Pioneering Indian Single Malt Raj's return brings news about Amrut, the king of Indian Single Malt. It is no longer the only Indian Single Malt on the market like it was in 2004, but neither has Amrut been sitting on its laurels.  With Ashok Chokalingham at the helm as head distiller - a post he gained after many years in sales and production - Amrut is promoting the idea of Indian Single Malt while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of what that can mean.  With the four expressions I tried with Raj, each were an experiment. The Single Malts of India Kurinji was distilled at a dif ..read more

The Story is the Story I have a general rule when given the opportunity to interview NDPs on the podcast - they must do something with the whiskey other than buying stock and slapping their own label on it. Otherwise, how many times can you talk about the same MGP bourbon or rye? (Yes, I know there are other sources now, but the point remains).  With Filmland Spirits, they are doing some of their own blending, proofing, and - down the line - finishing. So right away they've cleared the first hurdle. Once you clear that, you have to be interesting - and Troy and Charlie have created t ..read more

From Great Brewing Comes Great Distilling Copperworks Distilling is making whiskey from grain. Simple, right? I mean, from a legal sense, that's quite literally what every other whiskey-maker is doing.  That's where the similarities end. Jason Parker, co-founder and longtime brewer, is experimenting with barley in ways that are different not only from other distillers but singularly unique from release to release.  I first got to try Copperworks from our friends at Lost Lantern, who did a single malt finished in sloe gin that was just fantastic. With Jason, I tried four products - Re ..read more

The Best of the (Mid)West! The Spring 2024 Collection launches today, March 27!  We first met Lost Lantern Spirits way back in Episode 53 - they are "shining a light on the independent spirit", bringing the tradition of independent bottling (and blending!) to American whiskey.  In the two-ish years since, co-founders Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonski have grown and grown, now with a physical space in Vermont and reach across the country. They've won awards, beaten distilleries at their own game (see: Balcones), and established the idea that American whiskey can be independently bot ..read more

Red, Red Wine Casks There are certain things we take for granted with whisky - American whiskey will mostly be new charred oak, Scotch will be ex-bourbon or ex-sherry, and the rest of the world will likely use ex-bourbon casks as a default for maturation. This leads to a generalization of taste, an expectation that certain flavors will always be there.  When starting Starward Whisky, one of the first Australian whisky distilleries after Lark's start in 1992, Dave Vitale wanted something different. He found a calling card in using Australian red wine barrels. Notably, these were not charre ..read more

Uptown FUNK When you think Jamaican rum, you think funk. Funny thing is, most Jamaican rum by both volume and number of distillers is not funky.  BTW - funky is the unscientific way of saying ester content. All those fruity, dark, tropical, funky notes are esters, the interactions and transformations of acids and alcohols and aldehydes into the familiar flavor compounds we love.  Hampden Estate, however, is the funkiest of them all.  Originally built in 1753, Hampden has been producing Trelawney-style rum (named for its province in Jamaica) continuously for closer to t ..read more

“Born of the Field – Raised by the Sound” Just in time for Bottled-in-Bond month!  Long Island Spirits - Long Island's first craft distillery - is quietly leading the way in my own backyard. Situated about an hour and a half outside of NYC, LI Spirits is making field-to-glass whiskies, brandies, vodkas, and more using the local land for its grains, grapes, and potatoes (not the rum, sorry - sugar doesn't grow well here!)  I got to know LI Spirits through their Teddy Roosevelt-themed whiskies (Bull Moose Rye, Old Lion 8YO Single Barrel, and Rough Rider Bourbon). Over the past few year ..read more

Makers of the only vodka I enjoy. And also the first rye from Scotland in 100+ years.  Arbikie Highland Estate is in the forefront of the new Scotch whisky movement. Focused on sustainability, flavor, and locality, Arbikie is betting big on the future.  They're making a single malt, but waiting 18 years to release it (some might be released early, but don't count on it). Their strawberry vodka takes nearly a year to produce from harvest to bottling. The gin is hyperlocal, with coastal elements.  The Nadar vodka is climate-positive, with the whole process removing 1.54kg of ..read more

Peerless in the 1800s and Peerless today.  Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co., founded by Henry Kraver in the late 19th century, is in a class by itself. The lone sweet mash distiller in Louisville with the most distinctive bottle in the state, Peerless built itself back up through rye and its story.  Several years later, they're thriving. Single barrels abound of both rye and bourbon, with all the maturity you want from the oak without much of the tannin. Their bottlings are all at barrel proof, though from an entry proof of 103 (for now!) they rarely crest over 110º. Much like other ..read more

Knock, knock, knocking on Heaven's Door?  I'm joined by Alex Moore, head blender for Heaven's Door to talk about their entire spirits lineup, the plan to start distilling in Kentucky, and how much of a role Bob Dylan plays in all of this (spoiler: he's actually quite involved!).  Here's an admission: I don't really know much about Bob Dylan's music. I don't know if it's not my style or I just haven't been exposed to it, but for whatever reason, it hasn't been part of my musical education. That being said, I'm impressed by the quality of blends coming out with his signature on them. T ..read more