Belfast was once one of the world's great whiskey capitals, but for decades its distilling heritage lay dormant. In this episode, Drew Hannush reunites with Belfast Distillery Company CEO John Kelly and Master Distiller Graeme Millar to explore the rebirth of McConnell's Irish Whiskey, the remarkable transformation of Belfast's historic Crumlin Road Jail into a working distillery, and the philosophy guiding one of Northern Ireland's most ambitious whiskey projects. Along the way, they discuss McConnell's rich past, the future of Irish single malt, and why Belfast is once again becoming a destination for whiskey lovers.

• The revival of Belfast's legendary McConnell's brand
• Why Crumlin Road Jail became a distillery
• Restoring a prison while preserving its history
• Belfast's forgotten role in Irish whiskey
• The rise and fall of McConnell's in the 1800s
• Graeme Millar's vision for triple-distilled single malt
• Creating a distinctive Northern Irish whiskey style
• Building flavor through careful distillation and maturation
• Behind the scenes of McConnell's visitor experience
• Belfast's growing reputation as a whiskey destination

SHOW NOTES: whiskeylore.org/interviews

JOIN THE SPEAKEASY (AND GET THE COUPON CODE): https://www.patreon.com/whiskeylore/posts/ep-141-irish-new-164366456

Some distillers inherit tradition. Others build their own path from the ground up. In this episode, Drew Hannush sits down with Old 55 Distillery co-founder and distiller Jason Fruits to explore how a family grain business became one of America's most distinctive estate distilleries. From growing the grain to questioning nearly every accepted practice in whiskey making, Jason shares why he believes there are better ways to craft exceptional bourbon—and why being in the middle of Indiana corn country may be his greatest advantage.

• Why "farm-to-glass" changes everything
• The business behind an estate distillery
• Choosing a hybrid still over convention
• Distilling on grain instead of beer
• Why Jason takes such a narrow hearts cut
• Can cool aging outperform Kentucky heat?
• The surprising role of enzymes
• Building a 100% sweet corn bourbon
• Why he calls his whiskey "Ferraris, not Fords"
• How family legacy shaped Old 55

SHOW NOTES: whiskeylore.org/interviews

JOIN THE SPEAKEASY: patreon.com/whiskeylore

It's time to get past the marketing and historical redirects and get down to the business of discovering the true origins Bourbon. It's a story you might think you know. But do you really?

It's time to toss out 90% of the myths and lore and starting fresh, looking for the people who made America notice this thing we call Bourbon.

And like the story of Tennessee whiskey, this reveal of the story will be part of a book.

That book is not yet written, but you have the unique opportunity to hear it AS it is being written. I've outlined the chapters, completed most of the research, and all that's left are a few interviews and the crafting of the prose.

What you're going to hear over the next few months is a rough draft of the book. Items may be added and subtracted. But doing this as a release to you, my podcast family, helps me keep you satisfied with new historical content, while it keeps me motivated to provide the next chapter.

This preface will explain the scope and why I think this book is so important in correcting our understanding of the origins of Bourbon. Enjoy listening and return for our next Monday episode, when you'll hear Chapter 1 of The Lost History of Bourbon.

And to catch any bonus content and supplemental information, become a member of the Whiskey Lore Speakeasy or Club 1897. https://patreon.com/whiskeylore

Cheers and slainte mhath, Drew

© 2026 Travel Fuels Life, LLC

Independent bottlers have long helped whiskey lovers discover hidden gems in Scotland, but the concept is only beginning to take hold in America. In this episode, Drew Hannush sits down with Lost Lantern founders Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonski to explore how they're introducing craft distilleries from across the country to new audiences—and we'll go behind the scenes to find out why blending Bourbon from all 50 states was such an ambitious project.

• The weakness of warehouse tasting
• Does a whiskey change during shipping?
• Building a blend that doesn't become a muddle
• The challenge of finding Bourbon in every state
• Why some barrels have "sharp elbows"
• How they map flavor before blending
• Which is harder, 13 states or 50
• The hidden psychology of tasting whiskey
• What makes a whiskey worth bottling

SHOW NOTES: whiskeylore.org/interviews

JOIN THE SPEAKEASY: patreon.com/whiskeylore

GUEST: John Pawluk (Twisted Cow Distillery Founder and Distiller)

Some distillers master tradition. Others ask why the tradition exists in the first place. In this episode, Drew Hannush sits down with Twisted Cow founder and distiller John Pawluk, whose gift of curiosity has led him to challenge long-held assumptions about fermentation, copper, grain, barrel aging, and flavor development. There is plenty of discussion around one of John's favorite tools for stretching his abilities-the iStill. Enjoy this return to long-form discussions about why and how whiskey is made. It's a fascinating look inside the mind of a whiskey maker who refuses to accept "because that's how it's always been done."

