The Whiskey Lore® Podcast

Castle & Key Distillery (Woodford County, Kentucky) WF0005

This week our Whisky Flight takes us back across the Atlantic and down to Kentucky, the home of bluegrass, horses, Bourbon, and a unique castle shaped distillery that was the vision of a legendary Bourbon marketer and whiskey producer.

Join me as I chat with Brett Connors of Castle & Key about the distillery's amazing history, the spirits they're producing, and the experiences you'll find there. I'll also give you travel tips, things to do in the area, and my top 3 reasons you should put this distillery on your Whiskey Lore Wish List at whiskey-lore.com/travelguide

Find details about this and past flights at whiskey-lore.com/flights

Sponsored by: Burnt Church Distillery (Bluffton, SC)

Rosebank Distillery (Scotland, UK) WF0004

Way back in 2019, when I was traveling Scotland for the first time, I kept hearing the name Rosebank. For some reason, it didn't up my curiosity. But as 2021 turned to 2022, I found myself hearing the name more and more.

So, when it came time to choose a distillery to focus on as I virtually take us around the globe to different distilleries, Rosebank seemed like the perfect place to start.

But to be honest, I thought it was already open, because they had tours listed on their site. When I reached out to them, they let me know that was just pre-booking.

The distillery opens officially on June 7th, but my guest Stuart Hendry, Brand Home Director of Rosebank is about to give us a behind the scenes sneak peek. Prepare yourself for a combination of history, architecture, and historic spirits recreated on this week's second Whiskey Flight.

Lindores Abbey Distillery (Scotland, UK) WF0003

Join me as I fly into Edinburgh and make my way north to the Spiritual Home of Scotch Whisky - Lindores Abbey. It's been a few years since I visited the distillery and back then, their spirits were still new to the world and had not aged the required 3 years to be considered whisky. But we took time to chat about their recreation of Friar John Corr's Aqua Vitae.

Now the whisky is here and the distillery is maturing into a nice profile of tours and experiences. We'll learn what has been going on with Lindores Abbey, get to know what the tours are like, how you can enhance your experience at the distillery, and find some cool side trips. Plus, we'll have another installment of This Week in Whiskey Lore.

Enjoy and if you find Lindores Abbey is a distillery you want to visit, head to whiskey-lore.com/flights and go to the profile to add it to your free wish list in the Whiskey Lore Travel Guide.

Cheers and sláinte mhath! Drew

Riachi Winery & Distillery (Mount Lebanon, Lebanon) WF0002

Wow, two completely different countries here on the first day of Whisky Flights - neither known for whisky - but both with craft distilleries that are working to define the flavors of their countries.

As we began taking nominations for our Craft Distillery Bracketology on Whiskey Lore's Instagram, I put a call out for "world" craft distilleries. When Riachi was nominated by a Whiskey Lore fan, it piqued my curiosity about what a Lebanese whisky would taste like. Then Roy, the 8th generation winemaker and distiller sent me a DM and I instantly knew, I wanted him on the podcast.

It's time to stretch ourselves beyond the traditional distilling regions to kick this show off. Join me as I take you virtually into the mountains of Lebanon to discover Riachi's spirits.

Helden Distillery (Parys, South Africa) WF0001

Happy World Whisky Day 2024!

Today is the perfect day to release a brand new Whiskey Lore series called "Whiskey Lore's Whisky Flights."

As usual, I, Drew Hannush, am expanding the boundaries of what a whisky podcast can be.

For years I have traveled to distilleries in Scotland, Ireland, and the United States, talking to founders, distillers, and tour guides. This led to two best selling travel books (Experiencing Irish Whiskey and Experiencing Kentucky Bourbon) where I revealed the secrets of planning the perfect distillery get away. But books take a long time to write and publish and I have so many experiences I want to share.

