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We sit down with Blake, founder of Smokeye Hill, to talk about building a blue corn driven bourbon brand in Colorado and why their whiskey can reach serious proof without tasting like a stunt. We get into 30 gallon barrels, multi char blending, the reality of sourcing, and the slow rituals that make whiskey culture worth sticking around for. 
• Smokeye Hill availability and why growth depends on making more whiskey 
• Colorado aging conditions and why dry climate can drive higher barrel proof 
• Balancing a 93 proof daily drinker with 130 plus barrel proof releases 
• 30 gallon barrels, entry proof, ageing curves and “hazmat” territory 
• Char level experiments and why blending beats chasing a single barrel trick 
• The blue corn mash bill idea and how it stays bourbon drinker friendly 
• The Arizona ranch story behind the name and the Prohibition era still legend 
• Why sourced does not mean low effort and why value matters more than dogma 
• Cigars, pipes, and why we prioritise conversation over pretentious tasting notes 
• Blake’s path from music and marketing to launching a whiskey company 
• A rye built from 95 5 distillate plus blue corn blending and why it stands out 
• Future releases like an eight year Heritage Reserve and possible finishes 

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We can be reached on our website whiskey tasterspumba.com with any ideas for the show.

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We pour Metallica’s Blackened whiskey and test whether “born in cask forged by sound” is a real finishing technique or just a loud story. We also light up Black House pipe tobacco, swap notes on what we taste, and argue about what makes a celebrity bottle worth buying twice. 
• Dave Pickerell’s background and why his name adds credibility 
• How sonic finishing works with subwoofers, bass, and barrel vibration 
• What “black brandy barrels” likely means and why the finish dominates 
• Our tasting notes and why the whiskey feels sweet but thin to us 
• Sourced whiskey transparency and why we want clearer labels 
• Black House tobacco origins as a Balkan Sobranie style match 
• Latakia, Perique, dark-fired Kentucky, and why the smoke reads “barbecue” 
• Why tobacco blends get discontinued and how that mirrors chasing rare whiskey 
• Whether celebrity names drive real loyalty or just one-time curiosity 
Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you want more great content and other perks, be sure to support the show by clicking the link in the show notes. We can be reached on our website, whiskeychaster'sponet.com, with any ideas for the show. Thanks again. 

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Traveler Full Proof takes everything we found “fine but forgettable” about the 90 proof bottle and turns it into a high proof pour with real punch and better structure. We debate what full proof really means, how Chris Stapleton may have shaped the blend, and why this one drinks hotter than its 120 proof suggests. 
• full proof vs cask strength and why barrel entry proof matters 
• Chris Stapleton’s path from bluegrass to Traveler and the Grammy talk 
• the rumor that Stapleton does not drink and why it persists 
• blend speculation including Canadian whisky and American single malt theories 
• tasting notes: floral edges, unsweet tea character, sweetness cut by proof 
• price and value under $40 for a 120 proof release 
• Sun Bear pipe tobacco details: Virginias, Orientals, honey, tequila mist, elderflower 
• tobacco aging, small batch scarcity, and the challenge of palate memory 
• pairing whiskey with pipe tobacco vs cigars and why nuance matters 
• concert preferences, live performance energy, and what makes a show memorable 
• pipe packing habits, why the bottom of the bowl acts like a filter, and smoking etiquette 
If you want more great content and other perks, be sure to support the show by clicking the link in the show notes. We can be reached on our website, whiskeychasterspot.com, with any ideas for the show. 

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We put Eric Church’s Jypsi Explorer under a serious tasting lens and end up surprised by how intentional it feels for a sourced celebrity whiskey. Along the way, the pour opens up into root beer, cream soda, wet forest wood notes, an English pipe tobacco pairing, and a debate about what good taste looks like in public spaces too.
• what Jypsi Explorer is and how Outsider Spirits frames the Explorer Series around wood finishes
• Eric Church’s involvement story and why this bottle feels less like a money grab
• French oak and Appalachian oak staves, plus how finishing shows up on the palate
• tasting notes that land on cream soda, root beer, sassafras, and a lingering coating finish
• pairing the whiskey with an aged English pipe blend and why Syrian Latakia matters
• how a specific flavor can trigger a vivid personal memory and why that’s the point
• pricing, other Jypsi releases, and what we want to try next
• our listener request for celebrity endorsed bottles that are actually good
• a hard turn into dog owner responsibility and why picking up poop is non-negotiable
If you want more great content and other perks, be sure to support the show by clicking the link in the show notes.
We can be reached on our website, whiskeychaserspa.com, with any ideas for the show.

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We chase a California bottle that drinks like it has a wine-world edge, then use it to talk about blending, value, and where American whiskey might be headed. Lost Monarch Cask Strength turns into a bigger debate about sourcing versus distilling, how brands scale, and why we think some “hype” bottles are a bad deal.

• music festivals and why smaller venues beat stadium shows 
• Redwood Empire as a former “no-namer” that is gaining momentum 
• Lost Monarch, Pipe Dream, and Emerald Giant as real redwood tree names 
• the Lost Monarch tree location and why the coordinates are fun 
• Purple Brands, wine roots, and how that influences blending culture 
• mash bill and blend breakdown for a rye and bourbon combination 
• tasting notes: black licorice opening, sweet dark fruit, red-wine dryness, rye spice in the middle 
• why the pour feels fruity and smooth despite high proof 
• air-dried staves, California aging claims, and where marketing gets fuzzy 
• Savage & Cooke acquisition and what scaling to more barrels means 
• bottle math: barrels, bottles per barrel, and why single barrels are limited 
• price and availability in Ohio and why $70 feels like a steal 
• why we would pick this over overpaid Buffalo Trace, Weller, or Blanton’s 
• predictions: wine drinkers moving to whiskey, tequila marketing pressure, and the role of finishes 
• concern about going too far with wine-barrel finishing when the base profile is already wine-adjacent 

If you want more great content and other perks, be sure to support the show by clicking the link in the show notes. 
We can be reached on our website, whiskeychasterspumba.com, with any ideas for the show.

