WhiskyCast

A Dream About to be Realized

15 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Nine years ago, John Lunn and Allisa Henley set out to make the Tennessee Whiskey of their dreams at Sazerac's A.J. Bond Distillery. That plan was sha...

A Pair of Master Whisky Makers

08 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today marks International Women's Day, and it's just a happy coincidence that we have two women who make great whiskies on this week's show. Dr. Emma ...

Distilling the Artisan Way

01 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Kentucky Artisan Distillery was one of the state's first distilleries to specialize in contract distilling for clients when it opened in 2012. Over th...

"Bottom Shelf:" A Book that Belongs on the Top Shelf

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fred Minnick's latest book "Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man's Life" is part memoir, part Bourbon history all wrapped up i...

A Slumping Market for Scotch Whisky?

15 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Scotch Whisky Association released new export data this week showing a second straight year of global sales declines, with a softening economy and...

The Beginning of the End for Uncle Nearest?

08 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A critical court hearing is set for Monday in the Uncle Nearest receivership case in Tennessee. Founder Fawn Weaver wants to terminate the receivershi...

Charting a New Course for Starward Whisky

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Starward Whisky founder David Vitale stepped back from the Australian whisky maker's day-to-day operations several years ago, but after Diageo's Disti...

The Man Behind Buffalo Trace's Whiskies

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Drew Mayville has been Buffalo Trace's master blender for the last 21 years, overseeing legendary whiskies like George T. Stagg, Sazerac Rye, and the ...

A Weekend to Remember

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we're on location at the Victoria Whisky Festival in Victoria, British Columbia, where it was unofficially Bill Ashburn Weekend. The retire...

Chip Tate: Back in the Saddle Again

11 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Maverick whiskey maker Chip Tate is back after a sabbatical following his acrimonious departure from Balcones Distilling. Now the master distiller for...

Celebrating Canadian Whisky Week

04 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The second annual Canadian Whisky Week runs from January 11th through the 18th, with events all over Canada. We'll talk with co-founders Reece Sims an...

The Whisky industry in Flux

31 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this year-end special episode, we'll take a look back at the events that shaped the whisky industry in 2025. Becky Harris of Virginia's Catoctin Cr...

Meet Royal Barkla, the Whisky-Sniffing Robotic Dog

28 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Leaking barrels have been a problem for whisky makers going back generations, and just finding the bad barrels is the biggest part of the problem. Now...

From Grain to Glass: The Estate Whiskey Alliance

21 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Single Estate whiskies are made from grain grown at or close to a distillery, and there's a new coalition of distillers joined by the University of Ke...

Remembering Jim Cryle

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we'll mark the passing of longtime Glenlivet master distiller Jim Cryle, who ran the Speyside distillery from 1991 until his retirement in ...

American Single Malts for a Scotch Lover's Taste

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The latest collection of American Single Malts from Lost Lantern Whiskey is dubbed the "Scotch Lover's Collection," not because there are any inferred...

Not Your Typical Whisky Book

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mitch Bechard is a longtime Scotch Whisky brand ambassador, with years of service at Diageo and Glenfiddich. Now, he's written a rollicking memoir of ...

A Bourbon-Free Whisky Festival

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With no signs of an end to the U.S.-Canadian trade war in sight, the widespread boycott of American whiskies in Canada had an impact on this week's Ne...

Celebrating 20 Years of WhiskyCast

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we're celebrating the 20th anniversary of the very first WhiskyCast episode in 2005. We'll hear from some longtime listeners, and chat with...

A Manifesto for Danish Whisky

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

13 Danish distillers have laid the groundwork for what they hope will eventually be geographical indicator status for Danish whisky. They started with...

A Taste of Tullibardine

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scotland's Tullibardine Distillery has been around since 1947, but has come into its own in recent years under the ownership of France's Picard family...

A New Chapter for Westward Whiskey

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Portland, Oregon-based Westward Whiskey filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last April seeking to restructure its finances. At the time, CEO Tom Mooney to...

A Double-Digit Debut for Westland Distillery

19 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Seattle's Westland Distillery welcomed more than a thousand people this weekend hoping to get their hands on a bottle of the distillery's first 10-yea...

Half Empty...or Half Full

12 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kentucky's Bourbon distillers are in a conundrum…the industry set a new record for barrel inventories in 2024 and the number of distilleries is at a...

The World's Oldest Whisky...For Now

05 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gordon & MacPhail has unveiled the oldest whisky ever bottled (so far), an 85-year-old single malt distilled at Glenlivet Distillery in 1940, and pric...

