Walking In Just North of Memphis Show Notes and Reviews Thank you to Logan for entering the whiskey ring!  If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring. If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Blue Note Blue Note Website Blue Note Facebook Blue Note Instagram Blue Note LinkedIn Blue Note YouTube

T8ke A Trip to Virginia (via Kentucky, For Now) Show Notes Thank you to Jay for entering the Whiskey Ring!  If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring. If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. 1787 Provenance Provenance Website Provenance Bourbon Instagram Jay West's Instagram

An Unusual Journey for a National Brand Ambassador Show Notes Forthcoming! Jaz'min Weaver Instagram Danny Bardstown Instagram Bardstown Bourbon Co. Instagram Bardstown Bourbon Co. Facebook Bardstown Bourbon Co. LinkedIn

A Break From Your Usual Programming Confused about tariffs? Want to know what tariffs are? Want to know why your favorite whiskey's price is (potentially) going up or becoming less available?  I'm thrilled to welcome back multi-time former guest Raj Sabharwal to talk me through how tariffs affect consumers, producers, and everything in between.  No formal shownotes on this one, just be sure to follow Raj at @whiskyraj on all socials and take a look at Glass Revolution Imports to see the amazing brands he's bringing to the states from around the world. 

Join Me In The North Atlantic at the Faroe Islands Show Notes Thank you to Dánial for entering the whiskey ring!  If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring. If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Faer Isles Distillery Faer Isles Distillery Website Faer Isles Distillery Facebook Faer Isles Distillery Instagram Faer Isles Distillery LinkedIn Faer Isles Distillery YouTube

New Zealand peat? Sign me up.  Show Notes Thank you to Mark for entering the whiskey ring!  If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring. If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Waiheke Island Distillery Waiheke Whisky Website Waiheke Whisky Facebook Waiheke Whisky Instagram Waiheke Whisky LinkedIn

Three States, Blue Corn, and an ASCOT Show Notes Thank you to Blake for entering the whiskey ring!  If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Smokeye Hill Whiskey Smokeye Hill Website Smokeye Hill Whiskey Facebook Smokeye Hill Whiskey Instagram Smokeye Hill Twitter/X

This might be my rye of the year.  Show notes Thank you to Kalle for entering the whiskey ring!  _________________________________________________________ If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring The Bottle Share Club - the $25/month Patreon level - is SOLD OUT! You can still support the podcast for as little as $1/month, and $5/month patrons will have first dibs if a $25/month member retires.  If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Kyrö Distillery Kyrö Distillery Website Kyrö Distillery Facebook Kyrö Distillery Instagram Kyrö Distillery YouTube Kyrö Distillery LinkedIn

Corn is always interesting! AKA An episode two years in the making. Show Notes Thank you to Nick for entering the whiskey ring!  _________________________________________________________ If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring The Bottle Share Club - the $25/month Patreon level - is SOLD OUT! You can still support the podcast for as little as $1/month, and $5/month patrons will have first dibs if a $25/month member retires.  If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Whiskey Acres Distilling Co. Whiskey Acres Distilling Co. Website Whiskey Acres Distilling Co. Facebook Whiskey Acres Distilling Co. Instagram Whiskey Acres Distilling Co. LinkedIn  

Made by Edinburgh: Holyrood’s Bold Take on Reviving Distilling in Auld Reekie Show Notes Thank you to Rob and Calum for entering the whiskey ring!  _________________________________________________________ If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring The Bottle Share Club - the $25/month Patreon level - is SOLD OUT! You can still support the podcast for as little as $1/month, and $5/month patrons will have first dibs if a $25/month member retires.  If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Holyrood Distillery Holyrood Distillery Website Holyrood Distillery Facebook Holyrood Distillery Instagram Holyrood Distillery LinkedIn Holyrood Distillery Twitter/X

Germany's Ryes, with Napoleon's Help Show Notes Thank you to Bastian for entering the whiskey ring!  _________________________________________________________ If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring The Bottle Share Club - the $25/month Patreon level - is SOLD OUT! You can still support the podcast for as little as $1/month, and $5/month patrons will have first dibs if a $25/month member retires.  If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Stork Club Distillery Stork Club Distillery Website Stork Club Distillery Facebook Stork Club Distillery Instagram Stork Club Distillery LinkedIn Stork Club Distillery YouTube

Whisky is just grown up beer! Show Notes Thank you to Max for entering the whiskey ring!  _________________________________________________________ If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring The Bottle Share Club - the $25/month Patreon level - is SOLD OUT! You can still support the podcast for as little as $1/month, and $5/month patrons will have first dibs if a $25/month member retires.  If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. White Peak Distillery White Peak Distillery Website White Peak Distillery Facebook White Peak Distillery Instagram White Peak Distillery Twitter/X

OG of Craft Meets OG FEW of Prohibition Show Notes Thank you to Paul for entering the whiskey ring!  _________________________________________________________ If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring The Bottle Share Club - the $25/month Patreon level - is SOLD OUT! You can still support the podcast for as little as $1/month, and $5/month patrons will have first dibs if a $25/month member retires.  If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. FEW Spirits FEW Spirits Website FEW Spirits Facebook FEW Spirits Instagram

