October 4, 2025 • 14 mins
This is a TEASER in our Martini Expo series
Inside Track The Restaurant Guys were invited to be the official podcasters of The Martini Expo. They spent the day sipping and chatting with the greatest makers, stirrers and shakers on the planet!
Guests
Joe Magliocco is the president of Michter’s Distillery, where he has been instrumental in reviving the historic American whiskey brand. His company is involved in creating eco-sustainable Farmer’s gin.
Dale DeGroff known as “King Cocktail,” is a legendary bartender, author, and educator known for reviving the craft of the classic cocktail. Dale is a James Beard Award winner and founding president of the Museum of the American Cocktail.
David Wondrich is a cocktail historian, author, and James Beard Award winner recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities on drinks and drinking culture.
Robert Simonson, co-founder of The Martini Expo and The Mix with Robert Simonson, is an award-winning journalist and author who writes about cocktails. He has authored several acclaimed books, including The Martini Cocktail.
Mary Kate Murray, co-founder of The Martini Expo and The Mix with Robert Simonson, is a drinks writer and event producer. Her career spans communications and media where she shares a deep love for the communal spirit of drinking.
Lisa Laird Dunn is the ninth-generation family member behind Laird & Company, America’s oldest licensed distillery and the historic producer of Laird’s Applejack.
Info Martini Expo 2025 https://martiniexpo.com/
David's book The Comic Book History of the Cocktail
The Mix with Robert Simonson https://robertsimonson.substack.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
the-restaurant-guys_1_09- (00:11):
Hello everybody and welcome.
You are listening to theRestaurant Guys.
I'm Mark Pascal and I'm herewith Francis Shot.
Together we own stage left in KaLombardi restaurants in New
Brunswick, New Jersey.
We are here to bring you theinside track on food, wine, and
the.
Finer things in life.
This is the grand finale of theshows that we recorded at the
Martini Expo in Brooklyn.
It was tremendous.
It was a grand day.
(00:32):
It was a long day, but it was agrand day.
We have Joe Mallo, then there'smayhem when Dale DeGraff attacks
Joe Malco and then David wdrmuscles into the room.
And then in the end, Mary KateMurray and Robert Simonson
weaned their way in, and somehowLisa Laird got in the tussle.
I don't know exactly how thathappened.
Great show.
Really.
A fitting end to the Martiniexpo.
We have Joe Mall, Yoko, so Isnuck just a little bit of rye
(00:54):
and bourbon talking.
He's he whiskey man.
He's, he's from mixers and alsodoes farmer's gin.
He's really interesting andmaybe the nicest guy in the
business.
The good news, bad news though,if you are a restaurant guy
subscriber, you'll be able tohear this whole entire wonderful
episode, in its entirety.
If, however, you are a freelistener, much as we love you,
this is gonna fade out in acouple of minutes and you'll
(01:14):
miss the dramatic conclusion ofthe Martini Expo at Industry
City in Brooklyn, where we tasteone of the coolest things we've
ever tasted.
So this is as good a time asever to subscribe, uh, and if
you have already subscribed,thank you very much.
You can always find out how todo this more At restaurant guys
podcast.com.
Enjoy the show.
salvatore_2_09-13-2025_1817 (01:32):
All right, so we're at the Martini
Expo.
We've just, reeled in JoeMagliocco.
Uh, now a lot of people know Joebecause he is a, a graduate of
Yale.
He got his Harvard law degree.
I know Joe because he broughtMicers back to the world Whiskey
man.
Super, super important guy in myworld as that's, that's really
(01:53):
one of my absolute favoritebourbons and rise in the world.
Uh, and now you're, you're doingthis new farmer's gin and, and
how cool is that?
You're, you're still branchingout and doing some cool stuff?
Yeah, we're trying to do somegood stuff.
And first of all, thank you somuch for having me on the
restaurant, guys.
Ah, we're so happy you're here.
I really appreciate so muchbeing here and, and just.
To have the opportunity to be atthe Martini Expo.
(02:13):
Oh my God.
It's with Robert Simonson, Ishould have expected that it
would be absolutely wonderful.
And Mary Kate Murray.
