To wrap up the year, we are sharing the craft categories that most captivated our Blister reviewers in 2023, and some of the categories they are most curious about heading into 2024. This is a fun one, and it certainly fills out the picture of the people behind our reviews, videos, articles, podcasts, and Blister Summit events.

And over on our Blister Podcast, you’ll also get to hear our team talk about their highlights of 2023, and their resolutions for 2024. Happy New Year!

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Check out the Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

TOPICS & TIMES:

1: Luke Kopppa (2:11)

2: Dylan Wood (13:49)

3: Simon Stewart (26:17)

4: Kara Williard (36:56)

5: Jonathan Ellsworth (45:33)

6: Eric Freson (56:59)

7: Sascha Anastas (1:10:42)

8: Kristin Sinnott (1:18:28)

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Blister Cinematic

Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Off The Couch

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Over 30 billion bottles of wine are consumed each year around the world, and today, we’re talking about why we need to — and can — move away from ‘business as usual’ in the wine world. Our guest is Revelshine founder, Jake Bilbro, and Jake lays out some fascinating, rarely discussed facts about the impacts of the wine industry; his mission to change that; and why the likes of Jeremy Jones, Shane Dorian, Selema Masakala, Michelle Parker, Tanner Gudauskas, Patrick Gudauskas, Dane Gudauskas, Chris Davenport, Emily Harrington, Drew Holcomb, Vasu Sojitra, Donavon Frankenreiter, and Adrian Ballinger have all signed up to push this mission forward.

RELATED LINKS

Revelshine Wines

Check out the Blister Craft Collective

Join Us! Become a BLISTER+ Member

TOPICS & TIMES:

Special Offer on Revelshine: (2:43)

Jake’s Background in the Wine World (4:30)

Limerick Lane & Starting Revelshine (6:30)

Assessing Our Impacts on the World (33:25)

Other Benefits of Shaking Things Up (40:54)

The Juice: Revelshine’s Offerings (48:24)

‘BLISTERSHIP’, Distribution, & purchasing (59:45)

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Blister Cinematic

Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Off The Couch

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year on CRAFTED, we talked with Blister reviewer, Paul Forward, about the art, ethics, and craftsmanship of traditional bows (episode #8). And this is the companion conversation to that episode, about the art of making arrows.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Kodiak Island (5:29)

Only a Traditional Bow (11:10)

Arrows: An Amateur's Take (14:42)r

Relating Arrow's to Skis (28:39)

Feathers: Weights, Forces, and Angles (34:10)

Broadheads (44:17)

Price Range (52:07)

Summary of arrows (54:49)

Arrow Makers (57:54)

Beginner arrows vs advanced Arrows (1:00:19)

Art and Science of Arrows (1:04:10)

RELATED LINKS

Check out the Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

CRAFTED ep. 8 on Traditional Bows

Blister Pod ep. 287 on Broadening the Outdoor Community

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Blister Cinematic

Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Off The Couch

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Based in Vermont — where they still make their products — Bag Balm is an American company with a 125-year history and one very remarkable story. Bag Balm’s president, Libby Parent, joins us to talk about cow udders, celebrity endorsements, and the countless uses of their products, and you’ll also get a great lesson on how to steward a company with such a rich history into the modern world.

TOPICS & TIMES:

From Cow Udders to Celebrity Endorsements (2:38)

BLISTER & Bag Balm & Strange Uses (20:04)

Changes to the Formula (24:34)

Made in Vermont (27:36)

Marketing Product Uses & Discovering New Ones (31:01)

Bar Soap & (Serious) Exfoliation (35:08)

Stewarding a 125-Yr-Old Heritage Brand (40:08)

Most Common Uses & Emotional Support Chickens (47:36)

How Libby’s Background Informs Her Work at Bag Balm (53:33)

RELATED LINKS

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Blister Cinematic

Bikes & Big Ideas

Off The Couch

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dearborn Denim founder, Rob McMillan is a thoughtful guy with some grand ambitions. He’s working on building a big apparel company that ethically manufactures premium products at an affordable price, right in Chicago. Impossible you say? This past Monday, Jonathan Ellsworth met up with Rob at Dearborn Denim’s factory in Chicago to tour the factory with him, then record this conversation where he lays out the blueprint.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Why Rob started Dearborn Denim (2:47)

Profitability vs Mission/Ethics (7:25)

Why Chicago for Apparel Manufacturing? (13:38)

Misconceptions about US Manufacturing (18:46)

‘Made in the USA’ Debate & Shopping Local (22:11)

Cost (28:33)

Solving for Fit & Advertising Challenges (33:39)

Premium -- but Affordable?? -- Products (38:03)

Growth & Scale (41:11)

Materials & Fabrics: What Should We Know? (49:46)

New Products & Contract Work (56:08)

RELATED LINKS

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Bikes & Big Ideas

Off The Couch

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Happy Hour

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Yia Vang is a multi-nominated James Beard Award chef; the founder & head chef of Union Hmong Kitchen, and he’s carved out time to compete on the Netflix show, “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend,” host the show, ”Feral” on the Outdoors Channel, host another show, “Stoked” on the Food Network, and host the excellent podcast,“Hmonglish” which focuses on the Hmong people, their culture, representation, and Asian excellence overall.

