Whiskey Lore®: The Interviews

As a nice pairing with this week's Whiskey Lore episode about whisky aged at sea, I'm hear to talk about a sea aged Japanese whisky called Kaiyo.

This spirit makes its way from a Japanese warehouse to Liverpool England, picking up personality all along the way.

Join me was I taste a single cask version and we talk Japanese whisky, history, and working with tough woods like Mizunara Oak.

First there was Jack, then there was George, and in 1997 - long before the craft distilling revolution - there was Phil.

Phil Prichard has family distilling roots going back into the 18th century, but it was his emergence in the 20th century that made history.

He's always done things his own way, starting with Tennessee rum, before whiskey. He's a fascinating guy who many distillers talk about, but whose story hasn't been fully told - until now!

Join me as I head to Chattanooga, Tennessee to talk with Tim Piersant, CEO and co-Founder of Chattanooga Whiskey about how he and his head distiller Grant McCracken landed on a high malt bourbon for their flagship whiskey.

We'll also talk a little Chattanooga Whiskey history, burning the right bridges at the right time, and we'll taste their soon to be released Vintage Series Bottled-In-Bond 2017 Fall Edition.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard this blanket statement from bourbon drinkers - "I don't like scotch." Like scotch is just one flavor profile.

That's why I wanted to have a little Scotch 101 discussion, talking about regions, peat smoke vs fruity, age, proof, and what scotch to start with, with my guest Ed Kohl, a scotch whisky distributor who has spent a couple decades helping Americans understand scotch.

We'll also talk about the whisky tariffs, three tier system, and some of the whiskies he distributes like Clan MacLeod, Spey, and Smokehead.

Back from one of the most interesting adventures I've had in trying to reach a distillery. The name of the place is Gobbler Springs and the gentleman who had to pick me up in his 4x4 is the owner and distiller John Hatcher.

A Kentuckian with Irish distilling roots John and his wife long ago decided to make their home in Tennessee. There he produces moonshine, gin, and sweet mash whiskey under something he calls the Lawrence County Process.

Now Jeff and his wife didn't necessarily take the normal path into owning a whiskey distillery. Rather than having grown up around distilling, they had both come from careers in the distribution of whiskey - and from competing companies no less.

Join me for part one of my discussion with Kings County Distillery's master distiller and co-founder Colin Spoelman. A few years back Colin wrote an intriguing book about American whiskey history called Dead Distillers and we will take the time in this episode to chat a bit about his background as a New York City distiller.

While on a journey out to California in search of details about an upcoming episode, I took time out to interview Seth Benhaim of Infused Spirits. Seth is taking a very unique approach to aging whiskey - by placing barrel staves in new make.

We sampled his expressions using Mizunara oak, a Cask of Amontillado (something Edgar Allen Poe fans will appreciate), and scotch peat staves. We also talked about the history of light whiskey, a historic distillery in Kentucky they source from, and the concept of an oak bill.

Just when I thought I had been to every Tennessee distillery or at least met a distiller from each, along came Jim Massey. Jim was actually on the forefront of the current Tennessee whiskey revival.

We'll taste his whiskey and chat about the Tennessee Waltz, helping Tennessee agriculture through whiskey, and his literary inspiration for the company name.

Like a scene from "O Brother Where Art Thou" I stumbled upon a radio station out in the middle of a Mississippi field. And there, I met a radio man whose love of his craft led him to buying his own radio station.

His music scans the genres, from rock to country to R&B, but most especially the blues. People tune in from all over the world to hear some great Mississippi Delta blues.

Join me as we talk Juke Joints, moonshine, and the blues.