The Rolex Whisky Passion Project

Mahesh Patel founder of Universal Whisky Experience, Avid Connoisseur and Whisky Collector, made history when buying the world’s first most expensive whisky bottle ‘The Dalmore Trinitas’ valued at $165,000 back in October 2010. Since then he has been made keeper of the Quaich – a society at the heart of the Scottish whisky industry and became the Freeman of City of London and livery man for the wo...

Gavin welcomes Yili Ferati to his show and the two discuss Yili's passion project with whiskey. Yili reveals that he has been bartending for 15 years and got thrown into the role when one of their bartenders had to be let go. He then explains how he found his passion in whiskey and has since become Alaska's number one whiskey bar, with recognition from the Bourbon Reviewer's Top 100 an...

Today we advise novice whiskey collectors and investors to form a plan and stick to it. They should not get caught up in the hype around certain products, as it won’t necessarily result in a positive outcome. Gavin also cautions against buying too much immediately and buying into mass-produced “allocated” whiskey. They got started in the whiskey collecting and investing game by noticing a shortage...

Tracie Franklin is a whiskey educator, marketing consultant, public speaker, bartender, and distillation apprentice who lives in Washington D.C. She is a trained actress and singer who traveled the world performing but now uses those skills to share her passion and knowledge for whiskey with diverse groups. She has appeared as a spirits expert on local and National media including; LIVE on the Tod...

No secrets, mythical legends, or fabricated stories. The Bardstown Bourbon Company is a New Blend of Bourbon Makers pushing the boundaries through innovation while honoring the traditional art of making whiskey. Set on 100 acres of active farmland in the heart of the Bourbon Capital of the World, they produce the highest-quality, authentic Kentucky Bourbon, whiskey, and rye brands as well as offer...

Starlight Distillery is located at Huber’s Orchard & Winery in beautiful Starlight, IN. Their plans for the distillery started in the mid-’90s and they were inspired by their ancestors who once distilled fine brandies in this area in the early 1800s. Producing brandy is no small task and being the first to walk through this process in the State of Indiana was not without its share of frustrati...

Jessica Adkins of H&A Barrel Management joins the show this week to share a bit about barrel leasing and how she supports breweries with this act. The group H&A is focused on the operational management of barrel inventory. They propose a global offer.  H&A Group has tailored its leasing solutions to the financial constraints of the wine industry, offering customers the most flexible, m...

The 1 West Dupont Circle Wines and Liquors is the modern branch of a family-owned business founded in 1995 nestled in a nostalgic liquor store in the heart of our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. Serving specialty-buying customers around the country for more than two decades and generations with hand-crafted, quality liquor for enjoyment and private collections. The brick-and-mortar shop began w...

Today’s guest is Jon Cecil.  He has been in the bourbon game since about 2008, when he fell in love with whiskey.  Prior to that, Jon enjoyed rum, but after college, he realized he lived in Kentucky and should probably figure out what the deal was with the products that proudly called his state home.  Jon went on the bourbon trail and was immediately hooked.  He started trying everything he could...

Stewart is Benriach’s torchbearer and champion around the world, and he travels constantly in his role as the Benriach Global Brand Ambassador. So dedicated is he to Benriach that during the distillery's renovation, he slept on the floor of the maltings loft. Never at home in Speyside for long, you will find him on the road spreading the word of our award-winning single malts. A Speyside singl...

Brad Japhe is a freelance journalist specializing in food, beverage, and travel. He moonlights as a beer and spirits consultant, hosting monthly craft pairings/educational dinners in both Los Angeles and New York, and curating drink menus for festivals and restaurants.  He prefers Scotch to bourbon, IPAs before lagers, and In-n-Out over Shake Shack. His favorite breed of dog is unequivocally the S...

The modern “Cocktail Renaissance” began over a decade ago when a few pioneers around the country re-ignited the bar scene by introducing drink programs that focus on quality, creativity, and history, and by bringing hospitality back to the bar scene. H. Joseph Ehrmann is one of those pioneers.  Over the past thirteen years, he has built Elixir into a bar that many publications have called one of t...

We dive in today with Saul Zelmanowitz, the mastermind behind the @scotchminisz Instagram account. Saul invited me to his home in Queens to view his collection of over 3,000 bottles of mini single malt scotch whiskies. Saul lived in New York City all his life (60+ years). He's been collecting scotch miniatures, mostly single malts, for about 30 years because it’s his choice of drink. Sauls&#39...

A New York City hospitality veteran of 20 years, Tommy has kept his finger on the pulse of this fast-paced and ever-changing industry. His vision to create a sophisticated venue for food and spirits connoisseurs was realized when he opened The Flatiron Room in 2012. Tommy has made television appearances on Bloomberg, Fox News, Business Insider, and Wealth TV to speak about his venues and trends in...

Industry veterans Tommy Patrick and John Slagle created The Ballard Cut with the hopes of bringing their passions for Japanese whiskey and hospitality to the Ballard neighborhood. The goal for the restaurant was to bring local, seasonal food to the forefront, make fabulous and rare whiskeys accessible, and share the collective knowledge of wine, spirits, and cooking with our friends and neighbors....

Samuel Falic, who is the co-founder and COO of BlockBar, Inc, was born and raised in Miami, Florida. As part of the next generation of the Falic Group, owners of the largest duty-free operation in the Western Hemisphere, Samuel found interest in both finance and law. After completing his bachelor's degree in Accounting at the University of Miami, Samuel continued his education at the Cardozo S...

Pat McCarthy @worldofwhiskey has spent 30+ years working and supporting liquor & wine companies. As a whiskey consultant, his current job includes sampling and selecting numerous barrels each year to be bottled for the Bayway World of Liquor Barrel Program and Whisky Peddler label. He has also judged numerous international whisky competitions.

Jay Golinsky, based in London, UK, is the Director of a Real Estate Agency and the man behind @whiskyheaven, now boasting over 7,500 followers on his Instagram Page. Jay has been a collector at heart and whatever his chosen collectible, he has a ‘both feet first’ attitude and with Whisky, it was his whole body first! Having gotten into and enjoyed drinking whisky with his girlfriend’s father, his...

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, temperature monitoring during aging, tracking maturation of barrels, whiskey filtration in preparation for bottling, and innovation to continue to improve the aging process. Andrea has achieved many honor...