The Whiskey Lore® Podcast

Join me for a conversation with whiskey maker Ari Sussman as we dive into the story behind Whiskey JYPSI, co-founded by Raj Alva and singer-songwriter Eric Church, learn about Ari's path into the industry, from politics to winemaking in France, international bartending, and eventually studying at Michigan State University's pioneering distilling program under the late Dr. Kris Berglund. We'll talk...

On this anniversary of the signing of the Bottled-in-Bond Act, it is time to dig in deep, and focus research on the man behind the Bottled-in-Bond Act, learn the real reason the bill was created, hear the 1897 arguments for and against it, and ride the rollercoaster of American legislation at the tail end of the Gilded Age. I'll also reveal why we should never refer to the modern regulations as Th...

Open a whiskey magazine, newspaper, or check out your social media feed and you're sure to hear plenty of doom and gloom around the current whiskey market. There seem to be demons hiding in the bushes everywhere. Scapegoats include over-supply, over-confidence, speculation, poor management, inflation, capital constraints, tariffs, changing tastes like shifts to RTDs, hemp drinks, a rise in tequila...

The first time I picked up a whiskey history book, I was introduced to the story of George Thorpe, an Englishman who came to Berkeley Plantation in 1620, to make "hooch," as the book stated. He was credited with making America's first corn whiskey and starting an industry. As I dove more and more into research on whiskey history and the evolution of distilling techniques, this American origin stor...

Florida's Emerald Coast may be known for beaches and sunshine, but just north of Destin, two neighbors turned an engineering mindset and a love of brewing into one of the state's most inventive distilleries. In this episode, Drew Hannush heads to Timber Creek Distillery to meet co-founders Cam Ford and Aaron Barnes and discover why they chose to distill grains separately, embrace Florida-grown ing...

What started with two Columbus entrepreneurs and a vision for building something local has grown into one of Ohio's largest and most influential distilleries. In this episode, Drew Hannush visits Watershed Distillery to meet cask manager Ryan Venrick and brand ambassador Tommy Householder and discover how a community-driven startup became a destination for bourbon, gin, apple brandy, and one of th...

Most people come to Cooperstown for baseball, but they may leave talking about whiskey. In this episode, Drew Hannush strolls through the village that gave rise to America's pastime before heading to Cooperstown Distillery to meet founder Gene Marra. Together, they explore the marriage of baseball and spirits, the philosophy behind New York whiskey, and why one chef-turned-distiller believes cold-...

TRUTH OR LORE: Did James "Cobbie" Allardes enlist the help of Edinburgh's ladies of the night to sell his "guid Glendronach whisky?" It's a story I used to kick off the Whiskey Lore podcast back in 2019, but a lot has happened since then — especially when it comes to the way I conduct research. Join me as I take a second look at the life of James Allardes and the creation of Glendronach Distillery...

Vermont is famous for maple syrup, but in Quechee, one distillery found a different way to put the state's signature ingredient to work. In this episode, Drew Hannush visits Vermont Spirits Distilling Company to meet head distiller and COO Don Kolp and explore a world where maple becomes vodka, gin spends years in bourbon barrels, and bourbon gets just enough maple to remind you where it came from...

Flag Hill Distillery and Winery (Lee, NH) WF082 Join me as I continue the Great 48 Tour across New England, with a scenic stop at the Flag Hill Distillery and Winery. Originally hired as a distiller, Brian Ferguson had thoughts of going back to his native Pennsylvania to make whiskey. Then the owner made him an excellent offer to stay and take over Flag Hill. It's a unique story and we'll dive int...

Are you ready to find out who number one is? I've gathered conversations from the distilleries I've talked with and pieced together the 24 biggest fan favorite distilleries as voted by Instagram and Patreon followers of Whiskey Lore. Thanks to everyone who voted this year. Friday, we will be starting all over again, but with some changed, which I describe in the podcast. In 2026, we are going to e...

If you've been to their distillery in Louisville or read one of their bottles you have probably encountered the claim that that Old Forester was "the first bottled Bourbon." The story suggests that in 1870, a former pharmaceutical rep George Garvin Brown began placing whiskey in sealed bottles and putting his signature on them to show he stood behind the safety and quality of the whiskey. It's a g...

WARNING: DJ Voice Enabled Welcome to a year end countdown of the Top 40 independent craft distilleries as voted on by you. We'll count down from #40 to #1 and I'll share bits of interviews, personal notes, distillery insights from the new book Experiencing American Whiskey, and a few interesting side-bits, like what are the top 10 states for whiskey distillery experiences. It's a fun hour to round...