The State of American Whiskey

28 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we'll catch up with veteran whisky and beer writer Lew Bryson. His new book "American Whiskey Master Class" is a deep dive into American wh...

Islay's Farm Distillery Celebrates 20 Years of Single Malts

21 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kilchoman Distillery marked its 20th anniversary in 2025, and founder Anthony Wills will be in the U.S. for a series of anniversary tastings this week...

Charting a New Course for Compass Box

14 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Angela D'Orazio is the new Creative Director of Whisky Making at Compass Box. She spent 17 years as master blender at Sweden's Mackmyra Distillery, bu...

On the Road at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival

07 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we're in Bardstown, Kentucky for the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival, which brings together more than 6,000 whiskey lovers from around the...

Celebrating the Great Jim McEwan

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As we continue our series leading up to the 20th anniversary of WhiskyCast in November, it's important to celebrate the whisky legends who are still w...

Following the Roaming Road

25 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Frustrated by the hoopla over Bourbons, with their relative scarcity and high pricing, Mike Gilmore decided to take a different tack. He started searc...

Cedar Ridge Celebrates 20 Years of Heartland Distilling

18 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Laurie Quint started Cedar Ridge Distillery and Winery as a retirement lark. 20 years after receiving their distilling licenses, Cedar Ridge ...

A $2 Billion Impact From Trade Tariffs

10 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Toasts Not Tariffs Coalition of drinks industry groups estimates trade tariffs could cost the U.S. economy 2 billion dollars and more than 25,000 ...

A Whisky Importer's View of Tariffs

03 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With new U.S. trade tariffs scheduled to take effect this week, we'll talk with importer Raj Sabharwal about the impact of those tariffs on whisky imp...

Meet Highland Park's New Master Whisky Maker

28 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Marc Watson took over for the retiring Gordon Motion this month after six months of serving as his understudy. The former master blender for The Famou...

A Whisky Book of Biblical Proportions

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Award-winning author Noah Rothbaum spent five years researching his new book "The Whiskey Bible." It's a comprehensive in-depth look at the spirit we ...

The World of Whisky

13 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's hard to capture the entire world of whisky in one book, but that's the task Felipe Schrieberg took on with his new book "The World of Whisky." Sc...

A Salute to Jimmy Russell

06 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jimmy Russell will soon begin his 71st year at Wild Turkey Distillery, and this fall, he'll celebrate his 91st birthday. This week, we're honoring the...

Whisky, Hollywood Style

29 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Filmland Spirits founders Troy Bolotnick and Charlie Flint created their brand as an homage to the classic "B Movies" of the 1950's and 60's. With eye...

Campbeltown's Role in Scotch Whisky History

22 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At one time, Campbeltown, Scotland was the heart of the Scotch Whisky industry with around 30 working distilleries. Over the years, all but two disapp...

In Search of Vintage Whiskey

16 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Whisky collector Mark Wade specializes in vintage bottlings, specifically Prohibition-era "medicinal" bottles. Part of his collection went on the auct...

The Masters...and The Protege

08 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Bill Lumsden is best known as the head of whisky creation for The Glenmorangie Company, but he's also the master blender for Beyonce's Sir Davis A...

Mary Dowling: The Mother of Bourbon

01 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Dowling was a pioneer among women in distilling. She ran distilleries and cooperages with her husband John before and after his death in 1903, an...

T is for Texas and Terroir

26 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we're going to geek out with the results of two studies comparing whiskies matured in Texas with the same whiskey matured elsewhere. Milam ...

Ireland's Midleton Distillery Celebrates 200 Years

18 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ireland's largest distillery is celebrating 200 years since the original Midleton Distillery opened in 1825, along with the 50th anniversary of the "n...

Glendronach Releases The Master's Anthology Series

11 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scotland's GlenDronach Distillery has released a new collection of three no-age-statement single malts created by master blender Dr. Rachel Barrie, in...

The Spirit of Independents

04 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Independent bottlers take sourced casks of whisky, mature them, and then bottle them under their own brand names. It's a practice that's been commonpl...

Inside the Johnnie Walker Vault

27 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Deep below the Johnnie Walker Princes Street experience in Edinburgh lies Dr. Emma Walker's personal playground. The Johnnie Walker master blender cur...

The Pattisons' Empire: A House of Cards

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Robert and Walter Pattison were among the most successful whisky brokers of the 1890's, a golden era for Scotch whisky. However, their empire collapse...

Chapter 11: Doom and Gloom or Saving Grace

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Oregon's Westward Whiskey filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week, as the House Spirits-owned distillery tries to reorganize its business and keep t...

