Bourbon Showdown Podcast

This week on the Bourbon Showdown Podcast , I’m joined by Kevin Aslan , head distiller and head blender for Hirsch Whiskey , and we go full whiskey-geek. We dig into how Hirsch got its start, Kevin’s journey into the brand, and the mythology behind the name (no spoilers—you’ve gotta listen). This is one of those brands that lived before the craft boom and thrived after it, and Kevin brings that pe...

This week on The Bourbon Showdown Podcast, Jesse sits down with the one and only Adam Edwards of Heaven Hill for a pour-packed conversation recorded in the VIP suite at T he Vintage Whiskey & Cigar Bar in Charlotte . Adam and Jesse dive into Heaven Hill history, the whiskey journey, and how the experience around the glass shapes the whiskey inside it—all while drinking through some phenomenal...

This week on the Bourbon Showdown Podcast, we welcome the one and only Dr. Patrick Heist of Wilderness Trail! This episode is a full-on master class for whiskey geeks—packed with fermentation talk, production deep dives, yeast strains, sweet mash, and the story of how Dr. Pat and his partner Shane Baker became known as the “Science Guys of Bourbon.” We walk through Wilderness Trail’s entire core l...

This week on the Bourbon Showdown Podcast, we welcome back Pete Barger and Southern Distilling Company to talk all things American Single Malt and North Carolina whiskey! Fresh off being named Distillery of the Year by the American Distilling Institute , Pete takes us through everything Southern Distilling has cooking right now—from their new American Single Malt to their Cask Strength, honey-barr...

This week we welcome Bruce Russell and Wild Turkey back to the show to talk all things Master’s Keep! It’s been a minute since I sat down with Bruce, but we figured the last Master’s Keep was a good reason to get together and talk some Turkey! Him and I discuss what went into this final Master’s Keep: Beacon , how it is truly a family affair and acts as the proper send off to a collection his fath...

This week we welcome Penelope Bourbon and long time friend of the show Co-founder and master blender, Danny Polise back to the Bourbon Showdown! We go through the brands history, some of the mega whiskey hits they have had, how they are absolutely rocking the ready-to-drink category in 2025 and of course their current line-up of Estate Collection whiskey! We pop the top on their new Estate Collect...

This week we welcome 1 5 Stars Founders Rick and Ricky Johnson to The Bourbon Showdown to talk about the newest addition to the brand, First West Bourbon ! They walk me through what led them to create these new whiskeys and the thought process that continues to drive innovation at 15 Stars, we talk mash bill, we talk age statements, we talk blending and barrel finishes and then we drink that whisk...

This week we welcome Dan Callaway from Bardstown Bourbon Company to The Bourbon Showdown Podcast, him and I crack open their new Discovery Series 13 and the Ferrand II from their Collaborative Series as he walks me through what went into each expression, the history of the company, his path to whiskey and what we can expect next from Bardstown Bourbon Company.

This week, we welcome Chief Blender, Meghan Ireland and Research & Development Distiller Mitch Mahar from WhistlePig to the Bourbon Showdown to talk all things Boss Hog! We dive into the new Boss Hog XII: Feather & Flame , and let me tell you guys, this one is something special! We drink through this Mesoamerican inspired rye whiskey that’s been  finished in a pulque curado de cacao barrel...

This week, we welcome Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall back to the show! We sit down for a big pour of Woodford’s new Batch Proof Rye and she walks us through how it came to fruition and all the amazing things she’s been doing since becoming Master Distiller. It’s a Batch Proof Rye conversation on this week’s Bourbon Showdown Podcast!

This week we welcome Joseph A. Magnus back to the show which means the return of Master Blender Nancy Fraley! This episode she brings with her Head Distiller Will Fabry and the three of us sit down and talk all things whiskey and all things Joseph A. Magnus! Nancy of course synonymous with good whiskey across the industry and Will, coming out of the gate strong and taking the future reigns at Magn...

This week we welcome Maker’s Mark, Master Distiller, Dr. Blake Layfield to the Bourbon Showdown, as we kick off season 11 with a big pour of Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2025 ! Blake and I do a deep dive not only on this delicious pour but on all things Maker’s Mark. We go through the brands history, his path to whiskey and how he became Master Distiller of one of the most recognizable brands in the w...

This week we welcome Four Roses Master Distiller, Brent Elliott back to the show to celebrate his 10th year as Master Distiller and 20th year at Four Roses! Brent reflects on two decades in whiskey—how the industry has grown, how Four Roses helped lead the single barrel movement, and how the brand continues to set the standard for quality bourbon. We crack open the 2025 Limited Edition Small Batch...

