The Whiskey Lore® Podcast

GUEST: Jason Fruits (Old 55 Distillery CEO & Co-Founder)

Some distillers inherit tradition. Others build their own path from the ground up. In this episode, Drew Hannush sits down with Old 55 Distillery co-founder and distiller Jason Fruits to explore how a family grain business became one of America's most distinctive estate distilleries. From growing the grain to questioning nearly every acce...

It's time to get past the marketing and historical redirects and get down to the business of discovering the true origins Bourbon. It's a story you might think you know. But do you really? 

It's time to toss out 90% of the myths and lore and starting fresh, looking for the people who made America notice this thing we call Bourbon.

And like the story of Tennessee whiskey, this reveal of the story will be part of a book.

That bo...

GUEST: Nora Ganley-Roper & Adam Polonski (Lost Lantern Founders)

Independent bottlers have long helped whiskey lovers discover hidden gems in Scotland, but the concept is only beginning to take hold in America. In this episode, Drew Hannush sits down with Lost Lantern founders Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonski to explore how they're introducing craft distilleries from across the country to ne...

GUEST: John Pawluk (Twisted Cow Distillery Founder and Distiller)

Some distillers master tradition. Others ask why the tradition exists in the first place. In this episode, Drew Hannush sits down with Twisted Cow founder and distiller John Pawluk, whose gift of curiosity has led him to challenge long-held assumptions about fermentation, copper, grain, barrel aging, and flavor development. There is plenty of discussion around one of...

Long before Bourbon became synonymous with Bardstown and Frankfort, Lawrenceburg was home to a network of distillers whose names helped shape the industry itself. Families like the Ripys, Hawkins, Bonds, McBrayers, and Dowlings built businesses, mentored one another, and left a legacy that still echoes across Kentucky whiskey today. In this episode, Drew Hannush talks with filmmaker Bo Cumberland and Stone ...

Drew Hannush heads to Florida's Treasure Coast for a virtual visit to Indian River Distillery in Vero Beach. Founded by Ray Hooker and his family, the distillery combines Florida history with a passion for rum, bourbon, gin, and American single malt. Along the way, Ray shares stories of pirates, the infamous Ashley Gang, and the unique challenges of making whiskey in a subtropical climate.

In This Episo...

When you talk about a roller-coaster history, Four Roses is the poster child brand. In today's episode, we'll relive the glory years of Four Roses in the post-World War II era, when Madison Avenue carved out a Four Roses lifestyle. Then, I'll dig into how Seagram's took the brand from straight Bourbon blend to "Premium Light Whiskey." Then, I'll be joined by Four Roses legendary Brand Ambassador Al Young, ...

Southern Georgia isn't the first place most whiskey travelers think of, which makes 13th Colony Distillery one of those discoveries that feels like you've stumbled onto something special. In this episode, Drew Hannush heads to Americus, Georgia, to visit one of the state's oldest operating whiskey distilleries and sit down with president Maxwell Darby. Along the way, they explore how a hobby project turned ...

When it comes to the stories of whiskey brands, the tale is often told of passionate distillers, willing markets, and a quick and easy rise built off of a quality product and reputation. But foundation stories are rarely that simple.

In the case of Four Roses, an American brand with some mythic qualities, a deeper investigation shows a brand that wasn't entirely embraced by the family that originated it. At times it was the odd man...

For decades, the name Clyde May has been synonymous with Alabama whiskey, even though the brand hasn't had an Alabama home. In this episode, Drew Hannush travels to Troy, Alabama, to visit Conecuh Ridge Distillery and sit down with Clyde May's grandson, L.C. May. Together, they explore the story of a World War II veteran turned moonshiner, the family's decades-long journey to bring the brand back home, and ...

In 1864, a family of Virginians found themselves in war torn Atlanta with a decision to make - head home or plant roots. This was the birth of what would become known as Paul Jones & Company.

Over the years, there have been several stories floating around about how the flagship whiskey they later established in Louisville got its name. Was it because of a dance and proposal to a Southern Belle? Was it lifted from an Atlanta com...

What began with a desire to spend more time with family led Jimmy Sharp and his father to transform an old cotton warehouse beside the railroad tracks in Opelika, Alabama, into one of the state's most distinctive distilleries. In this episode, Drew Hannush visits John Emerald Distilling Company to explore the Scottish roots behind Alabama's first post-Prohibition whiskey, the challenges of making spirits in...

Chattanooga Whiskey helped bring legal distilling back to Chattanooga, but the Experimental Distillery is where the real magic happens. In this episode, Drew Hannush returns to downtown Chattanooga to reconnect with co-founder Tim Piersant and explore the small-scale distillery where Tennessee High Malt was born. From pot still whiskey and peated experiments to custom barrel finishes and an ever-growing lib...

When it comes to Scottish distilleries with whiskies that match the landscape, Talisker is one of my favorite examples: sea and smoke. For the longest time, as the sole distillery on the Isle of Skye, it served as the perfect punctuation mark on any trip to the island. Seemingly isolated along the shore of Loch Harport in the small village of Carbost, it built quite a reputation around the world as early as the 1800s.

Today, I'll d...

Scotland has long been one of the great whiskey pilgrimage destinations, but planning the perfect whisky journey across the Highlands, Islands, Speyside, Campbeltown, and beyond can feel overwhelming. In this bonus episode of Whiskey Lore's Whiskey Flights, I sit down with travel writer and author Angela Youngman to explore the people, places, legends, and distilleries that make Scotland such a magical destination for whiskey lover...

For generations, whiskey fans have repeated one simple rule: Ireland and America spell whiskey with an "e," while Scotland, Canada, and Japan spell whisky without one. But where did that rule actually come from—and does this formula hold up historically?

Today I'll revisit one of the show's earliest topics to dive deeper, separate fact from fiction and uncover the surprising history behind one of whi...

Welcome back to a former guest, John Campbell, who we met back in Interview 63 when we chronicled his 27 years at the legendary Laphroaig Distillery on Islay. Back then, he was taking on the challenge of making Lowland Scotch at Lochlea. Today, he's making an even bigger jump, leaving the island of malt whisky for a chance to make California Bourbon.

There are few who have made the modern journey from Scotland to America, so today'...

Join me as I welcome back Jerry Daniels of Stone Fences Tours for a step beyond distillery visits and into the heart of Bourbon history. We'll tackle the question who truly belongs in the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame that has been left behind?

We go back and forth in a snake draft, each bringing our own list of seven candidates, building a case for the overlooked figures who shaped the industry. From early pioneers and 19th-centur...

Join me as I sit down with Brent Manning, co-founder of Riverbend Malt House, to uncover how two self-described "sustainability geeks" learned the science of malting, helped support the rise of "Beer City U.S.A.," while starting humbly with a one-ton floor malting setup in Asheville.

We'll dive deep into the mechanics of malting, from steeping and germination to kilning, and explore how subtle adjustments at each stage can dramatic...