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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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. ...
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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...
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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...
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295: Four Roses New Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon for 2024
Bourbon Lens
We continue our coverage for Bourbon Heritage Month as we explore Four Roses Bourbon, including their new . We are joined by Brent Elliott, Master Distiller for Four Roses Bourbon Distillery. We discuss Brent’s process for crafting this limited edition bourbon, the , the distillery’s commitment to quality and tradition, and the recent announcement of an expansion of the Four Roses Bourbon recipe lineup. What is your favorite Four Roses recipe or release? About Four Roses: Established in 1888, Four Roses combines two mashbills with five proprietary yeast strains to distill...
info_outlineMichael enjoyed some whiskey from Christine Riggleman (aka Hooch Mama) and Lauren Riggleman Weller (Baby Hooch). Thanks to one of our fans, PCWhiskey on Instagram, we were introduced to this Mother-Daughter distilling duo from Silverback Distillery. Learn more about the Silverback team and their lineup of whiskey in this week's episode. Christine and Lauren make a great team and provide a great perspective on life as a growing distillery. Additionally, Silverback is active in their fight for legal and regulatory changes to Virginia laws which hinder their ability to compete in the alcoholic beverage industry in Virginia. Find out more about their fight for parity in the Commonwealth of Virginia in this article from the Washington Post, featuring Silverback Distillery.
ABOUT:
Silverback Distillery is the only mother-daughter distilling duo in the nation crafting high quality, award-winning spirits.
From the refreshing, citrus-forward Strange Monkey Gin to real honey-liqueur infused Blackback Rye Whiskey to the "ultimate butterscotch bomb" Blackback Bourbon, Silverback Distillery strives to produce distinct, flavorful spirits from a unique mix of local grains, mountain water and good ol' American craft(woman)ship.
With production facilities and tasting rooms in both the Pocono region of Pennsylvania and in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Silverback offers a unique visitor experience. From mini cocktail flights, barrel smoked cocktails, or whiskey served neat, however you fancy your tasting, our distillery offers a chest-thumping good time.
Christine Riggleman (@HoochMamaDistiller) is the CEO and Master Distiller of Silverback Distillery. Born and raised in Manassas, Virginia, Christine married her high school sweetheart, Denver, at the age of 19. Shortly after, Denver joined the Air Force and their journey across the United States and far-off lands began. Christine earned a scholarship from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in 2000 but due to her husband's military career, she turned down the offer. Christine’s passion for culinary delights never wavered and eventually veered into the world of extraordinary spirits. She became fascinated with distilling on a tour of Ben Nevis Distillery in Scotland in 2012, and shortly after began researching distillation and maturation processes with Denver. In 2014, after a year and a half of strenuous planning, research and construction, Silverback Distillery opened its doors. Although Silverback has only been open since August of 2014, Christine’s spirits have racked up accolades, earning 16 international awards among numerous local and statewide awards. In 2014, she was named one of the top gin distillers in the United States through MSN.com, and in 2017 became the first person inducted into the ABV Network's Bourbon Hall of Fame.
Lauren Riggleman (@BabyHooch) is the Assistant Distiller & General Manager for Silverback Distillery. A second generation distiller, Lauren received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia in 2015. In 2017, she received her Master's Degree in Fermentation Sciences: Brewing and Distilling from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. While spending a year in Scotland, Lauren became a member of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and spent time researching the similarities and differences between Scottish and American distilling and brewing practices. Lauren loves to get involved with all things whiskey on social media, and has appeared on the ABV Network's podcast The Bourbon Daily a number of times. She joined her mother in the ABV Network’s Hall of Fame as the 39th inductee. Lauren is also teaching the first ever General Certificate in Distilling Course starting at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville. Lauren currently resides in Massanutten, Virginia with her husband, Brant, and their three dogs.
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