Get In The Spirit! Show Notes If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring The Bottle Share Club - the $25/month Patreon level - is SOLD OUT! You can still support the podcast for as little as $1/month, and $5/month patrons will have first dibs if a $25/month member retires.  If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. John Angus & The Distilled Edit John Angus on LinkedIn The Distilled Edit

Spirits of San Francisco: Inside Hotaling & Co with Kevin Aslan Have you tried or heard of Old Potrero Rye? What about Junipero Gin? Surely you've heard of Hirsch American Whiskey, right? If not, Kevin Aslan, head distiller for Hotaling & Co. in San Francisco, is here to re-introduce these under-the-radar giants of American craft whiskey.  Old Potrero, when it first arrived in 1996 (distilled in 1993) was the first fully pot distilled whiskey in America since Prohibition. Add to that, it was 100% malted rye, no exogenous enzymes and no other grains. The brainchild of Fritz Maytag and Bruce Joseph, Old Potrero gave rise to a new generation of craft whiskey and continues to be a sensational product - if you can find it.  Hirsch likely needs no introduction, though I will say Hotaling has turned it on its head. Rather than trying to recreate "The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste" as Chuck Cowdery has called it, Bruce and now Kevin are using Hirsch as their more experimental line, debuting bourbons, ryes, and American Single Malts. The release I tried - Departure - was 6 years 9 months and had all the ASM and funky barnyard you could want.  When a distillery that grew out of a brewery (Anchor) has 30+ years in craft whiskey, there's a lot to talk about. We cover the history, the products, the thoughts, and the transitions, with an eye to the future of this venerable brand.  Thank you to Kevin for entering the whiskey ring!  _________________________________________________________ If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring The Bottle Share Club - the $25/month Patreon level - is SOLD OUT! You can still support the podcast for as little as $1/month, and $5/month patrons will have first dibs if a $25/month member retires.  If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Hotaling & Co. Hotaling & Co. Website Hotaling & Co. on Instagram Hotaling & Co. on Facebook Hotaling & Co. on Twitter/X Hotaling & Co. on LinkedIn

The First South Korean Single Malt, or, An Eagle, a Unicorn, and a Tiger Walk Into a Bar Ki One (formerly known as Three Societies) was founded in 2020 with a simple goal: be the first Korean single malt distillery and set a benchmark for what Korean single malt could be. Given the reaction to their releases, one can only say well done. They are the first Korean single malt on the market, with three core expressions (the Eagle, Unicorn, and Tiger) and special releases exploring different parts of their components or playing with finishes.  What could Korean single malt be? Nestled on the north face of the mountains 30 minutes from Seoul, this distillery gets no direct sunlight in the winter and can swing between -4C and 36C throughout the year. Bryan came from a brewing background, Andrew Shand from a distilling family. Together, they've set a Korean "profile" that hearkens back to their heritage while highlighting something synonymous with Korea: spice.  Make no mistake: whether at 6 months or 5 years, this is a spice-forward single malt, evoking kimchi and gochujang pepper alongside the classic single malt by which they were inspired.  As the first, they had to chart a path, and we get into an unusually detailed description of how taxation and regulation can lag behind industry growth and, if unchanged, hamper it. This was Bryan's first longform English interview for Ki One - I hope you enjoy! Thank you to Bryan for entering the whiskey ring!  _________________________________________________________ If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring The Bottle Share Club - the $25/month Patreon level - is SOLD OUT! You can still support the podcast for as little as $1/month, and $5/month patrons will have first dibs if a $25/month member retires.  If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Ki One Distillery Ki One Distillery Website Ki One Distillery on Instagram Ki One Distillery on Facebook

Heritage, Grain, and Grit: Matt McKay Revives the London Distillery Company The London Distillery Company - TLDC - has, TLDR, had a rather rough two centuries. Two failed ventures, one in the early 1800s and one in the 2010s, the last ending in 2020 with a few dozen casks remaining, sitting in a warehouse for several years unloved.  Enter Matt McKay, a Whiskey Ring Podcast guest way back in Episode 70. Having recently departed Bimber and Dunphail Distilleries, Matt was looking for a project, something that would expand his already extensive whisky knowledge and give him a new challenge in the production space where he felt most at home. Those few dozen casks held some rye, a lot of single malt, and, more than anything, opportunities.  In his "distillery without walls," Matt is slowly and methodically rebuilding TLDC into a respectable company known for its own product (which remains quite limited but also nicely aged) and for blending. The Renascence was a release of their own stock, while the just-released Golden Union blends and celebrates English whisky from multiple distilleries into a harmonious expression.  Matt is unabashedly nerdy (seriously, listen to our previous episode, we got deep in the weeds), and he loves what he does. I can't wait to taste these releases and see what he does. Let's check back in a few years when they're farther down the runway.... Thank you to Matt for entering the whiskey ring!  _________________________________________________________ If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring The Bottle Share Club - the $25/month Patreon level - is SOLD OUT! You can still support the podcast for as little as $1/month, and $5/month patrons will have first dibs if a $25/month member retires.  If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. The London Distillery Company The London Distillery Company Website The London Distillery Company on Instagram The London Distillery Company on Facebook  

