Crafted Conversations

Recorded back in the beginning of the year as a proof of concept for the new iteration of The Cogan Conversation, Grant Brown sits down with Allan to sample 3 offerings from The Balvenie Distillery in Scotland. While learning about Balvenie's history and wonderful whiskey, Grant discusses his roots and livelihood - a welcome shift in conversation from the usual current affairs.

• Main background music courtesy of @LanternLofiChill on YouTube

Please visit www.thecoganconvo.com for more info

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Reach out on social media if you'd like to sample some whiskey with us!

In this episode, I debunk some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding whiskey as well as defining certain terms and buzzwords often found on the bottle. Understanding what is what can help you confidently purchase a bottle to enjoy! 

The reality is that the whiskey industry is a business that sells product. In order to sell that product, they have to market to a wide audience including those who know virtually nothing of the finer things in whiskey. This results in fancy packaging with fancy words that enhance the shelf appeal and entices the common shopper to purchase, thinking they nabbed something super special.

Episode 3 will be our first true to format episode where my longtime friend and podcast producer Grant Brown joins me to enjoy samples of Balvenie Scotch. As we get to know the whiskey, we’ll also get to know him and his background. Grant is a filmmaker and producer based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with lots of credits to his name including a recently released feature length film!

IG: @thecogan_conversation

www.thecoganconvo.com

Episode 1 is here!

The question I hear most often is “How do I know what to buy, and if I’ll like it?”  - It’s a fair question, and if I’m being honest, I learned by buying bottles of whiskey that looked interesting and trying them myself or with a group of close friends. I developed my palate and know what I like and dislike. However, I recognize that this isn’t the most cost-effective way to go about it!

One of our inspirations is the format of Hot Ones with Sean Evans – where he interviews celebrities while they partake in different hot sauces. While we aren’t aiming for celebrities, we are interested in getting to know people as they get to know whiskey. Fun and introspective questions designed to get to know someone in the same fashion as Inside the Actors Studio with James Lipton. Whiskey only helps to make the answers more honest!

The goal is to keep each of these episodes to 45 mins or less and edit in a way that is interesting and engaging. But we can’t improve without feedback- so please, I encourage your thoughts and opinions on how to improve the show!

These first 2 episodes are intended to build a brief foundation for you to understand what whiskey is and what makes it tick. In Episode 2 I’ll dive further and discuss the difference between small batch, single barrel, single malt, bottled in bond, barrel proof, cask strength, and all the other fancy words you often find on a bottle – and I’ll do my best to save you from silly marketing buzz words on bottles and bust some myths about price points and age.

Be sure to follow us! @TheCogan_Conversation

Visit www.thecoganconvo.com

Crafted Conversations is a podcast dedicated to showcasing the craft of small businesses within the alcohol industry!

In 2024, we plan to visit distilleries, breweries, wineries, and more and discuss their awesome products with them onsite and share it with you!

"The Cogan Conversation" was always about engaging in meaningful conversations, but with this redesign and rename we're fully sinking our teeth into exploring what the craft industry has to offer.

Cheers!