WhiskyCast

In 2016, Holly Seidewand started a journey that would change her life by traveling to Scotland to learn more about whisky. That journey later took her to Japan and Australia, and it continues today - only as a whisky professional. Earlier this year, she joined Bacardi as the US brand ambassador for the John Dewar & Sons range of single malts from Scotland. She'll share her journey with us on WhiskyCast In-Depth, including the story of a distillery manager who helped her earn her certificate in brewing and distilling from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland by putting her to work. In the news, Brexit is six months away and there's growing tension within the whisky industry over the impact of Great Britain's departure from the European Union. We'll have that story, along with a look at the state of the US craft distilling industry and this weekend's preview of rare whiskies that will go on the virtual auction block next month.

Severe weather forced Louisville's annual Bourbon & Beyond music, food, and whiskey festival to end a day earlier than planned, but the heavy rains didn't dampen spirits on Saturday. We'll have highlights from the festival and talk with one of the newest members of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame on WhiskyCast In-Depth. Freddie Johnson is the third generation of his family to work at what's now Buffalo Trace Distillery, but their history at the distillery goes back more than 100 years with a legacy that combines family, history, race, and Bourbon. In the news, the Four Roses strike is over after the distillery and its three unions reached a tentative agreement on Friday. We'll have that story and the rest of the week's whisky news, and since we're at a music and whiskey festival, Dave Pickerell will explain the science behind using Metallica's music to shape their new collaboration.

In 1972, the gates were locked for what many thought would be the final time at Kentucky's historic Old Taylor Distillery near Frankfort. Wednesday, those gates opened to the public for the first time in nearly half a century at what is now Castle & Key Distillery following a massive four-year-long restoration project to reclaim the distillery and its warehouses, sunken gardens, springhouse, and more from nature's relentless onslaught. Castle & Key's Marianne Eaves has been there for almost the entire time, and joins us on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, there's a big shakeup affecting master distillers at three of Kentucky's major distilleries, and contract talks will resume Friday in the two-week-old strike by Four Roses workers. We'll also have the details on a new Irish Whiskey that packs a punch - or at least the fighter-turned-entrepreneur behind it does.

Bourbon & Beyond gets underway this Friday night in Louisville with a charity Bourbon auction to benefit the Speed Art Museum. The whiskies going up for bids include one of the original Pappy Van Winkle 23-year-old Bourbons - the 10th one ever filled - along with other historic whiskies and one-of-a-kind whiskey experiences. We'll talk with Speed Art Museum director Stephen Reily about the auction and the educational programs that will benefit from it during WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, there's still no resolution to the Four Roses Distillery strike in Kentucky, and negotiations aren't scheduled to resume until the end of this week. The Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame has inducted three new members and presented this year's Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award, and if you think MMA champion Conor McGregor gets mad in the Octagon...just think how mad he might get by losing a trademark fight outside of the ring.

Portland's Westward American Single Malt from House Spirits is the latest prize in the spree of acquisitions and investments by major spirits brands in emerging brands. House Spirits announced Wednesday that Diageo's in-house venture capital unit, Distill Ventures, has acquired a minority stake in Westward as its first public investment in a North American spirits brand. Distill Ventures already holds stakes in Denmark's Stauning Whisky and Starward Whisky from Australia as part of its portfolio. House Spirits CEO and Westward co-founder Tom Mooney joins us on WhiskyCast In-Depth for his first interview since the announcement. In the news, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival is underway with a looming possibility of fallout from the strike by union workers at Four Roses Distillery. Union leaders plan to have a presence at Bardstown's biggest party of the year, and we'll have all the details. There's also an update on some of the week's new whiskies, including the final whisky in Diageo's 2018 Special Releases Series, and we'll honor one of Bourbon's first families as they celebrate a century of service.

Like most romances, Wyoming Whiskey and Edrington had plenty of potential partners trolling around. Neither one needed a partner, until they found each other and formed what Edrington Americas CEO Chris Spalding calls "a match made in Heaven." The strategic partnership announced this week will see Edrington take on sales, distribution, and marketing for Wyoming Whiskey. The distillery's founders will continue to make the whiskey, and the deal gives them expanded distribution while giving Edrington a foothold in the Bourbon business. We'll break down the deal with Chris Spalding and Wyoming Whiskey co-founder David DeFazio on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, workers at Kentucky's Four Roses Distillery have gone on strike just days before the start of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, which draws thousands of whiskey lovers to the state's distilleries. Union leaders are pledging to protest the lack of a new contract at the festival if no agreement is reached this week. We'll have an update on Dave Pickerell's new whiskey project with Metallica, along with details on this year's Diageo Special Releases and much more.

Virginia's distilling history dates back to at least 1620, and while many whiskey lovers know about George Washington's Distillery at Mount Vernon, it's just one of the state's 70 distilleries making everything from rum and vodka to single malt whiskies. September is Virginia Spirits Month, and we'll visit some of those distilleries and find out more about what's shaping up to be a model partnership between the state and its craft distillers on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the impact of tariffs on American whiskey exports is forcing Brown-Forman to revise its profit estimates - and raise prices, while Pernod Ricard is projecting an increase in profits for its fiscal year. We'll have details on those stories and more, including the week's new whiskies and an honor for one of Australia's leading distillers.

If Fred Minnick had any more balls in the air right now, the circus would be calling him with a job offer as a juggler. He's launching the new Bourbon+ Magazine as its founding editor-in-chief, curating the Bourbon events for next month's Bourbon and Beyond Festival in Louisville, and his book publisher has just commissioned a second edition of his award-winning book "Bourbon Curious." If that's not enough, he and his wife Jaclyn are a few weeks away from having their second child. We got Fred to relax for a few minutes on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Heaven Hill has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Bob Dylan's new Heaven's Door whiskies. Scottish officials are taking the next step in reviving distilling at the historic Dallas Dhu Distillery in Speyside while keeping it open as a museum, and the hot summer could mean tighter supplies of barley for distillers.

It's been a hot, dry summer in Scotland, and Euan Mitchell isn't complaining a bit. The managing director of Isle of Arran Distillers is overseeing construction of a second distillery at Lagg on the island's southern coast, and the weather is allowing work to be completed right on schedule. Lagg's stills are scheduled to arrive on the island this week, and plans are still in place for the distillery to begin production in January. We'll catch up on Lagg's progress and changes at Arran with Euan Mitchell on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, whisky auctions Friday brought out bidders in Scotland and Hong Kong, with one rare Japanese single malt selling for more than $340,000! We'll also have details on a rare traffic jam in Speyside as would-be collectors jammed the gates at The Macallan hours before a rare single malt went on sale at the distillery.

This week, we'll visit House Spirits Distillery - part of Portland's "Distillery Row" along the eastern banks of the Willamette River. House Spirits is the home of Westward American Single Malt Whiskey, and head distiller Miles Munroe will take us on a tour of the distillery during WhiskyCast In-Depth. We'll also talk with Jeneen Bell, the president of Portland's 300-member Women Who Whiskey chapter, about what makes Portland a good place to drink. In the news, cleanup work is slowly progressing at Kentucky's Barton 1792 Distillery following the recent rickhouse collapse, but it could take months to work through a massive pile of around 18,000 whiskey barrels. Templeton Rye has opened its $35 million distillery in Iowa, and we'll have the latest on new whiskies from Scotland and Kentucky, too.