Jake and Callum pay a visit to the wonderful King of Cups in Lincoln Park to record a late night episode for with owner Taylor Kravitt and lead bartender Danny Jahnke. Taylor shares his firsthand experiences about running his establishments during the quarantine, and the process of working with mayor’s office by adhering to all rules and regulations. Danny explains the atmosphere of the bar since reopening just over a week ago, and the pleasant experiences he’s had since customers have returned to the bar.

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Callum joins Jake and Wilson for a spirited conversation about the adaptability of Chicago bar/restaurant industry as the city enters phase four. They also discuss the evolution of their brand ambassador positions with their various distilleries, and how the future of industry could change from the positive, short-term consequences of the pandemic.

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Bob Zacharias is back on from Fountainhead. Fountainhead is one of the premiere whiskey bars in Chicago. We chat with Bob about running the bar right up to the pandemic; what it looked like for Fountainhead pivoting through the quarantine; and, now, being back open with limited availability on their rooftop. Please support Fountainhead and all of you local spots by making reservations online, and visiting their outdoor/limited spaces.

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Sunday was National Bourbon Day and our friends helped us celebrate. Blaum Bros. Distilling Co. cofounder Matt Blaum and his Chicago sales rep Matthew Brown, along with Joe Z. Henry of J. Henry & Sons join us for a discussion on how our individual states and counties are reopening. Distilleries, bars and restaurants are slowly reopening which means businesses are beginning to execute their scheduled 2020 plans. Blaum Bros. is entering distribution in Kentucky and releasing a new line of spirits, including rum and an agave spirit. While J. Henry welcomes back visitors—at 25% capacity—and just finished planting their crop for this summer , they’re also re-establishing partnerships in the on and off-premise.

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Jamie and Callum join Jake to chat about the power of the Black Lives Matter movement is positively affecting Chicago by bringing folks together from all walks of life to advocate for police reform and justice for the black community. The three white commentators discuss how people that look like them can support Black Lives Matter, not just in the whiskey industry, but inside of their communities.

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We recorded this podcast on Friday May 29 before the protests took shape in Chicago. Wilson and I talk about how our morale low was due to the pandemic and closure of bars/restaurants, but we were seeing a light at the end of tunnel because of the planned partial reopening of Chicago on June 3. We recognize how much has shifted in our community over the weekend, and we're not disregarding the protests and unrest in Chicago that's taken place over the last three days before we recorded this conversation.

We love you Chicago.

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Live from King of Cups in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Danny Jahnke joins Callum and Jake to chat about being a professional bartender during the pandemic. Danny also shares how growing up in dives bar with his parents shaped his career path as a bartender and spirits entrepreneur. Danny is a creative barkeep whom is always searching for holes in the industry to be filled with inventive methods; along with bartending for more than a decade, Danny has founded Reddi Beverage and Flora Hemp Spirits.

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The Urban Bourbonist is back for a quarantine chat. Chris joins Jake, Wilson and Callum for discussion on Chicago bars and restaurants potentially reopening in early June; and how street and sidewalk closures could benefit bars and restaurants to create open spaces for individual communities. The guys also highlight the proliferation of social media activity as brands have pivoted to the online platform for advertising their spirits, and call into question the authenticity of brands’ relevancy online. Lastly, they discuss how/why brands should stay online once the world readjusts to pre-pandemic times.

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Brett Bauer of Sagamore Spirit returns to chat about how whiskey brands must remain positive through the pandemic, and how smaller distillery’s should adjust marketing plans, day-by-day, through this ever-changing environment. The digital space is one arena to engage with consumers, but the pandemic-produced-at-home-bar will eventually shift back to the on-premise., and craft brands have to be there with their story, juice to greet them back to the barstool.

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The guys shoot-the-shit for the first 25 minutes, before picking up where they left off during last week’s Quarantine Chat. The remaining hour is filled with discussions of the American Distilling Institute’s report that 43% of distilleries have either laid off or furloughed employees, the possible disparaging future of American craft distilling and how everyone should experience the wonder that is a Chicago summer (if we’re allowed to go outside this summer).

