Whiskey Lore®: The Interviews

Welcome back to Rory as this week we'll discuss two scotch distilleries every fan should know about.

BenRiach is a Speyside distillery that has developed some fascinating and complex whiskies thanks to Dr. Rachel Barrie.

Glenglassaugh is a seaside Highland distillery with robust and flavorful whiskies that are coming into their own.

Both distilleries have long complicated histories and we'll unravel them here while tasting 7 top notch expressions.

Hear a tale about the Hon. Winston S. Churchill that occurred 90 years ago this week.

Take a step into the mysterious past and amazing future of George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey with a woman who is taking a 150 year old legacy and expanding it to new heights.

Two years ago, Nicole brought George Dickel back to worldwide attention when her Bottled-In-Bond 13 year old whisky won Whisky Advocate's "Whisky of the Year." Now she is challenging the misconception that Tennessee whiskey is not bourbon with her latest release. Enjoy our dive into the distillery's history and Nicole's thought process in expanding the brand's offerings.

Have you found yourself looking down the Irish whiskey aisle with a look of confusion on your face? Well, you're not alone. Single grain, single pot still, these are names that can throw you for a loop.

Today we are going to get some clarity on the issue from a man who is distilling pot still whiskey in Colorado. Patrick Miller is my guest and he'll tell us how he fell in love with the style, what it is, and why triple distilling is so beneficial for it. Plus we'll taste 5 of his whiskeys and talk Irish whiskey history.

Curious about whiskies from Australia? Well my guest today is one of Australia's leading distillers with a very creative process for aging his whiskies - wet wine barrels. Dave Vitale had a desire to make a very unique whisky that could sit proudly among the great whiskies of the world and today I'm going to taste three of those expressions.

We'll also learn about Australia's forgotten whisky history and learn about Starward's new partnership with the Michelin Guide of North America.

If you love whisky, you've likely heard that Texas has a growing whisky industry and you likely know names like Balcones, Garrison Brothers, and Ironroot. And that is a great beginning, but there is so much more to Texas whiskey.

In this interview, I'll chat with a native Texan who wrote a book on the subject, traveling from distillery to distillery, meeting founders, tasting spirits, and placing his findings in his book, aptly named Texas Whiskey. Join us as we explore what the Lone Star State has to offer.

2021 was an eventful year with a ton of travel, distilleries, and interviews. So before I tackle 2022, it is time to look back on some of the best moments of the year that was.

I'll feature clips from many of this year's episodes focusing on the best of history, process, and the distillers themselves. Enjoy this stroll down memory lane or for new listeners, get a feel for what Whiskey Lore: The Interviews is all about!

I recently had the opportunity to attend the one day per year Snowflake Festival at Red Rocks near Denver and to tour the Stranahan's Distillery.

During the visit, I kicked up a conversation with head distiller Owen Martin about his education in Scotland and how that translated into his current occupation, distilling American single malt.

We decided to take the conversation online so you could eavesdrop. We also talked about this year's two Snowflake releases.

The art of the personality blend. Only a few have mastered it. Melissa Heim, master blender for Big Nose Spirits has done just that with a fantastic whiskey based on the personality of one of the Old West's most interesting characters - Big Nose Kate.

If you've heard the name and don't know who she is, we'll give you a little background and then Melissa and I will talk about what goes into making a whiskey that fits a legend.

His new company, is curiously called "Company" or Company Distilling and he and his teammates have ambitious plans. And we will dig into those during this interview, but since I missed a chance to document his time at Jack Daniel's, were going to start off hearing how Jeff moved from working with coffee to working with spirits and ultimately taking over the master distilling reins from Jimmy Bedford.