It's really a cool event, by theway.
Oh my God.
So those of you who aren't heretoday, sorry.
It's really cool.
See you next year.
Yeah.
it's such a good event.
It's so well done.
I mean, I can't believe it's,it's so perfect for the first
time it's ever beenunbelievable.
And then to see, like, you know,to have like your drinks made by
like Dave W Salvador Calabreselike, oh my God.
(02:37):
That's huge thing.
I just, it's really cool.
I just, took a, took a video ofthe bar, which we're gonna put
up on social media.
Yes.
And behind the bar there werethree bartenders, They were
David Wdr, Salvatore Calabrese,and Takuma Avi.
Yeah.
I mean, it's like superstores.
Well, you know what's funnyabout this event?
You know, whatever it costs toget in.
(02:57):
Have you any idea what it would,a cocktail would cost and a bar
martini would cost.
Right.
Staff staffed by those threepeople, they're like, oh, I like
a martini that is$975.
Please.
No, it, it's incredible.
And it's interesting too becauseI've met several people here
today.
They're not industry people,they're just people who like
cocktails.
Oh yeah.
Like martinis, like gin.
(03:17):
I've met people from differentparts of the world.
Yeah.
I thought people are travelingfrom amazing, far away to be at
this.
And they love it.
They absolutely love it.
it's chill.
It is a sophisticated, chillevent with like people that
would have a line around theblock.
extraordinary.
I just wanna say when I saw youhere and, uh, we've only met
briefly, yes.
(03:38):
But I, I know you as the whiskeyguy, kind of the mixers guy.
Yes.
Yeah.
And I thought to myself, what'sthe whiskey dye, the Martini
festival?
I didn't know about FarmersGeneral.
Yeah.
We gotta spend three minutestalking about mixers because
it's so important.
You're so kind.
Um.
you resurrected a, a reallyiconic brand that had gone
(04:00):
bankrupt.
Yeah.
89 went bankrupt.
Right.
You moved them to Kentucky.
it's funny.
Whiskey was so out of favor whenwe restarted, we acquired the
mixers, uh, trademark for$245.
Wow.
So, I mean, yeah.
But we, but we had no whiskey,no, no recipe.
If you'd to sell that for.
If you'd like to sell that for atiny profit of a three 50, I
would go three 50.
(04:20):
Well, so Mixers was a, a veryfamous American whiskey brand.
Sure.
And like many whiskeys at thetime, they don't really exist so
much anymore.
But Western Pennsylvania was aplace that made whiskey.
There were Pennsylvania whiskey.
Absolutely.
Uh, and then.
they went bankrupt and youresurrected the brand, but you
also, a lot of people resurrecta brand and they just, they
don't really put a lot ofthought into the whiskey.
(04:41):
They put more thought into themarketing, but you took that
brand and put it on top ofreally resurrecting quality
whiskey, but important whiskeybrand.
You're, you're, you're very,very, you're very, very kind.
You know, we, we concentrated onAmerican rye when it wasn't
popular at all.
Yeah.
Yep.
And, we had tremendous help fromthe on-premise community, from
bartenders like us to reallyhelp.
Yes.
Bring it back and, well, becauseseriously, I think that, I think
(05:03):
there are a, and this is no,there are a lot of retailers who
really do taste and reallyknowledgeable retailers now,
which is different than it waswhen we started 30 years ago.
But I think it was theon-premise guys who you could
walk in and say, here, tastethis.
And even if you don't know whatit is, you're like, oh, that's.
Great, I'll take it.
And, and they really becameevangelists, like introducing
people to like, you know, thatRye made great cocktails and you
(05:25):
know what if you used a reallygood bourbon, you know, you can
make a really good bourboncocktail too.
Yeah.
Yep.
And I think, I've been fortunateto work with really good
production people.
I try to sell the stuff.
I don't make it myself.
American whiskey.
Is in a different position nowthan it was really 25 years ago.
Yes.
30 years ago when I was gettingstarted.
'cause the whole industry's donea good job on quality.
I we were very fortunate for,for the third time, you know,
(05:47):
uh, drinks International outtaLondon, their poll of a hundred
whiskey experts around theworld.
