Hops & Spirits: Neat & Mixed

We've got questions for Filmland Spirits founder Troy Bolotnick at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. We ask Troy how Filmland started, their unique approach to their bottles, what's coming soon and much more. Cheers!

We had questions for Christian Saylor, GM of Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse in Louisville. Chris talks about what can folks expect when they visit Repeal and Hotel Distill, how they're able to have such an amazing collection of spirits, their in-room Hotel Distill bourbon cart, being part of Whiskey Row and more.

While at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, we tried the NuLu Whiskey finished in Amburana barrels. This was finished on average for 6 weeks to 3 months in those barrels. How does it stack up against some of the other Amburana finishes? Cheers!

Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey is Hard Truth’s debut sweet mash whiskey, a culmination of years of careful planning and precise crafting. Sweet mash is the distilling process in which each batch of whiskey begins with entirely fresh ingredients. Mash bill one features 94 percent rye and 6 percent malted barley. This comes in at $70 MSRP. Cheers!

Jonathan and Brandon sit down with Wally Dant to try four expressions from Log Still Distilling. We enjoy their Monk's Road bourbon barrel finished gin, Monk's Road Wheated Bourbon, Monk's Road Fifth District Series bourbon, and Rattle & Snap 4-year Tennessee Whiskey. Wally also talks about his family's history in the industry, how Log Still came to be, their name, the exciting things happening there, their concert series and more. Cheers!

We celebrate one year of reviews with a special pour thanks to a good friend. We try the Old Forester 2021 Birthday Bourbon. It comes in at 104 proof with an MSRP of $130 (if you can ever find it in the wild!). Cheers!

We had questions for Bardstown Bourbon Master Distiller Steve Nally at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown. Steve talks about their approach to collaborations, how their release series work, what's coming up and more.

In an industry steeped in tradition, Bespoken is different from anything you've seen or tasted thanks to a refined yet creative approach; one that aligns purpose with passion. What they call Tailored Wood Finishing allows a hand-selected cultivar of bespoke flavors to erupt within each bottle, all while using less wood, water, and energy than any whiskey ever before. We chat with CEO Peter Peter Iglesias about the process used to age their whiskies, how that differs, is it still whiskey, their new core lineup, partnering with Whiskey Myers and Lynyrd Skynyrd, moving to Lexington's Greyline Station, what's next and more.

Don't forget to check out the video on YouTube and our Facebook page. Plus, enjoy our Neat & Mixed Reviews and the Hops & Spirits Bar Conversations podcast, all available at hopsspirits.com.

Hemingway Rye is built on family traditions. Just as Ernest Hemingway lived a life full of timeless tales worth regaling, the same is true for the Call and Groth Families. The men who crafted this whiskey have distilling in their blood, along with stories and lessons passed down for more than 230 years. We chat with Master Distiller Jacob Call and Marketing Director Forrest Smallwood about how Hemingway Rye came to be, how they got into the whiskey business, launching Western Kentucky Distilling, the new Hemingway Rye Signature Edition, their first edition rye, what's coming up, why a rye and more.

Don't forget to check out the video on YouTube and our Facebook page. Plus, enjoy our Neat & Mixed Reviews and the Hops & Spirits Bar Conversations podcast, all available at hopsspirits.com.

Louisville-based Barrell Craft Spirits is the original, pre-eminent independent blender of unique, aged, cask strength whiskey and rum. Recognized for its blending expertise since 2013, Barrell skillfully designs, produces, and launches leading, unique products that surprise and delight whiskey aficionados and novices alike. We chat with Stefanie Bair, Barrell Craft Spirits US Director of Sales, about how she got into the alcohol industry, how she got started with and then came back to Barrell Bourbon, her various roles there, what the US Director of Sales does, the innovation at Barrell, their Rye Batch 04 and Barrell Batch 35 releases, how their release strategy impacts her role and what other fun is coming from Barrell.

Don't forget to check out the video on YouTube and our Facebook page. Plus, enjoy our Neat & Mixed Reviews and the Hops & Spirits Bar Conversations podcast, all available at hopsspirits.com.