This week on The Bourbon Showdown Podcast, we’re joined by Bushmills Master Blender Alex Thomas and Stranahan’s Head Blender Justin Aden . Together, we dive deep into the art of blending and what it takes to create your favorite whiskeys. Along the way, we sip through some incredible American Single Malts and Irish Whiskeys—ranging from 10 to 21 years old—while exploring the craft, challenges, and...

This week we welcome Joseph O’Sullivan, Master Distiller at Minden Mill in Nevada and him and I sit down and talk about his Estate process for making whiskey, how he oversees every step of the grain-to-glass process on one estate – nothing is outsourced which is why when you drink Minden Mill, you are tasting whiskey that can only come from MINDEN MILL . We break down how estate distilling creates...

This week we welcome Christian Huber from Starlight Distillery to the Bourbon Showdown! The Master Distiller and a  7th Generation Distiller for Starlight Distillery, him and I sit down and we do a deep dive on Starlight, Indiana whiskey and how his family have been making spirits highlighting that farm to bottle mentality for generations. We pop the top on Starlight’s new 10 year Bourbon whiskey...

On this weeks episode of The Bourbon Showdown Podcast, we welcome Jeff Feist and Calumet Farm Bourbon! That’s right, the delicious Centennial release 18 year Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey that everyone is talking about... The possible best whisky of 2025 is here! Jeff and I sit down, crack a bottle and talk through how Calumet is one of the best whiskey’s that you may haven’t heard of, but nee...

This week we are talking to Blake Jones, Julian Jones, and David McIntyre the founders of West Fork Whiskey Company. We do a deep dive on what it means to be a distiller in Indiana and how they have built this distillery to create a whiskey brand focused on 100% Indiana grain-to-glass spirits. We talk about their Old Hamer Bourbon and what led them to the decision to double down on their dedicatio...

This week we are taking you to Bardstown Kentucky and The Bourbon Capital Alliance! We sit down with Sam Lacy, the Executive Director of the Bourbon Capital Alliance and he walks us through how it got started, how he got involved and how it has become one of the premier whiskey destinations on the bourbon trail. We talk about not only the Alliance but the Bourbon Capital Academy as well, and Sam e...

This week we welcome the Founders of Four Branches Bourbon to the Bourbon Showdown! We sit down with co-founders RJ Casey and Harold Underdown as well as whiskey legend and raconteur Gregg Snyder to do a deep-dive on Four Branches Bourbon. Rj and Harold walk me through the history of this veteran owned brand and the meaning behind it, as well as how each branch of the military is represented and h...

This week we welcome Master Distiller, Ross Cornelissen from 1792 back to The Bourbon Showdown! We do a deep dive on all things 1792 as he walks me through the history of the brand and everything they have in store for the future. He opens up the doors to the  Barton 1792 Distillery and him and I drink a lot of good whiskey on this weeks Bourbon Showdown Podcast! 

This week we welcome Master Taster, Melissa Rift from Old Forester back to The Bourbon Showdown as we talk all things President’s Choice! We do a deep dive on the newly released President’s Choice Bourbon and President’s Choice Rye as Melissa walks me through the history of these elusive offerings and the process that goes into making them so damn good! It’s a great conversation on this weeks show...

This week we welcome Bruce Russell from Wild Turkey back to The Bourbon Showdown! We sit down and crack a fresh bottle of Rare Breed and we talk Jimmy Russell! More specifically we talked about the accomplishment of Jimmy’s 70 years at Wild Turkey, the commemorative 70th anniversary bottle that bears his name and of course we shared a few pours while Bruce recounted some of his favorite Jimmy stor...

This week we welcome Dan McKee and Andrea Wilson from Michter’s to the show! Dan is of course the Master Distiller and Andrea the Master of Maturation! We got together in Kentucky a few months ago and discussed all the goodness that is Michter’s Whiskey and I have to say I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much during an interview. We talk through the Michter’s brand, their dedication to q...

This week we welcome Aaron Harris, Head Distiller at Green River to the Bourbon Showdown!  We talk about how he got into whiskey, how he became the head distiller at Green River, the history of the brand and how Green River has been has rocking and rolling across the whiskey landscape since its re-introduction in 2022.  It’s a great conversation about good whiskey with the Whiskey Without Regrets...