Bourbon Lens

In the latest episode of the Bourbon Lens podcast, Jake sits down with Tara Lindley and Holly Booth of High West Whiskey. Tara and Holly play pivotal roles in helping consumers get to know High West by creating the whiskey and running the hospitality program.  You don't have to look very hard to see the stamp these women have placed on the Utah-based whiskey company.

Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you're there. 

We are thankful for everyone who has supported us over the last 5 years. The biggest shoutout to our growing Patreon Community of supporters! As always, we'd appreciate it if you would take a few minutes time to give us feedback on Bourbon Lens podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 Star rating on your favorite podcast app, leave us a written review, and tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.  And please check out our Patreon to learn how you can support our endeavors, earn Bourbon Lens swag, be part of Bourbon Lens Tasting Club, and more. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Check out our BourbonLens.com to read our blog posts, whiskey news, podcast archive, and whiskey reviews.

Cheers,
Scott and Jake
Bourbon Lens

About Tara Lindley

Tara, High West's Sensory QA & Product Development Manager, began her career in the beverage industry in the wine world, making the switch to spirits upon joining the High West team. She now oversees sensory evaluations, alongside Master Distiller Brendan Coyle and Blending and Distilling Manager Isaac Winter, and guides decisions for new and seasonal blends. Over time, Tara has harnessed her confidence and cemented herself as an innovator.

About Holly Booth

Throughout her time at High West, Holly ascended to lead bartender and teamed up with Steve Walton, now High West's director of hospitality, to grow the unique and cutting edge High West bar program. Holly aims to craft distinctive and impactful cocktails that celebrate whiskey and the beauty of the American West. One of Holly's biggest challenges has been proving that whiskey itself isn't just a man's drink.

About High West Whiskey:

Utah's first legal distillery since 1870, High West's passion is crafting delicious and distinctive whiskeys and helping people appreciate whiskey all in the context of our home, the American West. High West offers an outstanding collection of highly rated whiskeys in finer liquor stores, bars, and restaurants in all 50 U.S. states and internationally.

High West was honored to receive Whisky Advocate's prestigious Distiller of the Year award in 2016. The ultimate authority on whisky said, "High West delivers innovative and delicious whiskeys, expands the definition of what it is to be a distiller, and pioneered a successful new paradigm for craft distilling."

High West's must-visit locations include our High West Distillery in Wanship, Utah, a 30,000 square foot world-class distillery and visitor center featuring educational tours and High West's unique country-western cuisine; and our High West Distillery & Saloon in historic Old Town Park City, the world's only ski-in gastro distillery that was voted "Best Park City Restaurant" by readers of City Weekly. It has received multiple accolades including earning Best Après Ski Bar in Utah by USA TODAY's 10Best being named a finalist in the 2020 Park City's Best Awards for Best Après Ski, a nomination for Best Bar by the James Beard Foundation, and a top-10 ranking on The Daily Meal's list of 150 Best Bars in America.

Our guests this week are the Father-Son team at 15 STARS Fine Aged Spirits.  Rick and Ricky Johnson join Bourbon Lens to talk whiskey and how they founded the company.  The Johnsons are no stranger to the world of unique grains, given their background in growing heirloom corn varietals, including Baby Black Corn and red, white, and blue heritage corns. Currently, 15 STARS is releasing some award-winning limited release whiskey blends and has aging stocks of whiskey which leverage their heirloom corns mashbills. 15 STARS hit the ground running with their early releases and continues to impress. We look forward to seeing what's in store for the brand in the near future.

For past coverage of 15 STARS on Bourbon Lens, check out our archive here.

About 15 STARS

Started by father and son entrepreneurs Rick and Ricky Johnson, 15 STARS is a tribute to more than 225 years of Kentucky bourbon craftsmanship and pays homage to Kentucky, America's 15th state. Bourbon lovers can find their portfolio of limited-release fine-aged bourbon whiskeys at select retail locations and fine restaurants in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia & Louisiana as well as online at 15STARS.com. Future releases will incorporate innovative grains while still following the founders' low barrel entry proof, creative blending, and flavor-proofing techniques. 15 STARS distills and bottles at Bardstown Bourbon Company in Bardstown, Kentucky. For more information visit 15stars.com or follow them on social at @15STARSbourbon.

Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you're there. 

We are thankful for everyone who has supported us over the last 5 years. The biggest shoutout to our growing Patreon Community of supporters! As always, we'd appreciate it if you would take a few minutes time to give us feedback on Bourbon Lens podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 Star rating on your favorite podcast app, leave us a written review, and tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.  And please check out our Patreon to learn how you can support our endeavors, earn Bourbon Lens swag, be part of Bourbon Lens Tasting Club, and more. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Check out our BourbonLens.com to read our blog posts, whiskey news, podcast archive, and whiskey reviews.

Cheers,
Scott and Jake
Bourbon Lens

Bourbon Lens visits the Willy Wonka Factory of Whiskey this week.  We're in Lawrenceburg Indiana for an amazing tour at the Ross & Squibb Distillery (formerly known as MGPI) and an eye-opening podcast. Jake and Scott sit down with Master Distiller Ian Stirsman and Master Blender Sam Schmeltzer to discuss the distillery, its history and a little of what's in store for its bright future.

Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you're there. 

We are thankful for everyone who has supported us over the last 5 years. The biggest shoutout to our growing Patreon Community of supporters! As always, we'd appreciate it if you would take a few minutes time to give us feedback on Bourbon Lens podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 Star rating on your favorite podcast app, leave us a written review, and tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.  And please check out our Patreon to learn how you can support our endeavors, earn Bourbon Lens swag, be part of Bourbon Lens Tasting Club, and more. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Check out our BourbonLens.com to read our blog posts, whiskey news, podcast archive, and whiskey reviews.

Cheers,
Scott and Jake
Bourbon Lens

We're joined by Heather Greene, CEO and Master Blender for Milam & Greene Whiskey.  Heather is an industry veteran with a diverse background and a wealth of knowledge.  She is also a whiskey writer, author of Whisk(e)y Distilled, and understands many of the behind the scenes dynamics of the whiskey world. For her contributions to Milam & Greene, Heather was recently recognized as the Top Master Blender 2023 by the Bourbon Women at the Women of Whiskey Awards. Milam & Greene sources barrels, contract distills at Bardstown Bourbon Co., and distills at its Blanco, Texas distillery.  In this episode, we discuss Milam & Greene's history, its current portfolio, and what's on the horizon for the brand. Don't miss this episode.

Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you're there. 

We are thankful for everyone who has supported us over the last 5 years. The biggest shoutout to our growing Patreon Community of supporters! As always, we'd appreciate it if you would take a few minutes time to give us feedback on Bourbon Lens podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 Star rating on your favorite podcast app, leave us a written review, and tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.  And please check out our Patreon to learn how you can support our endeavors, earn Bourbon Lens swag, be part of Bourbon Lens Tasting Club, and more. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Check out our BourbonLens.com to read our blog posts, whiskey news, podcast archive, and whiskey reviews.

Cheers,
Scott and Jake
Bourbon Lens

About Milam & Greene

Milam & Greene Whiskey is made by some of the world's most experienced whiskey professionals, including CEO, master blender, and author, Heather Greene, and 30-year whiskey veteran and master distiller, Marlene Holmes. 2023 has been a stellar year for Milam & Greene so far, after being named "2023 Rising Star Spirits Company of the Year" at The Ascot Awards followed by Heather Greene being awarded "Master Blender of the Year". The Milam & Greene team distills in Blanco, Texas on copper pot stills as well as in Kentucky on classic column stills, using its proprietary yeast recipe and mash bill. Aging takes place in rickhouses located across four states in casks with an assortment of char levels for a variety of flavors resulting in the most thorough array of casks made and collected by any craft distiller. These casks become the ingredients from which its award-winning American whiskey range is batched to create perfection. Milam & Greene Whiskey believes in using the best people and ingredients to create delicious, award-winning whiskey for whiskey lovers. For more information visit: www.milamandgreenewhiskey.

