WhiskyCast

It's Kentucky Bourbon Festival week, and there's a lot of news coming out of Bourbon Country these days. Thousands of Bourbon lovers descended on Bardstown and the Louisville area for the annual festival, which comes as Diageo opened the new Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Experience at Louisville's historic Stitzel-Weller Distillery to the public for the first time, the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame wel...

Templeton Rye has been in the spotlight in recent weeks as critics go after so-called "sourced whisky" producers for what they claim are violations of a US regulation that requires the disclosure of the "state of distillation" of a whisky if it's different from the producer's home state. The Iowa-based company announced two weeks ago that it will change its labeling to disclose that its whisky is...

When you've worked at the same place for 60 years, it's hard for your colleagues to keep a secret from you. Wild Turkey and the Kentucky Distillers Association managed to keep a secret from Jimmy Russell for months, though. This Wednesday will be his 60th anniversary at the distillery, and last week, the KDA held a luncheon at Wild Turkey to honor Jimmy with only the sixth lifetime honorary member...

Steve Gertman of California's Ascendant Spirits produces Breaker Bourbon, and his brand is one of those targeted by a Chicago-based law firm that specializes in class-action lawsuits, and is "investigating" claims by small-batch whisky brands about the source of their whiskies. Like many small producers, Gertman has been sourcing whiskey from other distillers while the Bourbon he's making is aging...

This week, we'll wrap up our conversation with Bourbon Hall of Fame member Chuck Cowdery, author of the new book "Bourbon: Strange" and get his views on more of the controversies facing the whisky industry. Diageo broke ground this week for the new Bulleit Bourbon distillery in Kentucky, and Chuck has some harsh words for the way Diageo and its predecessors have handled American whiskey in the pas...

Chuck Cowdery is regarded as one of the top Bourbon writers around, and is one of the few writers to be inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame for his work. His latest book is "Bourbon: Strange", and Chuck debunks some of the mythology surrounding Bourbon while sharing some stories as well. He'll join us this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth for part one of a two-part interview, with the rest...

Stuart Nickerson has kept a low profile since leaving Glenglassaugh Distillery following its sale last year, but he has several new projects coming on line in the coming weeks. He's about to launch the first single cask bottling from his own line of whiskies, and will launch a new gin this coming week as the first product from a new distillery he's working with on Shetland - with whiskies to come...

Scotland's newest distillery has opened on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula along the western coast, and the first casks of spirit were filled on Thursday at Adelphi's Ardnamurchan Distillery. Veteran whisky maker Graeme Bowie left Balblair Distillery last year to oversee construction of the distillery and serve as its first manager, and he'll join us on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Dia...

Tasmania's distillers have been making some unusual and incredible whiskies in recent years, but many of them are flying under the radar of whisky lovers. Belgrove Distillery is one of those underrated distilleries, but when WhiskyCast listener Matt Wooler told us we had to check it out, we did. Peter Bignell built the distillery from the ground up on his farm, where he grows his own grain, makes...

Celebrity-branded spirits are a big trend these days, and the whisky world is no exception. Last week, we reported on the lawsuit filed by John Wayne's heirs against Duke University seeking to protect the family's trademark rights to produce a "Duke Bourbon" featuring the late actor. It's a little easier when the brand is based on a character instead of the actor, though...and this week, we'll hea...

Glenmorangie's Dr. Bill Lumsden wanted to push the envelope 16 years ago when he got his hands on some French Oak barriques from an undisclosed Bordeaux wine chateau, and see just how long he could put a whisky away for finishing. He got his answer a couple of years ago when five of those barriques yielded the Glenmorangie Pride 1978 single malt that was released this week. We'll discuss that proc...

Corn farmers have a saying "knee high by the Fourth of July" to gauge whether their crop will be a good one, and we'll look at the grains that go into making "America's Native Spirit" with veteran Bourbon distiller Dave Pickerell on this Independence Day episode. Corn, rye, wheat, and barley each add their own unique character to a Bourbon, along with many of the exotic grains distillers experimen...

Michael Urquhart is retiring from Gordon & MacPhail in September, but the leader of the family-owned business calls it a natural "changing of the guard." However, his successor is the first person from outside the Urquhart family to lead Gordon & MacPhail in its 120-year history. We'll talk whisky and family with Michael and Ewen Mackintosh on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, there's...

