The Whiskey Lore® Podcast

Today its time to learn about whiskey certifications, tips for developing strengths as a blind taster, and we'll discuss wine and its influence on whisky - including flavors, finishes, and barrel types. Adam is the General Manager of the Sommelier Company and a Master of Scotch Council of Whiskey Masters as well as a Certified Specialist of Wine Society of Wine Educators. Don't worry, we'll chat bourbon as well. Cheers!

Is there a whisky you love so much, you could write two books about it? Today, I talk to Wild Turkey superfan David Jennings (aka Rare Bird 101) and talk about his two books American Spirit: Wild Turkey from Ripy to Russell and his new book Wild Turkey: Musings.

We'll discuss his passion for the brand, what it took to research its history, how he built an audience behind his work, his first visit to the Wild Turkey Distillery, and what bourbon he would cheat on Wild Turkey with. It was a lot of fun chatting with another South Carolinian and whiskey author. Enjoy!

The first time I traveled to Scotland, I was in Aberlour talking with a bartender about the best whiskies to try. He asked what my favorites were. When I said GlenDronach, he said "ahhh Billy Walker." Since that moment, I've been wanting to learn more about this man and what he is doing at Glenallachie. I was also surprised to hear he dipped into the Irish market.

We're going to talk about his lifetime in the business and dig into some of where his knowledge of blending came from and what he plans next for his current distillery home.

Hard to believe Belfast has been without distilling for so long. On today's episode we'll dive into the first new distillery in Belfast in nearly 90 years. This one is housed in a facility that is rich with history. It is Titanic Distillers and their location on the docks of Belfast take us back to a day when ships were built to be modern marvels.

What do you think of when you think of Canadian whisky? Maple sweetness, rye, non-age-stated, and mellow? Well, Zach and Nick are really pushing the limits of Canadian whisky and want to change your mind about what Canadian whisky can be.

In this episode, we're going to explore the distilleries of Canada through the eyes and palates of these brothers as they seek out whisky that has been resting in barrels for well over 10 years and sometimes over 20 and putting it in bottles at cask strength. We'll do a tasting of 5 of these whiskies and you'll get quite an education in Canadian whisky and the art of blending.

This has been a long time coming. Dan provided me with some historic samples of whiskey from Wild Turkey, Kentucky Peerless (Henderson, KY), and Cream of Kentucky and we're going to jump in and do a tasting of these. I also provided us both with a 100 year old whiskey that we'll take a sip of.

We'll also go into the art of finding dusty bottles and talk about what you can expect from these historic whiskeys. It's a great conversation and a must for anyone interested in sampling historic whiskey!

You've heard me talk about it before, barley is a complex grain that many distilleries dismiss. Yet don't tell the Scots, the Japanese, or the Irish that. Today we are going to dive in deep with a distillery that is digging into the science of barley, trying to completely understand it, so they can make the most amazing whiskies and elevate people's notion of this incredible grain.

Join me as I talk with Waterford Distillery's Head Brewer Neil Conway as he revisits many of the concepts we talked about during my visit last May and help you better understand the vision that builds upon what its owner was doing at Bruichladdich before coming to Ireland.

Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of chatting with Chris Morris, Master Distiller at Woodford Reserve and we talked about his rise and the process of going from assistant under the legendary Lincoln Henderson to the Master Distiller role. 

Two weeks ago, my email box held a message that another assistant was getting that honor of moving up to the Master Distiller role and today, its my honor of chatting with the new face of distilling at Woodford Reserve, Elizabeth McCall. Join me as we find out about her journey to this position and where her focus will be going forward.

If you feel as confused about Canadian whisky as I do, Davin (who like me is writing a book on whisky history) is going to dig in deep and introduce us to the world up north. What is this 9.09% rule? Are Canadian rules more lax than U.S. rules? What's the deal with Canadian Prohibition? Can you travel to Canadian distilleries. And do Canadian's mandate no "e" in whisky?

Lots of insights in this episode. Enjoy!