18: Ep. 18 "My Favo(u)rite Irish Whiskey" with Brian Mast & Killarney & Glendalough Irish Whiskeys

On this episode of "My Favo(u)rite Irish..." I got to spend some time back in early March of 2023 with Brian Mast, co-owner along with his wife Jennifer, of the Waits Mast wine label.

I first met Brian, and Jennifer, back in 2010 when I ran the “When Irish Wines are Smiling” event here in the Napa Valley, and it’s been way too long since I got to spend time with Brian in person. 

Ahead of an event in San Francisco Brian and I sat down in the tasting room of the winery where Waits Mast wine is made in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco with a dram, or three, in hand and had a grand ole natter. 

We talked about Brian’s family ancestry with his Mum leaving Co. Louth for America in the late 1950’s, Brian’s own journey from the mid-west to San Francisco, their wine story and how Waits Mast came into being. We also talked about their trips back to Ireland and their first trip to Glendalough. 

And of course we chatted about Brian’s first Irish whiskey and some of his favorite cocktails.

And we did all of this talking while sipping on, not one but three Irish whiskeys, with a fun Burgundy barrel finished Irish whiskey from Killarney and 2 offerings from the folks at Glendalough.

Links for more info…
Waits Mast Website Here
Cocktails Invented in the SF Bay Area

Whiskeys sipped on and chatted about;
Killarney French Burgundy Barrel Finish - https://www.irishmalts.com/blended/killarney-1092-tap-room-series-2122-twin-gift-pack

Glendalough Double Barrel - https://www.glendaloughdistillery.com/products/glendalough-double-barrel

Glendalough Pot Still - https://us.glendaloughdistillery.com/pot-still-whiskey

The "My Favo(u)rite Irish..." podcast is listed by Feedspot as one of the Top 5 Irish Whiskey Podcasts online: https://blog.feedspot.com/irish_whiskey_podcasts/

CLARIFICATIONS:
Pot Still (Irish) Whiskey / Irish Pot Still Whiskey: This is currently required to be produced using a mash, or mash-bill, containing a minimum of 30% malted and a minimum of 30% unmalted barley. The remainder of the mash can be made up of either malted or unmalted barley, and can include up to 5% of other unmalted cereals (wheat, oats, rye, or corn.)