Distilling is serious business, and safety is paramount. Brianna Bailey of The Oklahoman can testify to that...she was an eyewitness to an explosion inside Twister Distillery in Moore, Oklahoma on Friday, June 13. Distiller Jeff Thurmon was critically burned after an open propane flame ignited the stream of alcohol spraying from his still. Bailey and the distillery's owner escaped unhurt. She shar...

David Blackmore spends most of his year on the road as the brand ambassador for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, and was in Taipei for Ardbeg Day 2014 in what he describes as one of his most interesting road trips yet. He'll share stories from the road with us on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth during a brief break from his travels. In the news, we have word on new whiskies from Maker's Mark, Crown Royal,...

Humans have been drinking alcohol for centuries, but there are still many things we don't understand about it...basic things like the chemistry behind fermentation and the biology behind the effect it has on us. Wired Magazine's Adam Rogers has been studying the science of alcohol for his new book "Proof: The Science of Booze" and "distills" it into layman's terms for us on this week's WhiskyCast...

Tokyo's whisky bars are legendary, but so hard to find that they're often compared to Prohibition-era speakeasies. Hidetsugo Ueno owns Bar High Five in Tokyo's Ginza district, and shares his stories of Tokyo bar life with us on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Diageo announces plans for a new $115 million distillery in Kentucky, while the drinks giant's CEO is warning of problems if S...

Seiichi Koshimizu has been making whisky at Suntory for 41 years, and became the company's chief blender in 1991. Over the years, he's been responsible for the Hibiki range of blended whiskies, along with the Yamazaki and Hakushu single malts. With help from interpreter Ayami Nakao, he'll share his story with us on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. The Islay Festival of Malt & Music kicks off this...

The old saying goes "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Dan Garrison's life was full of lemons back in 2003, and he decided to make lemonade...or in this case, Bourbon. His Garrison Brothers Distillery in the Texas Hill Country helped spark the Texas whiskey boom, and Dan Garrison shares his story with us on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the third Orphan Barrel Bourbon fro...

Mark Brown heads up Buffalo Trace and its parent company, Sazerac, and he's known for speaking his mind even when it goes against the rest of the Bourbon industry. These days, he's expressing concerns about an ongoing shortage of Bourbon that can't meet today's demands, let alone the potential demand in years to come. Not only is aged Bourbon in short supply, but the new oak barrels Bourbon produc...

Most distillery startups these days come from entrepreneurs looking for a new challenge in life, and Ken Lewis is no different. His New Riff Distillery in Newport, Kentucky is literally a "new riff" after 38 years of running The Party Source, one of the largest liquor stores in the Cincinnati area. New Riff is scheduled to distill its first spirit this week, and Ken joins us to discuss his reasons...

Whisky has inspired many musicians over the years, but Copper Dogs is turning that around. Four whisky industry veterans have turned to performing, though Sam Simmons, Cat Spencer, Rob Allanson, and Simon Roser won't be giving up their day jobs any time soon. They're performing at Balvenie Castle during the upcoming Spirit of Speyside Festival, and Sam Simmons joins us to discuss music and whisky...

Whisky has a place in the kitchen as well as the bar, and Bourbon may well be one of the most versatile spirits chefs can experiment with. It adds a special touch to sauces, desserts, and meat as well as cocktails, and Charlotte Observer food editor Kathleen Purvis explores all of them in her new cookbook, "Bourbon". She joins us for this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, three top Beam exe...

Craft distillers took center stage during Whisky Live New York on Wednesday evening, and we'll hear from several of them on this week's episode. Chip Tate of Balcones and Mike Reppucci of Sons of Liberty both won World Whiskies Awards last month for their whiskies, while Daric Schlesselman of Brooklyn's Van Brunt Stillhouse was making his Whisky Live debut with a four-grain American whiskey and a...

Many of Scotland's historic distilleries have faded into history, to be remembered only by archivists and the occasional whisky lover. While the actual malts from Auchnagie, Stratheden, and others no longer exist -- a group of whisky lovers and entrepreneurs are trying to keep the names alive, and replicate those old malts as best they can using present-day whiskies. We'll find out more about The...