We were named, for the thirdtime the world's most admired
whiskey.
before us, an American whiskeywas never.
That's fantastic.
It's some of the world's mostadmired and, um, and I think,
but it's not, it's not justabout us, it's about the
category.
Yeah.
And I think this growingrecognition that American
whiskey can be really, reallygood.
So Joe, you don't, you don'tknow this, but today, when I,
(06:11):
when we were gonna be here, andI saw your name on the list, I
saw you out.
I know you're very kind and Iwent, I went to find you, but
you don't know the reason I wentto find you.
So Francis and I do Instagramvideos and we do all sorts of,
different types of things.
And often we'll be drinkingwhiskey in those videos.
what many people don't know, andif you really follow me closely,
(06:34):
I, I mentioned it enough timesthat, that, you know, this is
true.
if you are looking at medrinking whiskey in a video,
nine times out of 10 it'sMichter's 10 year rye.
Wow.
Because that is the rye that Icannot get enough of.
Well, you're so kind.
If you haven't had Michter's 10year bourbon is spectacular, but
(06:56):
specifically the rye is, is oneof those gr and it's not cheap.
It's a, it's an expensive rye atthis point.
Yeah, but it pun it punchesabove its weight.
It's very, very extraordinaryfor so many reasons.
It's spicy, it's got greatviscosity.
It's just a beautiful whiskey.
So, so.
Yeah, we're gonna talk aboutfarmer's gin in a minute.
Yeah, but I, I had to talk aboutthat.
(07:17):
Michter's 10-year-old rye.
I love minter's Americanwhiskey, and I love Minter's
bourbon.
I love minter's regular rye.
But Michter's 10-year-old rye isa category alone.
Yeah.
you're, you're really kind.
It.
And it's interesting too,because there's so many great
American r.
But our rye is very much what wecall Kentucky style rye.
Mm-hmm.
It is not like a 95% ryemashville.
(07:38):
Right.
It's a lot less rye than that.
It's still a, obviously majorityrye grain.
Mm-hmm.
But so you get good rye spice,but there's enough corn in
there, there's enough maltedbarley in there.
You get some other really niceflavor components going on and
complimenting the nice spice andmaking it rich.
And then too, you know, the factis, at mixers, you know, we're
privately held.
Our goal, whether we're doingwe'll, say whether we're doing
(07:59):
it or not.
The goal is to try to make thegreatest American whiskey as
we're trying to do and, Becausewe're privately held, we get to
do things like, we releasesomething not on based on a
strict a statement, release itwhen it's ready.
Mm-hmm.
I mean, you know, uh, uh, thelatest 10 year bourbon that
released, you know, we releasing10 year bourbon, that's actually
14 and a half years old to putall this stuff in the bottle.
Mm-hmm.
So we let our master distiller,our master maturation, Andrea
(08:20):
Wilson, decide when stuff isready.
So there's a lot that goes intoit, but I'm just so glad you
like it.
That's the main thing is youlike it.
It's, well, I'm, I've just donemy self a disservice.
'cause now there's a whole bunchof people who are, who are gonna
be looking forward.
They're trying to get thatright.
Yeah.
They're less likely for me toget.
No, appreciate it.
But, uh, it really, I, I neededto tell you that and I wanted to
tell you that in, in front ofAmerica.
(08:41):
I wanted everybody to know thatwhen you see me with that glass
out there, nine times outta 10,that's, what I'm drinking is
really appreciate It is that 10year, 10 year rye.
Very much appreciate it.
We gotta talk about gin, right?
We're at the martini expo.
It's time to talk about gin.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, so gin.
Um, my go-to when I'm notdrinking whiskey is gin.
I personally love gin.
Mm-hmm.
And there's so many wonderfulgins.
(09:03):
I like gin with a, with a goodamount of juniper.
And, uh, farmers, you know, Iwork between Chatham Import,
which is the parent company ofmixers.
we do organic vodka Minnesota.
the gin is, is distilled inIdaho.
All of the grain comes from one.
Organic farm in Idaho.
Mm-hmm.
Um, my friend Tim, corny is thefarmer.
