of Water

Slice of orange

2 tsp Brown sugar

Muddle the orange slice (sans peel) with brown sugar, bitters, splash of water and splash of bourbon. Top with remainder of bourbon and stir. Add ice and stir to chill. I serve mine on the rocks with a flamed orange peel and homemade maraschino-ish cherry.

Category: interview