Making the “World’s Most Admired” Whiskies

Louisville’s Michter’s Distillery took top honors in the 2023 Drinks International survey to find the “world’s most admired” whiskey brand. Andrea Wilson is the Master… Read More

Louisville’s Michter’s Distillery took top honors in the 2023 Drinks International survey to find the “world’s most admired” whiskey brand. Andrea Wilson is the Master of Maturation for Michter’s, as well as the company’s chief operating officer, and has the final say on any whisky that carries the Michter’s name. We’ll talk with Andrea about the pressure of living up to that reputation, as well as her Hall of Fame whisky-making career, on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Kentucky lawmakers have approved a bill to close loopholes in the state’s Vintage Distilled Spirits Law. We’ll have the details on that and the rest of the week’s whisky news, including a rare collaboration between Australia’s Starward Whisky and Lagavulin. 

Episode 1050: March 31, 2024

Links: Michter’s | Starward Whisky | Ballindalloch Distillery | Loch Lomond Whiskies | Elijah Craig | The Maclean Foundation | Redbreast | Templeton Distillery | Hard Truth Distilling | A. Smith Bowman Distillery | Lost Lantern Whiskey

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

Catching Up with Ardbeg’s Colin Gordon

It’s been three years since Colin Gordon left Islay’s Lagavulin Distillery to move down the road and take over for the retiring Mickey Heads at… Read More

It’s been three years since Colin Gordon left Islay’s Lagavulin Distillery to move down the road and take over for the retiring Mickey Heads at Ardbeg. Since then, Ardbeg has commissioned a completely new stillhouse and visitor traffic has recovered from the pandemic. We’ll catch up with Colin Gordon on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the clock is ticking toward a partial U.S. government shutdown that could affect whisky makers and consumers, while Scotland’s government is debating an increase in the minimum unit price for whisky and other alcoholic beverages. We’ll also hear from Campari CEO Bob Kunce-Concewitz on his company’s expansion plans, check in with Wild Turkey’s Eddie Russell on the latest expansion of the Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Series, and get a preview of this year’s Diageo Special Releases from master blender Stuart Morrison.

Links: Ardbeg | Campari Group | Russell’s Reserve | Gordon & MacPhail | Diageo | Balblair | Isle of Harris Distillery | Buffalo Trace Distillery London | Redbreast | Jack Daniel’s