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Los Angeles’ own Sam Green jumps on to talk about his first published book “Beginner's Guide to Whiskey: Traditions, Types, and Tastes of the Ultimate Spirit.” Sam describes his process of writing his personal guide to whiskey, and his feelings and personal relationship with the spirt that captivates the world.

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Jamie Duffy and Callum O'Donnell sit back with Jake and Wilson to examine and evaluate the current condition of craft distilleries. They discuss how the public should recognize that craft distilleries are small business and need community support to stay afloat during the pandemic. They also highlight the necessity of using pivoting to social media, and the responsibility brands have to developing an honest perception of themselves online. Jamie and Wilson delve deep into the numbers of how craft distilleries are losing profits from the obvious points–of bars and restaurants closed–and off-trade suspending tastings, along with the longterm effects of distilleries transitioning into hand sanitizer operations.

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Founder of Sonoma Distilling Co. Adam Spiegel reflects on the past 10 years of distilling craft whiskey. Adam shares how distilling has humbled him in every aspect of life and, simultaneously, heightened his adventurous resonance of living a good life for himself and his family.

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David sits down with us to explore the positive effects of living through a quarantine. David and Jake traverse through the complexity of finding importance and humanity during the COVID-19 epoch–by supporting the spirits industry with alternative projects that focus on the individual inside of the person that is behind the bar. David also shares the personal responsibility he and Hudson Whiskey have to take safety precautions and provide support for New York.

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Joe Henry Jr. is back on the show. Joe shares the core values and fundamentals of J. Henry & Sons by explaining how their family farm transforms their hybrid corn into Bourbon. We also have a long conversation about how their company chose their contract distiller and hired consultants that match their principles as a family/distillery. And, finally, the last hour we discuss, ponder and brainstorm how whiskey collectives might save the craft whiskey industry during/after the pandemic.

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Journeyman Distillers Tom Balich and Matt McClan join the show. Tom and Matt speak on how their Michigan craft distillery felt the responsibility to aid their community by producing hand sanitizer. The distillery initially thought small, but their impact has largely impacted COVID-19 frontline workers across America. They also share how the distillery is raising money for their furloughed employees, the future of the distillery’s second facility in Valparaiso, IN and the potential impact the pandemic will have on craft distilling.

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When I first created the podcast he wrote down 10 names to join the show as guests. Today one of the top names on that list gets crossed off. Mike Hoffman KOVAL Distillery Manager shares his personal accounts of beginning with the distillery as a graphic designer intern to leading the production of one of the top American craft distilleries.

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A couple bottles of the Champaign of Beers and bottle of Hancock’s President’s Reserve Single Barrel join Jake, Wilson and Callum O’Donnell for a quarantine chat. Callum declares his love for Key In The Lake by announcing he’ll be getting a KITL tattoo post quarantine; Wilson shares how Union Horse Distilling Co. has developed hand sanitizer for their community; and Jake goes a rant about virtue signalers. The guys also chat about the current condition of the whiskey industry—as retailers’ sales sore and distilleries pivot to social media marketing.

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Sagamore's President Brian Treacy and Central Sales Director Brett Bauer join Jake today. The Sagamore men discuss their partnership with Johns Hopkins to provide hand sanitizer to the healthcare workers on the frontlines of COVID-19. Like many distilleries around the world, Sagamore has stepped up to serve their community in the midst of the pandemic; and Treacy shares how they readjusted their approach from crafting Maryland Style Rye Whiskey to producing ethanol based alcohol for hand sanitizer. We also taste through their new expression: Calvados Finish, a blend of Straight Rye Whiskies.

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Aberlour’s Chicago brand ambassador joins Jake for a conversation about life under quarantine. The two brand ambassadors chat about how they’re adapting to their new shelter-in-place lives, while having a few laughs, a few drinks and finding the positives in this new reality.

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