The 12 Days of Barrel Picks. A new podcast series coming on Christmas Day. We’re featuring 12 different barrel picks by 12 different distilleries during the 12 Days of Christmas. During each episode were chatting with a representative of the distillery/the person who helped pick the barrel to highlight the process of selecting the barrel, its flavors and the unique characteristics surrounding their single barrel program.
On this episode, we enter mid-conversation with Noah Tracht of Pernod Ricard and Chris Blatner - The Urban Bourbonist about the on-trade’s dissipating relevance in the whiskey industry, and how the online-premise is supplanting bars. This spirited discussion centers on the importance of the emerging virtual space and if whiskey distilleries will recalibrate their energy towards online and off-premise when building a brand. We also create a hypothetical distillery and develop how we’d approach building a brand in 2020. Lastly, we debate the importance of brands not abandoning the connections they’ve made during 2020, and how they should only expand on those relationships.
Read MoreJake and Callum sit to down discuss upcoming projects, including; the podcast series The 12 Days of Barrel Picks and a Key In The Lake partnership with Sunday Night Fights. Over the Christmas season, we’ll be releasing 12 episodes, dedicated to an individual barrel pick. The first release episode will premier on Christmas Day. On Dec. 20, Aberlour 12 and Starward Nova will square off on Sunday Night Fights with @urbanbourbonist and @bourbonandryeclub. The guys also discuss a few of their favorite bars across the world while killing a bottle of Weller Special Resave and refining their tastebuds with Glenfarclas 12.
Read MoreLive from the Fountainhead Roof Deck Garden, Jake and special cohost Jamie Duffy record A Series of Last Calls - Private Barrels. Five private barrel selects from across the world filled the Glencairn glasses of 20 attendees, and Jake and Jamie drink, comment and chat with whiskey luminaries on the special collection of whiskeys that Fountainhead has accumulated. In the last half hour, Jake sits down with brothers Aaron and Bob Zacharias to discuss Fountainhead’s impact on the whiskey community and the nostalgia found in-between each of their whiskeys.
Read MoreLive from the Fountainhead Roof Deck Garden, Jake and Callum record A Series of Last Calls - Scotch. Six Scotches from across the great country that harbors their whisky in Bourbon’s tears, present themselves in six individual Glencairn glasses. Jake and Callum, along with Bob Zacharias and Marty Duffy drink, socialize and wistfully comment on the fantastic selections presented to the event’s attendees.
Read MoreThis past Saturday night, Nov. 14, Fountainhead Chicago closed their doors. Over the last decade, Fountainhead became a Chicago institution by providing a cozy neighborhood experience with an award-winning selection of beer, spirits and locally-sourced food. Wilson and Jake sit down with Beverage Director/Manager Bob Zacharias and Glunz Beer Key Account manager Samu Rahn to celebrate everything Fountainhead.
Read MoreThis Friday is RyeDay The 13th and Sagamore Spirit is giving away a barrel of whiskey. Sales Director Brett Bauer is back to chat about Sagamore Spirit and building/continuing relationships during this Covid era, while sipping on a bottle of their Reserve Moscatel Finish.
Read MoreLive from Oak and Swine in Batavia, IL, Callum and Jake host a live podcast at American Whiskey Night, featuring FEW, Sagamore Spirit and Union Horse Distilling Co.
Read MoreThe wonderful couple behind Whisky Nomad, Nick and Sarah, drop by to share their collective stories of traveling and falling in love with whiskey. Whisky Nomad (on Instagram) began with their curiosity for whiskey across the world, but the duo quickly learned that sharing a dram together anywhere in the world wouldn't carry any clout of importance without the relationships they built long the journey. Please listen to their story and follow their insightful profile @whiskynomad.
Read MoreWe revisit the Chicago craft brewing scene with Jim and Nate from Aleman Brewing. The conversation is accompanied with pours of their Autumn release: Venkman, a juicy Double Pale Ale. We also drink a dram of Willet 6-year-old Bourbon, while hearing the story of Aleman—beginning in 2012 by wining a home-brewing competition to currently building a successful integrity brewery in the a deep beer culture of Chicago.
