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_outlinePerfect for summer, our guest today is here to talk about all things Cocktails! He is Jonathan Pogash, also known as “The Cocktail Guru”. Jonathan joins Jake to talk about being creative with cocktails at home and his tips for any home bartender. Join us as we expand our palate from our usual whiskey neat to more complex drinks. Cheers!
Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you’re there.
We are thankful for everyone who has supported us. A huge shoutout goes to our growing Patreon Community as well! We'd appreciate it if you can take the time to give us feedback on our podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your favorite podcast app, leave us a review, and tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show.
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Check out our BourbonLens.com to read our blog posts, whiskey news, podcast archive, and details on our upcoming single barrel picks.
Cheers,
Scott and Jake
Bourbon Lens
About Jonathan Pogash:
Jonathan Pogash is the founder, owner and President of The Cocktail GuruTM - one of the most premier cocktail and full-service hospitality consultancy companies in the country. He was initially trained by cocktail-world luminaries Steve Olson, Gary Regan, Julie Reiner, and Albert Trummer. Under these legends, he studied technique, cocktail history, fresh ingredients, and seasonality and developed his hallmark techniques.
Jonathan launched The Cocktail Guru in 2006 initially as a side hustle, while he worked as an actor and craft cocktail bartender in NYC. The demand for The Cocktail Guru’s services skyrocketed quickly, which turned into a full time, multi-platform hospitality consulting business. Jonathan swiftly assembled an all- star team of world-renowned mixologist, drinks experts, and scholars dedicated to bringing liquid joy and cocktail knowledge to the roster of clients.
Today, The Cocktail Guru is an eclectic collective that has expanded its’ offerings. The unique mix of creative, engaging, and informative services that the Gurus deliver are inspirational and impactful. In addition to consulting services for bars, brands, restaurants, and hotels, the team has expanded to accommodate requests for a growing number of special events for the public. The Collective of Gurus offer not only trainings, but menu & signature cocktail development, event hosting, company happy hours, bachelor and bachelorette parties, private parties, weddings, media appearances and more.
Jonathan and his savvy team of Cocktail Gurus execute private and corporate events, design signature cocktails for small to large spirit brands, host team building mixology courses and Masterclasses, and develop craft cocktail programs for restaurants, bars, hotels and resorts.
Jonathan himself represents beverage brands by leading educational experiences, training bartenders, presenting consumer‐facing classes and seminars, and acting as media and industry spokesperson. With nearly 25 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, Jonathan shares his insights with the most influential publications from around the world and frequently contributes his unique talents to morning television shows and national radio. His signature cocktails can be seen and enjoyed in many of North America’s most upscale cocktail lounges and restaurants.
In 2021, Jonathan and his father, notable author and celebrated spirits industry veteran Jeffrey Pogash (“How to Read a Wine Label”, “Bloody Mary”) launched The Cocktail Guru Podcast, where they host and toast everyone from spirits industry icons to celebrities.
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