(09:26):
I mean, it's all Tim.
Corny is grain.
Tim is very specific.
He's sort of the father oforganic and regenerative farming
in Idaho.
What sort of grain?
Uh, it, it's actually wheat.
Okay.
Um, and Tim is like veryparticular and I got to know Tim
well because we have a 2 5, 2 5acre farm in Refield, Kentucky
where we grow some of our owngrain from mixers.
And Tim was consulting on thatand we became good friends.
(09:48):
And he's just, he's just abrilliant farmer and farming's
hard.
Yeah.
I, I never realized if farming'snot, so farming is, is the
hardest job there is.
Yeah.
It really is.
I, I don't, I don't know of aharder job than farming.
I mean, you're so dependent onnature.
Mm-hmm.
And just so many differentthings can go wrong.
it's like making whiskey, youknow?
You need really goodingredients.
Yeah.
And, the better the ingredients,the better chance you have to
come out with something reallygood.
(10:09):
And, you know, and, we have ateam, um, our, our M'S team
actually works.
on the farmer's gin.
Um, they go to Idaho.
they do the botanical infusionin Idaho.
Um, they're very particularabout the juniper that we pick.
And it also has an interestingflavor profile.
'cause we tried it, we tried itwith lemongrass.
It was nice, tried it with elderflower.
(10:30):
It was nice.
When you put that a certainamount of elder flour and
lemongrass in with the type ofjuniper we use, you get a really
nice medley of flavors that'sreally wonderful and sort of
accentuates each other.
Rick Robinson is our ChiefProduct Officer, uh, uh, you
know, does a lot of work on thefarmers, Jen, and I think he's
done a really, really good job.
it's regenerative, organic, and,um, you know, we enjoy it.
(10:53):
We think it makes a nicemartini.
So let's talk about martinis'cause we're here at the Martini
Expo people who come from allover the world to be here?
Sure.
Do you see a kind of arenaissance of interest in the
martini?
Absolutely.
And why is this here, why isthis happening now?
You know, that's such a, that'ssuch a great question.
And I'm, I'm not really sure,but you know.
(11:15):
First of all, it's a wonderfuldrink.
It's a classic drink, but it'salso, and, and it's a word that
I've heard used at theseseminars here, and the seminars
have been terrific that, thatRobert's put together.
Um, it's experiential.
Mm.
it's not just about how ittastes, it's about how it's made
and how it's served to you andhow it's presented.
(11:36):
Yeah.
I love that.
I love that you've ice and thecold glass.
It's a ritual.
You're James Bond.
Exactly.
You're drinking a martini.
You're James Bond.
Exactly.
That's a great, that's a great,no, seriously.
Yeah.
but we see.
All different types of peopleeverywhere, you know, we export
a, a farmer's gin is actually areally good export market for
us.
and at Chatham, which is a salesagent for mixers and apparent
oficers, we export to 83countries.
(11:56):
Wow.
And we see, we see martinisgrowing, not just in the US but
worldwide.
Substantially.
Well, so let me ask you aquestion.
I want to ask you a couple ofrapid fire questions, please.
One.
We've been doing seminars allday.
You make gin mar you, you'reaware of the cultural place of
martini.
We, we have a visitor joiningus.
(12:16):
Mr.
DeGraff.
How are you?
That noise, that degra bustingnow.
Now we got it.
We are just talking about you.
So, what makes a martini amartini?
Look, I, I think that there'sbeen a lot of poetic license.
Look, espresso martinis arehugely popular and, but as
somebody who likes a reallygood, you know, dry gin martini,
(12:40):
personally, it's, it's, youknow, it's, it's, it's not my,
you know, it's not my personalpreferred drink.
Okay.
So is an, if it's an upas, is anespresso martini?
A martini is a chocolatemartini, a martini?
Do they call?
They call it, they call it amartini.
I know.
My question is, is that legit?
They.
I, I think that there's a lot ofcreative bar people making
(13:00):
really good stuff Uhhuh, and, Iencourage the creativity.
Let your martini flag fly.
I think, I think, I think got, Ithink, I think people should
drink what they enjoy.
