The Scotchy Bourbon Boys

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Missy and Joe of Indian Creek Distillery to trace a sixth-generation family whiskey legacy and the hidden copper pot stills that survived Prohibition. We taste frontier-style spirits, talk craft versus efficiency, and explore why Ohio’s whiskey story deserves more attention.  • the Staley family farm history and why the stills were hidden  • what makes double copp...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down at Middle West Spirits in Columbus with Steve Frederick to unpack how an Ohio grain-to-glass distillery scales up without losing what makes the whiskey special. Along the way we taste new Old Elk bottles coming out of Columbus, dig into finishes like Armagnac and sherry, and end with a straight-from-the-barrel moment that proves context changes everything.  • Middle We...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Doug McLaughlin of M&O Spirits to hear how a film-and-production background turned into a grain-to-glass distillery south of Columbus. We taste through Ta-Da, Pumpkin Spice, Black, Smoke, and a cask strength pour while Doug breaks down the process choices that make his whiskey stand out.  • Doug and Mike’s path from basement R&D to a fully licensed Ohio cr...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Drew Thorn of Silverthorn Reserve to trace his path from brewing and engineering into building whiskey brands, then we taste through his new lineup with a blender’s eye for detail. Along the way, we get a rare look at how older sourced barrels become small-batch, cask strength releases through careful selection, marrying time, and controlled finishing. • Drew’s jo...

Send us Fan Mail We raise a sip to remember, then dig into how Four Branches turns military roots into real whiskey quality and real giveback. We taste Liberty Reserve, break down the blending and double-oak choices behind it, and talk honestly about what it takes to grow a craft bourbon brand without losing the mission.  • a toast for fallen service members and friends we have lost  • why Founder...

Send us Fan Mail We lose our planned guest and turn the night into a live cocktail lab, tasting Fresh Victor mixers straight and then building drinks with bourbon, rum, tequila, vodka, and gin. The surprises are how intense the mixers are on their own, how fast “equal parts” gets you to a great pour, and how easy it is to make solid mocktails too.  • Why concentrated cocktail mixers beat weak juic...

Send us Fan Mail We taste through Rolling Fork’s most interesting bottles with Turner Wathan and unpack how a rum-first company ends up leading with Armagnac, Calvados, and a revived Kentucky bourbon label. Along the way, we get the real story behind Fortuitous Union, the Bourbon Deluxe comeback, and what the current whiskey market means for drinkers who want value without hype.  • Fortuitous Unio...

Send us Fan Mail A barrel can be magic, or it can be ruined before it ever touches whiskey. We sit down with Macaulay Mitten (Dark Arts Whiskey House, aka The Bourbon Swami) to get painfully specific about what separates a memorable finish from a disaster: producer selection, barrel handling, shipping heat, and the kind of quality control most drinkers never see. We also crack open the America 250...

Send us Fan Mail We hang out with Greg Keeley from Larican Bourbon Company and trace how a military career, a Kentucky road trip and a string of coincidences turn into a real bourbon distillery with a loyal following. We taste and talk through what sells, what the maker actually likes, and how new releases get built from the barrel up.  • Greg’s path from the Royal Australian Navy and US Navy to K...

Send us Fan Mail We trace how honey moved from ancient mead to American whiskey culture, then taste modern honey expressions to see what the hype gets right. We also get honest about the messy line between “finished” and “flavored” and why labels and proof matter as much as sweetness. • honey as one of the earliest sweeteners in alcohol and why it pairs naturally with bourbon flavours like vanilla...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with master distiller Caitlin Bartlemay to dig into why American single malt keeps gaining ground and why McCarthy’s still stands out after decades on the shelf. We get practical about peat, Oregon oak maturation, proof, climate, and what it takes to steward a whiskey brand without chasing every trend.  • the rise of American single malt and what category recognition c...

Send us Fan Mail We put the Old Fashioned to the test by tasting bottled RTDs, pre-batched bar styles, and homemade builds to see where convenience truly holds up. We dig into history, ingredients, proof, and technique, then land on what we’d actually buy again and what we’d rather fix with our own bitters and syrup.  • why the Old Fashioned stays the gold standard cocktail  • whether higher proof...

Send us Fan Mail We taste and talk through the Blind Barrels model with Bobby, from sourcing craft whiskey to building a blind lineup that rewards curiosity over hype. We leave with a better way to buy bourbon, rye, and American single malt based on what we actually enjoy, not what the label tells us to enjoy.  • why blind tasting changes what we think we like  • how Blind Barrels gamifies guesses...

