Eight Special Single Malts…and a Cowboy Bourbon

We’ll have a double feature on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, as Diageo’s Dr. Stuart Morrison joins us to detail this year’s Special Releases series –… Read More

We’ll have a double feature on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, as Diageo’s Dr. Stuart Morrison joins us to detail this year’s Special Releases series – including a Lagavulin finished in tequila casks – and Donnis Todd of Texas’s Garrison Brothers Distillery gives us a preview of this year’s Cowboy Bourbon. It’s an uncut, unfiltered whopper of a Bourbon at 70.45% ABV! In the news, the TTB avoids being caught up in a U.S. government shutdown after Congress passed a short-term budget extension. Kentucky regulators want to shut down two of the state’s biggest buyers and sellers of vintage spirits over liquor law violations, and Scotch Whisky tourism has recovered from the pandemic. 

Episode 1024: October 1, 2023

Links: Diageo Special Releases | Garrison Brothers Distillery | Lexington Herald-Leader | Buffalo Trace | Whisky Auctioneer | Slane Irish Whiskey | Scotch Whisky Association | Wiggly Bridge Distillery | Blackened Whiskey | Ballantine’s | Duncan Taylor | Russell’s Reserve | Bunnahabhain | Dewar’s | Jack Daniel’s

“Bourbon Capital of the World” Hits the Brakes on New Whiskey-Related Projects (Episode 1003: May 7, 2023)

Bourbon’s construction boom in Central Kentucky is raising concerns in Nelson County, home to Bardstown, the “Bourbon Capital of the World.” County officials have reached a compromise with whiskey makers for a 90-day moratorium on planning approval for new warehouses in agricultural zones. Nelson County Judge Executive Tim Hutchins wants a review of current ordinances allowing virtually unfettered development of warehouses without public input, while allowing projects in areas zoned for industrial use to move forward. We’ll talk with Judge Hutchins on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth about the moratorium and the impact of losing millions of dollars in barrel tax Read More »

Bourbon’s construction boom in Central Kentucky is raising concerns in Nelson County, home to Bardstown, the “Bourbon Capital of the World.” County officials have reached a compromise with whiskey makers for a 90-day moratorium on planning approval for new warehouses in agricultural zones. Nelson County Judge Executive Tim Hutchins wants a review of current ordinances allowing virtually unfettered development of warehouses without public input, while allowing projects in areas zoned for industrial use to move forward. We’ll talk with Judge Hutchins on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth about the moratorium and the impact of losing millions of dollars in barrel tax revenue in the coming years. In the news, Sazerac CEO Mark Brown is stepping aside in a long-planned succession, while Scotland’s Parliament has approved new rules to make it easier for whisky makers to borrow against their stockpiles of maturing whisky. We’ll also have details on a host of commemorative whiskies celebrating the coronation of King Charles III, along with the rest of the week’s whisky releases.


Links: Sazerac | Balmoral Castle & Estate | Bimber Distillery | Bladnoch | Duncan Taylor & Co. | Hunter Laing & Co. | Blackened American Whiskey | Whiskey JYPSI | Brother’s Bond | Old Potrero | Santa Fe Spirits | Dram Hunters | American Mash & Grain | Oban | InchDairnie Distillery

Thanks a Thousand! (Episode 1000: April 16, 2023)

We’re celebrating a major milestone this week with the 1000th episode of WhiskyCast! To mark the occasion, Mark went back through the archives to pick some memorable moments and interviews from the past 18 years for this special episode. You’ll hear from legends like the late Parker Beam and Michael Jackson, along with Jimmy Russell, Jim McEwan, Maureen Robinson, Fawn Weaver, and Richard Paterson…just to name a few. This episode is a lot longer than usual, and there’s plenty more that we could have included. In the news, Scotch Whisky Association leaders are hoping to persuade Parliament to reject a Read More »

We’re celebrating a major milestone this week with the 1000th episode of WhiskyCast! To mark the occasion, Mark went back through the archives to pick some memorable moments and interviews from the past 18 years for this special episode. You’ll hear from legends like the late Parker Beam and Michael Jackson, along with Jimmy Russell, Jim McEwan, Maureen Robinson, Fawn Weaver, and Richard Paterson…just to name a few. This episode is a lot longer than usual, and there’s plenty more that we could have included. In the news, Scotch Whisky Association leaders are hoping to persuade Parliament to reject a tax increase on whiskies and other distilled spirits, while local officials in Kentucky are looking at moratoriums on new distillery construction following the phaseout of the state’s barrel tax.


Links: Scotch Whisky Association | Kentucky.com | Sotheby’s | Papal Willett Barrel Pick | Royal Salute | Jura | Dewar’s | Coors Whiskey Company | Hemingway Rye | Lost Lantern

Blackend Rye the Lightning Whiskey Review

Legendary heavy metal band Metallica has a new limited edition whiskey, Blackened Rye The Lightning™ which is named after their 6-times-platinum sophomore album. Not only did they borrow the name for inspiration, but they also used a recording from the…

Legendary heavy metal band Metallica has a new limited edition whiskey, Blackened Rye The Lightning™ which is named after their 6-times-platinum sophomore album. Not only did they borrow the name for inspiration, but they also used a recording from the only time they performed the album in full at a live show as part of their Black Noise™ sonic enhancement process.