Following the Roaming Road
WhiskyCast
Frustrated by the hoopla over Bourbons, with their relative scarcity and high pricing, Mike Gilmore decided to take a different tack. He started searching the world for alternatives to Bourbon, and found them in Armagnacs, Cognacs, and Rums from Barbados to Belize. For the last three years, he’s been bottling them under his Roaming Road Spirits label, while also exporting Bourbons from his collection of barrels to Ireland and finishing them in Irish Whiskey barrels. We’ll talk with Mike Gilmore on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, a receiver has been named for Uncle Nearest...
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Cedar Ridge Celebrates 20 Years of Heartland Distilling
WhiskyCast
Jeff and Laurie Quint started Cedar Ridge Distillery and Winery as a retirement lark. 20 years after receiving their distilling licenses, Cedar Ridge has grown from a rented garage space adjoining a liquor store to become Iowa’s largest distillery. Cedar Ridge Bourbons are Iowa’s number-one selling Bourbons, and the distillery is winning awards and praise for its American Single Malts. Master distiller and blender Murphy Quint joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, a federal judge has ordered Uncle Nearest Tennessee Whiskey into receivership, but the fate of founder...
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A $2 Billion Impact From Trade Tariffs
WhiskyCast
The Toasts Not Tariffs Coalition of drinks industry groups estimates trade tariffs could cost the U.S. economy 2 billion dollars and more than 25,000 hospitality jobs. This week on WhiskyCast, we’ll talk with two industry leaders lobbying the Trump Administration to clear a path to “zero for zero” tariffs for whiskies and other distilled spirits. In the news, Uncle Nearest is facing likely receivership after defaulting on $108 million in loans, and we’ll have all the details from Tennessee.
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A Whisky Importer's View of Tariffs
WhiskyCast
With new U.S. trade tariffs scheduled to take effect this week, we’ll talk with importer Raj Sabharwal about the impact of those tariffs on whisky importers. Raj co-founded Glass Revolution Imports, which is the U.S. importer for Amrut whiskies from India, Blackadder Scotch whiskies, and many more brands, and he’s dealing with tariffs that have been changing almost daily. We’ll talk about the impact to his business on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Diageo brings a former executive back to serve as interim CFO, while former Mackmyra master blender Angela D’Orazio is joining Compass...
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Meet Highland Park's New Master Whisky Maker
WhiskyCast
Marc Watson took over for the retiring Gordon Motion this month after six months of serving as his understudy. The former master blender for The Famous Grouse has 11 years of industry experience, and he’ll join us for one of his first interviews since his promotion on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the U-S and the European Union have hammered out a trade agreement that limits tariffs on E-U whisky exports to 15 percent. India and the United Kingdom have signed a trade agreement that will reduce India’s tariffs on Scotch Whisky imports over the next decade, and Pernod...
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A Whisky Book of Biblical Proportions
WhiskyCast
Award-winning author Noah Rothbaum spent five years researching his new book “The Whiskey Bible.” It’s a comprehensive in-depth look at the spirit we love - its history and some myth-busting, too. Noah joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Diageo parts ways with CEO Debra Crew after just two years on the job, while the Trump Administration and European Union negotiators try to hammer out a trade deal before the President’s August 1 deadline.
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The World of Whisky
WhiskyCast
It’s hard to capture the entire world of whisky in one book, but that’s the task Felipe Schrieberg took on with his new book “The World of Whisky.” Schrieberg covers everything from the origins of whisky to today’s modern distilleries located all over the world, and he’ll join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the U.S. announces new import tariffs on Irish Whiskey and other European goods, while Texas distillers step up to help victims of this month’s Hill Country floods.
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A Salute to Jimmy Russell
WhiskyCast
Jimmy Russell will soon begin his 71st year at Wild Turkey Distillery, and this fall, he’ll celebrate his 91st birthday. This week, we’re honoring the Legend of Lawrenceburg with an in-depth interview recorded in 2009, in which Jimmy discusses his friendships with Booker Noe, Parker Beam, and Elmer T. Lee…his way of making Bourbon and how it changed with the advent of distilling technology…and an eye to his legacy. In the news, tariffs are back in the conversation this week in Washington as a 90-day pause comes to an end. Edrington is blaming economic conditions for a sharp loss in...
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Whisky, Hollywood Style
WhiskyCast
Filmland Spirits founders Troy Bolotnick and Charlie Flint created their brand as an homage to the classic “B Movies” of the 1950’s and 60’s. With eye-catching labels based on movie posters and names like “Moonlight Mayhem” and “Ryes of the Robots,” their whiskies stand out on store shelves and in the eyes of the critics, who have given Filmland Spirits’ whiskies several medals in recent competitions. Troy Bolotnick joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, and we’ll have a double feature tasting of his whiskies in the What I’m Tasting This Week Department. In the...
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Campbeltown's Role in Scotch Whisky History
WhiskyCast
At one time, Campbeltown, Scotland was the heart of the Scotch Whisky industry with around 30 working distilleries. Over the years, all but two disappeared, and the futures of Springbank and Glen Scotia were very much in doubt at various times over the last century. Author David Stirk researched the history of Campbeltown and its distilleries for his new book “Whiskyopolis,” and he’ll join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, we have details on more layoffs in the whisky industry, with declining global demand getting the blame. Two Canadian provinces are ending their...
info_outlineRobert and Walter Pattison were among the most successful whisky brokers of the 1890’s, a golden era for Scotch whisky. However, their empire collapsed because of bad loans, fraudulent cask sales, and an accounting scheme that inflated the company’s profits. When the Pattisons finally fell, they took other whisky merchants down with them, just as the industry’s overproduction ended the golden era. Justine Hazlehurst spent four years researching the Pattisons for her new book “Opening the Case: The Affairs of Pattisons’ Whisky,” and she joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Kentucky’s Garrard County Distilling has gone into receivership, while The Macallan is demolishing its old distillery and The Glenturret is looking for some whisky thieves.