The Whiskey Ring Podcast

Italy, Nashville, and Danville Enter The Distilling Ring In this episode of the Whiskey Ring Podcast, I had the pleasure of welcoming Francesco Viola, the founder of Luca Mariano Distillery, to discuss his journey in the world of distilling. Francesco's story is deeply rooted in his family's Italian heritage, which adds a unique flavor to his approach to bourbon production. We kicked off the conve...

Whiskey in Wyoming, via Nevada and NorCal It's been nearly 20 years since I visited Wyoming, and I still remember it as one of the most beautiful places in the US. The least populous state, with multitudes more cattle and sheep than people, it is nonetheless one of astounding natural beauty, where small towns abound and you know your neighbors and who's growing your grain.  This was the place Chad...

Makers, Not Fakers: Phil Brandon on Craft Distilling in Little Rock, Arkansas In this episode of the Whiskey Ring Podcast, I am thrilled to welcome Phil Brandon, the founder and distiller of Rock Town Distillery in Little Rock, Arkansas. As the first legal distillery in the state since before Prohibition, Rock Town emphasizes the importance of local sourcing and building a distillery that reflects...

Jimmy Red Corn And We Should All Care!  In this episode of the Whiskey Ring Podcast, I welcome Scott Blackwell, co-founder of High Wire Distilling in Charleston, South Carolina. The conversation dives into Scott's diverse entrepreneurial background, which spans restaurants, coffee, and packaged foods, before transitioning into the spirits industry. Scott shares how his passion for flavor and cultu...

The Monogram and the Wettest Block: Kansas City's Distilling Heritage In this episode of the Whiskey Ring Podcast, we’re heading down to Kansas City, Missouri, to chat with Ryan Maybee, the co-founder of J. Rieger & Company. Ryan takes us on a journey from his early days as a bartender to the exciting revival of the historic J. Rieger brand, which originally flourished from 1887 until Prohibit...

Whiskey Prison: Southern Grace Distilleries and Conviction Bourbon   Join us as we delve into the captivating story of Southern Grace Distilleries, one of North Carolina's most unique bourbon producers, with Thomas Thacker. Celebrating their 10th anniversary, Thomas shares the remarkable journey of crafting their signature Conviction bourbon. Learn about their distinctive Piedmont-style mash bill...

My First Visit to South Carolina - And It Was Gold   Have you had any whiskey from South Carolina? No? Me neith...wait, yes, yes I have! Well, that's a bit facetious - by the time this comes out, I will have tried High Wire's Jimmy Red, too, but let's say the Carolinas weren't on my shelf before these bottles showed up to try.    In this episode of the Whiskey Ring Podcast, we venture into unchart...

New Riff Sour Mash Single Malt Enters Its Second Batch Join us as we welcome the singular Jay Erisman, co-founder of New Riff Distillery. From his beginnings as a fine spirits manager at the renowned Party Source to collaborating on innovative projects with Buffalo Trace and Four Roses, Jay's story is one of passion and ingenuity. Together with Ken Lewis, Jay turned a serendipitous moment into the...

From 1770 to Today: The Return of Distilling in Glasgow   Sebastian Bunford-Jones, Global Marketing Manager for Glasgow Distillery, joins us for an engaging chat about the resurgence of whisky-making in this iconic city. We explore the distillery's bold journey as Glasgow's first new independent single malt producer in over a century and their mission to celebrate the city's rich heritage with a m...

Heritage Grains, Modern Spirits, and a Craft Cocktail Revolution in Colorado In this episode, we explore the unique landscape of craft distilling in Colorado with Jamie Burns, the innovative lead distiller at The Family Jones Distillery. Jamie's journey is one of blending tradition with cutting-edge techniques, drawing from his extensive education, including a Master of Science in Brewing and Dist...

Redefining Canadian Whisky And Mash Bills vs Grain Bills Nick Taylor is no stranger to blending - he hit 40 Scottish distilleries in 30 days pretending to be a whisky writer (and no, I asked, he wasn't caught!), and has since visited Ireland, Japan, and most of the distilleries in Kentucky, not to mention Canada. Bottom line, he knows that you don't have to distill to create something exceptional....

An Innovative Copper Method and An Oregonian Distiller in Ireland Join me on this episode to Ireland's Boyne Valley, where we explore the historic and picturesque Brú na Bóinne and the modern Boann Distillery. I sit down with Alex Witt, the head distiller at Boann, who shares his captivating journey from the United States to Ireland and his immersion into the Irish whiskey industry. Alex takes us...

