Whiskycast | Weekly Whisky, Scotch, & Bourbon Podcast | Discover Latest News, Tasting Notes, Ratings | Spirits To Drink & Buy

There's a locked door at the Glenrothes Distillery, which normally is not open to visitors. The sign above the door reads "I.S." -- and stands for "Inner Sanctum." Ronnie Cox has the key to that door, and his inner sanctum has samples of every Glenrothes single malt expression ever released. We'll go through a couple of very rare Glenrothes whiskies during a chat with Ronnie on this episode. In the news, William Grant & Sons buys the Tullamore Dew range of Irish whiskies and the results of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Awards.

Back from Scotland, and plenty to talk about. This episode features highlights from the World Whiskies Conference in Glasgow, as well as a rare interview with retired Suntory master blender Dr. Koichi Inatomi. In the news, Springbank's distillery manager heads north to take over Duncan Taylor's new distillery project in Huntly, along with a new 40-year-old single malt from Glenfarclas, Highland Park's plans to phase out two travel retail releases, and new travel retail expressions from The Balvenie and Grant's.

I had a great experience today, and decided it warranted a special mid-week episode recorded on board a First ScotRail train from Aberdeen to Glasgow. Michael Urquhart gave me a private tour of the Gordon & MacPhail warehouses and sample room in Elgin, along with a tasting of several G&M bottlings, including the new 70-year-old Mortlach! Along the way, we talked about the family's history in the whisky business, nosing and tasting, and much more!

This episode comes from the Highlander Inn in Craigellachie, Scotland...the heart of Speyside! We'll hear from Highlander co-owner Duncan Elphick and the manager of the Highlander's world-class whisky bar, Tatsu Minagawa, about the Highlander's history and its whisky selection. In the news, Scotch whisky exports hit a new high despite the economy, a mothballed Speyside distillery will be sold and closed forever, new distillery tours, and a new GlenDronach. I'll also go to whisky school with Donald Renwick and the faculty at Royal Lochnagar!

The whisky business is in good shape despite the global recession. That's the view of Sir Gavin Hewitt, CEO of the Scotch Whisky Association. I sat down with Sir Gavin during his visit to New York for Whisky Live and a seminar for trade professionals to discuss whisky exports and the impact of the new Scotch Whisky Law. I'll also have highlights from Whisky Live New York, and word on new whiskies from Early Times, Caribou Crossing, an ultra-rare Macallan, and the results of the Alzheimer's Association Chocolate Symphony Scotland tour auction!

It's the start of the festival season in Scotland, which saw gains in tourism last year despite the global recession. Scottish Minister of Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop joins me to discuss whisky's impact on Scotland's tourism and economy, and will help me announce a competition to win a trip for two to Glasgow for Whisky Week in September! In the news, the winners of the San Francisco World Spirits Competition have been announced, Maker's Mark wins a battle in court over its dripping red wax trademark, and the results of the WhiskyCast March listener pledge drive!

We know it by many names...White Lightning and Corn Liquor to name a couple. Moonshine whiskey has been a part of American culture for generations, and is still being produced today. Max Watman embraced the moonshine culture for his new book, "Chasing the White Dog," and shares some of that culture in this week's episode. We'll also hear from Kevin Smith of Maker's Mark about the official name for his new bourbon, "Maker's 46." I'll have tasting notes for it, the new Crown Royal Black, and the Four Roses 100th Anniversary Single Barrel bourbon in the "What I'm Tasting This Week" Department.

For some reason, I always wind up doing a show on Irish whiskies around St. Patrick's Day. Irish whiskies have the fastest-growing sales in many markets, and we'll get some ideas why from Abigeal Hendron of Michael Collins Irish Whiskey. Bushmills Master Distiller Colum Egan explains what he's looking for as Bushmills starts a competition to find someone to spend 30 days working at the distillery this autumn, and I'll compare two distillery bottlings with independent bottlings in the "What I'm Tasting This Week Department."

Michael Jackson passed away in 2007, leaving behind a legacy of excellence in whisky writing that includes his classic "Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch." Now, an updated edition of his guide is being released, and fittingly, it took three men to do the job. Editors Dominic Roskrow, Gavin Smith, and William Meyers discuss the controversy over their work and how they worked together to create the new guide. In the news, Gordon & MacPhail unveils a 70-year-old Mortlach bottling, and the latest on new expressions from Four Roses, Glenfarclas, and The Whisky Exchange.  

This week's episode includes highlights from the Whisky Guild's annual Whisky Classic event in Morristown, New Jersey. Ardbeg's Rollercoaster made its U.S. debut at the Whisky Classic, and we'll get some of the details from Dr. Bill Lumsden. We'll also hear about plans for the first U.S. Ardbeg Committee gathering this April in Chicago, and Rick Wassmund of Copper Fox will tell us about his latest single malt from Virginia. In the news, John MacLellan leaves Burn Stewart Distillers for Kilchoman, Texas gets its first-ever bourbon, Denmark gets a new single malt, and the WhiskyCast iPhone app is now available!

