Chris Blatner (Urban Bourbonist) joins the show to share whiskeys from his 13 Summer Whiskeys list. We drink and comment on Wood Creek Rye, Laws Henry Road Straight Malt Whiskey, Westward Single Malt Cask Strength, Pinhook Bourbondini and the 7-year Pinhook Single barrel that Chris and I chose on Episode 186. We also talk about the curiosity of American single malts, the purpose of being a listener and not an educator while drinking whiskey, and we review our notes while sampling the single barrel.

Hosts: Jake Hukee & Chris Blatner

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Live from Wisconsin Whiskey Fest, we sit down Murphy Quint, Head Distiller of Cedar Ridge. Murphy explains how his parents started this Iowa-based distillery on the foundation of the great soil and grain of the Heartland. He also shares his personal story of growing up in the distillery, moving away and working at Stranahan’s Distillery, and coming back home to help grow their brand into the number one selling Bourbon in Iowa.

Guests: Murphy Quint

Hosts: Jake Hukee

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Live from the Wisconsin Whiskey Festival, Dancing Goat Founder Nick Mass joins the show to update the progression of his distillery. Twenty minutes into the conversation, Dixon Dedman, Kentucky Owl and 2XO, crashes the show (in the very best way). The two founders and blenders share stories of how their techniques developed while creating their individual brands. We also get deep into true purpose of whiskey, the meaning of being man/friend/employer/loyal subject to the world we live in.

Guests: Dixon Dedman & Nick Maas

Visit 2XO here I Visit Dancing Goat Here

Hosts: Jake Hukee

Visit Pinhook Here

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Live From WI Whiskey Fest, Ross Graham, Director of Sales at Old Elk Distillery shares how Greg Metze, Old Elk’s Master Distiller is using his historic pedigree to shape the brand into one of the most emerging brands in America. Also, our good friend Eric Rosentreter of Woodinville Whiskey joins the conversation halfway through the episode to share his industry insights.

Guests: Ross Graham & Eric Rosentreter

Hosts: Jake Hukee

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Pinhook founder Sean Josephs returns. We discuss brand building with transparency and integrity, and how certain trends have dominated the whiskey industry, as of late, that may fall short of those two fundamentals. We also chat about the direction of craft and craftsmanship, along with the foundation of Pinhook beginning with an idea of blending whiskey but totally flipping on its head to follow a true path for Sean and his partners.

Guest: Sean Josephs

Hosts: Jake Hukee, Chris Blatner & Callum O’Donnell

Visit Pinhook Here

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Wilson and Jake sit down to speak about what bourbon means to them as people and as employees of whiskey distilleries. They go deep on the purpose of life, and the balance between their professional and personal interaction with whiskey.

Hosts: Jake Hukee & Wilson Torres

Visit Castle & Key Here

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Whiskey Acres cofounder Nick Nagele explains their “Seed to Spirit” approach of farming high quality grains on the very farm the distillery sits on. Whiskey Acres foundation begins with, varietals of corn builds success, and the exploration of those varietals represents the terroir in each pour after they’ve been distilled and aged on their farm. Their whiskey speaks to and represents the place that it comes from. Whiskey Acres’ comes from the heartland, the Midwest, Illinois, and they showcase what whiskey can be when a distillery precisely handles every aspect of grain – from being placed in the soil to being emptied from the barrel and into the bottle.

Guest: Nick Nagele

Hosts: Jake Hukee & Ian Stewart

Visit Whiskey Acres Here

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Steven Dragun, Lustau National Brand Ambassador, joins the show. Steven shares how exploring his dream of becoming a musician through studying and playing music across the world led him to the spirits’ industry. Currently with Lustau in Chicago, Steven previously worked for whiskey distilleries like Angel’s Envy and New York Distilling Co. and behind the stick at various great bars in New York. His personal story of discovering creative satisfaction in the spirits world, as music takes a slight backseat, is an inspiring uncovering for personal fulfillment.

Guest: Steven Dragun

Hosts: Jake Hukee & Callum O’Donnell

Learn more about Lustau here

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I sit down solo on the mics to share my experience from the road as a whisky brand ambassador. The "Where You Want To Be" series focuses on my visits to various markets across the US, documenting the distinctive details of an ambassador’s life in each city. I’ll also weave-in the lessons I’ve learned from my previous travels, while examining stories, essays and documents from notorious travelers/writers/authors.

Hosts: Jake Hukee

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Live from New Orleans at Tales of The Cocktail, a special guest, Mickey Pinstripe aka The Bourbon and Rye Club, joins the show. Sagamore Spirit’s Brett Bauer cohosts with me to chat with Mikey about his journey through whiskey, and his landing on his love for rye whiskey. We also discuss the events of Tales and the good times we experienced during the 20th anniversary of the coveted spirits event.

Guest: Mickey Pinstripe

Hosts: Jake Hukee & Brett Bauer

Read The Bourbon and Rye blob HERE

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