Wes Henderson retired recently from Angel’s Envy, the whiskey brand he and his father, the late Lincoln Henderson created. Retirement didn’t suit Wes well, though,… Read More
Wes Henderson retired recently from Angel’s Envy, the whiskey brand he and his father, the late Lincoln Henderson created. Retirement didn’t suit Wes well, though, and he’s back in the Bourbon business with True Story’s finished Bourbon and Rye whiskies. He’s also building a $92 million distillery in Versailles, Kentucky and upgrading the nearby Kentucky Castle boutique hotel and event space to make it more Bourbon-focused. We’ll talk with the busy Wes Henderson on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, a port strike on the U.S. East Coast is over, clearing the way for shipments of whisky from Europe. We’ll also have the trophy winners from this year’s International Wine & Spirits Competition.
Caitlin Bartlemay of Oregon’s Hood River Distillers is one of the up-and-coming craft distillers on the American whiskey scene. She makes the whiskey widely regarded… Read More
Caitlin Bartlemay of Oregon’s Hood River Distillers is one of the up-and-coming craft distillers on the American whiskey scene. She makes the whiskey widely regarded as America’s first single malt whiskey, McCarthy’s, and joins us this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Edrington offloads The Famous Grouse, Campari takes a minority stake in three Scottish distilleries, and a new report highlights the problems craft distillers face in the current economic climate.
The wife and husband team of Georgie Bell and Fabrizio Leoni gave up their day jobs last year to launch The Heart Cut, an independent… Read More
The wife and husband team of Georgie Bell and Fabrizio Leoni gave up their day jobs last year to launch The Heart Cut, an independent bottler dedicated to finding great drams from all over the world. They’ve released seven single casks so far from distilleries in Israel, Finland, Denmark, and the U.S., and did it all while Georgie was pregnant with twins. We’ll talk with Georgie Bell about The Heart Cut and work-life balance this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Irish Whiskey tourism is up from a year ago, but still below pre-pandemic levels, while sales are lagging at Möet Hennessy and Rémy Cointreau.
Kentucky’s Wilderness Trail Distillery has grown over the last decade from a small barrel-a-day distillery to become one of the nation’s largest Bourbon distilleries. Dr.… Read More
Kentucky’s Wilderness Trail Distillery has grown over the last decade from a small barrel-a-day distillery to become one of the nation’s largest Bourbon distilleries. Dr. Pat Heist and Shane Baker founded Wilderness Trail as an offshoot of Ferm Solutions, their consulting business that works with distillers and brewers around the world. This week on WhiskyCast In-Depth, we’ll talk with Pat Heist about the origin of Wilderness Trail — in a rock band, of all places, and the circumstances that led to their decision to sell the distillery to Campari in late 2022. In the news, Laphroaig is planning a major expansion, while whisky auction prices have yet to recover from recent declines.
Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery was once Tennessee’s largest distillery in pre-Prohibition times. The great-great-great grandsons of Charles Nelson revived the family business in downtown Nashville,… Read More
Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery was once Tennessee’s largest distillery in pre-Prohibition times. The great-great-great grandsons of Charles Nelson revived the family business in downtown Nashville, and have been making Tennessee whiskey along with sourced Bourbons and now, a Rye Whiskey. The distillery underwent a major expansion recently, and we’ll talk with co-founder Andy Nelson on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, time is running short to avoid a return to Europe’s import tariffs on American whiskies, while a new Wild Turkey Bourbon features something different…three generations of Russells on the label.
Anyone can blend one whisky, but to blend a whisky with long-term consistency between batches takes a true talent. This week, we’ll share an informal… Read More
Anyone can blend one whisky, but to blend a whisky with long-term consistency between batches takes a true talent. This week, we’ll share an informal blending session with Widow Jane head distiller and blender Sierra Jevremov on WhiskyCast In-Depth, along with tasting notes for Widow Jane’s latest release, The Vaults 15-year-old Bourbon. In the news, Kentucky is getting a massive new distillery project, while we were on hand as The Hearach single malt from Isle of Harris Distillery made its U.S. debut in New York City Thursday night. We’ll have tasting notes for that one, too, along with the new Glenglassaugh 12-year-old and Bruichladdich’s Octomore 14.3 single malts.
Heaven Hill is leveraging its partnership with this year’s Ryder Cup with a new version of Elijah Craig Bourbon. The Bourbon is finished in European… Read More
Heaven Hill is leveraging its partnership with this year’s Ryder Cup with a new version of Elijah Craig Bourbon. The Bourbon is finished in European Oak barrels that were toasted with a profile similar to that used in Italy’s Lazio wine region near where the Ryder Cup will be contested next month. The commemorative bottling is a one-time only release that will carry a recommended retail price of $99.99 a bottle.
Heaven Hill has also released the Spring 2023 batch of Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Bourbon….this whiskey was distilled in the spring of 2013, and the 10-year-old Bourbon carries a recommended retail price of $139.99.
Hemingway Whiskey Company has unveiled the new Signature Edition of Hemingway Rye Whiskey. The whiskey comes from the Call family, which sourced and blended the whiskey to be finished in rum-seasoned Oloroso Sherry Casks. Look for tasting notes soon at the WhiskyCast web site.
