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...
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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...
info_outlineCombining a passion for spirits, industry knowledge, and blending expertise, Phenomenal Spirits has released its first whiskey. RY3 Whiskey (Pronounced “Rye 3 Whiskey”) is a rum cask finished whiskey that was carefully crafted from this blending house. Phenomenal Spirits, Karthik Sudhir and Matt Witzig, joins Bourbon Lens to talk whiskey. Karthik is the Founder / CEO of Phenomenal Spirits and drives product development, strategy, brand positioning, market expansion, and investor relations. Matt was the Co-Founder, Master Distiller, and Head Blender at Joseph Magnus Whiskey prior to joining Phenomenal Spirits as Master Blender and COO. You learn more about the origins of the brand and blending house as well as where they wish to take this brand next.
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Scott, Michael & Jake
Bourbon Lens
Phenomenal Spirits Press Release:
Phenomenal Spirits announces the release of RY3 Whiskey, the craft spirits company’s third ultra-premium spirit introduction in the US in 2020. RY3 is a distinct blend of 3 extraordinary whiskeys, 3 carefully handpicked mash-bills, and 3 distinctive aged statements, that are meticulously blended with artisanal distinction to create an unparalleled whiskey. The culmination of this exceptionally well-balanced whiskey is finished in vintage rum casks, resulting in a sipping experience of silky-smooth rye with layers of fruity and complex notes from the rum barrels.
Phenomenal Spirits Founder & CEO, Karthik Sudhir commented, “Craft whiskey consumers have truly embraced rye whiskey, America’s original iconic spirit. According to Distilled Spirits Council of US, between 2009 and 2019, rye volumes skyrocketed by 1,275%, growing to 1.2 million cases and continue their impressive surge, growing 15% in the past year[1]. With the resurgence of rye whiskey, product innovation has reached new heights, spurring consumer’s curiosity. We developed RY3 Whiskey with these curious consumers in mind. RY3 is one of a few Rye whiskies finished in rum casks, offering drinkers layers of intense flavor and complexity for a contemporary and exciting Rye drinking experience.”
Phenomenal Spirits is on a steadfast mission to create exceptionally high-quality brands that fill untapped opportunities in the spirits category. To help guide this mission, Sudhir is partnering with Matt Witzig, Master Distiller and Co-founder of Joseph Magnus Bourbon. An icon in spirits distillation, Witzig is working in concert with Sudhir and his team to build a portfolio of unparalleled brands for the curious spirits consumer and aficionado alike. Since August 2020, the Phenomenal team has launched Ron Izalco 10 Year and Ron Izalco 15 Year Cask Strength Rums and now, RY3 Whiskey. The duo is looking ahead to their next ambitious venture, a Private Release/Cask Strength Whiskey Program, which debuts in December 2020 with more planned in 2021.
Phenomenal Spirits operates its own blending facility in Virginia Beach, VA to achieve scale and operational efficiency. The company is fully functional, allowing the team to control quality and consistency along with all aspects of product development. Sudhir added, “We are thrilled with US consumer’s embrace of our rums in the short time since they debuted earlier this year. With Matt on board, we are very excited to introduce a range of daring new products beginning with RY3 Whiskey, a true gem in the rye category.”
RY3 Whiskey sells for a suggested retail price of $54.99/750ml and is available in Washington DC, Maryland, and Delaware through Lanterna Distributors, in Mississippi and Alabama through Mad Vines and Spirits, and nationally through Curiada’s E-Commerce platform. The company plans to launch in Connecticut, Tennessee, Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the early part of 2021.
To learn more about RY3 Whiskey and Phenomenal Spirits, visit www.phenomenalspirits.com and www.ry3whiskey.com