The Whiskey Lore® Podcast

For decades, Four Roses was one of America's most popular whiskey brands, with glamorous advertising campaigns and a reputation that extended well beyond the United States. Yet somewhere along the way, a name once associated with quality became a bottom-shelf whiskey that Bourbon enthusiasts wanted nothing to do with. The familiar explanation points to decisions made by Seagram's, but was the company's downfall really that simple? In the conclusion to our Four Roses history, we'll follow the brand through its glory years, its struggles, and its unlikely comeback, with the help of a man who witnessed much of that history firsthand, legendary Four Roses Brand Ambassador Al Young.

READ THE TRANSCRIPT: https://www.whiskeylore.org/episodes/s7-15-four-roses-story-pt-3-seagrams-the-fall-and-grand-revival-1943-present

MORE WHISKEY HISTORY: https://www.patreon.com/whiskeylore

Southern Georgia isn't the first place most whiskey travelers think of, which makes 13th Colony Distillery one of those discoveries that feels like you've stumbled onto something special. In this episode, Drew Hannush heads to Americus, Georgia, to visit one of the state's oldest operating whiskey distilleries and sit down with president Maxwell Darby. Along the way, they explore how a hobby project turned into one of Georgia's most respected whiskey brands, why heat changes the aging process, and how a forgotten experiment led to one of the distillery's most sought-after releases.

• The unlikely beginnings of 13th Colony Distillery • How a family hobby became one of Georgia's oldest whiskey distilleries • Aging whiskey in the South and managing Georgia's climate • The story behind the iconic 13th Colony bottle • Double Oak bourbon and the accidental discovery that created it • Why 13th Colony moves barrels around the warehouse • In-house distillation and experimenting with barrel entry proof • The Southern Rye and using French oak spirals • The connection between 13th Colony and Georgia history • Things to see around Americus, Plains, and Andersonville • Plus, Drew shares his three reasons why 13th Colony deserves a spot on your Whiskey Lore Wish List

📍 13th Colony Distillery Americus, Georgia

Travel maps, distillery information, and trip-planning tools for more than 1,000 whiskey destinations can be found at WhiskeyLore.org/flights.

🌟Enjoy a deep dive into the what the tree in 13th Colony's logo represents, how to taste their white whiskey, places to eat in Americus and more in this episode as a member of Whiskey Lore's Patreon (a 7-day free trial is available for new listeners).

When Paul Jones Jr. died in 1895, his nephews inherited a successful whiskey business and a name that would eventually become one of America's most recognizable brands. But Four Roses wasn't always the whiskey they were most interested in selling. As overproduction threatened the industry, states began banning alcohol, and National Prohibition loomed, the family faced decisions that could have ended the business entirely. Yet somehow, Four Roses emerged from those difficult decades stronger than ever. How did they manage it? And what role did a little-known company executive play in changing the future of American whiskey?

READ THE TRANSCRIPT: https://www.whiskeylore.org/episodes/four-roses-story-pt-2-the-rocky-rise-of-a-brand-1895-1943

MORE WHISKEY HISTORY: https://www.patreon.com/whiskeylore

For decades, the name Clyde May has been synonymous with Alabama whiskey, even though the brand hasn't had an Alabama home. In this episode, Drew Hannush travels to Troy, Alabama, to visit Conecuh Ridge Distillery and sit down with Clyde May's grandson, L.C. May. Together, they explore the story of a World War II veteran turned moonshiner, the family's decades-long journey to bring the brand back home, and what visitors can expect from one of the South's newest whiskey destinations.

• Meeting L.C. May, grandson of legendary moonshiner Clyde May • Clyde May's service during World War II and his Purple Heart legacy • Moonshining in rural Alabama and life on the run from revenuers • The original still that survived and found its way back to the May family • Growing up around a moonshine tradition that remained alive into the 21st century • Why the brand spent decades producing whiskey outside Alabama • Bringing Clyde May's legacy home to the new Conecuh Ridge Distillery • The meaning behind the Conecuh name and the waters that shaped the region • Things to do around Troy, Alabama, from golf and hunting to Southern cooking and Gulf Coast road trips • Plus, Drew shares his three reasons why Conecuh Ridge Distillery deserves a spot on your Whiskey Lore Wish List

📍 Conecuh Ridge Distillery Troy, Alabama

Travel maps, distillery information, and trip-planning tools for more than 1,000 whiskey destinations can be found at WhiskeyLore.org/flights.

🌟Enjoy an extended premium dive into the Alabama "style" of whiskey, how Clyde May's became the state spirit and more in this episode as a member of Whiskey Lore's Patreon (a 7-day free trial is available for new listeners) patreon.com/whiskeylore

According to a romantic tale told about Four Roses, the whiskey got its name when a young Paul Jones Jr. proposed marriage to a Southern belle who promised to wear a corsage of four red roses if her answer was yes. It's a charming story, but does it hold up to historical scrutiny? To find out, we travel back to the Civil War and follow a Virginia family as they build a whiskey empire, first in Atlanta and then in Louisville. Along the way, we'll discover how one of America's most recognizable whiskey names came to be.

READ THE TRANSCRIPT: https://www.whiskeylore.org/episodes/paul-jones-and-the-birth-of-four-roses

MORE WHISKEY HISTORY: https://www.patreon.com/whiskeylore

What began with a desire to spend more time with family led Jimmy Sharp and his father to transform an old cotton warehouse beside the railroad tracks in Opelika, Alabama, into one of the state's most distinctive distilleries. In this episode, Drew Hannush visits John Emerald Distilling Company to explore the Scottish roots behind Alabama's first post-Prohibition whiskey, the challenges of making spirits in Southern heat, and why rum, brandy, and American single malt all have a place under one roof.

