WhiskyCast

Scotland's GlenDronach Distillery has released a new collection of three no-age-statement single malts created by master blender Dr. Rachel Barrie, including a rare peated GlenDronach. We'll talk with Rachel about the collection, along with her comparison of a whisky blender to a symphony conductor, on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, India and the UK have finally reached an agreement...

Independent bottlers take sourced casks of whisky, mature them, and then bottle them under their own brand names. It's a practice that's been commonplace in Scotland for generations, and has expanded to the U.S. with independents like Single Cask Nation and Lost Lantern. Greg Swartz is the co-director of Independent Spirits, a new documentary series highlighting independent bottlers, and he'll joi...

Deep below the Johnnie Walker Princes Street experience in Edinburgh lies Dr. Emma Walker's personal playground. The Johnnie Walker master blender curates around 500 of the more than 10 million casks of maturing whisky in Diageo's inventory in the Vault. If you have the means, she'll create a bespoke blend that takes your personal likes and dislikes into account. It's a long way from the council e...

Robert and Walter Pattison were among the most successful whisky brokers of the 1890's, a golden era for Scotch whisky. However, their empire collapsed because of bad loans, fraudulent cask sales, and an accounting scheme that inflated the company's profits. When the Pattisons finally fell, they took other whisky merchants down with them, just as the industry's overproduction ended the golden era....

Oregon's Westward Whiskey filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week, as the House Spirits-owned distillery tries to reorganize its business and keep the stills running. CEO Tom Mooney joins us this week in his first in-depth interview since the filing, and explains why Chapter 11 doesn't automatically mean going out of business. In the news, the Trump Administration has set a 10% import tariff on...

Europeans have been making rye whisky for generations, but a 20-year-old treaty between the European Union and Canada is affecting their ability to call their whisky what it is…rye whisky. The treaty restricts the use of "rye whisky" to Canadian ryes, even though there's no requirement that Canadian Rye whisky be made with rye. We'll talk with Stauning Whisky's Alex Munch about the bureaucratic ni...

Coopers have used everything from torches to infrared lamps to toast the inside of barrels. Now, a technique pioneered by the wine industry is making its way into whisky: the use of heated Icelandic magma stone formed by volcanic lava. It's said to provide a more consistent toasting than other methods, and Dewar's is the first to use the technique in whisky. We'll talk about it with Dewar's master...

King Car Group's Kavalan Distillery in Yilan, Taiwan marks its 20th anniversary this year. Kavalan has won numerous awards for its single malts, including the "World's Best Single Malt" in the World Whisky Awards. We'll talk with Kavalan's David Chen about the distillery's history and its growing global following on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the European Union delays a return t...

Joe Magliocco didn't found Michter's Whiskey…but he is the modern-day father of the brand. Magliocco uncovered the lapsed trademark for Michter's nearly 30 years ago that led to the brand's revival. He'll join us on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth to discuss everything from the history of Michter's to today's concerns over tariffs and overproduction. In the news, the European Union has joined the...

Tara Lindley started out in the wine business before joining High West Distillery nine years ago. Now, she's the director of sensory analysis and new product development for High West's owner, Constellation Brands, and her latest project is the 2025 release of High West's Bourye, a blend of Bourbons and Rye whiskies. We'll talk with Tara on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the North A...

The Ardbeg Committee was one of whisky's first online affinity groups, and celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. We'll talk with Committee chair Jackie Thomson about the early days of the group, as well as the new Ardbeg Eureka release that marks the anniversary. In the news, the threat of U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports is back this week. Diageo is defending its lackluster earni...

San Francisco's Elixir dates its history back to 1858, when it opened in the city's Mission District along a plank road at the corner of what is now 16th and Guerrero. The bar still has its Gold Rush-era look and feel, thanks to careful restoration work led by owner H. Joseph Ehrmann. We'll talk with head bartender Nick Madden and general manager Shea Shawnson on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. I...

Dan Leese wears two hats: one as CEO of the importer and distiller Hotaling & Co., and the second as the current chairman of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. Mark Gillespie sat down with Dan Leese to discuss the state of the whisky industry and the threats posed by trade tariffs, legal cannabis, and other challenges. In the news, the Trump Administration gets a victory as India...