Rye or Rye Not?

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Europeans have been making rye whisky for generations, but a 20-year-old treaty between the European Union and Canada is affecting their ability to ca...

Stone Toasting: A New Way to Toast Whisky Casks

30 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Coopers have used everything from torches to infrared lamps to toast the inside of barrels. Now, a technique pioneered by the wine industry is making ...

Taiwan's First Malt Whisky Distillery

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

King Car Group's Kavalan Distillery in Yilan, Taiwan marks its 20th anniversary this year. Kavalan has won numerous awards for its single malts, inclu...

In Depth with Michter's President Joe Magliocco

16 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Magliocco didn't found Michter's Whiskey…but he is the modern-day father of the brand. Magliocco uncovered the lapsed trademark for Michter's ne...

From Wine to Whiskey: Tara Lindley's Journey

09 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tara Lindley started out in the wine business before joining High West Distillery nine years ago. Now, she's the director of sensory analysis and new ...

25 Years of the Ardbeg Committee

02 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Ardbeg Committee was one of whisky's first online affinity groups, and celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. We'll talk with Committee chair ...

Elixir: San Francisco's Best Whisky Bar

23 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

San Francisco's Elixir dates its history back to 1858, when it opened in the city's Mission District along a plank road at the corner of what is now 1...

A View from the Corner Office

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Leese wears two hats: one as CEO of the importer and distiller Hotaling & Co., and the second as the current chairman of the Distilled Spirits Cou...

Hotaling & Co.'s Bruce Joseph Retires After 45 Years

09 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bruce Joseph started out as a brewer at what was then Anchor Brewing in San Francisco, and became a distiller when owner Fritz Maytag decided he wante...

The Bar at Willett: More Than Just a Bar

02 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Bar at Willett Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky serves up more than just neat pours and classic cocktails. It's also a gourmet-quality restaurant...

Whisky's Myth Buster

26 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Drew Hannush loves nothing more than to disprove whiskey lore, and spends his time researching historical documents to find the truth behind many of w...

On the Road at the Victoria Whisky Festival

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we're in Victoria, British Columbia for the annual Victoria Whisky Festival, one of the world's great whisky events. The Canadian Whisky Aw...

Everything's Coming Up Rosens

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rosen Rye was once favored by distillers for its unique flavor. However, Rosen fell out of favor several decades ago because of cross-pollination and ...

Turning the Tables on Mark

05 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With WhiskyCast celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, we thought we'd start the year by turning the tables on host and creator Mark Gillespie. Lon...

50 Years...and Still Going Strong

29 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tomintoul Master Distiller Robert Fleming is celebrating two anniversaries. 2024 marks his 50th year in the whisky business, while 2025 will be his 35...

Have We Reached Peak Whisky?

22 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new report from Noble and Co. shows the secondary auction market for whiskies turned in another poor year, and the retail market for whiskies isn't ...

Holyrood Distillery: Punching Above Its Weight

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The tiny Holyrood Distillery in Edinburgh shocked the whisky world when it was named Distillery of the Year last week in Whisky Magazine's Scottish Ic...

Waterford's Reynier Mounting a Comeback Effort

08 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Waterford Distillery founder Mark Reynier isn't giving up on his dream, even though the distillery went into receivership last week. As he tells us on...

A Bottled in Bond Brother's Bond

01 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley have released their latest edition of Brother's Bond Bourbon, a 7-year-old Bottled in Bond whiskey. It's a rele...

On the Road at the New Brunswick Spirits Festival

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for our annual trip to the New Brunswick Spirits Festival in Fredericton, New Brunswick. This year, the legendary Scottish bard Robin Laing ...

Ironroot Republic Celebrates 10 Years

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many craft distilleries that came to life in the early 2010's are marking their 10th anniversaries, and this weekend, the folks at Ironroot Republic D...

The Bond Between Peat and Whisky

10 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While politicians in Scotland debate a potential ban on the harvesting of peat, author Mike Billett writes of the undeniable ties between peat and whi...

Ask the Distiller: Ardbeg's Bill Lumsden

03 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ardbeg and Glenmorangie's Dr. Bill Lumsden joins us to answer your questions posed in the WhiskyCast Community app. The questions ranged fr...

Shining a Light on Lost Lantern

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lost Lantern Whiskey took the Scotch Whiskey tradition of independent bottlers and applied it to American craft whiskies. Founders Nora Ganley-Roper a...

Behind the Scenes at a Spirits Competition

20 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ever wanted to find out how a spirits competition works? This week, we'll take you inside the recent American Craft Spirits Association's annual judgi...

