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This week, Sarah and Kurt explore the 1990s—the decade when whiskey quietly shifted from something you drank into something you collected. As independent bottlers like Gordon & MacPhail, Signatory, and Douglas Laing released transparent, single-cask malts from obscure and closed distilleries, scarcity and storytelling took center stage. From dusty bar finds to bottles now worth thousands, this episode reveals how the foundations of modern whiskey collecting were born.

Pour a dram and join us as we explore how indie bottlers bottled history before the world realized it was history.

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Before Michael Jackson (yes, that Michael Jackson—but a different one), whiskey was described with words like smooth, strong, or fine. Then he came along and changed everything. Thanks to him, we now talk about whiskey the way we do wine, using terms like honeyed, leathery, coastal, peaty, and Sherry-rich, and debating whether something leans more Islay than Speyside.

This week, Sarah and Kurt dive into how Jackson created the shared vocabulary, tasting structure, and 0–100 rating system that shaped whiskey culture as we know it. They explore how he turned distilleries into characters, helped elevate single malts globally, and even put Japanese whisky on the map long before it became a collector’s craze.

Pour a dram and tune in as Sarah and Kurt reveal how one writer’s words rewired the whiskey world.

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In this week's episode, Sarah and Kurt crack open the decade when whiskey stopped being just a drink...and became a culture. The 1990s introduced tasting magazines, global whiskey festivals, independent bottlers, rare malts, and the rise of an entirely new species: the whiskey nerd.

From the groundbreaking launch of Malt Advocate in 1990 to the glossy international flair of Whisky Magazine, we trace how whiskey finally got its own media ecosystem. We dig into the birth of WhiskeyFest, the rise of shared tasting language, the early days of collecting, and the massive influence of legendary writer Michael Jackson—whose books and tasting style shaped an entire generation.

If you love whiskey, this is the story of how your fandom was born.

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Sarah and Kurt keep the ’90s momentum rolling in this second episode of the season. After opening the decade’s story last week, they turn their attention to the moment single malts truly hit their stride. This time, they dig into how Scotch stepped beyond blends, with Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Macallan, and Glenmorangie leading the charge. From smarter storytelling to bottles that finally demanded space on the shelf, Sarah and Kurt explore how these brands shaped a new era of whisky marketing—and set the tone for the decade to come.

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Tune in as Kurt and Sarah kick off season four of Decades Distilled and dive into what’s happening in the world outside of whiskey. From the end of the Cold War and the rise of globalization to pop-culture shifts and new consumer habits, they’ll walk you through how it all made the 1990s such a pivotal decade for whiskey.

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We are wrapping up season three of Decades Distilled! Tune in as Kurt and Sarah raise one last glass to the 1970s, a decade that quietly but powerfully transformed the whiskey world. From distillery closures and market crashes to the rise of single malts and the seeds of today’s global whiskey boom, the ‘70s proved that change isn’t optional, it’s inevitable. 

The duo reflect on the stories, trends, and turning points that defined this transformative time, and also look ahead to what’s coming next: Season 4, exploring the 1990s, when whiskey’s revival truly took flight. 

Cheers to the past that shaped our pour—and the future that’s still aging in the cask.

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As we close out Season Three of Decades Distilled, Kurt and Sarah step behind the scenes of the whiskey world in the 1970s—a decade defined not by taste trends but by seismic shifts in business and technology. Corporate shakeups, industry consolidations, and major advances in production reshaped the landscape of whiskey, setting the stage for the modern era. Tune in as we explore how the machinery of big business and bold infrastructure decisions quietly transformed the spirit we know today. And stay tuned as we’re hard at work for our next season, coming this fall! 

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Irish whiskey entered the 1970s as a spirit with a proud legacy, once the global standard for quality. Yet this decade marked one of its darkest chapters—distilleries closed, the home market shrank, and the industry teetered on the brink of collapse. And still, Irish whiskey endured. In this episode, Kurt and Sarah explore how the pivotal decisions of the 1970s not only kept the tradition alive but also set the stage for an extraordinary revival that would reshape its future.

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The 1970’s were a time when bourbon faced one of its most uncertain chapters. Once the backbone of American spirits, bourbon found itself losing favor as vodka and clear spirits dominated the cultural moment. Tune in as Kurt and Sarah explore how economic shifts, changing consumer tastes, and a decline in domestic demand nearly brought the industry to its knees. But even in the downturn, seeds of revival were planted.

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In this episode of Decades Distilled, Kurt and Sarh rewind to 1976 and the legendary Judgment of Paris, a moment that forever changed the wine world. But what about whiskey? While California wines stole the spotlight, the ripple effects of this event traveled far beyond the vineyards. We explore how the Judgment of Paris sparked a global rethinking of taste, terroir, and tradition—fueling a renaissance in whiskey making, especially outside Scotland and Ireland.