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Changes Coming to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival Sep 09, 2019

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The Kentucky Bourbon Festival gets underway next week in Bardstown, and while the annual event still draws whiskey lovers from all over the U.S. and the world, there's been a lot of calls for change in recent years. Some of those changes are coming this year, while more will await the hiring of a new executive director later this year. Bardstown-Nelson County Tourism Commission executive director Mike Mangeot agreed to serve as the festival's director on an interim basis this year, and joins us on WhiskyCast In-Depth to discuss this year's event and the long-term future. We're in Louisville this time around for the inaugural induction of members into the Order of the Writ, and will have the latest on the impact of trade tariffs on distillers in the news. We'll also update the future for Isle of Arran Distillers and its brands now that the Pernod Ricard-Castle Brands deal is leaving Arran without a U.S. importer.

Australian Whiskies and the "Roo Flu" (WhiskyCast Episode 782: September 1, 2019 Sep 02, 2019

Show notes

We're back after spending eight days in Australia and a week in bed fighting the "Roo Flu" virus, and there's a lot to talk about! One of the biggest problems facing Australian whisky distillers has been their relative lack of ability to scale up production to meet demand, but that's gradually beginning to change. Melbourne's Starward Distillery moved to a new building in 2016, and that allowed founder David Vitale the ability to triple production with room for future expansion. In Sydney, Archie Rose Distilling has outgrown its original site after five years, and construction is almost complete on a massive new distillery in Port Bombay that will take production from 120,000 liters per year to three million liters. We'll tour both distilleries on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Pernod Ricard's expansion spree continues with a $223 million deal for Jefferson's Bourbon owner Castle Brands - and a new $140 million malt whisky distillery in China! Trade issues are starting to show a serious impact on the whisky business worldwide, and a Virginia distillery has settled a lawsuit filed by the Scotch Whisky Association over its use of the word "Highland." On Behind the Label, we'll answer the burning question: "just how little maturation time can an American whiskey get away with?" Here's a hint...it probably took you longer to read this!

Whiskies From a Land Down Under (WhiskyCast Episode 781: August 19, 2019) Aug 21, 2019

Show notes

This time around, we're in Australia as Tasmania's distillers wrap up the third annual Tasmanian Whisky Week. It's been 27 years since the first legal still started producing Tasmanian single malt whisky at the original Lark Distillery, and today, there are nearly 50 distilleries in Australia's island state. We'll meet some of them and tour the award-winning Sullivan's Cove Distillery on WhiskyCast In-Depth, and we'll also talk to some Australian whisky lovers on Your Voice. In the news, Heaven Hill is expanding into Canadian Whisky with a $266 million deal for Black Velvet and its distillery in Alberta, while Ireland's Conor McGregor is likely to face assault charges for punching a Dublin bar patron who didn't want to taste his Proper Twelve whiskey.

The Back Stories Behind Picking Private Barrels (WhiskyCast Episode 780: August 11, 2019) Aug 12, 2019

Show notes

"Private Selection" bottlings are the rage today, and it almost seems like an arms race as bars and retailers try to outdo each other with their exclusive bottlings. In fact, some whisky collectors now see the "Private Selection" market as the next big thing for so-called "investment grade" bottlings. During the latest Bourbon Salon at Louisville's Oxmoor Farm, host Michael Veach brought together the owners and managers of several highly regarded Bourbon bars to discuss picking private barrels and other topics, and we'll hear some of the stories behind barrel selections from Joe Head of The Century in Dayton, Ohio, Margo McMillen of Bourbons Bistro, and Larry Rice of The Silver Dollar in Louisville. In the news, Pernod Ricard is expanding its U.S. whiskey portfolio with its second distillery acquisition of the year, while Diageo's plans to upgrade visitors centers at many of its distilleries in Scotland got another boost this week. There's a lot of new whiskies to talk about, and a new Gallup Poll shows whisky and other distilled spirits are more popular than ever.

The Uncle Nearest Story: A Timeless Lesson for Modern Times (WhiskyCast Episode 779: August 4, 2019) Aug 04, 2019

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If the story of Nathan "Nearest" Green and Jack Daniel was made into a movie, critics might describe it as "a feel-good story for the ages" or "a story from the past that's still relevant today." History shows "Nearest" Green was the enslaved distiller who not only perfected the "Lincoln County Process" for filtering Tennessee Whiskey, but also taught the young Jack Daniel how to make whiskey - then went to work with him after the Civil War ended and Green became a free man. Next month, Uncle Nearest Whiskey founder Fawn Weaver will open Phase 1 of the Uncle Nearest Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee to tell that story, and she'll tell us about it on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the growing potential for a "no-deal" Brexit has Irish Whiskey makers on both sides of the border even more nervous than before. Investors were scared off this week by sluggish earnings for MGP Ingredients, and that raises a question about whether we've reached "Peak Bourbon." We'll also find out the back story behind the "Missouri Bourbon" law, and on Behind the Label, you'll hear how one young distiller started his career with a bang.

