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The last time we heard from Jim McEwan, he was leading a toast at the end of his master class at Bruichladdich during Feis Ile in May. Jim's been a busy man since then, but he agreed to sit down for a few minutes and discuss his dalliance with distilling gin, the future of Bruichladdich as the 10th anniversay of its reopening nears, and his own approaching retirement to spend time with his grandchildren. In the news, repair work is underway at Springbank, auction results from Glasgow and Hong Kong, and the debut of the WhiskyCast Glencairn nosing glass!  

Whisky truly is the "water of life", and as many as 60,000 people will benefit from the sale of one very special bottle of whisky this past week. The Macallan in Lalique Cire Perdue Decanter is the largest and heaviest Lalique decanter ever made, and holds the oldest Macallan whisky ever bottled. It sold Monday night at Sotheby's in New York for the highest price ever paid for a single bottle of whisky: $460,000. There's complete coverage of the auction in this week's episode, along with news from the Bonhams whisky auction in Edinburgh, several whisky competitions, and the Holiday Gift Guide has a Vegas flair.

Malt Advocate held its annual WhiskyFest New York this past week, and the microdistilling community was out in force. Some of the most creative experiments in distilling are being done at American microdistilleries, and you'll hear from some of the distillers in this episode. In the news, a boiler explosion shuts down Springbank, a $160,000 bottle of whisky is still on the market, and the Friends of Laphroaig visit the Statue of Liberty.

This episode marks a milestone...the fifth anniversary of the first WhiskyCast episode. Veteran bartender and author of "Bartending for Dummies" Ray Foley joins us to discuss the art of bartending, and don't dare refer to him as a "mixologist". In the news, Scotch whisky exports are on the rise, new bourbons are on the way, Caperdonich comes tumbling down, and the holiday gift guide looks at new whisky-specific glassware from Villeroy & Boch.

Serge Valentin takes whisky seriously...but not much else. His WhiskyFun.com website is among the world's most popular whisky web sites, with tasting notes for thousands of whiskies from all over the world, music reviews, and much more. Serge explains his philosophy of life in this episode, along with the latest news, this week's trivia question, and the holiday gift guide.

Ever wondered why the U.S. requires whisky to be sold in 750ml bottles, while most of the rest of the world sells 700ml bottles? We'll get the definitive answer to that and other federal red tape questions from former ATF and TTB agent William Earle, now president of the National Association of Beverage Importers. In the news, another ultra-premium Johnnie Walker whisky, new malts from The Glenrothes and Amrut, and the debut of the WhiskyCast Holiday Gift Guide.

Compass Box marks 10 years in the whisky business this week, and John Glaser is celebrating with retrospective tastings in New York and Edinburgh. We'll have highlights of the New York tasting on this week's episode. In the news, a rare bottle of Mortlach 70 is stolen at the Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival, and two bottles of 64-year-old Dalmore have sold for about $160,000...each! We'll also remember Ronnie Eddins, the longtime Buffalo Trace warehouse manager who passed away this past week.

Every master has an apprentice learning the tricks of the trade and preparing to fill the master's shoes one day. Brian Kinsman served as David Stewart's protege at William Grant & Sons, and has now taken on David's role as Master Blender for Grant's and Glenfiddich Malt Master. David continues as Malt Master for The Balvenie, and we'll hear from both men in this episode. In the news, Dewar's completes the first phase of its expansion plans, two bottles of George Washington's Rye go on the auction block, and Woodford Reserve searches for the perfect Manhattan recipe.

No journalist has ever been allowed inside the Chivas Brothers blending lab in Kilmalid, Scotland...which means whisky lovers have never gotten a look inside...until now. Master Blender Sandy Hyslop directs the production of Ballantine's Scotch and other Chivas products from this lab, and that includes the entire range of single malt bottlings from the Chivas Brothers distilleries. We'll get a look at everything from new make grain spirit to Ballantine's 30-year-old Scotch, and there's a quiz at the end. You don't have to take it...I did. In the news, Highland Park unveils a 50-year-old expression, Diageo opens the massive Roseisle Distillery in Speyside, Old Pulteney's looking for an Arctic Explorer, and brace yourselves, Android users...there's an app coming your way soon.

This is the third and final episode from Whisky Live Paris, where I was honored to be a judge in the Nikka Perfect Serve competition for bartenders from 10 European countries. We'll also hear from David Robertson of Whyte & Mackay, Glann ar Mor's Jean Donnay, Glen Grant master distiller Dennis Malcolm, Doug McIvor of Berry Bros. & Rudd, Lisa Collins of Mackmyra, take a look at Blanton's bourbons that you'll never see in Kentucky and get a taste of absinthe!