In This Episode

• Why curiosity drives better whiskey
• Building flavor before the barrel
• Rethinking copper's role
• The science of fermentation
• Why grain origin matters
• Stone mills versus hammer mills
• Barrel proof and flavor evolution
• Learning from tradition, not following it
• Experimenting with blue corn and heirloom grains
• Creating a distillery built for discovery

TRANSCRIPTS: whiskeylore.org/interviews JOIN THE SPEAKEASY: patreon.com/whiskeylore

Long before Bourbon became synonymous with Bardstown and Frankfort, Lawrenceburg was home to a network of distillers whose names helped shape the industry itself. Families like the Ripys, Hawkins, Bonds, McBrayers, and Dowlings built businesses, mentored one another, and left a legacy that still echoes across Kentucky whiskey today. In this episode, Drew Hannush talks with filmmaker Bo Cumberland and Stone Fences Tours co-founder Jerry Daniels about their new documentary, Spirits of Lawrenceburg: A Bourbon Legacy Forged Through Time, and why one of Bourbon's most influential communities deserves to be remembered.

• Why Lawrenceburg became one of the cradles of Bourbon • The forgotten names behind familiar brands • Old Joe Peyton and the rise of Old Joe Distillery • How distilling families became intertwined • Why the Ripys reached far beyond Wild Turkey • Lost distilleries hidden beneath modern landscapes • Oral tradition and the challenge of preserving history • How a documentary brings vanished places back to life • Why Lawrenceburg still matters to Bourbon today

Find show notes and transcripts at whiskeylore.org/interviews

Drew Hannush heads to Florida's Treasure Coast for a virtual visit to Indian River Distillery in Vero Beach. Founded by Ray Hooker and his family, the distillery combines Florida history with a passion for rum, bourbon, gin, and American single malt. Along the way, Ray shares stories of pirates, the infamous Ashley Gang, and the unique challenges of making whiskey in a subtropical climate.

• Visiting Indian River Distillery in Vero Beach, Florida • The Treasure Coast Spirits Festival • Building a family-owned distillery from the ground up • Florida whiskey and tropical maturation • Malted wheat bourbon and American single malt production • The story of the Ashley Gang and Florida's outlaw history • Pirates, treasure ships, and legends of the Treasure Coast • Things to see and experience around Vero Beach

My three reasons to visit

📍 Indian River Distillery Vero Beach, Florida

Travel maps, distillery information, and trip-planning tools for more than 1,000 whiskey destinations can be found at WhiskeyLore.org/flights.

When you talk about a roller-coaster history, Four Roses is the poster child brand. In today's episode, we'll relive the glory years of Four Roses in the post-World War II era, when Madison Avenue carved out a Four Roses lifestyle. Then, I'll dig into how Seagram's took the brand from straight Bourbon blend to "Premium Light Whiskey." Then, I'll be joined by Four Roses legendary Brand Ambassador Al Young, as we watch the grand return of the brand, with a few surprises along the way.

Enjoy this fascinating conclusion to this three-part series covering the history of Four Roses.

Southern Georgia isn't the first place most whiskey travelers think of, which makes 13th Colony Distillery one of those discoveries that feels like you've stumbled onto something special. In this episode, Drew Hannush heads to Americus, Georgia, to visit one of the state's oldest operating whiskey distilleries and sit down with president Maxwell Darby. Along the way, they explore how a hobby project turned into one of Georgia's most respected whiskey brands, why heat changes the aging process, and how a forgotten experiment led to one of the distillery's most sought-after releases.

• The unlikely beginnings of 13th Colony Distillery • How a family hobby became one of Georgia's oldest whiskey distilleries • Aging whiskey in the South and managing Georgia's climate • The story behind the iconic 13th Colony bottle • Double Oak bourbon and the accidental discovery that created it • Why 13th Colony moves barrels around the warehouse • In-house distillation and experimenting with barrel entry proof • The Southern Rye and using French oak spirals • The connection between 13th Colony and Georgia history • Things to see around Americus, Plains, and Andersonville • Plus, Drew shares his three reasons why 13th Colony deserves a spot on your Whiskey Lore Wish List

📍 13th Colony Distillery Americus, Georgia

Travel maps, distillery information, and trip-planning tools for more than 1,000 whiskey destinations can be found at WhiskeyLore.org/flights.

🌟Enjoy a deep dive into the what the tree in 13th Colony's logo represents, how to taste their white whiskey, places to eat in Americus and more in this episode as a member of Whiskey Lore's Patreon (a 7-day free trial is available for new listeners).

When it comes to the stories of whiskey brands, the tale is often told of passionate distillers, willing markets, and a quick and easy rise built off of a quality product and reputation. But foundation stories are rarely that simple.

In the case of Four Roses, an American brand with some mythic qualities, a deeper investigation shows a brand that wasn't entirely embraced by the family that originated it. At times it was the odd man out. But eventually it became one of the most popular whiskies in America.

Join me as we travel through the years after the founders passed, to see how the next generation handled the family's legacy. Along the way, we'll hear of struggles with overproduction, a fist thrown when the company's integrity was challenged, the creative ways the brand survived Prohibition, and the company executive that may have set the table for the way whiskey was made for the next 80 years.

Enjoy this second episode in a series of three on the history of Four Roses.