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A Fourth of July pour turns into a bigger talk about what it means to live in a 250-year-old country that is still figuring itself out. We taste First West Small Batch, pair it with dark-fired Kentucky tobacco, and connect the flavor to history, technology, and the pace of change. 

• first impressions of the dark-fired Kentucky tobacco and the bottle’s creek-found blue-glass vibe 
• reflecting on America at 250 years and how “young country” changes perspective 
• how the internet changed learning, confidence, and misinformation 
• First West Small Batch background, 15 Stars connection, Bardstown bottling and sourcing questions 
• red, white, and blue heirloom corn focus and what it does to sweetness and texture 
• tasting notes, “rough and ready” character, and why the pipe pairing adds meatiness 
• MSRP around $60 and why the value feels surprising given the packaging 
• celebrity whiskey endorsements and a Harrison Ford detour 
• why this feels like a post-fireworks summer-night bourbon, not a midday heat pour 
• asking listeners to settle the “Dick from Richard” nickname mystery 

If you want more great content and other perks, be sure to support the show by clicking the link in the show notes. 

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We crack open a J Rieger Co private stock single barrel bourbon and chase the story behind how it was picked, bottled, and shared. Along the way, we pull on threads from Kansas City whiskey rules to sweet mash fermentation, then land on whether the regular shelf bottle is an easy buy. 

• what a private select single barrel program looks like at the distillery 
• filling your own bottle on tour and signing the barrel guest book 
• the Rieger hospitality center and the adult sized slide 
• J Rieger Co origins in 1887 and the mail order whiskey era 
• the “Oh So Good” tagline and why labels carry history 
• Kansas City whiskey as a category and why sherry addition matters 
• gin basics and the difference between London dry and modern American styles 
• tasting notes on a six year, ~129 proof bourbon that drinks softer than expected 
• mash bill talk and why 30% rye does not always read as spicy 
• sweet mash vs sour mash explained with a sourdough starter analogy 
• why we want people in Ohio to buy the $40 bottle so the lineup expands 
• how the club helps us learn the difference between good whiskey and great whiskey 

If you want more great content and other perks, be sure to support the show by clicking the link in the show notes. 
We can be reached on our website, whiskey tasterspa.com, with any ideas for the show. 

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We pour Elijah Craig’s first Barrel Proof Rye and get stuck on one detail that changes everything: 12 years old, “uncut,” and somehow only 108 proof. We chase the science, argue about hype versus reality, and land on why this bottle feels like an outlier even if it is technically what the label says.

• why Elijah Craig rye has a reputation as a “barely rye” pour 
• what makes A925 unusual as a 12-year “barrel proof” rye at 108 proof 
• how entry proof, warehouse placement, humidity, and time can proof down a barrel 
• tasting notes including thin body, limited rye character, and almost no finish 
• Stonehenge tobacco pairing and why it still does not rescue the pour 
• whether the release is a money grab or a warehouse space clearing move 
• how pricing and “barrel proof” labeling change expectations 
• who might actually enjoy this as a bridge rye for bourbon drinkers 
• what we think the label should have said to make the bottle make sense 
• where we draw the line between business realities and a real lack of passion

If you want more great content and other perks, be sure to support the show by clicking the link in the show notes. 
We can be reached on our website, whiskey tasterspama.com, with any ideas for the show.

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We pour Cedar Ridge Double Barrel Rye Batch 2 and get honest about what we love, what feels thin, and why a short finish can hold a bottle back even when the flavor is good. We also crack an aged bag of pipe tobacco and end up in a surprisingly deep debate about what “finished” should mean in American whiskey. 
• the origin of the “Quintessential” name and why smart naming works 
• American single malt whiskey trends, pricing, and why big launches cooled off 
• opening an older vacuum-sealed tobacco bag and what aging does to moisture and aroma 
• Cedar Ridge double barreled rye basics, mash bill talk, and tasting notes on spice and stone fruit 
• the difference between double barreled and finished whiskey, and why definitions get messy 
• why new American oak dominates bourbon, plus thoughts on maplewood and other woods 
• value at $55, whether we would replace the bottle, and why limited craft releases create urgency 

If you want more great content and other perks, be sure to support the show by clicking the link in the show notes. 
We can be reached on our website, whiskey tasterspa.com, with any ideas for the show. 

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We finally get Steve back behind the mic, then crack open Watershed Rye Batch Three, and it immediately resets our idea of what Ohio rye can be. Between a 143.1 proof gut-punch of flavor and a long-awaited tin of Esoterica Plum Cake, we end up talking about scarcity, lotteries, and why some bottles demand patience. 

• Steve’s return after tax season and what we’re pouring 
• Watershed Rye Batch Three first impressions and why it tastes “vastly different.” 
• The shock of 143.1 proof and how the intensity shows up as flavor 
• Comparing Ohio rye to Pennsylvania-style profiles and defining “Ohio rye bite.” 
• Watershed’s sale to Marussia, the restaurant closing, and what Greg's leaving could mean 
• Lottery releases vs distillery lines and what feels fair to fans 
• Esoterica Plum Cake tin note, moisture issues, and why time improves the smoke 
• Batch-to-batch comparisons, packaging quirks, and why both bottles feel worth the price 

If you want more great content and other perks, be sure to support the show by clicking the link in the show notes. 
We can be reached on our website, whiskeychaserspod.com, with any ideas for the show. 

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