Actors Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder discovered their friendship and a mutual love of Bourbon on the set of "The Vampire Diaries" television series. Once the show ended, they decided to launch their own Bourbon brand, Brother's Bond, and it's become one of the fastest-growing new Bourbon brands on the market over the last 18 months. While Wesley's acting career now has him portraying the iconic character of James T. Kirk on "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," Somerhalder is practically a full-time whiskey blender. The Bourbon "brothers" join us on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame's Class of 2022 has been unveiled, while the state's Bourbon distillers are raising more than a million dollars to help Kentucky flooding victims through a series of auctions and special bottlings. We'll also explain what "a fifth" means in whiskey terms on Behind the Label, too.

Brother's Bond: A Bourbon "Bromance"

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James Espey and Tom Jago founded The Last Drop 15 years ago with a goal of finding casks of rare whiskies and other spirits and bottling them. Since then, the company has been sold to Sazerac and Tom’s daughter Rebecca is now in charge, but the goal remains the same: finding those unicorn whiskies that may have fallen through the cracks…or just don’t fit into someone else’s plans. We’ll talk with Rebecca Jago about The Last Drop’s 2024 Collection and the difficulty of sourcing those rare casks in today’s market on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, labor problems hit Heaven Hill and Whyte & Mackay, while a longtime Highland distillery manager has retired.

The Latest Drops from The Last Drop

O’Shaughnessy Distilling master distiller Brian Nation arrived in Minneapolis nearly three years ago after leaving Ireland’s Midleton Distillery, and it’s been an interesting transition. We’ll catch up with Brian and learn about the new Keeper’s Heart 21-year-old Irish single malt coming later this summer on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Beam Suntory has changed its name to Suntory Global Spirits, while Buffalo Trace takes a look at global expansion with its first home place in London. 

From One Nation to Another

Dixon Dedman’s family history in the whisky business goes back more than a century. 2XO (for Two Times Oak) is his second act in the Bourbon business after reviving the family’s Kentucky Owl Bourbon brand in 2014. Dedman has just released the latest edition in 2XO’s Icons Series, the Kiawah Blend, named for his family’s favorite vacation spot, Kiawah island in South Carolina. He’ll join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, we’ll have quarterly reports from Pernod Ricard and Remy Cointreau, along with details on “The Badonkadonk” and the week’s other new whiskies.

2XO: A Second Act for Dixon Dedman

Beam Suntory has successfully tested the use of green hydrogen as a fuel source for directly-firing stills, and is part of a pilot project to create a hydrogen conversion unit that could be deployed at remote distilleries. We’ll learn more about the potential of hydrogen as a fuel source for distillers on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Laphroaig is looking for a new manager, while R&B; Distillers has received planning approval for a new distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland and Dr. Bill Lumsden of Glenmorangie makes a surprising admission about this year’s Ardbeg Day release. 

A Green Fuel Source for Distillers?

For 41 years, the Port Ellen Distillery on Scotland’s Isle of Islay sat silent. Last month, a multi-million dollar restoration of the distillery was completed when the first spirit flowed at Port Ellen since 1983. While it’ll be years before we see new bottlings of Port Ellen, the distillery will be open to Islay visitors from around the world. Diageo’s Ewan Gunn was on hand when that first spirit flowed. He’s been part of the revival since it was announced in 2017, and joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, The Demeter Collection auction raised £49,000 for the Our Whisky Foundation, while William Grant & Sons is expanding its Blended Scotch portfolio with a new range of whiskies. 

Brother's Bond: A Bourbon "Bromance"

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