Whisky Buzz

This week, Jamie and Mark interview a distillery from Kentucky and one from Ontario to compare how regulation and taxation affects the whisky they make. Andrew Buchanan is of Hearetfield & Co from Paris, Kentucky, and Michael Hook is from The Last Straw Distillery in Vaughan, Ontario. We discuss how Bill 70 being proposed in Ontario will affect Ontario distilleries.

Jamie and Mark interview Matt Jones, the Canadian brand ambassador for Beam Suntory, specifically focused on Jim Beam and Canadian Club. We look at the history of no-age statement bourbons, new products coming into the marketplace, and the whisky ambassador lifestyle.

Marvin Allen is the bar manager at the Carousel Bar & Lounge, the world’s only carousal where you need to be 21 to ride. Marvin talks about how the cocktail scene has changed in the last 15 years, Tales of the Cocktail, and his book: Magic in a Shaker.

Fearful of the whisky shortage? Mark and Jamie go through the best whiskies in their cabinet that are easily available at liquor stores! We break it down into ryes, bourbons, and malt whiskies. Let the debate begin.

Mark and Jamie discuss the “Beast” whisky coming out of Fort McMurry, the importance of the way a whisky bottle looks, and Jamie’s travels!

Mark and Jamie are joined by Fred Minnick (author of Bourbon: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American Whiskey) and Davin de Kergommeaux (Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert). We drink Canadian whisky, talk about new oak versus reused oak, the importance of fermentation, and reveal secrets behind scoring whisky.

Mike Di Caro joins Jamie and Mark to discuss how music is influenced by whisky. We taste Drake’s Virginia Black Whiskey, Sinatra Select, and Mike gives us a quick dive into country music.

This week’s feature is an interview with Han Shan from Hudson Whiskey. Hudson Whiskey has an odd start, with a plot of land being purchased for use as a climber’s ranch, that eventually became the home of Tuthilltown Distillery. This became the first distillery in New York State post-prohibition. News items covered include Knob Creek going NAS, and Toronto Distillery Co stirring controversy over their new release!

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival happens each September in Bardstown Kentucky. Eric from bourbonguy.com joins Mark and Jamie on the podcast to share his experiences at the 2016 Bourbon Festival. We talk fan clubs, prices of whisky, Kentucky whisky purchases, and places to eat. Eric recently celebrated a big milestone with Robin, his wife, over her four-and-a-half year check-up of being cancer free. Ovarian cancer is frequently misdiagnosed by doctors.

While Dr. Nick Morgan sometimes earns the ire of whisky enthusiasts, his passion for whisky is unmistakable. Nick is the head of whisky outrage for Diageo, and shares his thoughts on age-statements on whisky bottles, blind-bottle tastings, blended scotch vs single malt scotch, and shares the story behind Lagavulin 8 Year Old.