The Whiskey Lore® Podcast

In the years following the American Revolution, the United States found itself fighting another war, this time against a powerful confederacy of Native nations determined to defend their lands north of the Ohio River. But how could a nearly bankrupt government feed, equip, and supply an army on the distant frontier?

The answer leads us to an unlikely chapter in whiskey history. From military rations (that included whiskey) and struggling government contractors to the farms, mills, and distilleries along Pennsylvania's Monongahela River, we'll discover how war helped create new opportunities for frontier whiskey makers. And we'll follow a remarkable web of family connections that leads back to a familiar name from Bourbon County's earliest history.

This is Chapter 4a of The Lost History of Bourbon, presented as a reading from an early manuscript draft. Unlike regular Whiskey Lore Stories episodes, these chapters are presented without music or sound effects. The manuscript is a work in progress, and some details may change.

READ THE TRANSCRIPT: https://www.whiskeylore.org/episodes/bourbon-4a-did-americas-first-army-help-spread-american-whiskey

MORE WHISKEY HISTORY: https://www.patreon.com/whiskeylore

A Revolutionary War spy network, a family-owned Long Island distillery, and a Bourbon steeped with black tea.

This week, I'm joined by Mark and Ben Grindel of Spy Trail Distillery to explore the history behind their name and the business they've built around it.

Mark explains how a casual visit to a distillery in North Carolina eventually led him to sell his manufacturing business and pursue distilling. We discuss his Holstein still, sourcing and blending Bourbon while their own whiskey matures, using Hungarian oak barrels, and producing vodka from Long Island wine.

Ben introduces The Cipher Room, their separate cocktail lounge, where drinks inspired by the Culper Spy Ring incorporate local ingredients and historical stories.

We also discuss AMC's TURN: Washington's Spies, the mystery of Agent 355, the role of ordinary Long Islanders in George Washington's intelligence network, and ways to explore the history in person.

Plus, I taste Spy Trail's Black Tea Bourbon and discover how an experiment intended for a summer drink became a regular part of the lineup.

For show notes and more Whiskey Lore Interviews, visit whiskeylore.org/interviews.

Episode 144: REDWOOD EMPIRE (Jeff Duckhorn and Lauren Patz)

What happens when a California whiskey maker approaches Bourbon, rye, and single malt with the mindset of a winemaker?

Drew Hannush welcomes Redwood Empire Master Distiller Jeff Duckhorn and Head Distiller and Master Blender Lauren Patz for a conversation about the distillery's evolution from a small operation in Sonoma County to a growing American whiskey producer. They explore the advantages of sourcing and blending whiskey from multiple distilleries, the influence of Northern California's climate on maturation, and why Redwood Empire favors a softer, more nuanced approach to American whiskey.

Along the way, Jeff and Lauren explain the stories behind their tree-inspired whiskey names, including Pipe Dream, Emerald Giant, Lost Monarch, and the new wheated Bourbon, Colonel Armstrong. They also discuss the growing American Single Malt category and their experiments with specialty malts.

The conversation culminates in a tasting of Hyperion, Redwood Empire's ambitious new blend of Bourbon, rye, wheat whiskey, and American Single Malt. Named for the world's tallest known living tree, Hyperion brings together some of the distillery's oldest sourced and self-produced whiskeys in a release designed to showcase the possibilities of blending.

• How Redwood Empire grew out of a Northern California wine business

• Jeff Duckhorn and Lauren Patz's different paths into whiskey production

• Why Redwood Empire embraced sourcing whiskey from the beginning

• The transition from its original Headframe still to a larger Vendome column still

• How California's relatively temperate climate affects whiskey maturation

• Why the distillery favors complexity, balance, and a softer drinking experience

• The living redwood trees behind the names Pipe Dream, Emerald Giant, Lost Monarch, and Colonel Armstrong

• How a four-state, four-grain blend creates the flavor of Pipe Dream Bourbon

• Why Colonel Armstrong uses 30% wheat in its Bourbon mash bill

• The role of wheat in softening and balancing Emerald Giant Rye

• How specialty malts are helping define American Single Malt whiskey

• Tasting Hyperion, a blend of four different American whiskey styles

• Redwood Empire's plans for tours, tastings, and educational experiences on Mare Island

Enjoy the complete 73-minute conversation with Jeff and Lauren, including additional discussions about maritime influence on maturation, barrel char and stave seasoning, and the role of wheat in whiskey.

The extended interview is available to Whiskey Lore Speakeasy members, with a seven-day free trial at Patreon.com/whiskeylore.

📍 Redwood Empire Mare Island, Vallejo, California

Learn more about Redwood Empire's whiskeys and current visitor experiences at RedwoodEmpireWhiskey.com.