We featured the revival of Rosebank Distillery on the show a couple of weeks ago, and Rosebank has now released a 30-year-old bottling exclusively for the Asian market. It’s the first expression in Rosebank’s Revival Series, with a total of six expressions to be released in the coming years. Only 800 bottles are available in Asia, with a recommended price of $86,000 Taiwanese dollars…about $2700 U.S. dollars at current exchange rates.
Tomintoul Distillery has released a new travel retail exclusive series of whiskies inspired by the Cairngorms National Park that surrounds the distillery. The lineup includes the Tundra Bourbon Cask and Tor Oloroso Sherry cask bottlings, along with the Tarn peated single malt. Prices range from £40 for the Tundra to £55 for the Tor. The collection is available at World Duty Free airport shops worldwide.
Finally, Brooklyn’s Widow Jane Distillery has rolled out its Paradigm Rye nationally in the U-S after a soft launch in key markets. It’s the first nationally available Widow Jane release that includes whiskey distilled at the Widow Jane Distillery in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood.
It’s bottled at 46-point-5 percent ABV, and carries a recommended retail price of 49-99 a bottle…I tasted this whiskey last year when it was first released, and you can find my tasting notes for it at WhiskyCast dot com.
Whisky and music go perfectly together, but Felipe Schrieberg and Paul Archibald are taking the volume up to 11 with Rhythm & Booze Records. They’re… Read More
Whisky and music go perfectly together, but Felipe Schrieberg and Paul Archibald are taking the volume up to 11 with Rhythm & Booze Records. They’re combining an independent record label with an independent bottler and making whiskies to match their music, which can be streamed using a QR code on each bottle. We’ll talk with Felipe Schrieberg on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth and share tasting notes for their debut release, Rhythm & Booze Records Release #1. In the news, Molson Coors has acquired Blue Run Spirits to expand its presence in the whisky business, and we’ll talk with David Coors and Blue Run’s Mike Montgomery about the deal. David Beckham is splitting with Diageo’s Haig Club Scotch Whisky brand, and there’s a new Elijah Craig Bourbon out to celebrate next month’s Ryder Cup.
Hot off the press, Brooklyn based Widow Jane Distillery’s Master Distiller, Lisa Rope Wicker, just announced she is departing the distillery in November. Widow Jane just celebrated its tenth anniversary and has received substantial praise for its award-winning signature 10 year-old bourbon as well as seasonal old-and-rare releases in the Vaults collection. RELATED ARTICLE: “Founders […]
Hot off the press, Brooklyn based Widow Jane Distillery’s Master Distiller, Lisa Rope Wicker, just announced she is departing the distillery in November.
Widow Jane just celebrated its tenth anniversary and has received substantial praise for its award-winning signature 10 year-old bourbon as well as seasonal old-and-rare releases in the Vaults collection.
Starting out in wine, Lisa soon found her way to whiskey, helping distilleries like Limestone Branch, Starlight, Preservation, and George Washington create award-winning recipes and begin distilling, before making her way to Widow Jane 5 years ago.
Lisa Wicker. Courtesy Image
Says Wicker “After five incredible years at Widow Jane, I am excited to return home to Kentucky for a new challenge. In the last few years we have made some amazing whiskey that has gained international recognition, established ourselves as a leader in the art of whiskey blending, and nurtured a talented team of distillers and blenders. I am proud of the smart and capable team who will lead Widow Jane into the future and grateful for my time there.”
Leading Widow Jane going forward will be Michele Clark, Director of Operations; Sienna Jevremov, Head Distiller; and Jacob Melinger, Head of Hospitality.
Commented Widow Jane President Robert Furniss Roe, “We’d like to thank Lisa for all the extraordinary work she has done in distilling, blending, leading, and educating. It has been a privilege to work closely with her and watch her also assemble such a talented team that represents Widow Jane’s next generation. We look forward to the dynamism this team will surely bring to Widow Jane Distillery as we enter our second decade.”
About Widow Jane Distillery (Brand Provided) Widow Jane is an award-winning artisanal distillery located in the New York City neighborhood of Red Hook, Brooklyn. The company is named in homage to one of the legendary mines of Rosendale in Upstate New York, from which the brand sources its proofing water. Before becoming a natural reserve of extraordinary mineral water, the mines produced the natural cement used to construct some of the most iconic American landmarks, such as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building, among others. The pure, limestone-filtered water from the mine, plus one of the country’s largest holdings of long-aged Bourbons, and a refusal to compromise the product with chill-filtration, are just three elements that make Widow Jane a stand-out whiskey company.
When Widow Jane Distillery opened in Brooklyn, New York, I thought the whiskey they were bottling was average at best. Then the distillery and brand were sold to Samson and Surrey and they hired Lisa Roper Wicker as their president… Continue Reading …
When Widow Jane Distillery opened in Brooklyn, New York, I thought the whiskey they were bottling was average at best. Then the distillery and brand were sold to Samson and Surrey and they hired Lisa Roper Wicker as their president... Continue Reading →
