Bourbon Turntable

In this episode I am riding solo, so I decided to talk about a great solo album and a great single barrel. The solo album is Sting's "The Dream of the Blue Turtles" and the single barrel is a Russell's Reserve pick.   I get into some background and some opinion on both the album and the bourbon.  I hope you'll enjoy it!

Welcome back to Bourbon Turntable, Turner Wathen! Turner started Rolling Fork Spirits in 2016 and immediately started bring high quality Caribbean rum to the heart of Bourbon Country.  He has added several unique rum-based offerings over the last few years. Now he has also started Wayward Cask - sourcing French spirits such as Calvados and Armagnac.   We talk about Rolling Fork and Wayward Cask an...

Christi Atkinson joins me this week as we take a departure from whiskey to bring the first in a series of shows on gin.  Gin is far from just "kissing a Christmas tree" and Christi takes us through various styles of gin that displays the complexity and variety offered by gin. We taste seven different gins in this episode:  Castle & Key London Dry Gin, Castle & Key Roots of Ruin D...

Stephanie McNew Burton is an author of two cocktail books, a mainstay on the ABV Network, a host of her Highly Spirited Podcast, and much more.  She is also this week's guest on Bourbon Turntable. Stephanie and I discuss all the different projects she has going on while sipping on some cocktails that she has featured on her podcast. We also talk about one of Stephanie's other passions: m...

Johnny Toms is the lead singer for Van Winkle & the Spirits.  VW&S uses complex instrumentation and thick harmonies to produce a remarkably rich sound that is great fun to listen to.  The band crosses genres from country to southern rock to Americana.  Johnny and I talk about their self-titled debut album as well as their first release for the new album, "Still Out West". We enjo...

Ken Schreiner is launching AJ Schreiner Spirits in July and is my guest on this week's Bourbon Turntable.  AJ Schreiner Spirits is dedicated to the family's history in distilling (dating back to before prohibition) while bringing something unique to the spirits landscape.   In this episode you'll learn about the rye blend and gin products that will soon be on the market from AJ Schr...

David Levine and I traded some samples recently and we recorded our thoughts about them.  We tasted spirts from Long Island Spirits, Pacific Coast Spirits, Kentucky Peerless and Ironroot Republic.  Plus we had a bonus Armagnac pour that we shared.   David is a very talented writer and whiskey taster.  I trust in his opinion and you will, too, once you've gotten to know him.  

Boone Froggett of Otis is the guest on this week's Bourbon Turntable.  Boone has a rich history in music intersecting with Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, The Kentucky Headhunters and others. Otis has a base Southern Rock sound that stretches across multiple genres.  It is a sound and feel that I call The Kentucky Groove.  Boone and I talk through their latest single "There's a Break in th...

Barrel House Distillery in Lexington is one of the best kept secrets in Kentucky Bourbon.  James Gerard gives us the scoop on the whiskeys made by Barrel House, the distilleries history and their current expansion plans. We taste the Barrel House barrel strength bourbon and the Spring 2024 release of Rockcastle Bourbon.   James and I also discuss some of his favorite bands and concerts.   Go to ww...

Water Step is a non-profit organization with a mission to bring clean water to the world. On May 17 at Zanzabar in Louisville, Sweet Lady and Bleu Phonque are in concert to benefit Water Step.   In this week's episode, I tell you about Water Step and the concert.  If you've listened to Bourbon Turntable or followed me on social...you surely know about these two incredible bands.   If you...

This week we have the continuation of our conversation with Kris Koenig of Golden Beaver Distillery. We taste some more Pacific Flyway Bourbon with Kris as I'm joined by guest co-host, Mike Lisac. We also talk about California music with a focus on the Bakersfield Sound, The Grateful Dead, Eagles and Linda Ronstadt.  A lot of Linda Ronstadt. Be sure to follow Golden Beaver on social media and...

Wow.  What a great time with Kris from Golden Beaver Distillery as we taste some of his amazing whiskeys and talk about the California Sound.  I'm joined by Mike Lisac (my brother from another mother) as my co-host.  In part one...we get into Kris's unique, innovative and enigmatic whiskey and talk about The Bakersfield Sound.   This was a lot of fun and sets up really well for part two!

