WhiskyCast

It's a good time to be in the whisky business. Scotch whisky exports are growing by 4 percent a year, and added up to $5 billion last year worldwide. We'll talk with Scotch Whisky Association chief executive Gavin Hewitt about the political and business issues facing the industry. In the news...more new whiskies this week, a preview of the Christie's whisky auction this December in New York City,...

Jim Murray's Whisky Bible is almost required reading for serious whisky lovers, and the 2008 edition of the Bible is on its way to booksellers now. We'll get a preview from Jim in this episode, along with his thoughts on the passing of Michael Jackson. In the news, more new whiskies are on the way -- including the annual Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, a duty-free Highland Park, new Macallans, a...

Ever wondered whether the CEO's of whisky companies get any special perks? In this week's episode, we'll get the answer from Tom Flocco, CEO of Beam Global Spirits & Wine. On a more serious note, we'll find out how the two-year-long process of integrating Laphroaig and other former Allied Domecq brands into Beam's portfolio is going, along with his view of the global whisky market. In other news,...

For the first time, we'll talk about something other than whiskies on WhiskyCast! There's a new trend toward single-estate Cognacs and Armagnacs from France that compare very favorably with many single malts...and can often be a fraction of the price! Veteran spirits writer F. Paul Pacult led a tasting of rare Cognacs and Armagnacs this past week in New York, and he'll help guide us on a journey t...

The Beams are the First Family of Bourbon, and the torch has officially been passed at Jim Beam. Each bottle has pictures of the six generations of Beam family members who have led the distillery. This week, a new label was unveiled with the latest patriarch of the Beams, Fred Noe...who joins his late father, Booker Noe, and the rest of the family. We'll hear from Fred and more as Kentucky celebra...

George Washington...founding father of the United States, and a man who knew how to capitalize on an opportunity. When he heard that merchants near his Mount Vernon estate couldn't meet the demand for whiskey, he built one of the fledgling nation's biggest distilleries. The restored distillery is now producing rye whiskey from George's original recipe, and you'll hear the details in this episode....

The world of whisky lost its greatest ambassador this week. Through his books, Michael Jackson gave us a vocabulary, and set words to our passion for the water of life. Michael passed away at his home Thursday morning (August 30) after a long fight with Parkinson's Disease and other health problems. In March, I had the chance to talk with Michael, and you'll hear part of that interview on this epi...

The Famous Grouse is Scotland's #1 blended Scotch, but the newest version of the Grouse won't be available there. The Black Grouse is a new blend that takes the best of the Grouse and adds in a touch of Islay for a peatier, smokier blend. It's been on the market all year in Sweden, where Edrington's Helen Potter got the inspiration to create the Black Grouse. Helen is the innovation and developmen...

The rumors of change at Glenmorangie are true, and we'll get the details on the new Extra Matured range from Glenmorangie whisky maker and blender Rachel Barrie. In the news, Heaven Hill announced the details for a new collection honoring master distiller Parker Beam, the International Wine and Spirits Competition honors whiskies from around the world, New York ends its ban on whisky auctions...an...

It's time for the first question and answer episode of WhiskyCast, as we'll get answers to your e-mailed questions from John Glaser of Compass Box, John Hansell of Malt Advocate magazine, and Steve Fox of Preiss Imports. In the news, is Glenmorangie going Gallic...new whiskies from Laphroaig and Arran, Templeton Rye goes back home to Chicago...and a collector's item sure to make the most devoted R...

Nick Morgan of Diageo has the job most of us would love...next to running a distillery of our own. As Global Marketing Director for Diageo's premium malts and the Classic Malts series, he has access to whiskies most of us only dream of being able to taste. We'll find out about his personal favorites, as well as what goes into selecting malts for the Classic Malts range. In the news, Dewars gets a...

The Grant family bought Speyside's Glenfarclas distillery in 1865, and six generations of Grants have worked at the distillery since then. George Grant is following the path led by his great-great-great grandfather, and he'll lead us through a vertical tasting of four single malts from the family distillery. In the news, profits and losses in the business, Glengoyne gives a nod to its past, Heaven...

Iain Henderson's CV includes everything from sailing the seas as an engineer on oil tankers to managing the stills at Laphroaig, Bladnoch, and Edradour (among others). His latest venture, though, has created some controversy in Scotland -- he's helping a single malt distillery in England get off the ground! In the news, Benromach's organic single malt is on its way to the U.S., Woodford Reserve is...