Read MoreWe were live at Whiskey Around The World with Women Who Whiskey on Fountainhead Roof Deck Garden. Jake and Callum highlight their respective brands— Starward and Aberlour—along with Jamie Duffy of Sonoma Distilling and Noah Tracht, key account manager of Pernod Ricard pours Rabbit Hole. Jamie and Noah join the guys to discuss the history of the individual brands, the featured pours and how to market smaller brands in a vast world of whiskey.
Read MoreAmbrosia is back, and she takes on a trip to France. Ambrosia shares her love for her second home—France—by exploring the spirits of Armagnac, Brandy and Cognac. We drink samples from two different brands of each French spirit, and familiarize ourselves with the differences and parallels of whiskey.
Read MoreLive from Fountainhead’s Barrel Room, we celebrate our 100th episode. Good friends, good pours and wonderful conservation on Bourbon, world whisky, the importance of community and a surprise barrel-aged beer tasting swarms our celebration. Thank you to everyone who’s supported our little whiskey podcast over the last 100 podcasts.
Read MoreLive from Fountainhead’s Barrel Room, we celebrate our 100th episode. Good friends, good pours and wonderful conservation on Bourbon, world whisky, the importance of community and a surprise barrel-aged beer tasting swarms our celebration. Thank you to everyone who’s supported our little whiskey podcast over the last 100 podcasts.
Read MoreChris Blatner - the Urban Bourbonist, Jamie Duffy of the Collective by Thoroughbred and Fountainhead Manager Bob Zacharias join Jake and Wilson for spirited conversation on Bourbon. We truly celebrate our Native Spirit by elaborating on the individual impact that Bourbon has had on all of our lives. Oh, we also drink a lot of Bourbon. We share stories of our favorite Bourbons and how we all grew to love Bourbon, and how we all crafted our careers around whiskey.
Read MoreHead Concierge of The Kimpton Gray Chicago Bobby Gonzalez and Sales Director Joel Contor join us for a conversation on hospitality. The Kimpton Gray has pivoted to redefine hospitality for their guests, while using the traditional guidelines of hospitality ensure safety and a first-class experience at their downtown property.
Read MoreOwner of Brando’s Speakeasy Brandon Vulpitta joins the show to talk about the financial and political aspects of running multiple bars through the pandemic. Lead Bartender of King of Cups Danny Jahnke also joins us to deliver insights on bartending with new sets of rules bestowed upon Chicago bars and restaurants. The focus of the conversation is on community, and how the people of Chicago serve better leadership/guidance to help small businesses survive.3
Read MoreKey In The Lake after dark edition is back, live from Fountainhead Roof Deck Garden. Brett Bauer of Sagamore Spirit, Callum O’Donnell of Aberlour and Bob Zacharias of Fountainhead help us recap our Whiskey Around The World event immediately following the first whiskey event in Chicago since March.
Read MoreSamu Rahn of Glunz Beer Inc. joins Jake, Wilson and Bob Zacharias to continue the summer series at Fountainhead. The guys discuss the innovation of B. United International and their expanded efforts to deliver the freshest international ales, ciders and lagers to diverse parts of the world. They also chat about how local and the federal government have unguided the bar/restaurant industry through the pandemic; and as colder months approach, pivotally, the government has ineptly provided unsatisfactory measures to save the industry. Bureaucratic ineptness sparks the conversation on the industry’s self-reliance to innovate to keep their collective doors open.
Read MoreWe continue our summer series at fountainhead. Bob Zacharias, Fountainhead Beverage Director, joins us to release the news of the Key In The Lake Whiskey Around The World on Aug. 31 at the Fountainhead Whiskey Bar. The event is a guided, in person tasting with five brands for just $20, 6-8pm. We also discuss the future of bars/restaurants as the cooler months approach, and the precautions the industry must enable to survive.
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