Send us Fan Mail We walk the bourbon aisles in May 2026 and track what is genuinely sitting on shelves, what has become a reliable repeat buy, and what still feels like a surprise. The big story is availability and pricing shifting in real time, with several formerly allocated bottles now showing up like normal shelf bourbon.  • yearly shelf check and what it reveals about supply and demand  • Bak...

Send us Fan Mail We get honest about what really builds bourbon flavor and why the barrel may be the single most important ingredient after distillation. We compare bourbon rickhouses to wine cellars, then bring in cooperage expertise on toast, char, white oak chemistry, and why great barrels still cannot fix bad spirit.  • how oak drives extraction, oxidation, colour, and mouthfeel  • why bourbon...

Send us Fan Mail We hang out with Dave Bob from Lexington Brewing & Distilling and get a guided walk through Town Branch, from the visitor center that feels like an Irish street to the barrels that shape everything. Along the way we taste through beers, bourbons and American single malts and end up stunned by a single barrel with raspberry, vanilla and butter notes we can’t stop talking about....

Send us Fan Mail We taste and score Weller 12 bottle by bottle, then zoom out to why Buffalo Trace keeps winning even as the bourbon market cools. We dig into the $1.2B expansion, the aging-time reality behind “scarcity”, and how marketing and mindset shape what we think we taste. • Weller 12 barrel-to-bottle breakdown across nose, body, taste and finish • proof talk and why 90 proof changes the e...

Send us Fan Mail We set up inside High Bank’s barrel-filled war room and taste Whiskey War through a full brunch pairing that changes what we smell, taste, and remember. We also break down how blending, proof, and finishing choices shape a bottle, plus why the restaurant experience matters as much as the whiskey. • quick intros with Tony, Dylan, James, and chef Eric at the Grandview location • why...

Send us Fan Mail We chase the real engine of whiskey flavor by breaking down fermentation from mash temperatures and enzymes to yeast behavior and the distiller’s beer that feeds the still. Then we pivot from science to the glass with a George Dickel 15-year Tennessee whiskey single barrel review, including how charcoal mellowing shapes what we taste.  • our sponsor and community updates plus wher...

Send us Fan Mail We hand Watershed the keys and let Ryan Venrick run our first distillery-led blind tasting, and we learn fast that we’re not as good at guessing as we think. The reveals turn into a real lesson on slow water reduction, finishing choices, and how Watershed is reshaping Ohio bourbon from the barrel up.  • Ryan’s career path from bottling line to blending and barrel management  • Why...

Send us Fan Mail We cross borders for a Cinco de Mayo pour that rewrites what whiskey can be when the grain, the place, and the people drive the process. With Sierra Norte’s Doug French, importer Bob Murphy, and our Whiskey Doctor Randy Ford, we dig into rainbow corn whiskey, heritage agriculture, and how Oaxaca shapes flavor from seed to barrel. • why Sierra Norte moves from mezcal into 100% corn...

Send us Fan Mail We bring Kentucky Derby energy to the mic and talk about why this race hits different when bourbon tradition is part of the build-up. Along the way we trade Woodford Reserve notes, argue cocktail culture, and lock in our picks for win, place, and show. • Kentucky Derby history and why it feels like a full-day event  • Woodford Reserve as the official Derby bourbon and what makes t...

Send us Fan Mail We mix a smoked old fashioned that riffs on Dr Pepper flavor using burnt sugar syrup, cherry and chocolate bitters, and a heavy smoke cap that hangs over the glass. Then we run a full barrel bottle breakdown on Elijah Craig 15 Year Single Barrel and put it head-to-head with Elijah Craig 18 to settle the oak debate. • Race weekend chatter and why spring kicks off better sipping • D...

Send us Fan Mail We hang out with Stephen Canepa and Troy Bolotnik from FilmLand Spirits and dig into how they built a whiskey brand around vintage movie poster storytelling without sacrificing what matters in the glass. We taste their Moonlight Mayhem and Rise Of The Robots, talk blending philosophy, and hear why they obsess over labels, transparency, and the long-term connection with drinkers. ...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with the Echo Spirits team to talk about how a Columbus, Ohio distillery builds award-winning rum, creative whiskey blends, and a bar that feels like home. Along the way we dig into sourcing versus grain-to-glass debates, how finishes can rescue tricky barrels, and why community matters more than competition.  • Columbus distillery community and why collaboration works...