This Week on WhiskyCast

Bringing Distilling Back to Lexington’s Distillery District (Episode 714: July 15, 2018)

The James E. Pepper Distillery dominated the western edge of downtown Lexington, Kentucky for decades until it closed in 1958, and what was at one time the country’s largest Bourbon distillery became a rundown eyesore. Several years ago, entrepreneurs bought several of the distillery’s buildings and started building bars, a brewery, galleries and other businesses in the “Distillery District.” Last December, Amir Peay’s Georgetown Trading Co. brought distilling back to the district when he reopened the James E. Pepper Distillery using part of the original distillery building. This week, the distillery opened its doors to visitors for the first time to show off the heritage – and the future of the Pepper brand. Amir Peay joins us on WhiskyCast In-Depth. We’ll also have details on Sazerac’s Tennessee Whiskey plans, along with the opening next month of Stauning Whisky’s new distillery in Denmark and much more!

Parker’s Heritage Collection Takes a Twist (Episode 713: July 12, 2018)

Heaven Hill has unveiled the 2018 edition of Parker’s Heritage Collection whiskey. It’s a Bourbon finished in Orange Curaçao liqueur barrels, and that has some purists raising an eyebrow. Heaven Hill Master Distiller Denny Potter joins us on WhiskyCast In-Depth to explain – and defend the process that went into creating this year’s release as a chance to try something different…the way Parker Beam would have. In the news, Western Kentucky is getting a new whiskey distillery that’s actually an old one about to be used for the first time, while Angel’s Envy in Louisville is starting an expansion project just two years after the distillery opened. We’ll also explain why liquor reform in British Columbia will have to wait until after cannabis reform, and taste four craft whiskies in this week’s tasting notes.

 WhiskyCast HD: Crown Royal’s Bourbon…Uh, Blenders’ Mash

With the ongoing trade dispute between the US and Canada, it’s important to keep in mind that Canadian Whisky remains extremely popular in the US. Crown Royal has released the latest edition in its Noble Collection series – a 13-year-old “Blender’s Mash” using one of the five different styles of whisky Crown Royal makes at its distillery in Gimli, Manitoba. They call it a different name at the distillery, though…and when they tried to use that “Bourbon Mash” name in the US…let’s just say it didn’t go quite as planned.

WhiskyCast is one of the four finalists in this year’s Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards for  “Best Broadcast, Podcast, or Online Video Series.” This is the first year that the Spirited Awards has honored digital media, and we’re proud to be one of the finalists along with our colleagues at Bartender at Large, Life Behind Bars, and The Speakeasy. The winner will be announced on Saturday night in New Orleans during Tales of the Cocktail. We’d like to wish our colleagues the best of luck, and remember, the winner buys the first round of drinks after the awards ceremony!

If you were listening to the June 30, 2018 edition of NPR’s “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me,” yes, that was WhiskyCast’s Mark Gillespie you heard as a contestant during the “Listener Limerick Challenge” segment at the end of the show! We’ve been public radio fans for years, and now, we have to decide which of the show’s hosts and panelists will record Mark’s mobile phone message. If you didn’t get to listen to the show live, we’ve included links here so you can download the podcast version.

WhiskyCast now comes to you twice a week, with a new mid-week episode in addition to our regular weekend podcast! We’ve decided that there’s so much to cover in the world of whisky each week that it makes more sense to bring you two shows each week that fit better into your busy schedule instead of one longer show.

If you’re just discovering us for the first time, here’s a bit of our own story. WhiskyCast pioneered the genre of whisky-focused podcasts back in 2005, when most people had never heard of podcasting! Since then, we’ve produced hundreds of hours of original – and free – audio and video content for whisky lovers like you around the world. Our community spans the globe, and we’ve done stories on whiskies made in the far north of Scandinavia all the way to the tips of South Africa and Australia – and everywhere in between. We’ve met many of you at whisky festivals and while visiting distilleries, and hope to meet many more of you over time.

We’re able to do this thanks to the support of our advertisers – both past and present. They advertise on WhiskyCast knowing that they will never have any say over our editorial content, and may even have their ads running next to features on their competitors. They recognize the importance of independent, fact-based journalism devoted to telling the stories of whisky in a creative, yet ethically sound way focused on helping you learn more about whisky.

Slainte!

The WhiskyCast Team

Whisky Photo of the Week

There’s something about a glass of whisky and a plate of cheese that makes soft focus photos work nicely.