So now, through "Whiskey Lore's Whisky Flights" you can pack yourself away in my virtual suitcase, as we travel together and learn about great craft distilleries all over this planet. It's something that is made possible, thanks to the power of podcasting, my storytelling, and a bit of imagination.

Join me on my first stop today, in a non-traditional whisky distilling region, South Africa, as we meet Pieter Van Helden and find out why knowing science is an important element in making whisky, and we'll find out more about the town of Parys, where the distillery is located, and maybe inspire you to visit.

As a companion to this podcast, check out the brand new distillery guide that is rapidly being built at whiskey-lore.com/travelguide. Here, you can build wish lists of your favorite distilleries and build your own whisky trail. And if you own a craft distillery, reach out to me at whiskey-lore.com/contact to see how we can feature your distillery.

Enjoy our first flight! It's going to be a wild and fun journey of discovery.

Cheers and sláinte mhath Drew

Back during the Pandemic, I was chatting with a friend of my from New Mexico about whiskey and I noticed on the Zoom call how many bottles of Laws Whiskey House spirits he had on his back shelf. He was a real fan. And that piqued my interest. So when I was traveling back from California on a major road trip, I made a quick stop into the Denver-based distillery.

It didn't take me long to fall in love with their San Luis Valley Rye. I heard stories that this rye was hand picked from wild rye growing in this region. Was this some romanticized tale that was going around or was it true? Who better to ask than the man behind not only that rye, but also a four grain bourbon, wheat whiskey, and malt whiskey. Join me for my conversation with Al Laws.

In a rugged corner of Northern Ireland, the hills of Inishowen whisper tales of rebellion and moonlit mischief. We'll meet Patrick, a humble tailor thrust into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with excise officers. Then learn about the defiant distillers of Inishowen use any means at their disposal to preserve their livelihood. Join me on a journey back to the 19th century, where secret stills and hidden valleys echo with the spirit of rebellion.

And after a day off on my own historic journey around Ireland, I set out for Baoilleach Distillery in Donegal. I'll meet with Michael O'Boyle, the proprietor and see first hand, his commitment to using local grains and peat, along with his unique approach to distilling.

Welcome back to the countinued journey through Ireland's storied whiskey past, present, and future.

This week, I continue my conversation with Alan Bishop as I toss him one of the little gems I found in my research about Kentucky Bourbon. The question must be asked, when did Kentucky move from pot stills and log stills to the modern column and thumper/doubler combination? We might be pretty close to an answer.

It is time to move on to the late 19th century and learn what distillers like James C. Crow and other legends were using in their distilleries and why. And we'll find out Col. E.H. Taylor's opinion about Kentucky's modern distilling tools.

Enjoy this week's dig into the history of distillation.

It's hard to imagine what the whiskey industry would look like today, if a certain excise man had succumbed to the wounds he received in Donegal in 1810. The early 19th century was a critical time for Irish whiskey. The Acts of Union had united the country with an empire and new markets were open for spirits.

But growing pains were the rule of the day. Large distillers and the Parliament were crushing small distillers and becoming jealous of those who were making higher profits off of their illicit poitín. A war was brewing out west and something was going to give.

Also in this episode, we'll rejoin Alfred Barnard as he travels from Galway to Limerick and I'll be stopping off at the Old Bushmills Distillery in Northern Ireland.

While digging into the history of Kentucky Bourbon, I kept hearing this nagging voice in my head saying - you need to understand stills to tell this story. Yes, I do know modern stills and have seen them used on both sides of the Atlantic. But these big column stills are not what American whisky was originated on. And, in fact, some of those old style stills have all but disappeared, such as the three-chamber still, kettle stills, and saucer stills.

Knowing that Alan has dabbled in all different types of distillation using a variety of stills, I felt it was time we had a discussion about the evolution of stills and how American's have made whisky from the early days.

In this first part of our conversation, we'll focus heavily on the stills and techniques of early distillers. Then next week, we'll see the evolution in distilling and see how we got to where we are today. Enjoy this fun deep dive.