July 2, 2018 – After serving just one month of the 15-year prison sentence he received for his role in the thefts of tens of… Read More
PappyGate
The Great Islay Swim (Episode 711: July 1, 2018)
The rough, cold waters off Scotland’s Isle of Islay are a challenge for even the best sailors, and one might think it madness to try… Read More
The First American Single Malt Whiskey? (Episode 705: June 10, 2018)
Historians aren’t sure who distilled the first Scotch-style single malt whiskey in the United States, but Oregon’s Clear Creek Distillery has a pretty solid claim… Read More
“PappyGate” Ringleader Sentenced to 15 Years
June 2, 2018 – Gilbert “Toby” Curtsinger, the admitted ringleader of Kentucky’s most infamous whiskey thefts since Prohibition, was sentenced Friday to 15 years in… Read More
A Whisky Trade War on the Horizon? (Episode 703: June 3, 2018)
Canada and the European Union are planning retaliatory tariffs on imports of Bourbon and other American whiskies after this week’s move by the Trump Administration… Read More
There’s No Whisky Without the Barrels (Episode 660: September 24, 2017)
It’s often said that wood is responsible for most of a whisky’s flavor, and if that’s the case, then the people who make the barrels… Read More
Ringleader Pleads Guilty in “Pappygate” Bourbon Thefts
September 21, 2017 – And then there was one…one remaining defendant left in Kentucky’s “Pappygate” scandal involving the insider thefts of more than $100,000 worth… Read More
Episode 570: January 9, 2016
America has a love-hate relationship with alcohol, and it’s fair to say that drinking has changed the course of American history – for better and… Read More
Episode 558: October 17, 2015
George Washington’s Scottish distiller never made single malt whisky at Mount Vernon in the 18th Century, but Scottish distillers John Campbell, Bill Lumsden, and Andy… Read More
Episode 537: May 30, 2015
Irish Whiskey once dominated the world, but several factors combined to nearly wipe the country’s distillers out over time. While it’s now the fastest-growing segment… Read More
Episode 536: May 23, 2015
Gordon & MacPhail reopened Benromach Distillery in Speyside in 1998 after 15 years of inactivity, and Keith Cruickshank has been there since the stills were… Read More
Not Guilty Pleas In Kentucky Bourbon Thefts
May 22, 2015 – The alleged ringleader of a group charged with stealing Bourbon from Kentucky’s Buffalo Trace and Wild Turkey distilleries pleaded not guilty… Read More