Boston Harbor Distillery (Dorchester, MA) WF081 Meet the co-founder of Samuel Adams, whose real passion was whiskey. Rhonda Kallman helped craft beer get on its feet, so why not craft whiskey? We'll talk about her background, the historic building she found to house the distillery, the legend who helped get her on the right foot with distilling, and we'll taste rye, single malt, and something call...

Working Man Distillers (Pawtucket, RI) WF080 Quite a day in New England, I'll be conquering five states! Leaving Connecticut, I head to Pawtucket, Rhode Island to meet John and Kelly Lendall, the owners of Working Man Distillery. I sit down with John to discuss the evolution of the distillery, the move from Massachusetts, and the marriage proposal that hinged on distilling. I wish I had some time...

Litchfield Distillery (Litchfield, CT) WF078 Join me as I enter New England as part of the Great 48 Tour. Today I chat with Peter Baker, a co-founder of Litchfield Distillery in Connecticut. Along with his two brothers they made a decision to expand beyond their three-generation family bottled water business and get into the world of whiskey. We'll talk talk about their development of an American...

In a world where branding has become paramount in the promotion of people and products, certain brands have slipped from our vernacular, or have taken on new roles. Long ago, the saloon was much more than just the domain of cowboys and gunfighters in the Old West. But for some reason, the name disappeared. It's time to delve into the history of the concept and find out...whatever happened to the o...

Milk Street Distillery (Branchville, NJ) WF0078 On the way to New England for the Great 48 Tour and I took a few backroads through northern New Jersey to discover unexpected scenery, the influence of unmalted barley, and two brothers who left construction jobs to take advantage of New Jersey's evolving laws on distilling. Join me for a laid back conversation with Mike and Gordon Geerhart, founders...

Welcome to a surprise tasting event. Today I'll be joined by Greg King of Proof, who is going to introduce us to the 2025 lineup of Diageo Special Releases. In this episode we'll dive into the history of this series and Greg and I will taste the new Oban and Lagavulin releases and I'll toss in a couple wildcards as well. We'll talk a little about the distilleries and flavor characteristics. There...

Today, we're taking the week off from the Great 48 Tour and giving some much needed time to Scotch whisky and history. Join me as I chat with Stewart Walker, longtime Distillery Manager of Fettercairn in the Highlands of Scotland. We're going to dive back into the the origins of the distillery, the Prime Minister whose family owned Fettercairn at one time and his impact on Scotch whisky, the disti...

Brush Creek Distillery (Saratoga, WY) WF0077 As we reach the end of the western swing of the Great 48 Tour, I reach the most sprawling and scenic distillery of the trip. Out in the wilds of Wyoming, isolated from the rest of the world stands a 30,000 acre ranch and luxury resort with a distillery, underground speakeasy, and some unique ways to reuse elements of its whiskey barrels. Join me as I ch...

Headframe Spirits (Butte, MT) WF076 Today, a bit of a hybrid episode. As part of the Great 48 Tour, I decided to revisit a distillery in the mining town of Butte, Montana. It's a distillery that tells the story of Butte America and the town's mining legacy through its spirit names. So, not only was I fascinated by it's storytelling, I was also intrigued by the fact I've seen stills around the coun...

Up North Distillery (Post Falls, ID) WF075 Occasionally I visit a distillery that stretches the imagination of what spirits can be. Randy and Hilary Mann have just such a distillery in the upper reaches of the Idaho panhandle. Up North not only makes a delicious single malt (featuring one of my favorite tasting notes) they also make barrel aged and barrel finished honey spirits, brandies, and a fa...

Browne Family Spirits (Spokane, WA) WF0074 As we hit the midway point of the Great 48 Tour, we're hitting the furthest point northwest on our tour. Our destination is a distillery that lives in the shadown of a massive grain mill on the eastside of town. It's known in the area for great and innovative cocktails, its owners came from the wine industry, the distiller is a Kentuckian, and the whiskey...

Oregon Spirit Distillers (Bend, OR) WF073 Over the last 3 months, I've been scouring the United States for distilleries to list in my upcoming Experiencing American Whiskey book. But I've also been trying to find other things that would help whiskey fans discover new distilleries in each state. It was while trying to learn about Oregon's whiskey festivals that I was introduced to Brad Irwin, co-fo...