Behind The Still

Normally we introduce our guests as Master Distillers, Presidents, or Founders. Today's guests are all of those things, but in this podcast, they're representing all the Master Distillers, Presidents, and Founders for the great state of Florida. 

Todays guests are Matt Allen- Founder of Dark Door Spirits, and David Cohen- Head Distiller and President for Manifest Distilling. Both of them serve the Florida Craft Spirits Association. 

The Florida Craft Spirits Association (FCSA), was established to serve as the voice for the Florida handcrafted distilled spirits industry. The goals of the FCSA are to grow our community, represent our views and interests before policymakers and promote awareness of our industry across the State of Florida. 

Florida Bastard Whiskey- A whiskey that was created amongst distilleries across Florida. Sourcing entirely from 8 Florida Craft Distilleries. This podcast discusses the importance of the FCSA, and while competition is still alive and well the distillers that come together to support one another is the driving force to create more competition which pushes everyone further to make the state a force to reckon with for years to come! 

You can buy Florida Bastard ONLY at Florida Bastard Whiskey – RackHouse & Drink With Us (rackhousewhiskeyclub.com)

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Based in Tampa, Florida Dark Door Spirits was started with motivation and innovation in mind. This team loves to experiment with new ideas and has the facility to pull it off. Using unique aging techniques Dark Door is able to bring products to market that wins awards and competes with the name brands. As the Dark Door team says "knock if you dare because there are a group of amazing people on the other side." 

Dark Door and RackHouse Whiskey Club is excited to bring the first ever barrel pick to the RackHouse Whiskey Club subscribers. Make sure to go to rackhousewhiskeyclub.com to try today! 

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Ryan Thompson, owner of 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirits Company joins the podcast to talk about winning the 2021 Craft Distillery of the Year Award presented by RackHouse Whiskey Club.
 

The award was voted on by the public with categories set by the team at RackHouse Whiskey Club which aims to award distilleries by more than just a taste profile.

In 2014, the 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company launched turning Rocky Mountain snowmelt into bourbon and rye to honor the soldiers’ valor and the mountain lifestyle they represented. 

Based in the heart of the Rockies in Gypsum, Colorado, and with a tasting room in Vail, 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company is Colorado’s premier distillery, crafting spirits from locally sourced ingredients. The distillery’s aim is to represent the best of the mountains and to bring people together. Not only are their products a tribute to the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division, it’s also a salute to those that share a passion for the mountain lifestyle. 

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Have you ever wondered why whiskey is aged in oak wooden barrels? It’s not originally because of the flavor. An Ohio distillery contends it was simply because barrels were the storage device of the day. The flavor the whiskey got was merely a consequence. Cleveland Whiskey, believes it's a technology company first and distillery second. We sat down with Tom Lix, founder and CEO of Cleveland Whiskey to learn more about the award winning whiskey they're making. 

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The unsinkable Molly Brown is now a whiskey distillery in the heart of Denver, Colorado. This distillery has taken the term "hand-crafted" to a new level entirely. Most distilleries purchase equipment from manufacturers. At Molly Brown Distillery with the help of the team and a degree in chemical engineering, Head Distiller Justin Lee engineered the entire distillery with his own hands.  This is the story behind Molly Brown Spirits. 

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This episode we travel to Spring Grove, Minnesota to visit a former Navy fighter pilot turned farmer and distiller.  It’s not often you meet an organic farmer with a story as interesting as Christian Myrah’s. He went from flying fighter jets for the US Navy to driving tractors in small town Minnesota. And for the last five years or so, he’s been turning his farm produce into whiskey. Award winning at that.  

“Tractor’s don’t go as fast as F-18s but the lifestyle is pretty good,”

The distillery is two miles away from where Christian grows the organic grains. It’s also down the road from the oldest water powered mill in Minnesota, Schech Mill, which still uses the original stones imported from France. The mill has been in operation since 1876 and for the last several years has been grinding Christian’s grains.

RockFilter Distillery featured whiskey in RackHouse Whiskey Clubs box:
- Experimental Test Acre Series
- Rail Splitter Whiskey (named after Christians great grandfather who split 10,000 fence posts for a penny each...more on that in the podcast)

Join RackHouse Whiskey Club at www.rackhousewhiskeyclub.com

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Hayes Kelman and Lee Griffith join the podcast to discuss the history of Boot Hill and their distillery that takes its name. Located in Dodge City, Kansas on the actual burial site known as Boot Hill. This was the place where cowboys pushing longhorns up from Texas would be welcomed with whiskey by the ladle. Saloons flourished and when some of the gunslinging cowboys would get too rowdy, some would end up dead. Boot Hill looking over the town was the spot they would get buried. Dodge City soon got a reputation for being a violent and dangerous outpost. They were buried in shallow graves where the boots would stick out of the ground. Now, a new spirit rises from the local Kansas soil.

Boot Hill featured whiskey's in RackHouse Whiskey Club:
- Boot Hill Bourbon
- Boot Hill Wheated Bourbon

Have an awesome whiskey story? We want to hear it! Tweet it @RackHouseWClub
or tag us @rackhousewhiskeyclub

Join RackHouse Whiskey Club at www.rackhousewhiskeyclub.com

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Not all chemists become distillers, but Maddie Kelly did. The chemistry field actually goes perfectly with distilling alcohol. The entire process is chemistry so who better to run the still than a chemist at 2bar Spirits in Seattle, WA. 2bar was started by Nathan Kaiser after growing up on his family's century-old farm ranch called 2bar Ranch in Texas. Once he moved to Seattle he took the Texas traditions and plotted in right in the middle of Seattle. 

2bar Spirits will be featuring their Bourbon and Moonshine in the RackHouse Whiskey Club box. Be sure to sign up by April 10th to try it for yourself. Go to https://www.rackhousewhiskeyclub.com and use the promo code BTS for $20 off your first box. 

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Today I’m joined by Ryan Thompson and Stepehen Jacobs with 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirits Company in Vail, Colorado. Named in honor of the 10th Mountain Army Division that originated in the area at a place called Camp Hale in the 1940s. This was a specific division set up to train for mountain warfare tactics in WWII. After the war these warfighters came back and wanted to share the sport of skiing and mountain lifestyle to others. Over 62 different ski resorts, ski schools, and ski patrols were started by 10th mountain vets across the US. Vail Mountain being one of them. This is a tribute spirit company to all the 10 Mountain veterans and all who enjoy the mountain lifestyle. 

To try the whiskey from 10th Mountain and to learn more of the story behind this remarkable whiskey company go to www.rackhousewhiskeyclub.com. Make sure to watch all the featured short whiskey films from all the distilleries and whiskey brands we feature. 

As we always say: Whiskey stories like these show themselves through the flavors of the whiskey. Not the tasting notes a stranger told you to taste. We hope you enjoy! 

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Steve Nally is a legend in the bourbon world. His experience spans over 40 years in the industry. As Master Distiller for Makers Mark and Wyoming Whiskey, Steve has etched his name in history as one of the greatest Master Distillers ever to have lived. Inducted into the Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2007, Steve was asked to take on the role of Master Distiller for Bardstown Bourbon Co. in 2016. On this podcast, we talk about his life growing up working at Makers Mark and becoming Master Distiller and how his journey led him back to Kentucky at Bardstown Bourbon Co.

https://www.rackhousewhiskeyclub.com/

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