305: Benromach's Unique Speyside Scotch Whisky with Keith Cruickshank
Bourbon Lens
In this episode of the Bourbon Lens podcast, we dive deep into the world of Benromach, one of Scotland's most celebrated distilleries. We’re joined by Keith Cruickshank, Distillery Manager at Benromach, who walks us through the rich history and what make their subtly smoky Speyside whiskies stand out. We’re honored to taste through their impressive portfolio, including their rare and limited-release 50-Year-Old Scotch, a truly exceptional and costly expression that showcases the artistry and dedication behind Benromach’s craft. Keith shares insights into the distillery’s commitment to...
info_outline
304: Fawn Weaver on Her New Book, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, and Honoring Nathan Green
Bourbon Lens
In this episode of Bourbon Lens, hosts Jake and Scott sit down with Fawn Weaver, the trailblazing founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. Fawn takes us on a journey through her remarkable story—how she discovered the legacy of Nathan “Nearest” Green, the first African-American master distiller, and how she turned that discovery into the globally recognized whiskey brand, Uncle Nearest. Fawn also shares insights into her newly released book, Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest, which...
info_outline
303: A Deep Dive with Ross Cornelissen, Master Distiller of 1792 Bourbon
Bourbon Lens
This week, we’re talking about Barton 1792 Distillery and 1792 Bourbon. Master Distiller Ross Cornelissen joins Bourbon Lens to talk about the workhouse bourbon distillery. Barton 1792 is a historic distillery in the Bourbon Capital of the World and owned by Sazerac Company. We discuss three limited releases from Barton 1792, including Sweet Wheat, Aged Twelve Years, and Thomas S. Moore Port Cask Finished Bourbon. We are thankful for your support over the last 6 years. We must give the biggest shoutout to our amazing community of Patreon supporters! As always, we'd appreciate it if you...
info_outline
302: Sitting Down with Dierks Bentley and His New ROW 94 Whiskey
Bourbon Lens
We’re joined by multi-Platinum country music artist, Dierks Bentley, in this special episode of Bourbon Lens. Dierks recently wrapped up his Gravel & Gold Tour and is firmly planted back in Nashville preparing for his next album. We had the privilege to sit down with Dierks to talk about his newest project, Row 94 Whiskey. Row 94 is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey distilled at the historic Green River Distilling Company. Dierks aims for Row 94 to be the bourbon you reach for when you’re enjoying a night with friends, listening to live music, or pouring a whiskey...
info_outline
301: Restoration and History with Cook’s Mill Whiskey Founder Jason Queen
Bourbon Lens
On a recent trip to Myrtle Beach we crossed paths with Jason Queen as he was working to promote his bourbon in South Carolina. Jason shared a bit of history with us and a whiskey too. That chance meeting and conversation inspired this latest episode of the Bourbon Lens Podcast. Jason, a serial entrepreneur and conservationist purchased Cook’s Mill, an old grist mill in order to restore this once thriving mill. That goal set him on a path to creating a whiskey that is focused paying homage to North Carolina’s past. Sit back and buckle in for the latest episode of the...
info_outline
300: Celebrating a New Milestone with Birthday Bourbon at Old Forester
Bourbon Lens
We are celebrating a BIG milestone this week as we release the 300th Episode of Bourbon Lens. Old Forester and Brown-Forman were gracious enough to invite Jake and Scott to Whiskey Row to celebrate. Bourbon Lens is joined by Melissa Rift and Caleb Trigo from Old Forester to discuss the historic brand, its legacy and future, and to toast our milestone with the 2024 Edition of Birthday Bourbon. We couldn’t think of a better choice for celebrating this milestone episode and thank the team at Brown-Forman and Old Forester for their support all these years. As we celebrate this...
info_outline
299: Building the Best 5 Bottle American Whiskey Bar
Bourbon Lens
It’s the question that every whiskey enthusiast has been asked: What’s the one bottle of whiskey you keep on your bar? Since one bottle clearly wouldn’t make a great podcast, we decided to up the ante a bit and decided to build the Ultimate 5 Bottle American Whiskey Bar. Jake and Scott run through how they would build their whiskey bar if only afforded 5 slots. We’ve given ourselves criteria in hopes of finding a bottle for every niche and occasion. We run through our choices for 1) best everyday whiskey, 2) best cocktail whiskey, 3) high proof whiskey, 4) Top Shelf...