Bruce Joseph started out as a brewer at what was then Anchor Brewing in San Francisco, and became a distiller when owner Fritz Maytag decided he wanted to add a distillery to make rye whiskey. Old Potrero has become a San Francisco favorite, and after 45 years with what is now Hotaling & Co., he's easing into retirement this week. Bruce Joseph joins us for an exclusive interview on this week's Whi...

The Bar at Willett Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky serves up more than just neat pours and classic cocktails. It's also a gourmet-quality restaurant, as proven by its 2025 James Beard Awards nomination. We'll talk with general manager and beverage director Andy Pope on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, a trade war is brewing across North America after President Trump imposed import t...

Drew Hannush loves nothing more than to disprove whiskey lore, and spends his time researching historical documents to find the truth behind many of whiskey's legends. His new book is Whiskey Lore: Volume One, and he'll join us on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, President Trump wants to impose tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and Canadian leaders are threatening to retaliat...

This week, we're in Victoria, British Columbia for the annual Victoria Whisky Festival, one of the world's great whisky events. The Canadian Whisky Awards were presented during the festival, and we'll have the results, including a surprise winner of the Canadian Whisky of the Year. We'll also talk with Wayne Gretzky Distillery head distiller Tim Wilson and Forty Creek master blender Bill Ashburn o...

Rosen Rye was once favored by distillers for its unique flavor. However, Rosen fell out of favor several decades ago because of cross-pollination and the development of other strains of rye. Now, Rosen is making a comeback on farms in Pennsylvania and Michigan, and we'll talk with two distillers working with the heirloom grain. Erik Wolfe of Pennsylvania's Stoll & Wolfe Distillery and Chad Munger...

With WhiskyCast celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, we thought we'd start the year by turning the tables on host and creator Mark Gillespie. Longtime listener Juan Cruz collected questions for Mark from WhiskyCast Community app members, and sat down with Mark over New Year's Day drams for a conversation. It's our special one-time-only WhiskyCast In-Depth this week. In the news, the U.S. Surg...

Tomintoul Master Distiller Robert Fleming is celebrating two anniversaries. 2024 marks his 50th year in the whisky business, while 2025 will be his 35th year as manager at Tomintoul. We'll talk with the industry veteran this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, hundreds lined up days in advance at three Texas liquor stores for a chance to buy rare Bourbons Saturday. California's Redwood Empir...

A new report from Noble and Co. shows the secondary auction market for whiskies turned in another poor year, and the retail market for whiskies isn't doing much better. We'll talk with Noble's Duncan McFadzean about the report and its implications for whisky collectors and investors, as well as the wider whisky market. In the news, a Heaven Hill rickhouse worker was killed this week in a warehouse...

The tiny Holyrood Distillery in Edinburgh shocked the whisky world when it was named Distillery of the Year last week in Whisky Magazine's Scottish Icons of Whisky Awards. Less shocking was Holyrood's Embra single malt, which took top honors for Lowlands no-age-statement single malts in the World Whiskies Awards. We'll talk with Holyrood co-founder Rob Carpenter about this unique distillery on thi...

Waterford Distillery founder Mark Reynier isn't giving up on his dream, even though the distillery went into receivership last week. As he tells us on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth, he's putting together an investor group to bid on Waterford's assets when they go up for auction in January. We'll talk with Reynier about Waterford's failure and where things went wrong on this week's WhiskyCast In-...

Actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley have released their latest edition of Brother's Bond Bourbon, a 7-year-old Bottled in Bond whiskey. It's a release that shows the two are serious about their whiskies, and not just slapping their names on a bottle. We'll talk with Paul and Ian on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. It's been a troubling week for the whisky industry with the bankruptcy of Kentuck...

It's time for our annual trip to the New Brunswick Spirits Festival in Fredericton, New Brunswick. This year, the legendary Scottish bard Robin Laing was on hand, and we'll catch up with him on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. We'll also talk with festival founder and chairman Frank Scott, longtime master distiller Alan Winchester, and have more highlights from the week in Fredericton. In the news...