From Teachers to Distillers on the Longest Hike in Wales Ever wondered what it takes to leave behind a steady career and venture into uncharted territory? Join us as we explore the inspiring journey of Ellen Wakelam and her partner Alexander, who transformed their lives from a geography teacher and a baker to becoming founders of In the Welsh Wind Distillery. Ellen narrates their story, filled wit...

From Derby Winner to Whiskey Namesake (and the Beatles, too!) I sit down with Brian Luffman, co-founder of Never Say Die Spirits, to delve into the transatlantic journey that birthed their unique bourbon brand. We kick things off with the riveting tale of a horse named Never Say Die, whose life-saving shot of whiskey led to an improbable Epsom Derby win and ultimately funded a Liverpool music venu...

The First Craft Distillery  St. George Spirits launched the craft distilling movement in the US. No, that's not an overstatement. Starting with brandies and eau-de-vies, adding whiskey in 1997 and various liqueurs, gins, and other spirits along the way, St. George has steadfastly led the way while remaining true to its roots and creating ever-more-interesting things to drink.  I'm joined by Master...

Shining A Light On The Independent Spirit   Lost Lantern - Adam, Nora, and their team - are bar none the best independent bottler of American whiskey working today. They have a serious claim to my favorite IB period. More than anything, you know that they've done the work and can talk about the barrels, brands, and distilleries they choose to work with, which for whiskey nerds like I (and probably...

Gin, Apple Brandy, Whiskey...and Pechuga?   What if participating in local farmer's markets could boost your brand more than major media coverage? In the latest episode, I sit down with Max Lents, the passionate founder and CEO of Baltimore Spirits Company. Max takes us through his journey of reviving Maryland rye whiskey, from the company’s birth in 2013 to its first spirit release in 2015. Empha...

From Rye to Armagnac: Pete Lynch's Story  In the second part to our Bhakta Sessions series as we welcome the exceptional Pete Lynch, the master blender for Bhakta Spirits. With a career that kick-started under the legendary Dave Pickerel at Whistlepig, Pete’s journey in the whiskey and armagnac world is nothing short of inspiring. We delve into his deep passion for rye whiskey, the pivotal role of...

Embracing Your Heritage: Ken Schreiner's Journey from Real Estate to Artisanal Whiskey and Gin In this riveting episode, we explore Ken Schreiner's inspiring transition from a religious upbringing that shunned alcohol to reviving his family's historic whiskey brand. Ken discusses cherished old distilling notebooks as he navigates the labyrinth of "labeling hell" to breathe new life into spirits na...

Reviving The Cabrach: The Whiskey-Powered Renaissance of a Storied Scottish Region Imagine a region renowned for its whisky, considered a birthplace of it, with quality competing with big, old names like Glenlivet and Glenfarclas. Then imagine this region, once a thriving center of production, loses its population, falling below 100 people for an entire region, its legal and illicit distilling his...

Journey Through Time: JP's Adventures in the Spirits Industry and the Art of Armagnac What happens when you drive a German Shepherd and a minivan from Florida to Vermont for an internship that changes your life? My guest, Johnathan Page, fondly known as JP and the Minister of Time at Bhakta Spirits, shares his serendipitous journey into the spirits industry. Starting as an intern at Whistlepig in...

From Empire Rye to Whiskeyland: The Balas Brothers' Journey in Storytelling and Whiskey What is Whiskeyland? More importantly, what is your Whiskeyland? Is it visiting an up-and-coming blending house like Pursuit Spirits? Reviving a long-lost rye species (Rosen rye) with Mammoth? Representing the other Indiana distilleries with Hard Truth? Or just sipping with friends and family, whether your coll...

Music, Mashing, and Medals - The Whiskey Authority in Texas Heather Greene is an undeniable superstar of the whiskey world. From her start with the Flatiron Room in New York City to working with William Grant & Sons to writing Whiskey Distilled, Heather has raced up the ranks of distillers and whiskey wunderkinds. Now the CEO of Milam & Greene Whiskey in Blanco, Texas, Heather joined me to...

Revolutionary. Innovative. Technologically Unparalleled. Big.  Join me for an insightful conversation with David Mandell as we discuss the exciting launch of Whiskey House of Kentucky. We explore the expansive 176-acre facility in Elizabethtown, designed for custom whiskey production with advanced technological setups. David shares the ambitious 10-year plan, highlighting the transformational impa...

Sustainability in Scotch with Annabel Thomas Join us as we explore the fascinating world of sustainable Scotch whisky with Annabel Thomas, the founder of Nc'nean Distillery. In this episode, Annabel takes us on her journey from the corporate world to the remote west coast of Scotland, where her family's farm became the birthplace of a visionary, sustainability-focused line of whisky. Hear about th...