The Whiskey Lore® Podcast

In my quest to dig into Irish whiskey history, this may be one of my favorite episodes yet. We start off with one of the great legends of Ireland - a legend tied to the area I was traveling through, the Boyne River Valley. I get to visit Slane Distillery, taste their whiskey and head over to Boann to learn the experimental side of that distillery and more legends. Meanwhile, I dig deep into the 17th century, when Irish uisce beatha was gaining a great reputation in London, until a Dutch upstart stole the show. All this and a beheading and rebellion - this week on Whiskey Lore.

As Sinatra said, "come fly with me" as we head to Foynes Airport in Ireland and learn how a stormy night and cold wet passengers led to one of the most iconic drinks in Irish Whiskey. We'll also follow along with Alfred Barnard and join him at the home of Powers Whiskey. And I'll continue my journey through the modern distilleries of Ireland with a trip to Tullamore DEW.

Time for episode 2 of my journey through Ireland, along with Alfred Barnard's historic trip to John Jameson & Son's famous Bow Street Distillery, and the story of a man who will turn your impression of the Irish and their love affair with drink on its head.

Welcome to Season 6! Join me for three amazing journeys into Irish whiskey. 

We'll go back to the very origins of the spirit, see it rise to become the most popular whiskey in the world, and trace its from its fall to rebirth.

We'll also follow a 19th century writer on his historic journey to the Irish distilleries of the first boom. And I'll share my own historic journey, as the first person to travel to over 40 modern Irish distilleries as I give you a window into the industries rebirth.

We’ll meet rebellions, kings, inventors, drinks, distillers, heroes and villains, and we’ll dispel a few myths along the way.

Welcome to Season 6 of Whiskey Lore Stories!

Today, we demand a certain amount of transparency with our food stuffs. But in the 19th Century when it pertained to patent medicines, everything was a cure-all! Even whiskey!

Hear the story of an enterprising distiller who decided his product was so good, it could cure just about anything. And he even got the government believing his marketing. This is the story of Walter Duffy and his miracle cure - Duffy's Pure Malt Whiskey.

And here more about it in my interview with Clay Risen of the NY Times on Whiskey Lore: The Interviews (available wherever you download your podcasts).

Who was William Johnson?

The high sheriff of the Oregon provincial government seemed to be living a double life. And his moonlighting appeared to be as a trader, using a colorful potion to subdue his trading partners, the local tribes.

Is the legend of Blue Ruin true? And what can it teach us about life on the frontier, the fur trade, and our history?

The question remains, who is the real whisky capital of the world? Was it Peoria, Illinois or Campbeltown, Scotland. Well, in this episode, I will draw a conclusion, but before I do that - I'll give you a better understand of just how big the "wee toon" as it was known, got to be.

I'll also talk about the ghost that haunts Glen Scotia, the mysterious painting that appeared on Davaar Island, and find out what remains of Campbeltown's old distilling days with Iain McAlister of Glen Scotia. 

And beyond all the rumors and speculation, I'll reveal the forces that really brought this whisky behemoth to an end. 

Step back to the very origins of scotch whisky, to an area that was once hailed as the Whisky Capital of the World.

We'll track the first Gaels from Ireland, meet the Lord of the Isles, and learn about a town that was one an ancient capital of Scotland called Dalruadhain, evolved into Lochend, and then boasted the largest collection of distilleries featured in one town, in the history of the British Isles. It's a lot of whisky and a lot of history in this two part journey.

In the powerful conclusion to this story about Joseph Greenhut's Whisky Trust, an infernal instrument of death is set to be deployed at one of the Distillers and Cattle Feeders Company's greatest rival distilleries and the conspirators are brought before the court.

And we find out why the Whisky Trust wasn't really a whisky trust after all. And later, we discover what happened to this powerful combination. Enjoy an extended part 3 of Whiskey Lore.