The Whiskey Lore® Podcast

When it comes to whisky legends, George Dickel has one of the most confusing. Was he a distiller or wasn't he a distiller? Who is this Victor or Manny Shwab that gets a mention during the historical breakdown on the tour. Did George ever own the Cascade Hollow distillery? And if he didn't who did? Plus, where did the slogan for their whisky "Mellow as Moonlight" come from?

My guest today, Clay Shwab, is the great-grandson of the man who had a vision for George Dickel & Co, laid his own money on the line, and helped bring George Dickel's Cascade whisky into the 20th century. He just wrote a new book called Manny Shwab and the George Dickel Company: Whisky, Power and Politics During Nashville's Gilded Age and we're going to dig into some of the stories, compare notes, and introduce you to one of the most fascinating whisky origin stories you've never heard.

45th Parallel Distillery (New Richmond, WI) WF034

After a short (recording) layoff, thanks a a hurricane power outage, I'm back to finish off the last three visits on my Midwest Great Lakes Tour 2024. Today, we're off to a distillery with great fan support in an area just a little off the beaten path. It's 45th Parallel, just about 50 minutes east of Minneapolis. It's a distillery focused on grain-to-glass, getting most of their grains from the local community and they're working on a variety of spirits beyond Bourbon and Rye. We'll talk about one of them - aquavit. We'll also dive into their wheat whiskeys and how the distillery came about.

Also, on This Week In Whiskey Lore, we will celebrate the return of a Tennessee whiskey and I'll give some hints as to who my guest will be on the Whiskey Lore: The Interviews podcast when it returns this week.

Want to build a wishlist of your favorite distilleries? Whiskey-Lore.com/travelguide now features over 600 distilleries that you can bookmark and track with a free membership.

Lucky Guys Distillery (Hudson, WI) WF033

The sign says it all "mad scientist at work." Join me as I arrive on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota and chat about all things bitters (including how they're made), cocktails, white whiskey, and what charcoal filtering really does. I'll be chatting with Lucky Guys founder Guy Whitehead.

And check out the growing list of distilleries available for you to plan trips to at whiskey-lore.com/flights

Great Northern Distilling (Stevens Point, WI) WF032

Thanks to everyone taking part in our Instagram Craft Distillery Bracketology. Without you, I wouldn't have discovered so many great Wisconsin distilleries, including the one I'm visiting today in the heart of America's Dairyland, beer land, and now whiskey land.

During our visit, we'll learn about what potatoes bring to vodka, the special ingredients that make a Wisconsin Old Fashioned unique, and dive into the concept of the Wisconsin supper club with Brian Cummings, Great Northern's founder.

Plus on This Week in Whiskey Lore, we'll go back 130 years to the day Chicago went dry...at least in terms of distilling.

To see Whiskey Lore's online distillery travel guide, head to whiskey-lore.com/travelguide and look for distilleries with headphone icons to find episodes of our Whiskey Flights.

Ethanology Distillation (Elk Rapids, MI) WF031

If you're into creativity and you love distilleries that push the boundaries, today's distillery has you covered. Nick and Geri Lefebre made gin and Bourbon, but they also make a pretty amazing spirit (2 ways) out of honey. Single malt and brandy fans might find this episode fascinating.

Nick and I sit outside, enjoying samples and talking about creative distilling, Michigan grain, B Corp Certification, and the search for flavor. The conversation was so fascinating, time flew by - so enjoy this extended interview as we say goodbye to Michigan with a special visit.

whiskey-lore.com/flights

Mammoth Distilling Co (Bellaire, MI) WF030

A big thank you to Mammoth for inviting me to South Manitou Island for the Rosen Rye project. What an amazing experience. You'll hear about some of it in this episode with my guest, farmer, brewer, and distiller Collin Gaudard. He'll talk about how Rosen Rye got to America, how popular it was, how it went away, and how we got it back.

Also during this episode, we'll go back to the gangster era and hear how a little Tennessee town earned a nickname worthy of the most famous gangster.

And don't forget to add your favorite distilleries from the show to your Whiskey Lore distillery wish list. https://www.whiskey-lore.com/travelguide

Traverse City Whiskey Co (Traverse City, Michigan) WF0029

Way back in 2019 I was in my favorite Tennessee whiskey shop when I saw a bottle I'd heard about but hadn't seen in the wild. It was a bottle of XXX Traverse City Straight Bourbon Whiskey. I bought it and really enjoyed the flavor and the idea I was sipping something from the state I was born in.

Today, Traverse City is growing the spirits its making and focusing on the local cherry scene. Join me as I chat with Chris Fredrickson, co-founder of Traverse City Whiskey Company, meet the company dog, and get a sense of what's to come.

Extended tasting audio available on Patreon version at patreon.com/whiskeylore

Grand Traverse Distillery (Traverse City, MI) WF0028

When I started this journey to Michigan, I have to say, I knew very little about the distilling history of my birth state. Come to find out, this modern craft boom might just be the very start of its reputation in the world of fine spirits. And one of the first to fire up a still was Kent Rabish. Inspired by a trip to Oregon and his grandfather's still, hear the story of the early days of Michigan distilling, the thought process that goes into building a distillery, and why Grand Traverse is big in Michigan, but not really too far outside of it.

Plus, on The Week In Whiskey Lore, we will look back 150 years to learn how Cincinnati found itself taking the blame for flames in a pair of New Orleans distilleries.

And if you're interested in planning a trip to Michigan to visit distilleries and you want to get a wish list together, visit whiskey-lore.com/michigan and sign up for a free account. Then create the ultimate wish list.

Iron Fish Distillery (Thompsonville, MI) WF0027

It's time to visit distillery 2 on my journey through the great distilleries of the Midwest. The one stands as Michigan's first post-Prohibition farm distillery. Here grain-to-glass can be seen first hand, after a drive down one of Michigan's patented easy driving dirt roads.

Find out what makes this particular distillery tick, how they are handling sustainability, and what inspired these owners to attempt both farming and distilling - something they had zero experience with when they started.

And This Week In Whiskey Lore will focus on a battle between moonshiners and revenuers that locals went to calling a war.

And if you're interested in planning a trip to Michigan to visit distilleries and you want to get a wish list together, visit whiskey-lore.com/michigan and sign up for a free account. Then create the ultimate wish list.

Journeyman Distillery (Three Oaks, MI) WF0026

Welcome to the first episode of The Midwest Great Lakes Tour 2024! After a 692 mile drive from Greenville, SC, I arrived in Southwest Michigan ready to start a great 10+ distillery adventure through the Midwest.

My first stop was perfect. After an extremely long drive, I felt right at home with the Midwestern hospitality provided by Bill and Johanna Welter, the founders of the Journeyman Distillery. I have to say, I've seen their whiskey on the shelf, but hadn't given it a try. After my 4 hours at the distillery, I was enamored with the story, the building, the founders, and the experience. I captured an hour of that meeting here and an excited to share it with you.

Enjoy my return to the state of my birth and hear the story that starts in Scotland and ends with not one, but two distilleries between Michigan and Indiana.

And if you're interested in planning a trip to Michigan to visit distilleries and you want to get a wish list together, visit whiskey-lore.com/michigan and sign up for a free account. Then create the ultimate wish list.