The Whiskey Lore® Podcast

In the remote northwest corner of Ireland, a former carpet and doll factory has found new life as a whiskey distillery. In this episode, Drew Hannush reconnects with Crolly Distillery co-founder Conor McMenamin to explore the history of Donegal, where poverty and isolation helped fuel a thriving illicit distilling tradition. From clever schemes to outwit the authorities to the challenges of making single pot still whiskey, Conor shares how Crolly is building a future for its community while bringing some unusual approaches to Irish whiskey making.

• How illicit distillers turned in their own stills for rewards

• From world-famous carpets and dolls to whiskey

• Why Donegal's isolation shaped its distilling history

• What makes single pot still whiskey so difficult?

• Why Crolly changes its mash bills every year

• The secret behind Crolly's old Cognac stills

• Can a high spirit cut speed up maturation?

• When does a Cognac cask become too much?

• The surprising flavors of native Irish oak

• What makes a great distillery tour?

SHOW NOTES: https://www.whiskeylore.org/interviews/crolly-distillery-finally-legal-pot-still-whiskey-in-donegal

JOIN THE SPEAKEASY: patreon.com/whiskeylore

What happens when a man's name becomes more famous than the principles he stood for?

In this edition of Whiskey Lore's Hall of Legends, a legendary figure from Kentucky whiskey history returns to tell his story.

He watched an industry increasingly embrace speed, efficiency, and profits, often at the expense of the methods that had established Kentucky Bourbon's reputation. He believed that careful fermentation, deliberate distillation, proper maturation, and even the water used in production made the difference between ordinary whiskey and something worth defending.

Today, his name remains familiar to whiskey enthusiasts. But how many understand what he actually stood for?

Drawing extensively from his historical writings, this unique first-person episode explores the man's convictions, his disagreements with other Kentucky distillers, and a blueprint of how Kentucky sour mash whiskey SHOULD be made to keep its reputation.

Can you identify the latest member of the Whiskey Lore Hall of Legends before the final reveal?

For more about the historical research and unexpected discoveries behind this episode, visit the Whiskey Lore Speakeasy at patreon.com/whiskeylore.

Episode 1: Talking Eastern Light Distilling Company

Does Kentucky really need another major distillery when whiskey production is slowing and millions of barrels are already aging in warehouses?

In the debut of The Whiskey Six, six whiskey industry voices discuss Eastern Light Distilling's ambitious new Kentucky operation and what it says about the future of Bourbon.

Is contract distilling still a smart investment? Have whiskey prices pushed consumers away? Are new brands finding opportunities while established producers pull back? And could the industry's gloomy headlines be making matters worse?

Plus, a historical look at Canadian whiskey tariffs and their connection to the Bottled-in-Bond Act, a discussion of Kentucky's resilient Bourbon tourism market, and some surprising confessions about famous distilleries our panelists have never visited.

The Whiskey Six:

Host: Bo Cumberland (My Journey Through the American Spirits)

Todd Ritter (The Bourbon Road), Amzi Winning (Frankfort Bourbon Society), Jerry Daniels (Stone Fences Tours), Drew Hannush (Whiskey Lore), and Jim Shannon (The Bourbon Road).

Video and transcript: https://www.patreon.com/whiskeylore

Why would an established Pennsylvania distiller leave behind a thriving network of farms, mills, and family connections to start over in Kentucky? As we follow Jacob Spears from the Monongahela River to Bourbon County, an unexpected collection of marriages, land transactions, and family migrations begins to challenge a familiar explanation for how Pennsylvania whiskey makers arrived in Kentucky.

Meanwhile, the young United States is struggling to supply its frontier armies. We'll follow the merchants who connected Pennsylvania and Kentucky's agricultural economies, uncover evidence of whiskey production for military contractors, and return to the disastrous battle that opened Chapter 4. Along the way, the relationship between war, commerce, and whiskey becomes increasingly difficult to ignore.

This is Chapter 4b 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

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.