190. Live From Tales of The Cocktail

Live from New Orleans at Tales of The Cocktail, a special guest, Mickey Pinstripe aka The Bourbon and Rye Club, joins the show. Sagamore Spirit’s Brett Bauer cohosts with me to chat with Mikey about his journey through whiskey, and his landing on his love for rye whiskey. We also discuss the events of Tales and the good times we experienced during the 20th anniversary of the coveted spirits event.

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189. Solocast with Jake

Jake shares the details of his recent trip to Kentucky and The Bourbon Trail, which included a long anticipated visit to Castle & Key. He also shares his thoughts on the value the online space still holds in the whiskey industry.

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188. Kyle Smith - Camp Yoshi, Dabney & Bullock

Kyle Smith is a man that can’t rest. For the past eight years, Kyle has relentlessly ran around Chicago’s hospitality industry. He’s directed bar programs at Michelin awarded restaurants, worked for various whiskey distilleries, established multiple pop-up bars/events in every type of venue possible, and is currently working with Camp Yoshi. Camp Yoshi is Kyle’s respite from the city as he runs he spirits program for the outdoor company that combines adventure to reconnect with nature and a gourmet experience of food and beverage.

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187. Eric Rosentreter - Woondinville Whiskey Co.

Eric Rosentreter of Woodinville Whiskey Co. and I sit down to discuss the rise and importance of single barrels and whiskey clubs. We run through the pros of selling single barrels across the country to grow a brand, and the potential downfall of attaching yourself to the wrong club—that can’t commit to the promises that they make. We run through it all.

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186. Pinhook Single Barrel Pick

Chris Blatner joins me and provides three delicious single barrel samples from Pinhook. Chris and I sit down at Wolf Point Distilling to select the next Pinhook Bourbon single barrel for Leo’s Mayfair. Chris guides us through the history of Pinhook’s vertical single barrel program as we taste through and choose a 7-year-old bourbon for Leo’s.

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185. Jefferson's - Trey Zoeller

Jefferson’s founder Trey Zoeller joins the show to share how he’s “Pushing the boundaries of what bourbon can be, and the defintions without bastardizing it.” We also share a dram of Jefferson’s newest release Ocean Rye. Trey explains the origins of the Ocean series, and how he’s honoring tradition, history and adventure to create a whiskey apart from the rest of American distilleries.

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184. World Whisky Day Part 2

On World Whisky Day, we interviewed five different representatives from six different distilleries from across the world for our Live Tasting Event. On Part 2, we interview Kotryna Gesait,Starward East Coast Ambassador. Dave Smith, St. George Head Distiller. Nick Brady Maas, founder of Dancing Goat.

(00:25 - 32:42) - Kotryna shares how her personal travels across the world collided with the Starward story: a new world whisky distillery on the path to make a pure Australian experience in a bottle. She also explains how Starward challenges the palate by using a rare technique of fully maturing single malts inside of fresh Australian red wine barrels. The brand stretches the imagination of what whisky can be.

(32:48 -:58:54) - Dave shares how the collaboration between whiskey distilling and art combine to produce beautiful spirits that are meant to be shared during even more beautiful moments. St. George is the oldest small American distillery since prohibition, and Dave shares how the distillery grabbed inspiration from whisky across the world to build and continue 40 years of spirits distillation.

(59:20) Our spiritual guru through the vast world of whiskey, Nick Brady Maas celebrates how agriculture is the divine component that allows us all to enjoy the great invention of whiskey. He leads an inspiring conversation on the principles of Dancing Goat, and why is love for rye and how the inspiration of his family drives hmi to build the next great American distillery.

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183. World Whisky Day Part 1

On World Whisky Day, we interviewed five different representatives from six different distilleries from across the world for our Live Tasting Event. On Part 1, we interview Val Colella, Castle & Key National Brand Ambassador and Dom Venegas, Pernod Whisky Portfolio Ambassador.

(00:03:05 - 00:28:30) - Val guides us through her history of growing up and living in New York, but finding her love and passion for whiskey down in Kentucky. She also shares how their young distillery is taking strides to become the next great American whisky distillery reviving in the Old Taylor distillery.

