This week on the Bourbon Showdown Podcast, I’m joined by Kevin Aslan, head distiller and head blender for Hirsch Whiskey, and we go full whiskey-geek. We dig into how Hirsch got its start, Kevin’s journey into the brand, and the mythology behind the name (no spoilers—you’ve gotta listen). This is one of those brands that lived before the craft boom and thrived after it, and Kevin brings that perspective straight to this whiskey conversation. We taste through what Hirsch has on the shelf right now—including their new Cognac-finished release, which I’ll spoil just a little by saying it’s damn tasty. Buckle up—it’s Hirsch Whiskey day on the Bourbon Showdown Podcast.

This week on The Bourbon Showdown Podcast, Jesse sits down with the one and only Adam Edwards of Heaven Hill for a pour-packed conversation recorded in the VIP suite at The Vintage Whiskey & Cigar Bar in Charlotte. Adam and Jesse dive into Heaven Hill history, the whiskey journey, and how the experience around the glass shapes the whiskey inside it—all while drinking through some phenomenal pours.

They taste the newly crowned Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye—Whisky Advocate’s 2025 Whisky of the Year—followed by the full Heaven Hill Grain-to-Glass series, and yes… a secret 19-year-old surprise pour you don’t want to miss.

Released in celebration of Heaven Hill’s 90th Anniversary, this episode is all heart, all history, and all damn good whiskey. Pour yourself some Heaven Hill and enjoy!

This week on the Bourbon Showdown Podcast, we welcome the one and only Dr. Patrick Heist of Wilderness Trail!

This episode is a full-on master class for whiskey geeks—packed with fermentation talk, production deep dives, yeast strains, sweet mash, and the story of how Dr. Pat and his partner Shane Baker became known as the “Science Guys of Bourbon.” We walk through Wilderness Trail’s entire core lineup—the bourbon, the wheated bourbon, and the rye—before doing what we always do when we’re talking to good people about good whiskey… we DRINK IT. Dr. Pat breaks down how each expression is artfully crafted to showcase Wilderness Trail’s signature flavor definition and meticulous attention to detail all while walking me through the past, present and future of the brand on this weeks Bourbon Showdown Podcast! 

So pour a glass and get ready for a whiskey deep dive with one of the best in the business. Dr. Pat takes us to school on this week’s Bourbon Showdown Podcast!

This week on the Bourbon Showdown Podcast, we welcome back Pete Barger and Southern Distilling Company to talk all things American Single Malt and North Carolina whiskey! Fresh off being named Distillery of the Year by the American Distilling Institute, Pete takes us through everything Southern Distilling has cooking right now—from their new American Single Malt to their Cask Strength, honey-barrel-finished bourbon.

It’s a fantastic episode packed with North Carolina whiskey, big flavor, and great conversation on this week’s Bourbon Showdown Podcast!

This week we welcome Bruce Russell and Wild Turkey back to the show to talk all things Master’s Keep! It’s been a minute since I sat down with Bruce, but we figured the last Master’s Keep was a good reason to get together and talk some Turkey! Him and I discuss what went into this final Master’s Keep: Beacon, how it is truly a family affair and acts as the proper send off to a collection his father started so many years ago! We talk about how he has been on the Beacon world tour, he is just getting back from Australia and Europe where he’s been waving the Wild Turkey flag and spreading the good word that is the 2025 Master’s Keep. Then we pop the top on Beacon and I gotta tell you guys, this is a testament to everything people love about Turkey and the good work Bruce has been putting in on some of the best Wild Turkey offerings we have seen in recent years. It’s a helluva an episode on this week’s Bourbon Showdown so buckle up and get ready, its Wild Turkey day on The Bourbon Showdown Podcast! 

This week we welcome Penelope Bourbon and long time friend of the show Co-founder and master blender, Danny Polise back to the Bourbon Showdown! We go through the brands history, some of the mega whiskey hits they have had, how they are absolutely rocking the ready-to-drink category in 2025 and of course their current line-up of Estate Collection whiskey! We pop the top on their new Estate Collection Omega, an amazing 11 year whiskey that has been finished in French oak, and Danny lets me know what’s next for Penelope on this episode of the Bourbon ShowdownPodcast! 

This week we welcome 15 Stars Founders Rick and Ricky Johnson to The Bourbon Showdown to talk about the newest addition to the brand, First West Bourbon! They walk me through what led them to create these new whiskeys and the thought process that continues to drive innovation at 15 Stars, we talk mash bill, we talk age statements, we talk blending and barrel finishes and then we drink that whiskey! We drink through the small batch, the toasted oak and the extra aged, breaking each expression down and talking about the what and why that went into each bottle, while also looking at the future of the brand and what Rick and Ricky have in store for 15 Stars moving forward! It’s a full flavor episode this week on the bourbon showdown that I think everyone is going to enjoy!

This week we welcome Dan Callaway from Bardstown Bourbon Company to The Bourbon Showdown Podcast, him and I crack open their new Discovery Series 13 and the Ferrand II from their Collaborative Series as he walks me through what went into each expression, the history of the company, his path to whiskey and what we can expect next from Bardstown Bourbon Company.

This week, we welcome Chief Blender, Meghan Ireland and Research & Development Distiller Mitch Mahar from WhistlePig to the Bourbon Showdown to talk all things Boss Hog! We dive into the new Boss Hog XII: Feather & Flame, and let me tell you guys, this one is something special! We drink through this Mesoamerican inspired rye whiskey that’s been  finished in a pulque curado de cacao barrels and they explain to me all the intricacies involved in making that happen. I love the innovation and the outside the box thinking that goes into every Boss Hog and this one is a delicious pour of whiskey, so buckle up and get ready because we are taking you to the WhistlePig farm in Vermont for some Boss Hog XII on todays Bourbon Showdown Podcast! 

This week, we welcome Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall back to the show! We sit down for a big pour of Woodford’s new Batch Proof Rye and she walks us through how it came to fruition and all the amazing things she’s been doing since becoming Master Distiller. It’s a Batch Proof Rye conversation on this week’s Bourbon Showdown Podcast!