Bourbon Lens visits the Wiseguy Lounge for a very unique episode. We're joined by Chase Henry and Jeremiah Johnson with Goodfellas Pizza to discuss the origins of the pizza establishment and its speakeasy concept, Wiseguy Lounge.  And, in a first for Jake and Scott, we explore pizza and whiskey pairings and how you can look to elevate your bourbon tastings with food.  We hope this new episode inspires you to explore your palate beyond your traditional whiskey tasting.  It certainly opened our eyes to how fun it can be to go outside of your comfort zone.

For more information on Goodfellas Pizza, Wiseguy Lounge, their bourbon selection, and more, we recommend you head to their website: goodfellaspizzeria.com.

Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you're there. 

We are thankful for everyone who has supported us over the last 5 years. The biggest shoutout to our growing Patreon Community of supporters! As always, we'd appreciate it if you would take a few minutes time to give us feedback on Bourbon Lens podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 Star rating on your favorite podcast app, leave us a written review, and tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.  And please check out our Patreon to learn how you can support our endeavors, earn Bourbon Lens swag, be part of Bourbon Lens Tasting Club, and more. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Check out our BourbonLens.com to read our blog posts, whiskey news, podcast archive, and whiskey reviews.

Cheers,
Scott and Jake
Bourbon Lens

Hank Ingram rejoins Bourbon Lens to catch up on all things O.H. Ingram.  Hank last appeared on the show back in late 2020 in Episode 103 and has since relocated his entire operation; expanded distribution, and continues to get high praise for his portfolio of river aged whiskies. Find out what's on the horizon for O.H. Ingram and Hank in this week's new episode. 

About O.H. Ingram River Aged:

Inside the only floating barrelhouses in the world, barrels of O.H. Ingram River Aged whiskies spend their years exposed to the climate and constant motion of the Mississippi River. The motion of the river ensures that the whiskey never stops working creating an extraordinary spirit with robust flavor. We call it Mellowed on the Mississippi. You can see full details about the unique aging here.

To learn more about the O.H. Ingram River Aged and sign up for updates, customers can visit IngramWhiskey.com. Whiskey lovers can also follow Ingram River Aged on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Brown Water Spirits LLC was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. With whiskey aging operations in Columbus, Kentucky, Brown Water Spirits pioneered the first patent-pending floating barrelhouse on the Mississippi River. The result is the award-winning O.H. Ingram River Aged Series.

O.H. Ingram River Aged is presently available on shelves in Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, as well as online via Seelbach's. Additional markets will come as inventory allows through R.S. Lipman.

Get ready to "nerd out" over whisky with our newest podcast featuring Waterford Whisky. Waterford is an Irish Single Malt with a Scottish passion. Mark Reynier, Founder of Waterford Whisky, and Jake discuss the importance of heirloom grains and terroir in whiskey-making. Waterford Whisky looks to create distinct and unique flavors in the single malt category.

We would love to hear your thoughts on heirloom grains and terroir, and if you think they make a difference in your whiskey!

Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you're there. 

We are thankful for everyone who has supported us over the last 5 years. The biggest shoutout to our growing Patreon Community of supporters! As always, we'd appreciate it if you would take a few minutes time to give us feedback on Bourbon Lens podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 Star rating on your favorite podcast app, leave us a written review, and tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.  And please check out our Patreon to learn how you can support our endeavors, earn Bourbon Lens swag, be part of Bourbon Lens Tasting Club, and more. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Check out our BourbonLens.com to read our blog posts, whiskey news, podcast archive, and whiskey reviews.

Cheers,
Scott and Jake
Bourbon Lens

About Waterford Whisky:

With over a hundred exclusive farms of Irish-grown barley, Waterford searches for natural flavors via three paths: The Single Farm Origin series pursues the individualism of terroir-derived flavor; Cuvées, a mix of the farms to explore harmony and complexity of flavor; and the Arcadian Farm Origin series expresses the intensity of flavor from alternative philosophies and long-forgotten varieties.

Each bottle of Waterford comes with a Téireoir code, with every detail regarding the origins of the whisky. From agricultural data, information on the production process, interviews with the farmer and even a SoundCloud recording of the farm, drinkers are invited to gain a deeper understanding of their dram.