info_outline
298: The Most Exciting New Whiskey Releases for Fall 2024
Bourbon Lens
It’s been a wild season of new whiskey and bourbon releases and we’re catching up on some of the ones you may have missed. The press releases have been coming in fast and furious of late and Bourbon Lens is doing our best to keep you abreast of all the news. We recap some of the most exciting releases from the heritage Kentucky distilleries, the best distilleries both inside and outside of Kentucky, and even some celebrity brands that have the whiskey world talking. As always, be sure you’re following along at BourbonLens.com for all the latest news and notes of the whiskey world. ...
info_outline
297: Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2024 Recap and Planning for Next Year
Bourbon Lens
Scott and Jake sit down to debrief after a long weekend at the We discuss some of our favorite pours and experiences from yet another memorable Festival. We must give a shoutout to our AirBnB housemates who joined us to celebrate and to all our listeners who introduced themselves over the weekend. We wrap up this recap episode with some tips to consider as you plan your trip to the . Thank you to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, its board and staff, and Estes PR for inviting us to the Festival to cover the events and festivities of the weekend. Image Credit: We are thankful for your...
info_outline
296: Our Trip to New Riff Distilling with Jay Erisman
Bourbon Lens
Scott and Jake travel to Newport Kentucky to visit New Riff Distilling and sit down with co-founder Jay Erisman. We kick back inside the Aquifer Bar to discuss New Riff’s history, their whiskey portfolio, and what’s ahead now that the distillery recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. In this episode, we taste New Riff Bottled in Bond Bourbon, Silver Grove Bourbon, Malted Rye, and their 8 Year Bourbon. Stay tuned to Bourbon Lens for more coverage of New Riff coming soon, including their second batch of Kentucky Single Malt and their Whisky NRD tasting courses currently...
info_outlineFrom Buffalo Trace to The Big Apple. Brandon Collins, Head Distiller for Taconic Distillery, joins us for this week's episode of The Bourbon Lens. Brandon moved on from his role at one of the most recognizable distilleries in world to take on craft distilling in New York state. Taconic Distillery is located 90 miles north of New York City and is gaining ground by their willingness to experiment with excellent barrel finishes and their ability to produce high quality bourbon and rye whiskey. On this episode, we were drinking Taconic's Mizunara Cask finished bourbon, weighing in at 107 proof. Read more on Mizunara Oak in this article from Wine Enthusiast
We hope you enjoy this week's episode and maybe even discover a rising distillery you might not be aware of. Taconic Distillery has plans to expand its distribution to Kentucky during 2020, so look for them on a shelf near you soon.
Brandon Collins Bio/Background:
Raised in Carlisle, OH, Brandon grew up with a love of chemistry that eventually led to his passion for producing amazing whiskey. Brandon received a BS in Chemical Engineering at Ohio State University, where his studies included Brewing and Fermentation Science. After graduating college, he went on to hold a highly coveted Distillery Supervisor position at Buffalo Trace. During his tenure at Buffalo Trace, the oldest continuously operating distillery in the country, Buffalo Trace was named “Whiskey Distiller of the Year” in 2014 and “Brand Innovator of the Year” in 2015, by Whisky Magazine’s “Icons of Whisky America”.
During his travels Brandon developed a love for New York City, where he currently resides. When an opportunity arose at Long Island Spirits in 2017 he decided it was time to combine his two passions and relocate to New York. There he went on to produce a “Chairman’s Trophy Rye Whiskey” in the Ultimate Spirits Challenge.
Taconic Distillery, established in 2013, is a purveyor of fine craft spirits located in the Hudson Valley of New York. We handcraft our award-winning bourbon and rye whiskies in small batches using the finest ingredients, including grains grown in New York and natural spring water from our farm.
Inspired by hunting and fishing, Taconic embraces a passion for the outdoors and that passion is imprinted on all our spirits.
All of our spirits are brilliant for simple sipping. They also make excellent traditional and signature cocktails.
We are proud members of the American Distilling Institute, the American Craft Spirits Association and the New York Distillers Guild.
We would appreciate you giving us a 5 star rating on your podcast app and please leave us a written review. This will help others discover our podcast and will help us expand our reach.
Also, be sure to follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].
Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts and see what we are up to.