Amen.
Joe, I agree with you.
And as a guy who has an espressomartini and a chocolate martini.
On my list.
They're not martinis.
Yeah.
Alright.
There's only martini in the nameDale DeGraff just entered the
(13:22):
room.
Let's, let's go with martinis.
With martini.
In name only Dale DeGroff Whatmakes a martini?
A martini?
Well, please give me at leastvodka and Jen at least some kind
of fortified wine product.
Something you, you know,sharing, whatever you know, so
you're sort of, kind of in it.
But those martini menus of thenineties with.
(13:43):
Spiced from and pineapple juice.
You know, I mean, not a martini.
Yeah.
All right.
There are standards, we justdunno what they are.
That's the debate.
And the best way to figure thatout is for us all to drink more
martinis.
Hello everybody and welcome.
You are listening to theRestaurant Guys.
I'm Mark Pascal and I'm herewith Francis Shot.
Together we own stage left in KaLombardi restaurants in New
Brunswick, New Jersey.
We are here to bring you theinside track on food, wine, and
the.
Finer things in life.
This is the grand finale of theshows that we recorded at the
Martini Expo in Brooklyn.
It was tremendous.
It was a grand day.
(00:32):
It was a long day, but it was agrand day.
We have Joe Mallo, then there'smayhem when Dale DeGraff attacks
Joe Malco and then David wdrmuscles into the room.
And then in the end, Mary KateMurray and Robert Simonson
weaned their way in, and somehowLisa Laird got in the tussle.
I don't know exactly how thathappened.
Great show.
Really.
A fitting end to the Martiniexpo.
We have Joe Mall, Yoko, so Isnuck just a little bit of rye
(00:54):
and bourbon talking.
He's he whiskey man.
He's, he's from mixers and alsodoes farmer's gin.
He's really interesting andmaybe the nicest guy in the
business.
The good news, bad news though,if you are a restaurant guy
subscriber, you'll be able tohear this whole entire wonderful
episode, in its entirety.
If, however, you are a freelistener, much as we love you,
this is gonna fade out in acouple of minutes and you'll
(01:14):
miss the dramatic conclusion ofthe Martini Expo at Industry
City in Brooklyn, where we tasteone of the coolest things we've
ever tasted.
So this is as good a time asever to subscribe, uh, and if
you have already subscribed,thank you very much.
You can always find out how todo this more At restaurant guys
podcast.com.
Enjoy the show.
salvatore_2_09-13-2025_1817 (01:32):
All right, so we're at the Martini
Expo.
We've just, reeled in JoeMagliocco.
Uh, now a lot of people know Joebecause he is a, a graduate of
Yale.
He got his Harvard law degree.
I know Joe because he broughtMicers back to the world Whiskey
man.
Super, super important guy in myworld as that's, that's really
(01:53):
one of my absolute favoritebourbons and rise in the world.
Uh, and now you're, you're doingthis new farmer's gin and, and
how cool is that?
You're, you're still branchingout and doing some cool stuff?
Yeah, we're trying to do somegood stuff.
And first of all, thank you somuch for having me on the
restaurant, guys.
Ah, we're so happy you're here.
I really appreciate so muchbeing here and, and just.
To have the opportunity to be atthe Martini Expo.
(02:13):
Oh my God.
It's with Robert Simonson, Ishould have expected that it
would be absolutely wonderful.
And Mary Kate Murray.
It's really a cool event, by theway.
Oh my God.
So those of you who aren't heretoday, sorry.
It's really cool.
See you next year.
Yeah.
it's such a good event.
It's so well done.
I mean, I can't believe it's,it's so perfect for the first
time it's ever beenunbelievable.
And then to see, like, you know,to have like your drinks made by
like Dave W Salvador Calabreselike, oh my God.
(02:37):
That's huge thing.
I just, it's really cool.
I just, took a, took a video ofthe bar, which we're gonna put
up on social media.
Yes.
And behind the bar there werethree bartenders, They were
David Wdr, Salvatore Calabrese,and Takuma Avi.
Yeah.
I mean, it's like superstores.
Well, you know what's funnyabout this event?
You know, whatever it costs toget in.
