Great American Whiskey Cookers

It’s one thing to have a job — it’s another to live your craft. When someone proudly calls themselves a “Whiskey Guy,” you know you’ve found people fueled by passion, not just a paycheck. In Clarksville, Tennessee, we met a group of true Whiskey Guys at Old Glory Distilling Co. From grain to glass, their dedication to America’s native spirit is unmistakable. After spending time with the team, one...

Finished whiskey's are all over the shelves now. Almost every distiller has at least one. So, how does a Maple Cask Finished Bourbon from Whiskey Acres in Illinois stack up against one from 13th Colony? We put it to the test in a blind tasting. Check it out and see what we think.

In this episode, Colonel Craig Duncan, founder of Whiskey University, pours us a sample of Russell's Reserve 13 year and then pours us a sample of Russell's Reserve 2003 which is at 89.5 proof. A unicorn that we have never seen. the russell's 13 year is everything you hoped it would be, but the Russell's Reserve 2003 is in another hemisphere...And the conversation ends up down...

American Single Malt is having a day. Now that It's an official category, we are seeing all sorts of them pop up. However, Westward Whiskey in Oregon is one of the OG's of the American Single Malt producers. So, I put one of their single malts in front of Kirk in a blind taste test to see what he thinks of this whiskey.

Let's be real, most whiskey marketing stories are just a bunch of hooey! They're like the tall tales of the Wild West, but with more barrels and beards. But, some distilleries are all about keeping it real, like Blaum Bros. Distillery in Galena, Illinois. They're the whiskey equivalent of that one friend who always tells it like it is, no fluff or fancy words needed.

It's a blind tasting Friday. On this episode, I lure our elusive camera man Kirk out from behind the camera’s to try a Middle West Spirits Dark Pumpernickel Rye in a blind tasting. This one has received rave reviews, so what does Kirk think of it? 

The whiskey laws are so weird, and outdated. Have you ever heard the name Rectifier? It's an old term. But, it's still used today in the whiskey industry when it comes to licensing. Today we know it as Blender. Spirits Attorney Brian Haara gives us some insight into the definition of these terms and what it all means in the whiskey sphere.

In this blind tasting, I put Kirk on the hot seat to see what he thinks of one of our new favorite distillers. MB Roland from Pembroke Kentucky. This time it’s a single barrel from MB Roland, which is also a regular release.

We are wrapping up 2025 with a banger of a blind tasting. Heaven Hill 18 year against Penelope 10 year. We know what you are thinking….Yes, there’s a big age difference in this whiskey but, this is two highly sought after allocated bottles. So that’s the rub. And when we get into it, there’s quite a bit of debate between all of us. Check it out and see who picked what.

Well, it's that time of year where we recap all the distillery's we have filmed at in 2025. In this episode, I make the guys pick their favorite Distillery or favorite episode while we sip on some of the whiskey's from these distilleries. You just never know what's going to come out of everyone's mouth when we start talking.

There is a legend from Tennessee in the moonshine world by the name of Popcorn Sutton. His real first name is Marvin, but everyone knows him by Popcorn. Every moonshiner knows his name. And likely, his moonshine. Old Smokey distillery has teamed up with his widow to produce a bourbon to honor the legacy of Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton. Let's Blind taste it and see what we think of it.

Welcome to Episode #107 of the Great American Whiskey Cookers! In this podcast, we take you on an immersive adventure to the historical Iowa Legendary Rye Distillery.  There is one distillery that has stayed true to the prohibition whiskey recipe and is keeping the prohibition whiskey making tradition alive in Iowa. And that's Iowa Legendary Rye. In this episode we get a guided tasting of the...

On this Friday Blind challenge, it's one of our favorites. Oxmoor Small Batch Bourbon going up against a new one for us, Kings Family Distillery. It's no secret that Jeff likes the Oxmoor, so can he spot it in the blind and does it win this blind, or does Kings Family Distillery pull it off. Check it out.