France is known more for wine and cognac than whisky, but Jean Donnay hopes to change that perception. Jean's Glann ar Mor Distillery on the Brittany Coast is already receiving high marks for its whisky, and was a runner-up for Distiller of the Year in Whisky Magazine's 2010 Icons of Whisky Awards. We'll hear from Jean in this week's episode, along with tasting notes for two Glann ar Mor expressions. In the news, Whisky Magazine announces its World Whiskies Awards, Maker's Mark makes a choice for its new bourbon, and comments on the last episode's interview with Ralfy Mitchell of Ralfy.com.  

We've seen an explosion in the number of whisky bloggers over the past year, and one of the most popular is Ralfy Mitchell of Ralfy.com. His whisky rating videos have become a hit on YouTube, and we sat down to talk at the recent Victoria Whisky Festival. In the news, Compass Box has something special planned for the upcoming Whisky Live London, another new whisky from The Dalmore, Buffalo Trace goes Canadian, and Bonhams puts a Glenfiddich bottling of casks from 1937 and 1939 on the auction block next week.    

English farmers send barley north to Scotland, and sooner or later, the Scots send it back as whisky. The Nelstrop family has been growing barley for decades, and decided to change that formula. The first English single malt whisky in more than a century is now available from the family's St. George's Distillery in Norfolk. In the news, the finalists have been selected in the Spirit of Speyside Festival Whisky Awards, Malt Advocate Magazine announces its 2009 award winners, and tasting notes for a rare Glenfiddich single cask bottling.

Call it beginner's luck if you want, but Peter Hart's first batch of single malt spirit received rave reviews at the recent Victoria Whisky Festival...even though it was only two months old. Peter's the distiller at Victoria Spirits, a converted British Columbia winery now producing highly-regarded gin and as we'll learn in this episode, plans to produce a 100% British Columbia single malt whisky. In the news, the first interview with Al Fastier of the Antarctic Heritage Trust on the successful recovery of not just two cases of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 100-year-old whisky, but a third case of whisky and two cases of brandy! Also, Edrington and Berry Brothers swap whisky assets...and reports of a new Ardbeg expression!

As I reported in the last episode, Maker's Mark is working on a new bourbon. This time around, Master Distiller Kevin Smith sits down with me to taste "Profile 51", which will be released this summer. That's the unofficial name for the new whiskey, which will be bottled at a higher proof than Maker's Mark and will have a completely different taste. In the news, new whiskies from Glenfiddich, Tullibardine, and The Glenrothes, support for Haitian earthquake relief, and Chivas may need years to recover from the damage caused by this winter's storms. Finally, there's a new contest for WhiskyCast newsletter subscribers!  

This time around, I'm on location at the Victoria Whisky Festival in British Columbia, and I'm joined by a panel of whisky experts to discuss some of the issues facing whisky producers and drinkers alike. Jim Murray, Malt Maniac Davin De Kergommeaux, Ed Patrick of Canada's Companions of the Quaich, Stuart Nickerson of Glenglassaugh, Andrew Gray of Bruichladdich, and Dan Tullio of Canadian Club discuss the state of Canadian whisky, government regulation and taxes, premiumization, and their dream drams. In the news, Maker's Mark is experimenting with a new formula that may or may not make it to market, and Bruichladdich is experimenting with technology to turn its waste into fuel.    

Dewar's is one of Scotland's iconic whiskies, thanks to the efforts of generations of the Dewar family. Ian Buxton has just released a new book, "The Enduring Legacy of Dewar's", in cooperation with Dewar's owner Bacardi, and he joins us via Skype from Edinburgh to share some of Dewar's history. In the news, whisky and politics, whisky and sports, and whisky with a smoky kick!  

China may well become the world's largest whisky market over the next decade, and Ian Chang is hoping his Kavalan single malt becomes the choice of Chinese whisky lovers. Kavalan is the first single malt whisky distilled in Taiwan, and even though its first releases are only three years old, Kavalan has already won several medals in international whisky competitions. In the news, heavy snow damages 21 Chivas Brothers warehouses holding 100 million gallons of whisky, Diageo prepares for the second release in the Manager's Choice Series, and we'll hear from the editor of Australia's first whisky magazine, Tumbler's Kristy Booth.  

The last decade could well be remembered for the emergence of Japanese single malt whiskies on the world stage. We'll discuss the malts from the Land of the Rising Sun with Chris Bunting, author of the Nonjatta.com blog. In the news, new whiskies from Gordon & MacPhail and The Glenrothes, and Whyte & MacKay's Richard Paterson can tell you where to go...if you have a TomTom GPS.    

We'll close out 2009 with a look at bourbon and beer. Devin Zell of Bourbon Drinker.com loves both. He'll share his dual passions with us in this episode, including how he and his friends aged a beer for 9 months in a barrel used for Pappy Van Winkle's 23-year-old bourbon. In the news, new expressions from Berry Brothers & Rudd, the BBC discovers a distillery on the Isle of Lewis, and tasting notes for three top-shelf bourbons in the "What I'm Tasting This Week Department."