(02:57):
Have you any idea what it would,a cocktail would cost and a bar
martini would cost.
Right.
Staff staffed by those threepeople, they're like, oh, I like
a martini that is$975.
Please.
No, it, it's incredible.
And it's interesting too becauseI've met several people here
today.
They're not industry people,they're just people who like
cocktails.
Oh yeah.
Like martinis, like gin.
(03:17):
I've met people from differentparts of the world.
Yeah.
I thought people are travelingfrom amazing, far away to be at
this.
And they love it.
They absolutely love it.
it's chill.
It is a sophisticated, chillevent with like people that
would have a line around theblock.
extraordinary.
I just wanna say when I saw youhere and, uh, we've only met
briefly, yes.
(03:38):
But I, I know you as the whiskeyguy, kind of the mixers guy.
Yes.
Yeah.
And I thought to myself, what'sthe whiskey dye, the Martini
festival?
I didn't know about FarmersGeneral.
Yeah.
We gotta spend three minutestalking about mixers because
it's so important.
You're so kind.
Um.
you resurrected a, a reallyiconic brand that had gone
(04:00):
bankrupt.
Yeah.
89 went bankrupt.
Right.
You moved them to Kentucky.
it's funny.
Whiskey was so out of favor whenwe restarted, we acquired the
mixers, uh, trademark for$245.
Wow.
So, I mean, yeah.
But we, but we had no whiskey,no, no recipe.
If you'd to sell that for.
If you'd like to sell that for atiny profit of a three 50, I
would go three 50.
(04:20):
Well, so Mixers was a, a veryfamous American whiskey brand.
Sure.
And like many whiskeys at thetime, they don't really exist so
much anymore.
But Western Pennsylvania was aplace that made whiskey.
There were Pennsylvania whiskey.
Absolutely.
Uh, and then.
they went bankrupt and youresurrected the brand, but you
also, a lot of people resurrecta brand and they just, they
don't really put a lot ofthought into the whiskey.
(04:41):
They put more thought into themarketing, but you took that
brand and put it on top ofreally resurrecting quality
whiskey, but important whiskeybrand.
You're, you're, you're very,very, you're very, very kind.
You know, we, we concentrated onAmerican rye when it wasn't
popular at all.
Yeah.
Yep.
And, we had tremendous help fromthe on-premise community, from
bartenders like us to reallyhelp.
Yes.
Bring it back and, well, becauseseriously, I think that, I think
(05:03):
there are a, and this is no,there are a lot of retailers who
really do taste and reallyknowledgeable retailers now,
which is different than it waswhen we started 30 years ago.
But I think it was theon-premise guys who you could
walk in and say, here, tastethis.
And even if you don't know whatit is, you're like, oh, that's.
Great, I'll take it.
And, and they really becameevangelists, like introducing
people to like, you know, thatRye made great cocktails and you
(05:25):
know what if you used a reallygood bourbon, you know, you can
make a really good bourboncocktail too.
Yeah.
Yep.
And I think, I've been fortunateto work with really good
production people.
I try to sell the stuff.
I don't make it myself.
American whiskey.
Is in a different position nowthan it was really 25 years ago.
Yes.
30 years ago when I was gettingstarted.
'cause the whole industry's donea good job on quality.
I we were very fortunate for,for the third time, you know,
(05:47):
uh, drinks International outtaLondon, their poll of a hundred
whiskey experts around theworld.
We were named, for the thirdtime the world's most admired
whiskey.
before us, an American whiskeywas never.
That's fantastic.
It's some of the world's mostadmired and, um, and I think,
but it's not, it's not justabout us, it's about the
category.
Yeah.
And I think this growingrecognition that American
whiskey can be really, reallygood.
So Joe, you don't, you don'tknow this, but today, when I,
(06:11):
when we were gonna be here, andI saw your name on the list, I
saw you out.
I know you're very kind and Iwent, I went to find you, but
you don't know the reason I wentto find you.
So Francis and I do Instagramvideos and we do all sorts of,
different types of things.
