WhiskyCast

Robert Hicks tried to retire a couple of years ago as the Master Blender at Teacher's, Laphroaig, and Ardmore...but he's busier than ever these days. 2009 will mark his 45th year in the whisky business, and he'll share his memories in this episode of WhiskyCast! In the news, Diageo taketh away from Canada and giveth to developing markets...new (old) whiskies from Glenglassaugh, the PC7 from Bruich...

We'll go inside the laboratory this time around, and our guides are the lead chemist at Buffalo Trace, Truman Cox, and one of the leaders of the distillery's tasting panel, Dendress Ennis. Buffalo Trace was just honored by Whisky Magazine as Innovator of the Year in the US round of its 2009 Icons of Whisky Awards, so these guys are the perfect guides to explain what happens behind the scenes. In t...

Balblair Distillery sits on the Dornoch Firth in Edderton, and it's been getting a lot of attention these days. Distillery manager John MacDonald was instrumental in helping re-launch the Balblair range from age-dated expressions to vintages, and the Balblair 1989 was recently picked by Scotch lovers as the best whisky at the Whisky Fringe in Edinburgh. We'll hear from John about what went into th...

Many of us think of ourselves as whisky collectors, but Giuseppe Begnoni is in a league of his own. Begnoni is regarded as one of the world's leading whisky collectors, and his spirits collection numbers more than 40,000 bottles. He'll tell us about his nearly 40 years of collecting whisky in this episode, and we'll also hear from Richard Paterson of Whyte & Mackay about the major changes to The D...

Glenmorangie's Dr. Bill Lumsden is regarded as one of the leading innovators in the whisky business. He's credited with creating an industry-leading wood management program and developing the distillery's series of award-winning "finished" whiskies over the years. In this episode, we'll hear from Bill about his work with Glenmorangie and Ardbeg. In the news, Crown Royal re-launches its Reserve Edi...

Bourbon's big, baby! So big that we've crammed four of Kentucky's best distilleries into one big episode of WhiskyCast. We'll get the first look at this year's Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, along with the new Mariage Series from Four Roses, a whopper from Heaven Hill, and a special election bottling from Maker's Mark. In the news, India's Supreme Court strikes a blow against globalism, a look...

This week, WhiskyCast is in Lebanon, Kentucky for the Marion County Country Ham Days Festival. This year's festival honors Independent Stave's Kentucky Cooperage, the local cooperage that supplies barrels for every one of Kentucky's bourbon distilleries, and you'll get a rare insider's tour in this special episode of WhiskyCast. In fact, the cooperage supplies 9 out of every 10 casks for the count...

Here's a special bonus episode from Whisky Live Paris...on location at one of the world's great bars. Hemingway drank at Harry's, Parisians drink at Harry's...and now, WhiskyCast goes to Harry's New York Bar. Thierry Benitah of La Maison du Whisky joins us for this special episode...his family has been supplying whisky to Harry's for 52 years, and he'll share some of the history of Harry's and La...

Time now for part two of WhiskyCast's special coverage of Whisky Live Paris! We'll get an update on Islay's newest distillery, Kilchoman...where the first spirit reaches legal age later this year, and the new boss at Glendronach, Billy Walker of BenRiach fame, has plans to turn his team's new acquisition loose and let the spirit go free! We'll also hear from Dennis Malcolm of Glen Grant, Steven Te...

It's Whisky Live weekend in Paris, and this is Part 1 of special coverage of an amazing weekend! We'll find out why the French are so passionate about whisky, and not just drinking it, but distilling it as well! Aberlour's Ann Miller weighs in, along with Jean Metzger of Uberach Distillery, Jean Donnay of Glann Ar Mor, and Whisky Magazine France editor Martine Nouet. Andrew Symington updates us on...

Canadian Club celebrates its 150th anniversary starting this month, and we'll discuss the distillery's history with long-time ambassador brand ambassador Dan Tullio. We'll also taste the new Canadian Club 30-year-old whiskey being released to celebrate the anniversary. In the news, we'll also hear from Glenmorangie's Dr. Bill Lumsden about the new Glenmorangie Signet and an update on the sale of G...

We're just a week or so away from a week that may make Derby Week look almost boring in Louisville...the combination of Ryder Cup week and Kentucky Bourbon Festival Week! Knob Creek Whiskey Professor and Louisville native Bernie Lubbers gives us some ideas of how to spend time in Louisville when you're in the area to visit the bourbon distilleries. In the news...an update from New Orleans and our...

