WhiskyCast

Martin Markvardsen joined Highland Park as a brand ambassador in 2006. Since then, he's traveled the world touting the virtues of his favorite whisky. He's so in love with Highland Park that he had the logo tattooed on his chest - right over his heart. We'll talk with Martin about his journey and taste the new 17-year-old Between You and I expression on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, President Donald Trump's ban on C...

Amrut's Indian single malts have been popular with whisky connoisseurs for nearly two decades. Now, with increasing competition from other Indian single malt distillers, Amrut is seeking to capture the entry-level whisky drinker with Kranthi, a single malt designed to be approachable for beginners, yet complex enough to please connoisseurs. We'll talk with Amrut master distiller and chief operating officer Ashok Chokalingam on this...

September is shaping up to be a busy month at George Washington's Distillery at Mount Vernon in Virginia, with weekend tastings and discounts on Washington's Rye whiskey at the Mount Vernon shops. It's not taught in schools, but Washington was one of the nation's leading whiskey distillers after he left the Presidency, and the restored distillery makes whiskey the same way it was done back then. Mount Vernon's Jeremy Ray joins us t...

John Little and John Foster built their reputations around Smooth Ambler before selling the distillery to Pernod Ricard several years ago. After serving out a three-year non-compete agreement, they're back with Little and Foster Whiskey. It's as much a passion project as it is a business venture, with a goal of bringing fun back into the whiskey business. They've just released their first whiskey, A Marriage of Mashbills, and join ...

Light Whiskey is an obscure type of whiskey that's distilled to higher proofs than is legally allowed for Bourbons and many other types of whiskies. It was developed in the 1960's as a way for distillers to fight the trend toward vodka and other lighter spirits, but never really reached mainstream acceptance. Now, three retired Austin tech executives are betting that their light whiskies will catch on with consumers. We'll talk wit...

Bruichladdich Distillery on Scotland's Isle of Islay is marking 25 years since its resurrection in 2001 by a hardy band of whisky makers led by Mark Reynier, Jim McEwan, and Duncan McGillivray. Adam Hannett was a teenager on Islay watching the distillery come back to life, and joined the team as a warehouseman in 2004. Now, he's the master blender at Bruichladdich, and has created three new whiskies this year to mark the anniversar...

2026 is the year of innovation at Four Roses, which was sold earlier this year to E&J Gallo for more than $700 million dollars. The work actually started two years ago under Kirin's management, and Master Distiller Brent Elliott tells us Gallo is doubling down on the desire for innovation at Four Roses. For instance, the familiar ten recipes for Four Roses Bourbon have been expanded with the addition of two experimental recipes...

Sam Filmus started importing whiskies into the United States in the 1990's, bringing Signatory and Edradour whiskies to thirsty Americans. Over the years, his ImpEx Beverages has added brands like Kilchoman, the Glenallachie, Ardnamurchan, Nc'Nean, and M&H to the range. Five years ago, he added his own independent bottlings of world whiskies under the ImpEx Collection label, with each annual edition focusing on a specific theme...

Dewar's celebrates its 180th anniversary this year, going back to 1846 when John Dewar opened his wine and spirits shop in Perth, Scotland. Jacqui Seargeant is the keeper of the Dewar's archives, along with overseeing other archivists working within parent company Bacardi, and her work has helped inspire new Dewar's releases and add context to the family history. She'll join us on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, trade...

"Taigh" means "home" in Scots Gaelic, and it's the name for the newest expression from Torabhaig Distillery on the Isle of Skye. It's a precursor to the first 10-year-old Torabhaig single malt expected late next year, and we'll learn more about Taigh and the distillery from Torabhaig's Bruce Perry on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the receiver in the Uncle Nearest case is blaming the bank for failing to do its own du...

Lots of whisky makers are releasing 250th anniversary commemorative editions, but only one went back to recreate whiskey from a Colonial-era recipe using historical production methods. Distillers Erik Wolfe and Alan Bishop teamed up to create this authentic whiskey, and both join us on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. We'll also taste their Wolfe & Wilson Straight Rye, too. In the news, Fawn Weaver is apparently out at Uncle Ne...

Jim Hough of Pennsylvania's Liberty Pole Spirits and Paul Tomaszewski of Kentucky's MB Roland Distillery have joined forces on a unique collaboration. They blended each other's whiskey with their own, pairing Kentucky Bourbon with Pennsylvania Rye. The result: Penntucky and Kentsylvania whiskies. We'll talk with Jim and Paul about the collaboration on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Edrington is out of the Bourbon bus...

Wild Turkey Master Distiller Eddie Russell celebrated his 45th anniversary at the distillery the other night with the premiere of a short film about his career in New York City. "Eddie Russell: His Own Way" covers Eddie's career from pushing barrels as the new guy to the success that got him into the Bourbon Hall of Fame. The premiere came with the release of a Russell's Reserve Bourbon created to commemorate the anniversary by Bru...

In a project so ambitious that it required more than five years of traveling across the entire United States, Lost Lantern Whiskey has created the United States of Bourbon series of whiskies. The 100 Proof and Cask Strength versions feature a blend of straight Bourbons from all 50 states, while the limited-edition 1776 Edition blends Bourbons from the original 13 states. We'll discuss this ground-breaking project with Lost Lantern ...

Kentucky's Jeptha Creed Distillery grows all of its corn on the Nethery family's farm nearby, including heirloom grains like Bloody Butcher (red corn) and Bruce's Blue, a strain of blue corn developed on the farm by Bruce Nethery and the inspiration for the new Bruce's Blue Bourbon.  The mother and daughter team of Joyce and Autumn Nethery run the distillery, which attracts thousands of visitors every year. We'll talk with Joy...

Minnesota's O'Shaughnessy Distilling wasn't the first American distillery to make triple-distilled Pot Still whiskey, but the makers of Keeper's Heart Whiskey have plenty of Irish heritage to draw on. Former Midleton master distiller Brian Nation now runs the show at O'Shaughnessy, and he's not only making triple-distilled Pot Still whiskey…he has triple-distilled Rye and Bourbon in the works as well. We'll tour the distille...

This week, we're joined by Carey Bringle, the pit master and whisky maker for Peg Leg Porker. Carey owns a barbecue restaurant by the same name in Nashville, Tennessee, and says there's a lot in common between being a pit master and a whisky maker — but he'll never call himself a master distiller. Bringle has just released a "Spirit of America" Tennessee Bourbon to celebrate America's 250th anniversary, and we'll have tasting...