More coverage from Whisky Live Paris on this special episode of WhiskyCast! We'll hear from Anthony Wills of Kilchoman, John MacDonald of Balblair, author Dave Broom, Bill Lumsden of Glenmorangie, Ann Miller of Aberlour, Compass Box's John Glaser, Luc Timmermans of Belgium's Lindores Whisky Society and much more...along with tasting notes for some of the whiskies I've tasted today in Paris!

I'm on the road this weekend at Whisky Live Paris, and it's a weekend full of new whiskies to taste! We'll hear from Thierry Benitah of La Maison du Whisky, along with Kerry White of GlenDronach, Amrut's Ashok Chokalingam, Michael Urquhart of Gordon & MacPhail, Marcin Miller of Number One Drinks Company, and three of Australia's leading distillers!

Ireland's Midleton Distillery features 5 pot stills, eight column stills, and literally dozens of possibilities for making Irish whiskey. It's home to Jameson, Power's, Midleton, Paddy, and many other Irish whiskeys. While the Old Midleton Distillery is now a visitors center, the main distillery is off-limits to visitors -- until now. You'll get an in-depth look inside one of the world's great distilleries on this episode. In the news, the Bourbon Hall of Fame welcomes the Class of 2010, a shake-up at Maker's Mark, the details on Amrut's new expression...and this week's trivia question.

This week's episode comes from the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been completely renovated to provide state of the art whisky education for both consumers and professionals. We'll hear from the Experience's Julie Hunter on the changes, which include the addition of the Claive Vidiz Collection of whiskies to the exhibits on display. We'll also catch up with Alastair Day on the success of his Tweedale Blend whisky and Victor Brierley tells us about a new tour service for Glasgow's great whisky bars.

Women are discovering whisky and other brown spirits at record levels, and dispelling the old myth that whisky is a "man's drink." Meghan Leary is the author of "Whiskey for Women" and the website of the same name, and is on the forefront of teaching women about whisky. She'll share her insights with us on this week's episode. In the news, Scotland's government plans to impose minimum pricing over industry objections, Colum Egan of Bushmills picks his apprentice, and the "Water of Life Drive" reaches its goal for Charity: Water!

The Whisky Guild held its annual "Whisky on the Hudson" tasting and dinner cruise in New York City the other night, with more than 900 people on hand to taste dozens of whiskies. I'll have some of the highlights on this week's episode, including a visit to The Balvenie's Warehouse 24 room and chats with some of the U.S. microdistillers on hand. In the news, a new peated Glenmorangie, 10 single casks from BenRiach, a new Macallan 1824 Collection expression, and an update on the "Water of Life" Drive for Charity: Water.

Ever have one of those conversations that seems like just a few minutes, until you look at the clock and realize it's gone on for a long time? That sums up my chat this week with Robin Blackadder, the "nom du whisky" for Blackadder bottler Robin Toucek. We discussed everything from how he picks single casks to whisky festivals, politics, and small animals, and you'll hear our chat in this week's episode. In the news, Dr. Martin Tangney of Edinburgh Napier University explains his new technique for turning distillery waste into a usable biofuel, along with details on new whiskies and auction results for old ones.

There's no doubting that Kentucky makes great bourbons, but a single malt? That hasn't happened since 1919...until now. Dr. Pearse Lyons is the CEO of Alltech, which makes yeasts and animal feed supplements in Kentucky. He comes from generations of Irish coopers, and since Alltech already owns the Kentucky Brewing Company in Lexington, he decided to honor his heritage with a single malt. We'll also get the latest on Shackleton's whisky from Nigel Watson of the Antarctic Heritage Trust and learn more about Charity: Water from CEO Scott Harrison.

"Hammer Head" sounds like the name for a Caribbean rum, not a whisky. In this case, it's not a shark reference, but the name of a long-forgotten Czech single malt whisky just being released. Tony Roberts of Stock Spirits Group shepherded Hammer Head to market, and explains the origin of the whisky and its unusual name. Plenty of new whiskies to talk about this week, along with the start of the WhiskyCast "Water of Life" Drive.

Heather Greene works two jobs...as a singer and as one of the U.S. brand ambassadors for Glenfiddich. It's the second job that has made her a fixture at whisky festivals and helped her win Whisky Magazine's Icons of Whisky award as the best young whisky ambassador in the U.S. this year. Heather discusses balancing music and whisky in this week's episode, and in the news, new releases from Heaven Hill, The Balvenie, and tasting notes for the new Parker's Heritage Collection 2010 Wheated Bourbon and a vintage Glenfarclas.