Dan Leese wears two hats: one as CEO of the importer and distiller Hotaling & Co., and the second as the current chairman of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. Mark Gillespie sat down with Dan Leese to discuss the state of the whisky industry and the threats posed by trade tariffs, legal cannabis, and other challenges. In the news, the Trump Administration gets a victory as India agrees to reduce its tariffs on American whiskies, while new data shows declining sales as consumers switch to less-expensive whiskies. 

Bruce Joseph started out as a brewer at what was then Anchor Brewing in San Francisco, and became a distiller when owner Fritz Maytag decided he wanted to add a distillery to make rye whiskey. Old Potrero has become a San Francisco favorite, and after 45 years with what is now Hotaling & Co., he's easing into retirement this week. Bruce Joseph joins us for an exclusive interview on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, U.S. trade tariffs against Canada and Mexico are on hold for 30 days, but the fallout continues to spread across North America. We'll talk with the co-chair of the Congressional Bourbon Caucus, Kentucky Rep. Morgan McGarvey about that fallout and the impact on the Bourbon industry.

The Bar at Willett Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky serves up more than just neat pours and classic cocktails. It’s also a gourmet-quality restaurant, as proven by its 2025 James Beard Awards nomination. We’ll talk with general manager and beverage director Andy Pope on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, a trade war is brewing across North America after President Trump imposed import tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, which will make Canadian Whisky more expensive. Canadian and Mexican leaders responded with tariffs of their own targeting Bourbon and other American whiskies, and we’ll have all of the details.

Drew Hannush loves nothing more than to disprove whiskey lore, and spends his time researching historical documents to find the truth behind many of whiskey’s legends. His new book is Whiskey Lore: Volume One, and he’ll join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, President Trump wants to impose tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and Canadian leaders are threatening to retaliate with tariffs and boycotts of American whiskies. Bourbon also had a place at Trump’s Inauguration, and we’ll have the details. 

This week, we’re in Victoria, British Columbia for the annual Victoria Whisky Festival, one of the world’s great whisky events. The Canadian Whisky Awards were presented during the festival, and we’ll have the results, including a surprise winner of the Canadian Whisky of the Year. We’ll also talk with Wayne Gretzky Distillery head distiller Tim Wilson and Forty Creek master blender Bill Ashburn on WhiskyCast In-Depth, and Dr. Don Livermore gives us an explanation of Fick’s Law and how it affects whisky maturation in our Behind the Label segment. 

Rosen Rye was once favored by distillers for its unique flavor. However, Rosen fell out of favor several decades ago because of cross-pollination and the development of other strains of rye. Now, Rosen is making a comeback on farms in Pennsylvania and Michigan, and we’ll talk with two distillers working with the heirloom grain. Erik Wolfe of Pennsylvania’s Stoll & Wolfe Distillery and Chad Munger of Michigan’s Mammoth Distilling join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, a Speyside distilling veteran is taking on a new challenge, while a U.S. whisky and rum importer is hoping to spur sales by cutting prices. 

With WhiskyCast celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, we thought we’d start the year by turning the tables on host and creator Mark Gillespie. Longtime listener Juan Cruz collected questions for Mark from WhiskyCast Community app members, and sat down with Mark over New Year’s Day drams for a conversation. It’s our special one-time-only WhiskyCast In-Depth this week. In the news, the U.S. Surgeon General wants new warnings about the links between alcohol and several different types of cancers on beverage labels, while MGP is looking for a new CEO and Glenmorangie’s Dr. Bill Lumsden can add the initials MBE to his business cards.

Tomintoul Master Distiller Robert Fleming is celebrating two anniversaries. 2024 marks his 50th year in the whisky business, while 2025 will be his 35th year as manager at Tomintoul. We’ll talk with the industry veteran this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, hundreds lined up days in advance at three Texas liquor stores for a chance to buy rare Bourbons Saturday. California’s Redwood Empire Distillery is getting a new home, and Glenturret is getting out of the peated whisky market.

A new report from Noble and Co. shows the secondary auction market for whiskies turned in another poor year, and the retail market for whiskies isn’t doing much better. We’ll talk with Noble’s Duncan McFadzean about the report and its implications for whisky collectors and investors, as well as the wider whisky market. In the news, a Heaven Hill rickhouse worker was killed this week in a warehouse accident, while Diageo has been fined nearly $700,000 after a distillery worker was seriously burned in a 2021 accident. 

The tiny Holyrood Distillery in Edinburgh shocked the whisky world when it was named Distillery of the Year last week in Whisky Magazine’s Scottish Icons of Whisky Awards. Less shocking was Holyrood’s Embra single malt, which took top honors for Lowlands no-age-statement single malts in the World Whiskies Awards. We’ll talk with Holyrood co-founder Rob Carpenter about this unique distillery on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. There’s a lot of news this week, starting with the TTB’s decision to enact an official definition for American Single Malts…we’ll have all the details and the rest of the week’s whisky news, too.