In the 1890s, South Carolina became the center of one of the most controversial experiments in American whiskey history—a state-controlled liquor system that promised reform but delivered conflict, corruption, and bloodshed.

In this episode, I dig into the rise of Governor Benjamin "Pitchfork Ben" Tillman, his political machine, and the dispensary system that turned whiskey into a battleground between state authority and personal liberty. We'll follow the Tillmanites and Bourbonites all the way to the 1894 Darlington Riot, in a story that shows how quickly reform can spiral into unrest when power, profit, and principle collide.

It's a chapter of whiskey history rarely told, but one that speaks to the development of the alcohol control systems we live with today. Enjoy a fascinating episode of forgotten whiskey history.

Not too long ago, I was on my way up to Kentucky to check out the Beam Conference and when I contacted my friend Todd Ritter to see if we could sync up, he offered me a guest spot on the Bourbon Road Podcast. Enjoy this simulcasted edition of The Bourbon Road, hosted by my friends Todd and Jim. If you haven't heard the show before, beyond having great guests on, they also do tasting episodes. And here we try four craft whiskeys including selections from Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Missouri. Hear what we taste and find out how we rank them.

Find the Bourbon Road on your favorite podcast app.

Cheers! Drew

Join me as I chat with Gary Mills, the Award-winning Brand Ambassador and Visitor's Experience Manager for Loch Lomond Distillery - a whisky that is making its way across the U.S. thanks to the Foley Family's distribution. We'll dive into the unique history of the distillery, the stills that set it apart from the rest of Scotland, and I'll ask about how the Scotch Whisky Association put the breaks on how they labeled one of their whiskies. We'll also learn the origins of the Lomond still and find out what the difference is between that and the unique column still at Loch Lomond distillery.

We'll finish with a tasting of the 12 year and 18 year expressions and chat about the uniqueness of having a cooperage on site.

🌟 If you want bonus content, make sure you're a member of the Whiskey Lore Speakeasy, where this interview contains 20 more minutes that goes into the devil's cut, more details about the historic Littlemill Distillery, and the distillery's yeast focus.

When was Jack Daniel's registered as a distillery? According to legend, it was 1866.

But I have questions.

When were Jack and Nearest working on the Dan Call Farm and when did Jack come over to the Cave Spring Hollow (the distillery's present location) to start distilling? None of the stories about this distillery match. Some sources say Jack Daniel took over as distiller from Nearest when he moved to the Cave Spring Hollow. But the Jack Daniel distillery supposedly started on Dan Call's farm. So was that 1866 or before, or after? And when was it the Daniel & Call Distillery.

Now I have answers. And the story is not what you've been told. What is listed as the "oldest registered distillery in the United States" according to the National Register of Historic Places wasn't the location of Jack's distillery in 1866.

So where did this story come from? Why has this myth held on so long? How did the National Register get this bit of information wrong?

Join me as I dig into what might have been a true story that was shifted over time into what is now the oldest registered distillery claim. It's a fascinating evolution and one that will lead us to answer another long asked question - where did this name Old Number 7 come from.

Enjoy a romp through the history of Jack Daniel's, using historical evidence to recreate the creation of an origin myth.

And check out Behind the Lore: Jack and Nearest on patreon.com/whiskeylore for a deeper look at the story of these two historic whiskey makers.

Cheers and slainte mhath, Drew

Let's mix two of my favorite subjects today - music and whiskey - as I stop by Tommy Townsend's North Georgia distillery Grandaddy Mimms. As a musician, Tommy has many ties to Waylon Jennings, we'll chat about that (and there is a bonus episode with even more conversation around music, free for Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/whiskeylore ), and we'll talk about the development of the distillery, the use of two thumpers, the problem with high proof flavored moonshine, how moonshine and city hall got together, and Tommy with tap into plenty of stories.