It's a milestone episode for WhiskyCast, and to mark the occasion, I've selected a few of my favorite moments from the first 99 episodes. You'll hear from Jim McEwan, John MacDougall, Jim Cryle, Jim Murray, Tom Bulleit, and others during this special episode. In the news, the other shoe has dropped in India's whisky tax war, there are new releases from Whyte & Mackay and Bruichladdich, and the Cla...

There's no shortage of Scotch whiskies with wine finishes, but until now, finished Bourbons have been just an academic idea. Chris Morris of Woodford Reserve worked with his corporate siblings at Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards to create a chardonnay-finished version of Woodford Reserve. We'll get a preview from Chris, along with a look at next week's Classic Malts Cruise along the Scottish coast from Dia...

Last September, Ian Buxton gave us a preview of his "Classic Expressions" series of vintage whisky books, lovingly re-printed under the guidance of Ian and publisher Neil Wilson. Back then, Ian was looking for founding subscribers to support the printing of the first two books in the series. Now, "Reminiscenses of a Gauger" by Joseph Pacy and Ian MacDonald's "Smuggling in the Highlands" are availa...

  John Glaser of Compass Box is one of the whisky industry's leading innovators, and in this episode of WhiskyCast, we'll find out what he's working on in his blending laboratory. There's also new spirits legislation in Europe that should clarify some of the rules about whisky production, a road race for bourbon-loving runners in Kentucky, and an update on what may really be the Southern Hemispher...

Time to travel down under to Australia, where fall has turned into winter, and it's whisky season. 15 years ago, Bill and Lyn Lark started Australia's first malt whisky distillery on a lark (pun intended). Since then, they've produced the Southern Hemisphere's first peated single malt whisky, and helped spawn a series of distilleries that have put Australia on the whisky map. In the news, new whis...

It's a rare road trip for WhiskyCast, with a special episode taped on location at the Brandy Library in New York City. We'll get an update on the new Benriach series of finished 15-year-old single malts from Steve Fox of Preiss Imports, the US importer for Benriach. By the way, if you don't like caramel coloring or chill-filtering, raise a glass in Steve's honor if you try one of these malts...he'...

There's been a lot of talk about India and whisky over the past few months, and in this episode, we'll get the local perspective on India's whisky tastes, tariffs, and the Whyte & Mackay deal from India's only Malt Maniac, Krishna Nukala.

There probably isn't a serious whisky lover who hasn't dreamed of having his or her own distillery . Euan Shand of Duncan Taylor is making his dream come true, with plans for a new (and carbon-neutral) distillery in Huntly. We'll hear about Euan's plans, along with the winners in Scotch and Irish whiskies at this year's International Wine & Spirit Competition and an oil shortage that could bring I...

Evan Cattanach has seen a world of changes since he got his first distillery job in 1961. Over the years, he worked at Linlithgow, Glentauchers, Caol Ila, Cardhu, and Lagavulin before retiring in 1993. That only lasted a few months before Diageo brought him back to serve as a brand ambassador traveling the world on behalf of the Classic Malts range. We'll hear from Evan and his wife, Melissa, on t...

It's rare that a whisky is more well-known overseas than in its home country, but that's the case with Four Roses Bourbon. It was once America's best-selling bourbon, until Seagram's magnate Samuel Bronfman decided it should be sold only in export markets. Bronfman's long gone, but Four Roses is back at home. We'll hear the whole story from Four Roses Master Distiller Jim Rutledge. In the news, Sp...

Distillers get all the glory, but there's more to making great whisky than just running the still. The whisky industry's unsung heroes are the coopers, the guys who make the barrels that hold our precious whisky for years without a leak...even though the angels still get their share. Don Ramsay is head cooper at Glenfiddich, and has been building barrels for nearly 47 years. We'll hear his story o...

It's festival week in Speyside, as whisky lovers descend on the banks of the River Spey for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. We'll find out what's new this year from festival coordinator Ros Lewis. It's also Kentucky Derby week in Louisville, and Woodford Reserve's Chris Morris shares his recipe for the traditional mint julep. In other news...Duncan Taylor is sending its new NC2 malts to No...