Whiskey Blog

The end of January means many things, but in the whisky world, it means a trip to the Victoria Whisky Festival in British Columbia. The VWF is one of the world’s best whisky festivals, and this week’s episode features some of the highlights from this weekend’s event. We’ll get the latest on new whiskies from Cooley, Glenfarclas, Glenmorangie, and many more distillers, along with the results of the Canadian Whisky Awards and the newest chapter of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

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A year ago, the owner of Glasgow’s Pot Still Bar, Ken Storrie, passed away. At first, Glasgow whisky lovers were sad…but they quickly became mad after the Pot Still’s landlord threw Ken’s family and managers out. Now, they’re happy…and going back to the Pot Still once again now that former manager Frank Murphy and his family have taken over one of Scotland’s best whisky bars. Frank explains the whole sordid story and shares his memories of Ken and his hopes for the Pot Still in this week’s episode.

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Irish whiskey is enjoyed around the world, but perhaps not with as much passion as in Dublin. Leo Phelan is the president of Dublin’s Irish Whiskey Society, and shares some of that passion with us in this week’s episode. We’ll hear his excitement about the revival of Pot Still Irish Whiskey, discuss some of Dublin’s distilling history, and look at the future for Irish Whiskey. In the news, Redbreast 12 Cask Strength is on its way to the U.S., Masterson’s Rye is headed home to Canada, and Whyte & Mackay isn’t going up for sale any time soon.

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Glen Grant’s Dennis Malcolm marked 50 years at the distillery during 2011, and spent Christmas Day on a special mission. On Christmas Day in 1961, he filled a sherry hogshead with new make spirit, and three years ago, he moved that cask to a cave in the distillery’s garden. On Christmas, he retrieved that cask, and what the angels (and Dennis) didn’t get over the years will be bottled as a special anniversary edition of Glen Grant. Dennis shares some of his 50 years of stories with us, and helps quash a report out of Australia that Glen Grant was demolished years ago.

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Mike Padlipsky had two loves…software and whisky. He also had one mission…to find what he thought of as the world’s best single malt whisky. Sadly, his lact act before his death was to find a bottle of that whisky…and he never got to open it. Bill Ricker is the keeper of Mike’s dual legacies in computing and whisky. He’ll tell us about his friend’s passions in this week’s episode, and exactly what that whisky was that Mike sought out until his dying day.

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This is a big weekend for the eight founders of Sweden’s Mackmyra Distillery. Their initial dream of building Sweden’s first whisky distillery has been more successful than they dreamed…so much so that they’ve had to build a second distillery a couple of kilometers away to meet global demand. Rikard Lundborg was one of the founders, and now heads up global sales for the company. He’ll tell us about the new distillery, which uses a unique design to minimize energy use and maximize efficiency…and he’ll give us the real story behind the ski trip that was the genesis for Mackmyra. In the news, Beam acquires Ireland’s Cooley Distillery, a 55-year-old Glenfiddich breaks auction records at Bonhams, and tasting notes for a 60-year-old single malt from The Macallan.

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If you’re trying to find a rare whisky, the easiest way to track it down may be through one of the many whisky auctions conducted by galleries like Bonhams and McTear’s. Bonhams held its pre-Christmas whisky auction in New York City this past week, and we’ll have exclusive coverage on this episode. You’ll also find out how to put your own whiskies on the block, too. In the news, Johnnie Walker goes platinum, The Naked Grouse visits Dubai, and Buffalo Trace unleashes Bourbons made with rice and oats!

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The arrival of December brings with it the annual announcement of the Malt Maniacs Whisky Awards. 171 whiskies from around the world were entered in this year’s competition, and just eight won gold medals. Maniacs Keith Wood and Krishna Nukala join me from Germany and India to discuss this year’s results on this week’s episode. In the news, Woodford Reserve unveils Double Oaked Bourbon, the first permanent addition to the Woodford range since the debut of Distillers Select, and Chris Morris gives us the toasty details. We’ll also have word on more new whiskies, and a new bourbon from West Virginia’s Smooth Ambler Distillery.

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The Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville is holy ground for many bourbon lovers, even though it closed 20 years ago. Stitzel-Weller was the home of Pappy Van Winkle’s legendary bourbons, and we’ll look at the distillery’s history and its future on this episode of WhiskyCast with historian Michael Veach and Julian Van Winkle. Tom Bulleit’s Bulleit Bourbon is aged at Stitzel-Weller now, and he’ll explain Diageo’s plans to open at least part of the grounds to the public as The Bulleit Experience.

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Irish Whiskey has been the fastest-growing segment of the whisky business for the last several years. William Grant & Sons acquired Tullamore Dew last year, and has been investing millions of Euros to build the brand. A new “Irish True” marketing campaign for Tullamore Dew debuted this week in New York City, and we’ll hear more from John Quinn and Shane Hoyne about the brand’s heritage and its future…which may include a new Tullamore Dew distillery at some point. In the news, the Kentucky Distillers Association and Sazerac settle their legal dispute over the Bourbon Trail, new whiskies from The Glenlivet, Kilchoman, and The Whisky Exchange, and WhiskyCast gets a boost from Hollywood!

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