Three years ago this weekend, New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast were in ruins after Hurricane Katrina. It's only been in the last couple of months that The Museum of the American Cocktail was able to return to its home in New Orleans, just in time for the arrival of Hurricane Gustav. Museum co-founder Dale DeGroff brings us up to date on the Museum's journey to Las Vegas and back home over th...

Unless you work in the whisky industry, you've probably never heard of James Espey or Tom Jago. However, I'll bet that you've had one of the whisky brands they've been responsible for creating over their decades in the business. Now, they've teamed up with Peter Fleck for The Last Drop, an ultra-premium blend with whiskies blended in 1972 and left in the corner of a warehouse ever since. It's the...

A double feature with two (actually, three) great whiskies to talk about this week! Glenlivet's breaking the age barrier with its first 25-year-old single malt, and we'll taste it with Ian Logan. David Mair of The Balvenie will tell us more about the new Balvenie Signature, along with a special distillery-only bottling he snuck out of Speyside for a trip to New York...the Balvenie Rose. In the new...

When the temperature's approaching 90 (32), sometimes a cold beer just sounds better than a glass of whisky. Northing wrong with that....especially when the beer has whisky in its DNA. More brewers are experimenting with aging their beers in whisky casks, and one of the most unusual comes from Scotland's Harviestoun Brewery. Ola Dubh is aged in casks from Highland Park's 12, 16, and 30-year-old ma...

Night and Day, Positive and Negative, Black and White. There are opposites all around us, which means that if there is a Black Bowmore, there must be a White Bowmore. There is...it's the fraternal twin to the legendary Black Bowmores -- both the original and the newly released version. This one was aged in bourbon casks, while the Black Bowmores were aged in brown walnut sherry casks. We'll learn...

It may be seen as a sacrilege in Scotland, but imagine a single malt whisky from India that can compete with the best of Scotland's malts in many ways. That's the case with Amrut's single malts, which draw their water from the snow melt of the Himalayas and their barley from local farmers in northern India -- and their intense maturation from the heat of Bangalore. Askok Chokalingam of Amrut gives...

Almost every whisky lover has dreamed of getting the call from a distillery to serve on an exclusive tasting panel to select a special release. Jimmy Bradley got that call...and the owner/chef of two New York City restaurants tells about his experience helping to select this year's Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve bottling, In the news, another distillery may be up for sale, Braeval comes back to life,...

It's not too soon to start making travel plans for the fall whisky festival season, and Malt Advocate's WhiskyFest San Francisco on October 10th is shaping up to be something really special. Editor and Publisher John Hansell gives us a preview, along with details on the new summer issue of the magazine that's just hitting the newsstands now. In the news, another distillery may be on the market, Gl...

Last fall, I mentioned The Balvenie's search for a brand ambassador to represent the single malt in the US. Now, the lucky person has been chosen, and you'll meet the new "Balvenie Guy" in this week's episode. Sam Simmons is the whisky lover behind the "Dr. Whisky" blog, and now, he's bringing his considerable knowledge of whisky to The Balvenie. In the news, an update on Springbank's now-temporar...

Compass Box produces some of the more unusual whiskies on the market, and John Glaser gives us the details on two new limited releases coming out later this year. In the news, the official word from Springbank on plans to temporarily stop producing new spirit because of commodities costs, Nikka's plans to start exporting to Russia, and plans for new UK alcohol laws that may or may not mean the end...

If you're looking for buddy trip ideas, a distillery school might be just the thing. Fellow Malt Maniac Lawrence Graham just finished up a buddy trip to the Springbank Distillery Whisky School, and he'll tell us what he learned. On a sadder note, the Speyside Whisky Museum may be forced to close its doors next spring, and we'll find out why. In the news, Glenfiddich honors Michael Jackson, we'll h...

What distillery produces so many different expressions of whisky that one could probably drink a different one each day for a month with no repeats? The answer is simple...Bruichladdich. Jim McEwan and his team come up with a malt for every occasion, and he'll bring us up to date in this episode. In the news, Glengoyne celebrates a special anniversary with a special malt, Tullamore Dew comes up wi...

The best single malts in the world come from Scotland, right? Not any more, and the winner of Whisky Magazine's World Whiskies Award as the world's best single malt is proof. Nikka's Yoichi 20-year-old took top honors this year, and it's the latest honor for a distillery that remains a mystery to many whisky lovers. Japanese whisky expert Ken Noma helps us clear up some of the mystery about Nikka....