Our Whisky Foundation - BourbonSphere

A Sleeping Giant Awakens at Port Ellen

For 41 years, the Port Ellen Distillery on Scotland’s Isle of Islay sat silent. Last month, a multi-million dollar restoration of the distillery was completed… Read More

For 41 years, the Port Ellen Distillery on Scotland’s Isle of Islay sat silent. Last month, a multi-million dollar restoration of the distillery was completed when the first spirit flowed at Port Ellen since 1983. While it’ll be years before we see new bottlings of Port Ellen, the distillery will be open to Islay visitors from around the world. Diageo’s Ewan Gunn was on hand when that first spirit flowed. He’s been part of the revival since it was announced in 2017, and joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, The Demeter Collection auction raised £49,000 for the Our Whisky Foundation, while William Grant & Sons is expanding its Blended Scotch portfolio with a new range of whiskies.

Episode 1052: April 14, 2024

Image courtesy Diageo.

A Whisky Dream Comes True

Carin Luna-Ostaseski wanted an approachable Scotch whisky for newcomers, so she decided to blend her own. 11 years ago, the first bottles of SIA Scotch… Read More

Carin Luna-Ostaseski wanted an approachable Scotch whisky for newcomers, so she decided to blend her own. 11 years ago, the first bottles of SIA Scotch Whisky hit the market, becoming one of the first crowd-funded whiskies to successfully go on sale. We’ll catch up with Carin on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Irish Whiskey sales took a hit on 2023, but remains one of the fastest-growing segments of the whisky market. We’ll have the details, along with the rest of the week’s whisky news and much more.

Episode 1048: March 17, 2024

Image courtesy SIA Scotch Whisky.

A Long-Term Commitment to Longmorn

Chivas Brothers recently introduced two new Longmorn single malts. The 18 and 22-year-old malts represent a long-term commitment to the brand, with all future Longmorns… Read More

Chivas Brothers recently introduced two new Longmorn single malts. The 18 and 22-year-old malts represent a long-term commitment to the brand, with all future Longmorns to be at least 18 years old. Chivas Brothers blending manager Kevin Balmforth was instrumental in creating both whiskies, and he’ll join us to discuss them and his day-to-day life in the blending lab on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth.

In the news, MGP is suing over two rickhouse projects that have been blocked by local officials in Kentucky, while a new website has been set up to help investors protect themselves from fraudulent cask investment schemes.

Episode 1047: March 10, 2024

2023: The Year in Whisky

A lot happened in the world of whisky during 2023, and with the help of WhiskyCast Community app members, we’ve identified the top ten whisky… Read More

A lot happened in the world of whisky during 2023, and with the help of WhiskyCast Community app members, we’ve identified the top ten whisky stories of the year. Join us as we count them down in the news, then listen as Milam & Greene’s Heather Greene shares her lessons on whisky entrepreneurship in WhiskyCast In-Depth. We’ll also have some of your year-end dramming choices in our Community segment, too.

Episode 1037: December 31, 2023

Links: Milam & Greene | Torabhaig Distillery | Smokehead | Lagavulin | Bruichladdich

Whisky Number One…of One

Distillers around Scotland are teaming up to help the country’s youth through the Distillers’ Charity One of One Auction on October 5. 39 one-of-a-kind bottles… Read More

Distillers around Scotland are teaming up to help the country’s youth through the Distillers’ Charity One of One Auction on October 5. 39 one-of-a-kind bottles will go on the auction block to raise money for the Charity’s Youth Action Fund, including the debut bottling of Kandoblanc from Studio Dhavall Gandhi. We’ll talk with Dhavall and the charity’s managing director, Beanie Geraedts-Espey on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, we’ll have details on new releases from Bruichladdich, Jack Daniel’s, and Tomatin, just to name a few.

Episode 1021: September 11, 2023

Image courtesy Studio Dhavall Gandhi.

“Do You Even Like Whisky?”

Women still face huge barriers to equality within the whisky industry, according to a new survey from the Our Whisky Foundation. The survey found high… Read More

Women still face huge barriers to equality within the whisky industry, according to a new survey from the Our Whisky Foundation. The survey found high levels of unconscious bias and sexual harassment along with a perceived lack of respect for women working in the industry. We’ll discuss the survey’s findings with Becky Paskin of the Our Whisky Foundation on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Heaven Hill’s new Bardstown distillery reached a major milestone this week, while the Bourbon Women honored this year’s Women in Whisky Award winners.

Episode 1020: September 3, 2023

Photo by Jo Hanley courtesy of Our Whisky Foundation.