From Scotland to California: John Campbell's New Journey

13 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John Campbell has long been regarded as one of Scotland's best distillers, but he shocked the whisky world this week by leaving Scotland to join the t...

True Story: Wes Henderson's Next Chapter

06 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wes Henderson retired recently from Angel's Envy, the whiskey brand he and his father, the late Lincoln Henderson created. Retirement didn't suit Wes ...

The World's Most Remote Distillery?

29 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Few places are as remote as the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, and that makes the Faer Isles Distillery the world's most remote distillery. A gr...

Caitlin Bartlemay: Craft Distilling's Future

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Caitlin Bartlemay of Oregon's Hood River Distillers is one of the up-and-coming craft distillers on the American whiskey scene. She makes the whiskey ...

Sukhinder Singh's World View

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Few people know the whisky industry as well as Sukhinder Singh. He's a renowned collector of rare whiskies, founded The Whisky Exchange with his broth...

On the Road at The Whisky Show in London

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we're on the road at The Whisky Exchange's Whisky Show in London. We'll have highlights from the weekend, including an interview with Dave ...

Crunch Time for Craft Distillers

01 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. craft distillers are facing a crisis, with an average of one distillery shutting down each week over the past year. Inflation and cutbacks in con...

The 30 Days of Bourbon Challenge

25 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

September is National Bourbon Heritage Month, and the folks at Bourbon & Banter have a unique challenge every September. They want Bourbon lovers to t...

Woodinville Whiskey Marks 15 Years

18 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Washington's Woodinville Whiskey is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, and hundreds of people lined up this weekend to get first crack at the...

The Revival of Brora

11 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Diageo's Brora Distillery in the Scottish Highlands celebrated the third anniversary of its revival this summer, and is now pouring new Brora single m...

Dear TTB: What's Taking So Long?

04 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two years ago, the Treasury Department's Tax & Trade Bureau opened the bureaucratic process for issuing an official definition of American Single Malt...

Whisky Passion on Display at The Heart Cut

28 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The wife and husband team of Georgie Bell and Fabrizio Leoni gave up their day jobs last year to launch The Heart Cut, an independent bottler dedicate...

High Times at High West

21 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Utah's High West Distillery moved production operations from its downtown Park City gastropub to a state of the art distillery in nearby Wanship. The ...

New Life for Dallas Dhu Distillery

14 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Speyside's Dallas Dhu has been a historic site since it closed in 1983, left intact the way workers left it on the final day of production. Now, there...

A Whiskey Love Story

07 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Uncle Nearest Whiskey founder Fawn Weaver spent eight years researching and writing "Love & Whiskey," the story of Nearest Green and Jack Daniel. Duri...

Honoring J.P. Wiser with a Vintage Whisky

30 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Canadian Whisky pioneer J.P. Wiser started making whisky 165 years ago in eastern Ontario, and the brand that bears his name to this day has now relea...

Touring the New Heaven Hill Springs Distillery

23 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Heaven Hill's new $130 million distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky is still about six months away from being finished, but this week on WhiskyCast In-De...

Taking a Trip on the Wilderness Trail

16 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kentucky's Wilderness Trail Distillery has grown over the last decade from a small barrel-a-day distillery to become one of the nation's largest Bourb...

Leaving Laphroaig...and Islay Behind

09 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Barry MacAffer is leaving Laphroaig Distillery and his native Islay for a new adventure: building a malt whisky distillery in South Korea. This week o...

Dispatch from Jura

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There's one distillery on Scotland's Isle of Jura, and Jura master whisky maker Dr. Kirstie McCallum joins us from the island this week on WhiskyCast ...

A Part of the Community

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many distilleries take great pains to be involved in their surrounding communities, but Scotland's Glen Wyvis Distillery goes to an extreme. That's be...

A Debut Whisky for Ardnahoe

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Islay's Ardnahoe Distillery has released its first single malt since the distillery opened in 2019, and we'll talk about the journey with Scott Laing ...

The Latest Drops from The Last Drop

12 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

James Espey and Tom Jago founded The Last Drop 15 years ago with a goal of finding casks of rare whiskies and other spirits and bottling them. Since t...

From One Nation to Another

05 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

O'Shaughnessy Distilling master distiller Brian Nation arrived in Minneapolis nearly three years ago after leaving Ireland's Midleton Distillery, and ...

2XO: A Second Act for Dixon Dedman

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dixon Dedman's family history in the whisky business goes back more than a century. 2XO (for Two Times Oak) is his second act in the Bourbon business ...