Whiskey Lore®: The Interviews

Join me as I chat Donegal distilling history, discuss the idea of smoky whiskey and how the myths around scotch and Irish whiskey developed with James Doherty. James is the Founder of the Sliabh Liag Distillers' Ardara Distillery, the producer of Silkie, one of the new breeds of Irish Whiskeys hitting your local whiskey retailer.

The land of illicit spirits, Ardara breaks that trend with their brand new distillery. We'll talk about peat (or turf) as it is called in Ireland, discuss why Donegal may have gone the direction of illegal distillation, taste Midnight Silkie, and discuss tours and visiting Donegal's 3 new distilleries.

So what is the oldest distillery company in America? Well, its not a bourbon or rum distillery - no, it is a brandy distillery. And before you say "hey, its not whiskey, so I'm not interested" - you might be surprised at how much this ex-bourbon barrel aged spirit relates to great whiskeys.

Join me as I invite the 9th and 10th generation of Laird distillers on the show. We'll deep dive into the history of a brand that George Washington liked so much, he asked for the recipe.

Before Whiskey Lore: The Interviews takes a month off, join me as I chat with my friend Chris Crowe of Burnt Church Distillery as we talk Palmetto State history, Hilton Head's neighborhood community Bluffton, and the history of a curiously named road that is now publicized through the name of the Burnt Church Distillery.

Plus I'll do a tasting of 4 of their expressions.

Today I chat with my guest Michael Scully about his historic farm and how he is using it to grow a type of grain that hasn't grown in Ireland for a century for his single pot still whiskey.

We'll also talk about the history of the town of Clonakilty and some of its famous residents, including a few ties to some 20th century icons.

In addition, we'll do a tasting of Clonakilty's Double Oak Small Batch whiskey and find out if Julia Roberts really can do a quality Irish accent.

Back in 1909, John Thompson Street Brown was looking for a design for the Old Prentice Distillery. That design still stands today, under the Four Roses banner. Who designed this beautiful Spanish Mission pastiche? Would it surprise you to hear it is the same company that has developed many of the other iconic distilleries across the Kentucky Bourbon Trail?

Listen in to find out how these designs come to life and the ideas behind taking historic structures and filling them with stills and fermenters!

If you love history and you're interested in the recent past during Irish whiskey's rebirth, this is the interview for you. I chat with Darryl McNally who is launching a new brand tied to a town with legal distilling going back to 1750 in Ulster.

We'll talk about the town's history in distilling, the rebirth in this new brand, and we'll also jump into Darryl's 17 years at Bushmills and learn a bit about what the whiskey world looked like back then. Buckle up for a lot of great history and a tasting of an Irish whiskey well worth trying.

When it comes to claims of the oldest, there is always a chance at a caveat. In terms of Ben Holladay Bourbon, it's distilling grounds have a pretty strong claim to the title of the oldest distillery west of the Mississippi River.

Here the story with master distiller Kyle Merklein and find out why his distillery was bold enough to wait 6 years to release their first new generation whiskey.

It's time to turn the tables and let you learn a little bit about me, get behind-the-scenes with Whiskey Lore, and learn a ton about Irish whiskey.

I've given the reins over to one of my favorite podcast hosts Terrence Layhew of the Suit Up! Podcast. He digs into my motivations for starting Whiskey Lore and lets me get deep into the rise and fall and rising again of Irish Whiskey.

Join me as I jump into a discussion with New York Distilling's co-founder Allen Katz. Starting out in Baltimore, it's no surprise that Allen would find rye whiskey as his passion, but the surprise was - he went to New York City to start a distillery. But before then, he spent life as a bartender in the revitalized cocktail culture of New York. So today we'll talk rye whiskey, cocktails and even find out why the British used to have a different proofing system that we do in the US.

Items we'll discuss:

• How a heist helped choose Allen's destiny
• Bringing Maryland to New York City
• Working with farmers and specific rye varietals
• Does a cocktail need a complex rye?
• The early days of the New York cocktail culture
• The staple rye whiskies for any bartender
• Differences in character between warehouses
• Tasting Ragtime Rye
• The winter hot toddy
• The Empire Rye designation
• The idea of an urban distillery in New York City
• Getting help from others
• Gin and New York's other Matthew Perry
• Navy Strength gin's history and gunpowder
• The basis for the old British proofing system
• Tasting Ragtime Rye Bottled-in-Bond
• The origins of Rock and Rye
• Tasting the Single Barrel

One of the coolest places I visited while on my historic journey through Ireland was Slane Castle. It was there that I met Alex Conyngham, the earl of Mountcharles and co-founder of Slane Distillery, along with his father Lord Henry "the Rock and Roll Aristocrat."

If you don't know the story of this distillery and its neighboring castle, you're in for a treat. Especially if you are a music lover. And by the end of this episode, you'll not only know how Mick Jagger and Bono fit into this story, but also how Brown-Forman helped take this family dream to new heights.