I am joined by Jerry Dalton this week.  Jerry is the only non-Beam family member to be Master Distiller at Jim Beam.  He is also a new member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame.   Jerry and I discuss his new book, "The Way of Bourbon".  We talk about the spirituality, the science and the process of distillation.  Jerry also shares some of the humorous stories from his book about Bourbo...

As Etta James sang: "At last..." This episode with Beth Burrows, Senior American Whiskey Ambassador for James B. Beam Distilling Co., is ready to go.  We had to wait because we discussed some Beam news that Corporate wasn't quite ready to let out yet.   I know you'll enjoy hearing about the new A. Overholt Rye and the age statement returning to Jim Beam Black.   But, there&apos...

Welcome to part two of my conversation with Jeff Gorman of Illiterate Light.  This week we do a deep dive into Illiterate Light's past releases and discuss their amazing new EP, "Slow Down Time". Be sure to follow Illiterate Light on social media to keep up with news about music and live shows.  And, of course, listen to "Slow Down Time" on your favorite streaming platform...

Jeff Gorman is the vocalist, guitarist and song-writer for the amazing duo, Illiterate Light.  Jeff is also my guest for this week's first of a two-part episode.   "Slow Down Time" is the brand new EP from Illiterate Light.  It is a brilliant piece of music and very much worth your time and attention. Since Jeff is in Virginia, we taste some whiskey from there: a single malt from Vi...

This week I take you through five whiskeys and five albums that "maybe you're missing".  Some you may not have tried or heard before and some you may have not tried or heard in awhile. Whiskeys include:  #IronrootRepublic #GoldenBeaver #MBRoland #Deerhammer #GreenRiver 

Sara Jean Kelley is a song bird.  You'll not find a singer with a better voice or greater range as Sara Jean. We talk about her newest single "Whiskey to Water", her family's musical roots and much more.  We also sample a couple of whiskeys "to water the blues". You can listen to Sara Jean's music by following this link: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4K8CwsmvF7...

Lia Niskanen of Barrel Strength Talent is my guest this week.  Lia takes us on a tasting journey of brands that have grown and developed from moonshining roots. We taste whiskeys from King's County, Clyde Mays and Brothers Wright.  All while we discuss the intricacies of sourcing whiskey and transitioning to a distillery's own distillate.   We also have an interesting conversation on the...

This week I have a show for you that you weren't supposed to see...because it wasn't supposed to happen. You'll have to listen to understand the reasons why...but I make the most of it by talking about: Mike Lisac The Cold Stares Leilani Kilgore Jeremiah Johnson Nick Roady (Broken Barrel) Blackberry Smoke Bourbons Bistro Bread Pudding Buzzard's Roost American Whiskey Alan Bisho...

Broken Barrel Whiskey Co. is one of the most innovative companies in the spirits world today.  Don't believe me?   Well, they just won American Whiskey's "Brand Innovator of the Year" award.  Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Seth Benhaim, and marketing director, Nick Roady, join me to tell the Broken Barrel story.   We also learn about Seth's and Nick's taste in mu...

I keep going back for more of Leilani and Jeremiah when I'm picking music to listen to these last couple of weeks.  I'm excited for you to hear part two of my conversation with them on this week's episode.   If you can make it to St. Louis on Saturday (February 17) go see them on the same bill with our great friends, The Cold Stares.  For tickets: https://redflagstl.com/event/the-co...

Two of the best modern blues artists on the same show?  Yes, that's what we have for you this week.  Leilani Kilgore is an amazing young talent. Vocally, musically and lyrically...she's at the top of the class. Jeremiah Johnson has been putting on a master's class in American Blues with each album he releases.  He truly covers all the bases.   This is part one of my conversation wit...

The last show was so nice...we'll do it twice (sort of).  This week we focus on the beautiful one, John Wadell.  John is the single barrel manager (among other things) at Kentucky Peerless as well as being the co-founder of Stave and Bean Coffee Company.   Jason Brauner (Bourbons Bistro and Buzzard's Roost) is on-hand to join in the conversation with John.  We also dig into the top ten s...

John Wadell joins Kevin in a conversation with one of the greats of the whiskey world, Jason Brauner.  Jason is founder and owner of the greatest (and first) bourbon bar in the world, Bourbons Bistro.  He is also co-founder and Master Blender for one of the fastest growing whiskey brands around, Buzzard's Roost. We taste through all three batches of Buzzard's Roost Cigar Rye and talk wit...