Distillers on the Hill (WhiskyCast Episode 778: July 28, 2019) Jul 29, 2019

Show notes

It takes a lot to drag distillers away from their stills, but when the stakes are as high as the current debate over extending a federal excise tax cut for craft distillers - that's enough to put them on a plane for Washington. More than 150 distillers from around the country converged on Capitol Hill this week for the annual public policy conference sponsored by the Distilled Spirits Council and the American Craft Spirits Association. It also gave them a chance to put some pressure on their representatives in Congress to extend that tax break currently scheduled to expire at the end of this year. We'll talk with ACSA President Chris Montana of Du Nord Craft Spirits in Minneapolis and several of his colleagues about the politics of making whiskey on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Diageo now faces strike votes by both unions representing workers at its distilleries and bottling plants in Scotland following a breakdown in contract talks. Beam Suntory is reviving an old name for its flagship Jim Beam Distillery in Kentucky as part of a $60 million dollar expansion plan that will include a new craft distillery named for master distiller Fred Noe. We also have a bunch of new whiskies to talk about, and we'll also look at whether it's possible to distill whisky in space on Behind the Label.

Whisky's Man in the Middle (WhiskyCast Episode 777: July 21, 2019) Jul 22, 2019

Show notes

Raj Sabharwal doesn't make whiskies, but his role is critical in making sure you get to drink them. He's one of the band of independent importers - the middlemen (and women) who secure the rights from a whisky brand to import their whiskies into the U.S. market. Importers put up their own money to pay for those whiskies and the shipping costs, deal with the government red tape, and then find regional distributors willing to take a chance on getting them into retailers, bars, and restaurants. Sabharwal's Glass Revolution Imports is the single largest customer for Amrut's single malts from India, and he also works with Blackadder, Hammer Head, and other brands to get not only their regular offerings, but exclusive single casks for the U.S. market. We'll talk with him on WhiskyCast In-Depth and find out how proposed changes in federal regulations and the trade war could affect the import business. In the news, Diageo is facing a possible strike in Scotland after two unions rejected the company's latest contract offer. Edinburgh is about to get its first malt whisky distillery in nearly a century, while Bladnoch Distillery will open its new visitors center this week and Glenfiddich unveils a rare bottling to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its visitors center.

Maker's Mark: Bucking Trends for 60 Years (WhiskyCast Episode 776: July 14, 2019) Jul 15, 2019

Show notes

60 years ago, Bill and Marge Samuels dipped the first bottles of Maker's Mark Bourbon in Loretto, Kentucky. They left the "e" out of "whisky" and shipped the first cases to Keeneland in Lexington. When Maker's Mark finally decided to start a private barrel program several years ago, Bill Sr. and Marge's grandson Rob decided to put a different spin on the concept and let their customers actually create a unique Bourbon instead of picking from a bunch of cask samples. Keeneland was first in line for a Private Select bottling, too, and we'll get the story behind the program from Jane Bowie of Maker's Mark on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, we have the cause - and the effect - of the Jim Beam rickhouse fire in Kentucky earlier this month, and we'll also explain just how whiskey spills near rivers can lead to thousands of dead fish. The Scotch Whisky Association is taking a Virginia distillery to court over its use of the word "Highland" on its labels, and we'll have the details along with tasting notes for two of the offending whiskies.

Whiskey's High Wire Act (WhiskyCast Episode 775: July 7, 2019) Jul 08, 2019

Show notes

The husband and wife team of Scott Blackwell and Ann Marshall opened High Wire Distilling six years ago in Charleston, South Carolina to make whiskey, gin, vodka, and an Amaro liqueur. Now, they're turning a corner...literally. They're investing $3 million to move the distillery into a much larger building a few blocks - and around a corner - from their original site, along with adding a second still just for whiskey, an expanded tasting room, and what they're happiest about...a real loading dock! We'll talk with them on WhiskyCast In-Depth. There's enough news to fill a second episode this week! After four days, the fire that destroyed a Jim Beam warehouse with 45,000 barrels of bourbon has finally burned itself out, though the environmental damage to the Kentucky River is still being felt. The trade war between the U.S. and Europe could expand to include punitive tariffs on Scotch and Irish whiskies in a dispute over aviation subsidies, while U.S. regulators are moving forward with a proposal to deregulate most bottle sizes for whiskies and other distilled spirits. There's also a truckload of new whiskies to mention, and we'll have an unusual head-to-head comparison: a whiskey and the beer it was distilled from.

Ten Years with Wyoming Whiskey (WhiskyCast Episode 774: June 30, 2019) Jul 01, 2019

Show notes

Wyoming Whiskey is celebrating an anniversary this week. Ten years ago on July 4, 2009, they ran the still for the first time at the Mead family's ranch in Kirby, Wyoming, and Wyoming Whiskey is one of many craft distillers marking their 10th anniversaries this year. We'll talk with co-founder David DeFazio about the lessons of the past and how they're shaping the distillery's future, along with what happens when a Hall of Fame distiller leaves behind a surprise for you to deal with years later. In the news, the U.S. Supreme Court has given retailers who want to sell across state lines a lifeline after decades of states largely banning interstate shipments. We also have plenty of new Bourbons hitting the market just in time for Independence Day, while Chivas Brothers is digging into its warehouses for whiskies from some often-overlooked Scottish distilleries.

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