• How a family dream became one of Alabama's pioneering craft distilleries • Why an old cotton warehouse in Opelika became the perfect home for John Emerald • Jimmy Sharp's apprenticeship at Springbank Distillery in Scotland • Alabama's first post-Prohibition whiskey and the rise of American single malt • Smoking malt with peach and pecan wood • The influence of barrel size and char levels in Southern aging conditions • Making rum from local sugar cane syrup and harvesting cane for rum agricole • Muscadine brandy and spirits inspired by family history • Grain-to-glass production and sourcing ingredients from Alabama farmers • The stories behind the names and animals found on every bottle • Cocktails, tours, and things to do around Opelika and Auburn • Plus, Drew shares his three reasons why John Emerald Distilling Company deserves a spot on your Whiskey Lore Wish List

📍 John Emerald Distilling Company Opelika, Alabama

Travel maps, distillery information, and trip-planning tools for more than 1,000 whiskey destinations can be found at WhiskeyLore.org/flights.

🌟Enjoy a few more minutes of in-depth conversation as a member of Whiskey Lore's Patreon (a 7-day free trial is available for new listeners)

Chattanooga Whiskey helped bring legal distilling back to Chattanooga, but the Experimental Distillery is where the real magic happens. In this episode, Drew Hannush returns to downtown Chattanooga to reconnect with co-founder Tim Piersant and explore the small-scale distillery where Tennessee High Malt was born. From pot still whiskey and peated experiments to custom barrel finishes and an ever-growing library of recipes, this is a look inside one of American whiskey's most creative laboratories.

• The fight to bring distilling back to Chattanooga • How Chattanooga Whiskey abandoned sourced bourbon for its own recipes • Creating Tennessee High Malt and exploring specialty malts • The role great beer plays in making great whiskey • More than 500 experimental barrels and counting • How Chattanooga's two distilleries work together • Transparency, recipe codes, and tracking every release • Single Pot Still Whiskey and inspiration from Ireland • Triple Islay and combining peated malts with Scotch cask finishes • Why flavor starts long before the barrel • New experiments, collaborations, and botanical infusions • Exploring downtown Chattanooga and the Experimental Distillery experience • Plus, Drew shares his three reasons why Chattanooga Whiskey deserves a spot on your Whiskey Lore Wish List

📍 Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery Chattanooga, Tennessee

Travel maps, distillery information, and trip-planning tools for more than 1,000 whiskey destinations can be found at WhiskeyLore.org/flights.

🌟Enjoy 25 more minutes of in-depth conversation as a member of Whiskey Lore's Patreon (a 7-day free trial is available for new listeners)

When it comes to Scottish distilleries with whiskies that match the landscape, Talisker is one of my favorite examples: sea and smoke. For the longest time, as the sole distillery on the Isle of Skye, it served as the perfect punctuation mark on any trip to the island. Seemingly isolated along the shore of Loch Harport in the small village of Carbost, it built quite a reputation around the world as early as the 1800s.

Today, I'll dive into Talisker's history with Diageo's Head of Rare & Luxury Whisky, Ewan Morgan. We'll start at the distillery's origins, and you'll be among the first to hear about a distilling technique once used at the distillery, but forgotten by time. We'll talk about the influence of the distillery's worm tubs on the whisky and find out what special ingredient they use inside those worm tubs.

Then I get a special treat. We'll dive into the world of long-aged whisky and discuss how to nose, taste, collect, and preserve rare bottles. Along the way, we taste Talisker's remarkable 30-year-old, 45-year-old, and 47-year-old whiskies and talk about what happens to a spirit after decades inside a cask.

If you're a fan of Scotch, this is a deep dive you won't want to miss. Catch an extended version of the episode as a member of the Whiskey Lore family at patreon.com/whiskeylore

Scotland has long been one of the great whiskey pilgrimage destinations, but planning the perfect whisky journey across the Highlands, Islands, Speyside, Campbeltown, and beyond can feel overwhelming. In this bonus episode of Whiskey Lore's Whiskey Flights, I sit down with travel writer and author Angela Youngman to explore the people, places, legends, and distilleries that make Scotland such a magical destination for whiskey lovers.

Angela's new book, The Whiskey and Gin Lover's Guide to Scotland, inspired a conversation that ranges from iconic experiences like The Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh to hidden gems, Scotland's growing gin scene, whisky festivals, island travel, and the realities of navigating Scotland's winding roads, ferries, and remote distillery regions.

If Scotland has been sitting on your whiskey travel bucket list, this episode is the ticket to inspiration and practical advice that will help you start planning your own adventure.

And for members of the Whiskey Lore family, the extended episode includes deeper discussions on whisky history, ghost distilleries, movie connections like The Angels' Share, travel recommendations, and more Scotch whisky lore. Find it at patreon.com/whiskeylore and ride along for the full experience.

Spend enough time visiting distilleries and you're bound to hear the rule: Ireland and America spell whiskey with an E, while Scotland, Canada, and Japan leave it out. Some even suggest you can remember the difference by looking for an E in the country's name. But where did these spelling conventions actually come from? Did Irish distillers invent the extra letter to distinguish their whiskey from Scotch? And what might Noah Webster, the man who helped establish American English, have to say about the way Americans spell their favorite spirit?

READ THE TRANSCRIPT: https://www.whiskeylore.org/episodes/is-it-whiskey-or-whisky

MORE WHISKEY HISTORY: https://www.patreon.com/whiskeylore