(29:00 - 01:20:20) - Dom takes us through his extensive personal history from behind the bar in San Francisco and New York. He shares his experience of opening bars like Bourbon & Branch and The Nomad New York, and the folk heroes he met along the way that encoungered him to develop an undeniable passion for spirits. He also ushers the audience back through history to explain strenuous backgrounds of how both The Glenlivet and Spot Whiskeys endured to be in our glasses today.

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182. Whisky Week Wrap-up with Joe Z. Henry

Joe Henry founder of J. Henry & Sons Bourbon joins me to warmup Whisky Week. We sound like we were out drinking late for 4-5 nights, consequently, the proof is in our hoarse voices. We also discuss the annual release of J. Henry’s Bellefontaine Reserve, extra-aged for five and a half years in new, charred oak barrels, slowly reduced and finished in ex-Cognac barrels.

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181. Lew Bryson

Whiskey author, writer Lew Bryson drops by for a special Whisk(e)y Week podcast. Lew shares his three decades worth of knowledge of watching the whiskey industry transform into the predominant international spirits category. His examination of “the purpose of making whiskey” propels our chat about American distilleries growing during the last decade; how marketing has effected the whiskey world in all countries; how distilleries are defining their whiskey on and outside of the label; and so much more.

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180. Jake and Callum Talk Barrels

Callum and Jake catchup to discuss the importance and impact an individual cask has on a batch of whiskey. The guys focus on a Castle & Key single barrel tasting they did earlier in the day with Wilson, and how three barrels—aged in the same warehouse, with the same mash bill—tasted incredibly different. They also share the details of upcoming whiskey events, including their World Whiskey Day event at The Beer Cellar Glen Ellyn.

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179. Full Transparency

Jake sits down to share why the podcast hasn’t been consistently published over the past couple of months. He explains how his love for whiskey and his job as an ambassador for Starward Whisky, along with life altering anxiety has led to less dedication to the podcast.

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177. Sagamore Spirit

Sagamore President Brian Treacy and Central Sales Director Brett Bauer join me for a conversation about their new Bottled In Bond and Rum Finish Rye. Their efforts to create a Bottled In Bond symbolizes the distillery’s transition from using MGP contracted distillate to a grown up distillery, ushering in their hard work and dedication to becoming an all-in Maryland Rye distillery.

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176. Callum and Jake

Callum and Jake catchup to share their early-year thoughts on the whiskey industry by discussing the importance, or the lack their of importance to whiskey clubs. They also discuss the importance of neighborhood bars and their role of maintaining community.

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175. Keeler Club

(Gio) Sean Giordano, co-founder of Keeler Club, rejoins the sho. Gio shares how he and his partner are bringing family values to the dining room of Chicago. With an elevated focus, and the decadence of the midwest, Keeler Club is popup restaurant combining the heritages of both chefs, while providing a jovial atmosphere that celebrates the feeling of sitting in your living room with great friends and family. Keeler Club is launching on Feb. 21 at the speakeasy of The Swill Inn.

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173. Steve Malloy of Malloy's Finest

Steve talks to us about the history of the multi-generational ran liquor store. He shares how he’s honoring the legacy of his grandfather and father by perusing personal relationships with distilleries across the world to create an eclectic collection of spirits for his customers. We also discuss the proliferation of craft distilleries, barrel programs and the new methods of distilleries/liquor stores alike sell their products.

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172. Jeppson's Bourbon - Tremaine Atkinson and Tyrus Yamagiwa

I sit down with Founder Tremaine Atkinson and Head Blender Tyrus Yamagiwa of Jeppsons Bourbon. We explore how they began sourcing whiskey from George Dickel and MGP to begin their bourbon program with the infamous/legendary Jeppson’s Malort label front and center on the bottle. We track the history of Tremaine creating CH Distillery as a vodka distillery to purchasing Jeppson’s Malort and innovating into a bourbon distillery.

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171. 12 Days of Barrel Picks - Aberlour 18

To wrap-up the festive period of the 12 Days of Barrel Picks, we replay an episode from this summer, featuring Aberlour's 18-year-old Single Cask Selection. Callum brings a special treat for us to enjoy from the great Aberlour Distilley. Kelli Nakagam and Nigal Vann help us taste through Aberlour's 18-year-old Single Cask Selection.

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