Yia and Jonathan discuss all of the above, plus his ‘run & gun’ approach to running a restaurant; the history of the service and sacrifices made by many Hmong people on behalf of the USA; patriotism; curiosity; football; the art of Hmong cuisine; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Managing Restaurants, Flexibility, & Football (8:29)

Current State of Food Culture in the USA (22:16)

Being Anti "Fusion" (28:01)

Hmong / US History (34:02)

Hmong Cuisine & Hmong Clans (46:41)

The Craft of Hmong Cuisine (51:46)

Past, Current, & Future Projects (56:20)

RELATED LINKS

Hmonglish Podcast

Union Hmong Kitchen

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

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How do you define “consistency” — the ability to produce the exact same thing time & time again? Or producing a product that is never exactly the same, but is always of high quality? That question is at the heart of this conversation about official offerings vs independent bottlings, but Matt and Jonathan also find time to talk about Scotch and spit buckets; Matt’s current top-3 ‘hottest’ Scotch brands; the short lifespans of humans vs the long lifespans of craft categories; upcoming ski trips to Japan (Blister members, listen up); and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Peated Scotch & Spit Buckets (3:18)

Signatory, Edradour, & Independent Bottling Co’s (6:41)

Matt’s Top-3 ‘Hottest’ Scotch Producers (14:22)

Country-Specific Offerings: Scotch & Skis (21:38)

Blister Members: want to go to Japan? (26:15)

“Consistency,” Quality, & “Craft” (29:00)

Sherry (43:49)

The Short Lives of Humans & Craft Products (49:45)

Cheese, Gin, & Maple Syrup (56:22)

Fair Warning: Things Get Loose. Stop Listening? (1:01:30)

Austrian Food Review (1:01:35)

Arran 10, Arran 18, & Tamdhu 15 (1:09:54)

Drunken Blister Summit Offer & Ramblings (1:19:52)

RELATED LINKS

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

CRAFTED: Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 1

CRAFTED: Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 2

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Bikes & Big Ideas

Off The Couch

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Happy Hour

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Manser (Atomic Ski Boots), is back to dive into the world of Scotch and independent bottlings. He and Jonathan compare a Bunnahabhain independent bottling against their official 12-year offering; discuss a single cask that cost $19M; debate whether you should add water to your Scotch; learn about the fanciest bottle Matt currently owns; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

What does a ski boot designer do in the summer? (4:10)

Recapping our first Scotch conversation (10:08)

What’s Your Fanciest & Favorite Bottle You Own? (13:23)

Red Cask (16:55)

Barrel & Cask Talk — plus a $19M cask (19:34)

Time to start sipping! (23:56)

Independent Bottlings (26:24)

Adding / Not Adding Water to Scotch (30:46)

Oban 14 (37:55)

Back to Independent Bottlings (41:44)

First Sip: Bunnahabhain 12 & the Magic Spoon (51:13)

Bandaids & American Oak vs European Oak (55:16)

Letting Your Pour Rest (58:50)

Production volumes of Various Producers (1:06:25)

More on Red Cask (1:11:39)

RELATED LINKS

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

CRAFTED: Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 1

CRAFTED: Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 3

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Bikes & Big Ideas

Off The Couch

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Happy Hour

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s conversation explores the broader question of how to assess greatness? To get there, Jonathan Ellsworth and Troy Russ discuss the art & craft of tennis (and whether it is the greatest of all sports?); the art & craft of great sports writing (and whether David Foster Wallace’s essay, Roger Federer as Religious Experience is the pinnacle of the form?); and finally, we discuss Troy’s Top 5 All-Time Tennis Players, which leads us back into the big question of how to think about assessing greatness in any sport.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Troy’s Tennis Background & Playing Andre Agassi (5:59)

Tennis — the Greatest Sport? (9:07)

David Foster Wallace: Roger Federer as Religious Experience (18:40)

Watching Tennis on TV vs In-Person (25:32)

Troy’s Top 5 Men’s Tennis Players (29:56)

Troy’s Top 5 Women’s Tennis Players (49:55)

Plot Twist: Re-Ranking the Top 5 (55:49)

RELATED LINKS

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Bikes & Big Ideas

Off The Couch

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Happy Hour

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Napa Valley is home to some of the most respected wineries and coveted wines being produced, but not too long ago, it was a sleepy farm community. So in this conversation, Jonathan talks with Marilyn Harris of Paradigm Winery about how Napa … became Napa. Marilyn and her husband, Ren, own Paradigm Winery in Oakville, CA, and they’ve had a front-row seat — and played a first-hand role — in the evolution of Napa Valley.

TOPICS & TIMES:

How I met Marilyn & her lifelong history in Napa (2:19)

When did winemaking start in Napa? (11:33)

Importance of 40-acre lots in Napa (17:03)

Zinfandel (18:07)

Napa & Cabernet Sauvignon (22:46)

Cult Wines & Organic Grapes (24:59)

Scale & Growth (27:28)

Paradigm’s Paravines Red Wine & Rosé (29:00)

Climate Change & Napa Wine (34:20)

Pringles (38:22)

Monday Morning Calls (40:13)

The Business of Paradigm & Where to Find It (42:31)

RELATED LINKS

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Bikes & Big Ideas

Off The Couch

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Happy Hour

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.