About Mark Reynier - Founder & CEO:

Waterford founder and CEO Mark Reynier has over 40 years' experience in the drinks industry – 20 years in wine, and 20 years in spirits. A maverick entrepreneur who has done perhaps more than any other figure to bring terroir to the spirits world, he began his career in the London wine trade in 1980, formed La Réserve – one of London's premier wine & spirit merchants – before resurrecting the mothballed Bruichladdich Distillery in 2000. The distillery was sold to Rémy Cointreau in 2012. Reynier then bought the former Guinness brewery in Waterford in 2014, transforming a state-of-the-art brewery into a modern distillery. Reynier has also begun proving these same principles in rum through his new brand Renegade Rum in Grenada and in July 2018 commenced building the game-changing $30 million (USD) Renegade Rum Distillery.

We're joined by Virginia Distillery Company CEO, Gareth Moore. We discuss the role of VDC in the continued growth of American Single Malt as well as Gareth carrying forward his father's legacy of making the finest single malts in America. And, of course, we walk through some VDC's portfolio of American Single Malt.  VDC is one of the leaders in the ASMW world and their role in pushing the category into the mainstream in America is particularly evident.  If you haven't explored American Single Malt yet, you'll find that VDC's broad portfolio is a great place to dip your feet.  Cheers!

Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you're there. 

We are thankful for everyone who has supported us over the last 5 years. The biggest shoutout to our growing Patreon Community of supporters! As always, we'd appreciate it if you would take a few minutes time to give us feedback on Bourbon Lens podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 Star rating on your favorite podcast app, leave us a written review, and tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.  And please check out our Patreon to learn how you can support our endeavors, earn Bourbon Lens swag, be part of Bourbon Lens Tasting Club, and more. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Check out our BourbonLens.com to read our blog posts, whiskey news, podcast archive, and whiskey reviews.

Cheers,
Scott and Jake
Bourbon Lens

About Virginia Distillery Company

Virginia Distillery Co. is America's most awarded single malt distillery. Its founder, George G. Moore had a vision for redefining what heights a great American Whisky could reach. He unfortunately passed away while the distillery was being built, but his wife, Angela, and son, Gareth, inherited his vision, and have built the business in pursuit of George's vision. Staffed by a local Virginia team and mentored by Scottish consultants with decades of experience, Virginia Distillery Company is the largest, independently owned American Single Malt whisky distillery in the U.S. The distillery has an annual production volume of 80,000 4.5L cases and growing. At full capacity, the distillery can produce over 8,000 casks yielding 350,000 4.5L cases annually. The distillery distills, matures and bottles everything on-site in Lovingston, VA. Virginia Distillery Co. produces the most awarded American Single Malt whisky brand, Courage & Conviction, on-site using malted barley from North America and water from Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. In addition, the distillery offers the award-winning VHW series, made with 100% malted barley, blending together both American and Scotch whiskies, showcasing both Old and New World whisky-making.

About Gareth H. Moore, CEO

Gareth serves as CEO and carries on his father George's legacy and commitment to creating an exceptional American Single Malt. He is also a Principal at Adelphi Capital, a middle-market merchant banking business in Washington, DC. He is the President of the Virginia Distillers Association and serves on the DISCUS Craft Advisory Council as well as several other boards. He received a BA from Boston College and an MBA from Georgetown University.

Our late founder, Dr. George G. Moore, a native Irishman, had a vision of producing world class single malt whisky in America. With his untimely passing, his wife and son inherited his vision, and are compelled by George's often used expression, "Have the courage of your convictions." Using the highest quality malted barley and fresh spring water fed from the Blue Ridge Mountains, our spirit develops in Virginia's dynamic climate, allowing the broad temperature shifts to add depth to our whisky. We let the whisky tell us when it's done, and when it is, it's one that George would have been proud of.

This week, we are joined by the founders of Lost Lantern and American Mash & Grain to discuss independent bottlers in the American Whiskey landscape.  We discuss the importance of the Independent Bottlers, some of the challenges they face, and the successes they've experienced in sourcing the nation's top whiskies for their labels.  We hope you enjoy this roundtable discussion with Lost Lantern founders Nora Ganley-Roper & Adam Polonski and Devin Ershow & Chase Langdon from American Mash & Grain.

Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you're there. 

We are thankful for everyone who has supported us over the last 5 years. The biggest shoutout to our growing Patreon Community of supporters! As always, we'd appreciate it if you would take a few minutes time to give us feedback on Bourbon Lens podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 Star rating on your favorite podcast app, leave us a written review, and tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.  And please check out our Patreon to learn how you can support our endeavors, earn Bourbon Lens swag, be part of Bourbon Lens Tasting Club, and more. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Check out our BourbonLens.com to read our blog posts, whiskey news, podcast archive, and whiskey reviews.

Cheers,
Scott and Jake
Bourbon Lens

About Lost Lantern:

Founded by Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonski, Lost Lantern is an award-winning independent bottler of American whiskey. In 2023, they were named Global Independent Bottler of the Year at the global Icons of Whisky Awards in London and named one of SevenFifty Daily's 2023 Drinks Innovators. The company seeks out the most unique and exciting whiskies being made across the U.S. and releases them as single casks and blends, always with a deep commitment to transparency. For more information about Lost Lantern, to learn about upcoming, available, and retired whiskies, or to subscribe to Lost Lantern's newsletter, please visit LostLanternWhiskey.com.

About American Mash & Grain:

American Mash & Grain was founded by Devin Ershow & Chase Langdon. Devin and Chase have created a website documentary project to highlight the American Craft Whiskey movement, regularly giving full featured reviews and telling the stories of the best craft whiskey distilleries. As part of their project to document the current status of the craft whiskey market in American, they have married some of their favorite featured distilleries into unique blends of American Whiskey.  They have released two blends, named Borrowed Page, to date.  They also recently started to document stories of craft whiskey in their new podcast, Craft Spirited. To learn more about their work, check out MashNGrain.com.     

Bourbon Lens Coverage and Show Links:

• 197: Blending America's Craft Whiskey with American Mash and Grain - Bourbon Lens 
• Lost Lantern Goes Big For Their Summer Release - Bourbon Lens 
• Mash & Grain Borrowed Page Delivers a Unique Blend of Craft Whiskey - Bourbon Lens 
• Lost Lantern Single Distillery Series Buoyed By A Gentle Giant
• Lost Lantern Introduces New Single Distillery Series 
• Check Out The Latest From American Mash and Grain - Bourbon Lens
• Lost Lantern Spring Collection Launches March 1st! - Bourbon Lens 
• American Mash and Grain Releases Borrowed Page Volume 2
• Fire, Water & Grain: The Story of Empire Rye (This is the film referenced by Jake in the podcast;  Shoutout to Chase for the reminder to add it to the show notes)
• Lost Lantern Announces Tasting Room 

We are saluting Veterans this week in our annual Salute To Service Veterans Day podcast. This year, we were privileged to be joined by Four Branches Bourbon and its four founders. Rick Franco (US Marine Corps), Mike Trott (US Air Force), Harold Underdown (US Navy), and RJ Casey (US Army) sat down with us just prior to their launch party back in April 2023 at Bardstown Bourbon Company.  Since that time, they've launched their bourbon for online purchase and in several states, with distribution expected to expand in the months ahead.  

About Four Branches:

Four Branches Bourbon is the first American spirits company founded by veterans of the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. Four Branches was born from the profound bonds forged in service and a shared desire to honor the remarkable individuals who have played pivotal roles in all our lives, including those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Our mission is to deliver exceptional expressions of fine bourbon to honor those who serve in the shadows and to support the veteran community by generously giving back. You can learn more about Four Branches Bourbon on their website.

Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you're there. 

We are thankful for everyone who has supported us over the last 5 years. The biggest shoutout to our growing Patreon Community of supporters! As always, we'd appreciate it if you would take a few minutes time to give us feedback on Bourbon Lens podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 Star rating on your favorite podcast app, leave us a written review, and tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.

Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.  And please check out our Patreon to learn how you can support our endeavors, earn Bourbon Lens swag, be part of Bourbon Lens Tasting Club, and more. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].

Check out our BourbonLens.com to read our blog posts, whiskey news, podcast archive, and whiskey reviews.

Cheers,
Scott and Jake
Bourbon Lens