Forged Oak

This week's WhiskyCast will be delayed until tomorrow. Not allowed to use screens for the rest of the day, and that makes it hard to produce the #podcast. Thanks for your patience.

Gotta give this spider credit…only put that workbench there late yesterday and left it out overnight. Nice web for an overnight job!

If you missed last night's #HappyHourLive webcast with @springbank1828's Ranald Watson and Findlay Ross, you missed a lot – including confirmation of plans for another distillery in #Campbeltown! The on-demand replay is available now at the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, and the #podcast version will be available later this week!

@whiskyblenderdude created a special blend of @royalsalute 21-year-old to go with this special decanter design by Richard Quinn to kick off the brand's new Couture Collection. Sandy tells us about the process of creating that new blend on the next WhiskyCast #podcast!

The Whisky Fairy delivered a sample of the new @redbreastirishwhiskey PX Edition today, along with the @redbreastwhiskeyus Lustau Edition that make up the new Iberian Series! Tasting notes on the next episode! #whiskycastsponsor

The podcast version of our latest #HappyHourLive webcast with Ashley and Colby Frey of Nevada's @freyranchdistillery, actor @BethBehrs, and Gareth Howells of @DewarsAberfeldy is now available wherever you get your #podcasts, and it's our 900th episode of WhiskyCast, too!

I have lost one of my best friends, and the whisky world has lost a friend to all of us.

Peter Silver passed away overnight following a long series of illnesses…cancer, kidney disease, and in the end, it was an infection following surgery for a broken hip that took him from us.

In addition to being one of the original Malt Maniacs, Peter was a jazz trumpeter (I shot this photo during one of his band's concerts in 2011 at the legendary Blue Note jazz club in New York City) and a dentist…he was known as the "Jazz Dentist" and named his band "Blue Nitrous."

His apartments all had the nickname "Dram Central Station," and while you might need some time to search through his extensive collection of whiskies, he would gladly open and pour anything no matter whether you were a fellow connoisseur or a newcomer to whisky.

The last time I saw him, he stopped by the house a few months ago on his way to his nephew's wrestling meet nearby and brought a few vintage samples from bottles he'd collected recently. I poured him a few samples from my whiskies that he hadn't tried yet…when he left, he was optimistic about his prospects for a kidney transplant…and wanted me to stop by his place in Bayonne the next time I was going into New York.

Sadly, the pandemic has kept me from going into the city…and we never got to share another dram. I'll be pouring something special tonight from Islay in Peter's memory, and ask you to join me.

Rest well, my friend…you earned it!

Our friends (and sponsors) at @Redbreast_US are unveiling a new expression right now! The Redbreast Iberian Series debuts with the new Pedro Ximénez Edition and joins the Lustau Edition in that range. Goes on sale in Ireland 9/27, UK/Finland/Global Travel Retail late September, and the US in November!

Ever seen a fermenter bubble like this? It's an indication of just how much #Bourbon is booming these days, and we have that story on this week's WhiskyCast podcast! Listen with your favorite #podcast app or at WhiskyCast.com

Pot stills are beautiful with their rounded curves, but there's something to be said for the beauty of a column still in its industrial design, such as this Vendome-built still at Nevada's Frey Ranch in our Whisky Photo of the Week.

I joked on Twitter the other day about wanting my whisky collection sealed for 90 years after my death…but the responses led to this question: What do you want your family to do with your whiskies when you're gone? Share your ideas, and we'll read some on the next WhiskyCast #podcast.

If you missed tonight's #HappyHourLive webcast with Colby & Ashley Frey of @FreyRanchDistillery in Nevada, actor/whisky nut @BethBehrs, and Gareth Howells of @DewarsAberfeldy, the on-demand replay is available at the WhiskyCast YouTube channel!

Join us today at 5pm NY time for this week's #HappyHourLive webcast! Spent a couple of days in Nevada this week with @freyranchdistillery 's Colby & Ashley Frey, and they'll join me on the webcast! We'll also talk with actor/whisky nut @BethBehrs about her work with @DewarsAberfeldy on protecting bee habitat! You can catch the fun on the WhiskyCast YouTube channel, our Facebook page, Twitter, and Twitch.

This is the “Ranch Hand” cocktail they serve in the tasting room at @freyranchdistillery in Fallon, Nevada…very refreshing! 😏

Just added a new bar to the Great Whisky Bars page at the WhiskyCast web site. Death & Taxes in Reno not only has a great whisky selection, but they make a mean Boulevardier, too!

Either Stave wants to come with me or he’s mad that I’m taking his “bed.” #CatsofInstagram #WhiskyCats