The Whiskey Lore® Podcast

Dad's Hat Distillery (Bristol, PA) WF054

Been a long time since I've been in eastern Pennsylvania and I have good reason to be here now. I'm taking part in a Pennsylvania whiskey documentary AND I'm getting to enjoy some fantastic distillery visits. This week, it is the place where the Pennsylvania rye revival took off...thanks to a magazine article and a wonderful wife who supplied her husband with the best rye whiskies available at that time.

We'll hear the story of Herman Mihalich, co-founder of Dad's Hat Distillery, find out what got him interested in making rye whiskey in a world where it was barely breathing, and the legendary farm that helps him grow his grain. And patreon.com/whiskeylore fans will get an extra segment as we chat about Rosen Rye (get a free 7-day trial to the Speakeasy to check it out)

It's a fun conversation with a little reminiscing on my part as I make my way to the distillery.

Cheers and slainte mhath! Drew

Meinelschmidt Distillery (Hagarstown, MD) WF053

Time for another Mid-Atlantic stop, this one not far off the I-81 exit. We're stopping in to visit a military veteran who, along with his wife, decided to take their enjoyment of craft distillery travel and turn it into their own distillery.

We'll learn Cort and Chelsea's inspirations for their Hagarstown distillery, hear about the growth of the town, their interest in wheated whiskeys, and hear the story of how the two met.

And, now Whiskey Lore's travel guide features over 900 distilleries worldwide, so if you're thinking about traveling this summer, make sure to put a craft distillery or two on your agenda. You can find it at whiskey-lore.com/travel

Copper Fox Distillery (Sperryville, VA) WF052

You've heard of peat smoked Scotch...well, that's not what you're going to get at Copper Fox. Instead, the grains from the distillery's malting floor get their smoke infused with smoke from cherrywood, peachwood, and applewood.

It's a unique take on smoke and it comes from distiller and founder Rick Wasmund's fascination with the wonderful scents these woods produce when burned.

Join me as I visit one of the few malting floors in the country and learn which legendary Scotch distiller taught Rick the art of malting.

And make sure to check out this and other distilleries in Virginia by heading to whiskey-lore.com/virginia. Make sure to put your favorites on your Whiskey Lore Wish List - for members only - but membership is free.

And for an extended version of this episode, become a member of the Whiskey Lore Speakeasy at patreon.com/whiskeylore

Black Draft Distillery (Martinsburg, WV) WF051

What started as a horse farm is now the home of whiskey, fascinating flavors of vodka, and barns and a patio filled with music, cocktails, and a good number of soon-to-be friends.

Join me in the smoking room of the Black Draft Distillery as I chat with founder Glen Price about the evolution of his horse farm into an agritourism site and the home of fun weekend parties targeted to empty-nesters. I also find myself face to face with my own family's potential whiskey legacy, and we chat about the unique angle Glen takes on his tours of the distillery. Plus, we'll hear an ingenious spiritous ingredient Black Draft is making for your iced tea.

Enjoy this drive down I-81, but don't blink. There isn't a lot of West Virginia here in the eastern panhandle. You don't want to miss it.

Find this and other West Virginia distillery profiles at whiskey-lore.com/westvirginia and find an extended version of this episode with an extra 15 minutes of interview time at patreon.com/whiskeylore - available to Speakeasy and Club members.

Oak & Grist Distillery (Black Mountain, NC) WF050

Just a few miles east of Asheville, North Carolina (which has held the honor as Beer City USA several times) is a somewhat sleepy community on the edge of the mountains, where Will Goldberg and Charlie Stanley are focused on distilling up two amazing spirits - an American Single Malt and a Dutch-style Jenever.

Their stories start with both wine and cheese - backgrounds that center them in agriculture, flavor, experience, and terrior. Their pot still distilled American single malt was developed thanks to some help from a long-time Speyside distillery manager. The results speak for themselves. Join me as I chat about the flavor experience, how art translates into the spirits world, and why people should make the effort to drive a few miles east when visiting Asheville.

Find more information about this and all the distilleries we feature on the show at whiskey-lore.com/flights

Today I braved Atlanta traffic for one of my favorite recorded interviews of the year. Join me as I chat with ASW's head distiller Justin Manglitz. A distiller, a fiddler. Somehow, without ever traveling to Scotland or Ireland, he pulled in the art of distilling from those storied whisky making areas, saw what was happening in America, and developed his own hybrid techniques from the two disparate philosophies.

Learning my lesson after not carrying a microphone around during my interview with Richard at St. Augustine, this time Justin and I walked through the distillery and had a deep chat about the process of making whiskey. Editing this episode was tough because we covered so much ground that I had to mine for the bits that will help you get an overall sense of the focus of this distillery without turning it into an hour and a half episode.

That said, if you want the full 90+ minutes of this interview, it is available at whiskey-lore.com/patreon If you're not a member of the Whiskey Lore Patreon family, you can get a free 7 day trial to check out the episode and all of the other exclusive content on the site.

St. Augustine Distillery (St. Augustine, FL) WF0048

Heading down to a beautiful distillery in a historic building in a town filled with its own history. Join me as I travel to the oldest continuously occupied town in the United States (did I get that right?) as we meet with Richard DeMontmollin, head distiller, and chat about the origins of the distillery, his family name, the wonders of the pot still, and free tours.

If you've been curious about that fountain of youth or have been hearing about the special whiskeys coming out of Florida, check out this episode.

And for travel information and more, head to whiskey-lore.com/flights and for an extended version of this interview become a member of the Whiskey Lore Speakeasy at whiskey-lore.com/patreon

Seven Three Distillery (New Orleans, LA) WF047

Time to head down to the Big Easy to a distillery experience with a little swamp magic and a whiskey tree. In a town with so many cool things to experience, its time to get a feel for the hospitality and spirits produced by Luka Cutura and his team at Seven Three Distillery, just across the bridge from the Louisiana Superdome and a few blocks from Bourbon Street.

And check out an extra eight minutes of interview time with a free-trial of Whiskey Lore's Patreon patreon.com/whiskeylore

Crittenden Distillery (Kiln, MS) WF046

Head to the deep, Deep South, down to the self-proclaimed moonshine capital of the United States, Kiln, MS. While it did snow here a couple weeks ago, this area is much more known for its heat and we're going to go step by step with Matt Crittenden through the distilling process and chat about various considerations along the way.

Patreon members are getting a rare treat - experiencing what it is like to walk through a distillery with me. Matt and I carry our mics around while he shows off his distillery processes and after a while, we forget the mics are in our hands. We talk sonic booms, evaporation, moonshine, cats, Vendome stills, and stogie batches. This is a 40 minute edit from an almost 2 hour long interview.

Join me for a fun look at a distillery that only runs tours about once a month. A distillery where whiskey clubs come to pick through some amazing barrel to whiskey combinations. And a family run distillery that evolved out of a need to step away from the long drawn out processes of litigation.

Find this and all of the other flights at whiskey-lore.com/flights

Dread River Distillery (Birmingham, AL) WF045

The Deep South tour continues as I move through 48 great states and craft distilleries. Today I'm at Birmingham's Dread River Distillery meeting with their head distiller Joshua. We're going to dive into his experience moving from a Pennsylvania distillery into the heat of the South. We'll also learn about an American Single Malt experiment that took a unique turn, learn how Dread River fits into the Birmingham nightlife, and we'll attempt to meet Patty, the stray turned distillery cat. And what does Kudzu have to do with whiskey? We'll find out.

Join me and make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode of the Great 48 Tour of American Craft Distilleries. Find all of the flights at whiskey-lore.com/flights