Enjoy this episode, that started out to be a Whiskey Flights episode, but we just had so much to talk about. Cheers! Drew

Back in 2020, I became fascinated with the story of the relationship between Jack Daniel and Nathan "Uncle Nearest" Green. I read Jack Daniel's Legacy by Ben A. Green (1967) and interviewed Jack Daniel's Historian Nelson Eddy and Uncle Nearest's Founder Fawn Weaver and then weaved the common tale surrounding these two Tennessee whiskey legends in Season 3 of Whiskey Lore.

Then, in 2023, I began digging through archives in Georgia and Tennessee for my book The Lost History of Tennessee Whiskey and to my surprise, a very different picture of Jack and Nearest began to evolve.

In an effort to clean up some of my episodes that fell victim to marketing lore and oral tradition, it is time to reexamine the story of Jack and Nearest, to build a framework based on real documented history.

And Whiskey Lore Speakeasy and Club 1897 members, make sure to check out Behind the Lore later this week to go even deeper in the myths and reality surrounding Jack and Nearest - exclusively on Patreon.com/whiskeylore.

Last week, I hit the road and headed up to Lexington, KY and attended my first James B. Beam Institute Industry Conference. It was a fantastic opportunity to shake the hands of some great people who I've either met through visits to their distilleries or by zoom interviews. During the event, I sat down with Landon Borders and Alexa Narel of the Estate Whiskey Alliance to talk about this new certification. On today's podcast, we'll chat about the origins of the alliance, how it builds transparency for whiskey drinkers, what it takes for distilleries or products to qualify for the Estate whiskey designation, and we'll drop some names of current members. Make sure you're subscribed to the Whiskey Lore Podcast so you don't miss any great stories, interviews, or flights. It's available on your favorite podcast app. Cheers and slainte mhath, Drew

In September 1692, one of the darkest moments in colonial American history came to a close as eight final victims lost their lives on the hanging rope on Gallows Hill, thanks to accusations of witchcraft.

It's a subject that has been covered historically, scientifically, and mostly as spooky entertainment. There are several theories as to why Salem descended into madness during the year 1692.

In this episode, we'll look into a study that appeared in Science Magazine fifty years ago this week, that examined the evidence and hypothesized that the madness around the village may have been due to a popular grain and a parasitic fungus called Claviceps purpurea or Ergot. It's a theory that made headlines throughout the country back in 1976. But is there any validity to the argument? It's time to dive into what some call ergot poisoning and others call rye madness.

Join me for a conversation with whiskey maker Ari Sussman as we dive into the story behind Whiskey JYPSI, co-founded by Raj Alva and singer-songwriter Eric Church, learn about Ari's path into the industry, from politics to winemaking in France, international bartending, and eventually studying at Michigan State University's pioneering distilling program under the late Dr. Kris Berglund.

We'll talk about Berglund's quiet influence over the modern craft distilling industry, the Rosen rye project (a historic grain varietal with deep ties to Michigan and MSU), and the philosophy behind Whiskey JYPSI's products, using their Tribute, Explorer, and Legacy whiskeys as examples to illustrate the brand's focus on storytelling through grain, wood augmentation, and innovative blending.

Enjoy the return of the long-form interview on Whiskey Lore.

On this anniversary of the signing of the Bottled-in-Bond Act, it is time to dig in deep, and focus research on the man behind the Bottled-in-Bond Act, learn the real reason the bill was created, hear the 1897 arguments for and against it, and ride the rollercoaster of American legislation at the tail end of the Gilded Age. I'll also reveal why we should never refer to the modern regulations as The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897.

If you heard my first Bottled-in-Bond episode when it was released in 2019, I'm sorry for leading you astray. I was prone to marketing lore and there is a lot of it around this Act. When you hear today's episode, you'll realize how easy it is to get lore that seems confirmed by fact. If you heard my update just over a year ago, gone is the long drawn out story about adulteration. Today, we're going to dig in deep and focus on the goal of filling in the gaps of our knowledge about the real Bottled-in-Bond Act through contemporary accounts.

And, it's time we honor the man who brought the bill through committee to the floor and who hand delivered it to President Cleveland.

Happy Bottled-in-Bond Day! Drew

Read the original bill here:

whiskeylore.org/episodes/season-seven/the-hero-of-the-bottled-in-bond-act-of-1897