Who was it that came up with the 51% rule and the modern rules for straight whiskey in America?

Meet today's legend on the latest episode of Whiskey Lore's Hall of Legends.

What does it take to capture the flavors of Scotland in a bottle? In this episode, Drew Hannush sits down with Highland Park's Martin Markvardsen, who is celebrating 20 years with the Orkney distillery, to explore the history, people, place, and process behind one of Scotland's most complex single malts. From heather-rich Orkney peat and island maturation to the stories of illicit distillers and Martin's own unlikely journey into whisky, discover what makes Highland Park taste unmistakably like Highland Park.

• Why Orkney peat tastes different
• Peaty versus smoky: is there a difference?
• Why PPM doesn't tell the whole story
• Does sea air really affect aging whisky?
• How Orkney dramatically reduces the angel's share
• The illicit distiller behind Highland Park
• Why Highland Park still floor malts
• Can stainless steel replace wooden washbacks?
• Tasting whisky through memories, not flavor notes
• The best time to visit Orkney

SHOW NOTES: whiskeylore.org/interviews

JOIN THE SPEAKEASY: patreon.com/whiskeylore

Hero on one side of the border, villain on the other. Meet the second inductee into the Whiskey Lore Hall of Legends.

Welcome to a new series, where we meet whiskey legends who helped bring us the spirits we know and love today.

Today, you'll meet our first inductee. Stay tuned for details on how you can help determine future Whiskey Lore Hall of Legend inductees.

Support my mission to bring real history to whiskey fans: patreon.com/whiskeylore

Did Bourbon get its name from barrels stamped "Old Bourbon"? Was charred oak the secret that transformed ordinary frontier whiskey into something new? And did Kentucky's earliest distillers really have a thriving market waiting for them in New Orleans?

As we conclude Chapter 3, we'll examine the barrels at the center of several familiar Bourbon origin stories. From eighteenth-century distilling practices to Virginia's surprisingly specific barrel inspection laws, we'll discover how differently early Americans thought about whiskey. And a journey into Spanish-controlled Louisiana raises new questions about the supposed inventor of Bourbon and the markets available to him.

This is Chapter 3b of The Lost History of Bourbon, presented as a reading from an early manuscript draft. Unlike regular Whiskey Lore Stories episodes, these chapters are presented without music or sound effects. The manuscript is a work in progress, and some details may change.

READ THE TRANSCRIPT: https://www.whiskeylore.org/episodes/x03b-the-lost-history-of-bourbon-between-truth-and-lore-part-2

MORE WHISKEY HISTORY: https://www.patreon.com/whiskeylore

In 1935, a Kentucky congressman interrupted a government expert during a hearing on Capitol Hill to correct what he believed was a serious mistake about Bourbon's history. He confidently named the man responsible for making America's first Bourbon whiskey. But how much did he really know?

In this chapter, we'll travel back to the distilleries, farms, and gristmills of 1780s Bourbon County, examining the people who made whiskey before the industry had recognizable brands or even familiar definitions. Along the way, we'll encounter an unlikely collection of early distilling candidates, the realities of frontier whiskey production, and a question that may matter more than who came first.

This is Chapter 3a of The Lost History of Bourbon, presented as a reading from an early manuscript draft. Unlike regular Whiskey Lore Stories episodes, these chapters are presented without music or sound effects. The manuscript is a work in progress, and some details may change.

READ THE TRANSCRIPT: https://www.whiskeylore.org/episodes/x03a-the-lost-history-of-bourbon-between-truth-and-lore

MORE WHISKEY HISTORY: https://www.patreon.com/whiskeylore

Kentucke Country is changing. The old frontier stockades are giving way to permanent farms, new roads, and growing communities. At the center of this transformation is James Garrard, a Revolutionary War veteran and Baptist preacher helping establish a new county with a name that will someday become synonymous with American whiskey.

But what does it take to turn a frontier settlement into a place where whiskey can flourish? From the surprising prices on an early tavern menu to the rush to build water-powered gristmills, we'll discover how the foundations of Bourbon's future were being laid, sometimes in places you might least expect.

This is Chapter 2 of The Lost History of Bourbon, presented as a reading from an early manuscript draft. Unlike regular Whiskey Lore Stories episodes, these chapters are presented without music or sound effects. The manuscript is a work in progress, and some details may change.

READ THE TRANSCRIPT: https://www.whiskeylore.org/episodes/x02-the-lost-history-of-bourbon-the-birth-of-bourbon

MORE WHISKEY HISTORY: https://www.patreon.com/whiskeylore