Episode 546: August 1, 2015

Scotland’s Bladnoch Distillery will be 200 years old in 2017, but for more than a year, it was fair to question whether one of the oldest Lowlands distilleries would be around for that milestone. The questions about Bladnoch’s future have been answered with the distillery’s sale to Australian entrepreneur David Prior, who’s making a “substantial investment” in equipment upgrades with plans to resume distilling in 12 to 18 months. We caught up with Prior in Bali during a combination business and surfing trip to discuss his plans for Bladnoch, including a release this fall of vintage casks maturing in the distillery’s warehouses. He’ll also explain why he decided to buy a distillery in Scotland instead of investing in Australia’s growing whisky industry. In the news, investigators have released their report on the Silver Trail Distillery explosion in Kentucky, while the state’s distillers are using the tragedy to start a new safety initiative. We’ll also have details on two new distillery projects in Kentucky, a reprieve for a French distillery, and the week’s new whiskies.

Links: Bladnoch | Kentucky State Fire Marshal| Silver Trail Distillery | Revenoor Stills | Kentucky Distillers Association | Dueling Barrels Brewing & Distilling | TerrePure | Maker’s Mark | Kazerouni Law Group | Glann ar Mor | Tullamore D.E.W. | Tomatin | Last Drop Distillers | Rogue | WhistlePig Rye | The Pogues Irish Whiskey | Old Pogue Distillery | Green Spot | Scapa | MGP Ingredients