And often we'll be drinkingwhiskey in those videos.
what many people don't know, andif you really follow me closely,
(06:34):
I, I mentioned it enough timesthat, that, you know, this is
true.
if you are looking at medrinking whiskey in a video,
nine times out of 10 it'sMichter's 10 year rye.
Wow.
Because that is the rye that Icannot get enough of.
Well, you're so kind.
If you haven't had Michter's 10year bourbon is spectacular, but
(06:56):
specifically the rye is, is oneof those gr and it's not cheap.
It's a, it's an expensive rye atthis point.
Yeah, but it pun it punchesabove its weight.
It's very, very extraordinaryfor so many reasons.
It's spicy, it's got greatviscosity.
It's just a beautiful whiskey.
So, so.
Yeah, we're gonna talk aboutfarmer's gin in a minute.
Yeah, but I, I had to talk aboutthat.
(07:17):
Michter's 10-year-old rye.
I love minter's Americanwhiskey, and I love Minter's
bourbon.
I love minter's regular rye.
But Michter's 10-year-old rye isa category alone.
Yeah.
you're, you're really kind.
It.
And it's interesting too,because there's so many great
American r.
But our rye is very much what wecall Kentucky style rye.
Mm-hmm.
It is not like a 95% ryemashville.
(07:38):
Right.
It's a lot less rye than that.
It's still a, obviously majorityrye grain.
Mm-hmm.
But so you get good rye spice,but there's enough corn in
there, there's enough maltedbarley in there.
You get some other really niceflavor components going on and
complimenting the nice spice andmaking it rich.
And then too, you know, the factis, at mixers, you know, we're
privately held.
Our goal, whether we're doingwe'll, say whether we're doing
(07:59):
it or not.
The goal is to try to make thegreatest American whiskey as
we're trying to do and, Becausewe're privately held, we get to
do things like, we releasesomething not on based on a
strict a statement, release itwhen it's ready.
Mm-hmm.
I mean, you know, uh, uh, thelatest 10 year bourbon that
released, you know, we releasing10 year bourbon, that's actually
14 and a half years old to putall this stuff in the bottle.
Mm-hmm.
So we let our master distiller,our master maturation, Andrea
(08:20):
Wilson, decide when stuff isready.
So there's a lot that goes intoit, but I'm just so glad you
like it.
That's the main thing is youlike it.
It's, well, I'm, I've just donemy self a disservice.
'cause now there's a whole bunchof people who are, who are gonna
be looking forward.
They're trying to get thatright.
Yeah.
They're less likely for me toget.
No, appreciate it.
But, uh, it really, I, I neededto tell you that and I wanted to
tell you that in, in front ofAmerica.
(08:41):
I wanted everybody to know thatwhen you see me with that glass
out there, nine times outta 10,that's, what I'm drinking is
really appreciate It is that 10year, 10 year rye.
Very much appreciate it.
We gotta talk about gin, right?
We're at the martini expo.
It's time to talk about gin.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, so gin.
Um, my go-to when I'm notdrinking whiskey is gin.
I personally love gin.
Mm-hmm.
And there's so many wonderfulgins.
(09:03):
I like gin with a, with a goodamount of juniper.
And, uh, farmers, you know, Iwork between Chatham Import,
which is the parent company ofmixers.
we do organic vodka Minnesota.
the gin is, is distilled inIdaho.
All of the grain comes from one.
Organic farm in Idaho.
Mm-hmm.
Um, my friend Tim, corny is thefarmer.
(09:26):
I mean, it's all Tim.
Corny is grain.
Tim is very specific.
He's sort of the father oforganic and regenerative farming
in Idaho.
What sort of grain?
Uh, it, it's actually wheat.
Okay.
Um, and Tim is like veryparticular and I got to know Tim
well because we have a 2 5, 2 5acre farm in Refield, Kentucky
where we grow some of our owngrain from mixers.
And Tim was consulting on thatand we became good friends.
(09:48):
And he's just, he's just abrilliant farmer and farming's
hard.
Yeah.
I, I never realized if farming'snot, so farming is, is the
hardest job there is.
Yeah.
It really is.
I, I don't, I don't know of aharder job than farming.
I mean, you're so dependent onnature.
Mm-hmm.
