Bourbon Lens

Our guests this week are the Father-Son team at 15 STARS Fine Aged Spirits.  Rick and Ricky Johnson join Bourbon Lens to talk whiskey and how they founded the company.  The Johnsons are no stranger to the world of unique grains, given their background in growing heirloom corn varietals, including Baby Black Corn and red, white, and blue heritage corns. Currently, 15 STARS is releasing some award-w...

Bourbon Lens visits the Willy Wonka Factory of Whiskey this week.  We're in Lawrenceburg Indiana for an amazing tour at the Ross & Squibb Distillery (formerly known as MGPI) and an eye-opening podcast. Jake and Scott sit down with Master Distiller Ian Stirsman and Master Blender Sam Schmeltzer to discuss the distillery, its history and a little of what's in store for its bright future. Stream...

We're joined by Heather Greene, CEO and Master Blender for Milam & Greene Whiskey.  Heather is an industry veteran with a diverse background and a wealth of knowledge.  She is also a whiskey writer, author of Whisk(e)y Distilled, and understands many of the behind the scenes dynamics of the whiskey world. For her contributions to Milam & Greene, Heather was recently recognized as the Top M...

Bourbon Lens visits the Wiseguy Lounge for a very unique episode. We're joined by Chase Henry and Jeremiah Johnson with Goodfellas Pizza to discuss the origins of the pizza establishment and its speakeasy concept, Wiseguy Lounge.  And, in a first for Jake and Scott, we explore pizza and whiskey pairings and how you can look to elevate your bourbon tastings with food.  We hope this new episode insp...

Hank Ingram rejoins Bourbon Lens to catch up on all things O.H. Ingram.  Hank last appeared on the show back in late 2020 in Episode 103 and has since relocated his entire operation; expanded distribution, and continues to get high praise for his portfolio of river aged whiskies. Find out what's on the horizon for O.H. Ingram and Hank in this week's new episode.  About O.H. Ingram River Aged: Insi...

Get ready to "nerd out" over whisky with our newest podcast featuring Waterford Whisky. Waterford is an Irish Single Malt with a Scottish passion. Mark Reynier, Founder of Waterford Whisky, and Jake discuss the importance of heirloom grains and terroir in whiskey-making. Waterford Whisky looks to create distinct and unique flavors in the single malt category. We would love to hear your thoughts on...

We're joined by Virginia Distillery Company CEO, Gareth Moore. We discuss the role of VDC in the continued growth of American Single Malt as well as Gareth carrying forward his father's legacy of making the finest single malts in America. And, of course, we walk through some VDC's portfolio of American Single Malt.  VDC is one of the leaders in the ASMW world and their role in pushing the category...

This week, we are joined by the founders of Lost Lantern and American Mash & Grain to discuss independent bottlers in the American Whiskey landscape.  We discuss the importance of the Independent Bottlers, some of the challenges they face, and the successes they've experienced in sourcing the nation's top whiskies for their labels.  We hope you enjoy this roundtable discussion with Lost Lanter...

We are saluting Veterans this week in our annual Salute To Service Veterans Day podcast. This year, we were privileged to be joined by Four Branches Bourbon and its four founders. Rick Franco (US Marine Corps), Mike Trott (US Air Force), Harold Underdown (US Navy), and RJ Casey (US Army) sat down with us just prior to their launch party back in April 2023 at Bardstown Bourbon Company.  Since that...

In a special episode for Bourbon Lens, we're celebrating the  milestone of 250 Episodes with a tasting of the new Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC) . A special thanks to the team at Buffalo Trace Distillery and Sazerac Company for allowing us this opportunity to taste this ultra limited, highly sought after whiskey collection.  Jake and Scott taste through the 5 bottle lineup of 2023 BTAC an...

Elayne Duff, Samson & Surrey's Director of Brand Advocacy, joins Bourbon Lens to talk about their whiskey portfolio. Joining the company in May 2023 , Duff brings more than 20 years of industry experience to the position and oversees advocacy team for Samson & Surrey's diverse family of award-winning, premium craft spirits. The lineup spans from bartender darling Tequila Ocho and artisan m...

In a first, Bourbon Lens podcast joins forces with its sibling podcast, Cocktails with Friends , on this week's special episode to celebrate Old Fashioned Week . Old Fashioned Week is October 13-22, 2023.  We're joined by Lynn House with Heaven Hill to discuss the Old Fashioned Week campaign. We talk about tips for making the classic cocktail, Elijah Craig's whiskey lineup, and the charitable elem...

