Whiskey@Work

Rob and Mark are coming down from a rally week fueled by Jack Daniel’s Blackberry slushies and gearing up for their Scotland trip with a glass of Dalmore 12 in hand. Between rally beards, travel planning quirks, and the odd history of Scotch rules (pine barrels?!), they dig into the story of Dalmore’s royal stag, its unique cask-aging process, and why it’s a highland malt worth sipping.

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In a tucked-away cabin during Sturgis, Mark sits down with Jed Lirette, Senior Brand Ambassador and Master Taster at Jack Daniel’s, to talk whiskey, travel, and what it’s really like to taste for one of the most famous distilleries in the world. From school field trips to the Lynchburg distillery to the surprising first sip of Jack’s new Blackberry flavor, Jed shares stories packed with authenticity, passion, and a little Tennessee grit.

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Kevin Sanders has been with Jack Daniel’s for over three decades, and he’s got stories to prove it, like handing out his business card in the middle of I-80. In this episode, we finally sit down with the legendary Barrel Man to talk about the science of the stave, why all the whiskey color comes from the barrel, how Sinatra Select got its grooves, and what happens when you age whiskey in maple instead of oak. It’s a masterclass in whiskey barrels, with a side of beeswax and squirrel-planted trees.

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We wondered if cherry whiskey even existed, and like a whiskey-wielding genie, Dan Brunner showed up with two bottles from Traverse City Whiskey Co. One's a silky 70-proof sipper, the other a punchy barrel-proof knockout. We dig into cherry trees, bourbon busts, market saturation, and why your liquor shelf might be stressing you out. It's boozy, it's snarky, and yeah… Rob gets mad at birds.

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Ozzy Osbourne has left the stage for good, and Rob and Mark are feeling all the feels, while drinking whiskey that tastes like s’mores. This episode of Whiskey@Work dives into Bardstown’s new flavored release, Mash & Mallow, and asks the big questions: Is whiskey becoming dessert? Are flavored bottles a trend or the future? And can you still be metal if your favorite drink is a vodka screwdriver? (Ozzy, we love you.) It's a swirl of nostalgia, toasted marshmallows, and whiskey snobbery.

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This week on Whiskey@Work, Rob and Mark welcome Justin from Independent Ale House and Windsor Block Bar to the studio for a pour of something uniquely South Dakotan, Black Fork Farms bourbon finished in Mongolian toasted oak casks. Yep, Mongolian oak. Ever heard of it? Neither had we. The crew dives into smoky corn, dense barrels, and whether umami really belongs in your whiskey glass. Plus, Justin gives the no-BS take on what actually sells on the shelf.

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You think you know Fireball? Think again. In this episode, Rob and Mark crack open a bottle of Fireball Blazin’ Apple, a cinnamon-apple flavor bomb not even released to the public yet, and explore its sugary punch, the genius of its marketing, and why this might be the tailgate hit of the season. But first, they take a deep dive into the real story of Johnny Appleseed, frontier philosopher, land hustler, and the unexpected grandfather of American booze culture. Throw in a prank cricket, some Benchmark whiskey for courage, and a few questionable flavor pairings, and you’ve got one wild episode of Whiskey@Work.

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You ever save a life at 2 a.m. with homemade elk jerky and a hazy memory of the Heimlich? Rob did, and that’s just how this episode starts. From wild wedding whiskey hauls to marshmallow-flavored regrets, the guys dive into a shopping spree gone sideways and wrap up their epic Benchmark Bourbon series with the bold Bonded and Full Proof bottles. They debate the true meaning of "full proof," accidentally insult Oak & Eden, and sip their way through some of the smoothest high-proof bourbon around. It’s Whiskey@Work, hydrated, educated, and probably a little overproofed.

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Rob’s headed north where the trees are few but the bourbon might be plentiful, and Mark’s just trying to remember which Benchmark bottle he poured. In this second sip of our Benchmark Whiskey series, we crack open the Small Batch and Single Barrel, dig into what makes a bourbon “blended” or “single,” and uncover why “small batch” means... whatever a distillery wants it to mean. We also chat about England finally giving its whiskey some proper rules, a wild new release from Little Book, and Maker’s Mark doing something they haven’t done in 70 years. Buckle up, this one’s smooth, oaky, and a little nerdy.

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Whiskey and… taxes? In this episode of Whiskey@Work, Rob and Mark do the unthinkable, crunch numbers. Kicked off by a viral TikTok, the guys dive deep into the federal excise tax world of bourbon, busting myths about what distillers owe and when. But don't worry, math class is short-lived. The real star of the show is Benchmark Whiskey. With the full line finally available in South Dakota, Rob and Mark crack open the 80-proof Black Label and the 86-proof Top Floor. No snobbery here, just budget-friendly bourbon, Buffalo Trace mash bills, and a whole lot of gratitude to Sheila Seger Ogborn.

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