And just so many differentthings can go wrong.
it's like making whiskey, youknow?
You need really goodingredients.
Yeah.
And, the better the ingredients,the better chance you have to
come out with something reallygood.
(10:09):
And, you know, and, we have ateam, um, our, our M'S team
actually works.
on the farmer's gin.
Um, they go to Idaho.
they do the botanical infusionin Idaho.
Um, they're very particularabout the juniper that we pick.
And it also has an interestingflavor profile.
'cause we tried it, we tried itwith lemongrass.
It was nice, tried it with elderflower.
(10:30):
It was nice.
When you put that a certainamount of elder flour and
lemongrass in with the type ofjuniper we use, you get a really
nice medley of flavors that'sreally wonderful and sort of
accentuates each other.
Rick Robinson is our ChiefProduct Officer, uh, uh, you
know, does a lot of work on thefarmers, Jen, and I think he's
done a really, really good job.
it's regenerative, organic, and,um, you know, we enjoy it.
(10:53):
We think it makes a nicemartini.
So let's talk about martinis'cause we're here at the Martini
Expo people who come from allover the world to be here?
Sure.
Do you see a kind of arenaissance of interest in the
martini?
Absolutely.
And why is this here, why isthis happening now?
You know, that's such a, that'ssuch a great question.
And I'm, I'm not really sure,but you know.
(11:15):
First of all, it's a wonderfuldrink.
It's a classic drink, but it'salso, and, and it's a word that
I've heard used at theseseminars here, and the seminars
have been terrific that, thatRobert's put together.
Um, it's experiential.
Mm.
it's not just about how ittastes, it's about how it's made
and how it's served to you andhow it's presented.
(11:36):
Yeah.
I love that.
I love that you've ice and thecold glass.
It's a ritual.
You're James Bond.
Exactly.
You're drinking a martini.
You're James Bond.
Exactly.
That's a great, that's a great,no, seriously.
Yeah.
but we see.
All different types of peopleeverywhere, you know, we export
a, a farmer's gin is actually areally good export market for
us.
and at Chatham, which is a salesagent for mixers and apparent
oficers, we export to 83countries.
(11:56):
Wow.
And we see, we see martinisgrowing, not just in the US but
worldwide.
Substantially.
Well, so let me ask you aquestion.
I want to ask you a couple ofrapid fire questions, please.
One.
We've been doing seminars allday.
You make gin mar you, you'reaware of the cultural place of
martini.
We, we have a visitor joiningus.
(12:16):
Mr.
DeGraff.
How are you?
That noise, that degra bustingnow.
Now we got it.
We are just talking about you.
So, what makes a martini amartini?
Look, I, I think that there'sbeen a lot of poetic license.
Look, espresso martinis arehugely popular and, but as
somebody who likes a reallygood, you know, dry gin martini,
(12:40):
personally, it's, it's, youknow, it's, it's, it's not my,
you know, it's not my personalpreferred drink.
Okay.
So is an, if it's an upas, is anespresso martini?
A martini is a chocolatemartini, a martini?
Do they call?
They call it, they call it amartini.
I know.
My question is, is that legit?
They.
I, I think that there's a lot ofcreative bar people making
(13:00):
really good stuff Uhhuh, and, Iencourage the creativity.
Let your martini flag fly.
I think, I think, I think got, Ithink, I think people should
drink what they enjoy.
Amen.
Joe, I agree with you.
And as a guy who has an espressomartini and a chocolate martini.
On my list.
They're not martinis.
Yeah.
Alright.
There's only martini in the nameDale DeGraff just entered the
(13:22):
room.
Let's, let's go with martinis.
With martini.
In name only Dale DeGroff Whatmakes a martini?
A martini?
Well, please give me at leastvodka and Jen at least some kind
of fortified wine product.
Something you, you know,sharing, whatever you know, so
you're sort of, kind of in it.
But those martini menus of thenineties with.
(13:43):
Spiced from and pineapple juice.
You know, I mean, not a martini.
Yeah.
All right.
There are standards, we justdunno what they are.
That's the debate.
And the best way to figure thatout is for us all to drink more
martinis.
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