On this episode, we get to try a whiskey that was being phased out by one distillery, but is now being brought back by the brothers of the family that once owned it. It's historically significant in the whiskey-sphere, but largely forgotten execept by those whiskey nerds that know of it. And now, it's being brought back by the family that used to make it. Most whiskey stories are full of...

It's a blind tasting Friday. On this episode, it's a so called Big Craft bourbon - Michters Barrel Strength. Not technically a "big bourbon" but often thought of like that. The competition is the blending strength of Pursuit Spirits and their Rye. Can a craft Blender beat out a perennial like Michter's. Tune in and find out.

There are lots of myths and misunderstandings about making Bourbon. Seems like everyone "knows" what the scoop is. So, we asked Brian Haara, Spirits Attorney in Louisville Kentucky about the rules that govern the making of Bourbon. Including the rules about what it goes into once it's made and how long it has to be in the barrel. And we talk about the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897, wh...

Old Grand Dad recently came out with a 7 year product. And everyone’s been going nuts over trying to find this. So, we wondered how does it stack up against the shelfer Old Grand Dad Bottled in Bond. We blind some friends of the show to find out which one they like better. The results might surprise you. It’s a Big Bourbon “I can’t find it”  vs. a Big Bourbon Shelfer

You have probably heard of Sugarlands Moonshine. It seems to be everywhere. But If you are a diehard whiskey geek, you might have heard of Roaming Man Whiskey from this distillery. On this episode we get a guided tasting from Colonel Craig Duncan at Whiskey University of this coveted Roaming Man Whiskey. And wait till you hear the story that inspired the name

It’s a super premium vs craft whiskey blind tasting. Everyone’s heard of Russell’s Reserve 13 year. It’s one of those killer whiskies. So, let’s see how the elusive Dettling Straight Whiskey, a craft whiskey through and through stands up to this Goliath of the bourbon world.

Welcome to Episode #103 of the Great American Whiskey Cookers! In this podcast, we take you on an immersive adventure to St. Louis, Missouri and Still 630 Distillery. Join us as we delve into what makes this such a unique distillery. Distillers have to think years ahead on any of their special releases. It's a guessing game most of the time of what will be popular in 5, 7, even 10 years from...

On this Friday Blind challenge, we put a craft whiskey, West Fork Wheated Bottled in Bond, from Westfield Indiana (a Suburb of Indianapolis) in front of some friends of the show to see what they think of the whiskey. Now Nate can usually spot a pot distilled whiskey a mile out. Can he do it this time? Check it out.

Welcome to Episode #101 of the Great American Whiskey Cookers! In this podcast, we take you on an immersive adventure to St. Louis, Missouri and Still 630 Distillery. Join us as we delve into what makes this such a unique distillery. No distilling background. No big investors, just sheer grit and determination to make some great whiskey. Dave Weglarz at Still 630 embodies every bit of commitment a...

Welcome to Episode #102 of the Great American Whiskey Cookers! In this podcast, we take you on an immersive adventure to St. Louis, Missouri and Still 630 Distillery. Join us as we delve into what makes this such a unique distillery. One of the oldest college football rivalry's is actually between two division III schools in Indiana. As luck would have it, Dave Weglarz, head distiller at Stil...

Can a craft whiskey beat a juggernaut like a Weller Full Proof? It’s a Friday Blind tasting Craft vs Big Bourbon Challenge. On one side is the hard to find Weller Full proof. Always looked for, and usually priced way over MSRP. On the other side is Fiddler Georgia Heartwood. Truly a craft whiskey. Check out the episode to see which one wins us over.

You have heard the names E.H. Taylor and George T. Stagg, but did you know they had a lawsuit against each other that lasted 13 years? You've probably heard the Makers Mark story of how they got their name? But do you know the real story? Spirits Attorney Brian Haara has released a book called Bourbon Justice that tells of all these back stories through the lens of the legal system. And just...