Jake is joined by George Koutsakis to discuss his latest venture in spirits, Barrel Global. Barrel Global is a whiskey startup that has the goal of connecting spirits buyers with spirits makers. Barrel Global makes barrel ownership possible for first-time collectors by allowing the purchase of just one barrel, so you too can enjoy the experience and rewards of barrel ownership. Whether it's one ba...

We're back on the road and at Log Still Distillery in Gethsemane, Kentucky.  We sit down with Founder, Wally Dant, to discuss all that has gone on at Log Still since we last visited over two years ago.  This is a destination distillery for anyone who is going out on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.  Log Still Distillery's expansive campus (in addition to its world class distillery and tasting room) inc...

We are joined by the newest member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, Trey Zoeller. Trey is the Founder of Jefferson's Bourbon and is a return guest to the Bourbon Lens podcast. Trey previously joined us for  Episode 72 and we were happy to catch up with him during Bourbon Heritage Month. In this episode, we discuss Jefferson's latest innovation,  Jefferson's Tropics Aged in Humidity , which ha...

We're exploring the bourbon lineup from our friends at Michter's Distillery.  Andrea Wilson and Dan McKee re-join Bourbon Lens to help us celebrate our 5th Anniversary and Bourbon Heritage Month. Andrea is Michter's Master of Maturation as well as its Chief Operating Officer. As Michter's Master of Maturation, Andrea manages barrel specifications, barrel procurement, heat cycling and temperature m...

We continue our 5 Year Anniversary and Bourbon Heritage Month celebration with a legend in the Kentucky Bourbon industry, Freddie Johnson from Buffalo Trace Distillery.   Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you're there.  We are thankful for everyone who has supported us over the last 5 years. The biggest shoutout to our growing Patreon Community...

We're kicking off our month-long celebration of our 5 Year Anniversary and Bourbon Heritage Month with DSP-KY-1.  That's right, we travel to Heaven Hill's "Bernheim" Distillery in Louisville to visit with Master Distiller, Conor O'Driscoll.  It has been a long time coming to record with Heaven Hill Distillery and we couldn't be happier to be on location of this massive distillery.  As you know by...

Clinton Dugan, co-founder of Shortbarrel, joins Bourbon Lens to talk about Shortbarrel and their journey from barrel-picking group, to non-distilling producer, to distillery.  This is a unique look at the evolution of a brand in the whiskey world. Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you're there.   We are thankful for everyone who has supported us...

Jake and Scott line up some of the newest releases from Heaven Hill Distillery including the Spring 2023 release of Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond, a 10 year wheated bourbon.  We also get our first taste of the new Larceny Barrel Proof C923 and Square 6 Wheated Bourbon.  This is a great teaser episode in our lead-up to our 5th Anniversary and Bourbon Heritage Month podcast series, which will featu...

We're joined by Samantha Johnson, Master Blender for Diageo and their most recent Orphan Barrel Series release, Scarlet Shade Rye Whiskey.  For those unfamiliar, Orphan Barrel Whiskey Co. is a project to save nearly forgotten barrels of well-aged whiskey and share them with the world. We talk about this release as well as Samantha's process for crafting unique and thoughtful whiskey blends from ex...

In the Season 2 finale of Off Hours with Bourbon Lens, Jake & Jake sit down with Chef Julian Medina.  We're closing out this Season with another chef, so you know Jake L. is smiling as we talk about food, education, and running multiple restaurants.  Find some time like Chef, throw on your running shoes, and stream this episode as you take us for a walk or a jog around the block.  Thanks for l...

Our guests for this episode are Smooth Ambler Founder, John Little, and Travis Hammond, Site Director and current Head Distiller. This wide-ranging conversation is one of the most open discussions we've had with a distillery.  We appreciated their openness and honesty as we discussed the evolution and future of Smooth Ambler.  We hope you enjoy!  Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app an...

In this episode of Off Hours with Bourbon Lens Jake L. hosts alone as Jake I. slides into the interview seat along with the founders of the brands Eight Beer , Melati Drinks , Solento Organic Tequila , and Off Hours Bourbon .  The roundtable comes together to share insights unique to startups in the beverage space.  This conversation shows that it takes guts and rolling up your sleeves to make it...

Our guests this week are Jackie Zykan and Nate Winegar. Jackie and Nate have teamed up with Royce Neeley and Matt Danker to launch Hidden Barn Whiskey. The team has leveraged Jackie's skills in blending some damn fine whiskies and we are so excited to talk with Jackie yet again on Bourbon Lens.   We have a great time catching up with Nate and Jackie and are so excited to see how this emerging whis...