La Maison du Whisky, Version Française, and Everything About French Whisky I love "visiting" new countries through the podcast. Granted, France we had technically touched before through Brenne, but I'd heard that there was so much more to learn about the French culture of drinking and spirit production - so who better to talk to than Marion Attardi and Matthieu Acar, of La Maison & Velier and La Maison du Whisky, respectively.  Marion and Matthieu are subject matter giants in whiskies generally, but both bring a special expertise to French whisky. While long a top market for Scotch single malt (drinking more per capita than any other nation), France has only recently begun distilling its own whiskies and single malts (~1983 is a general starting point). Yet despite starting domestic production around the same time as the earliest American craft distillers, French producers have remained mostly small and independent. Only the oldest and largest - Armorik, for example) have made it to the US market, and many haven't made it outside of France or the EU at most.  So, why do an episode about French whisky if you can't taste much of it? Because soon enough you'll be able to - and I guarantee you're going to love it. Whether it's a distillery that grew out of a brewery, one doing their own take on peat, one using local wine casks from Bordeaux or calvados from Normandy, the variety is astounding and delicious.  Three Version Française expressions are available in the US, with more on the way. You can also shop through La Maison du Whisky, The Whisky Exchange, and many other international retailers to find gems from all over France.  This was just the opening conversation - there will be many more! Especially if Matthieu's compendium on the first 40 years of French whisky gets an English translation... Thank you to Marion and Matthieu for entering the Whiskey Ring! ________________________________________________ If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring The Bottle Share Club - the $25/month Patreon level - is SOLD OUT! You can still support the podcast for as little as $1/month, and $5/month patrons will have first dibs if a $25/month member retires.  If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Version Française & La Maison du Whisky Version Française Website Version Française on Instagram La Maison du Whisky Website

Scottish Born, Colorodo Bred Show Notes and Reviews Colorado was long a bastion of the craft beer scene, and out of that grew a now-booming craft whiskey industry. Among the first of those whiskeymakers was Boulder Spirits (part of Vapor Distillery), who imported Alastair Brogan in 2012. His vision was clear: to create the best American single malt whiskey possible, while honoring traditional methods and embracing the distinctive Colorado environment. The Colorado microclimate plays a crucial role in Boulder Spirits' unique flavor profile. With significant temperature and humidity swings, whiskey ages differently here than in Scotland or Kentucky, experiencing higher evaporation rates that concentrate flavors more rapidly. While their American Single Malt garners the headlines, they also make a fantastic bourbon, one that despite its relatively low proof (88) was full-bodied and flavorful. It confirmed my suspicions (piqued after chatting with Chattanooga) that I love malted bourbons, where malt is the secondary grain rather than rye or wheat. It holds up at a lower proof so much better than the other two. Education remains the greatest barrier to growth - while we whiskey nerds love American Single Malts and different mashbills, the wider audience isn't always aware that ASM is even a thing, let alone a malted bourbon. That education is helped by collaborating with folks like Lost Lantern (that's how I first heard about Boulder) and putting out high-powered releases like hazmat single malt in armagnac casks.  I missed them by just a day while in Denver, but won't miss them the next time. Thank you to Alastair for entering the whiskey ring!  _________________________________________________________ If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring The Bottle Share Club - the $25/month Patreon level - is SOLD OUT! You can still support the podcast for as little as $1/month, and $5/month patrons will have first dibs if a $25/month member retires.  If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Boulder Spirits Boulder Spirits Website Boulder Spirits on Instagram Boulder Spirits on Facebook Boulder Spirits on LinkedIn

Why Not, What If? Georgie Bell and husband Fabrizio Leoni co-founded The Heart Cut, an independent bottler, with an eye towards the world. The question is relatively simple: how can we connect whisky enthusiasts with some of the most exciting, innovative, and deserving-of-attention distilleries? More than half of which - in a telling coincidence - have been Whiskey Ring Podcast guests? Georgie and Fab are globe-trotting whiskey hunters, pulling 16 exceptional casks/releases from distilleries across eight countries in just their first 20-ish months. From Finnish rye to Israeli single malts, they're telling stories through spirits that most drinkers have never encountered. Their approach: direct partnerships, total transparency, and a commitment to showcasing the "why not, what if" spirit of craft distillers around the world. But this isn't just about selling bottles. The Heart Cut is building a whiskey community, breaking down barriers with accessible tasting notes, virtual tastings (starting with the last few releases), and a mission to educate. Bell and Leoni's vision inspires exploration, giving us nerds a healthy mix of whiskies that both represent the heart of what a distillery can do while also pushing its boundaries. If you're new to whisky, you'll be able to enjoy the pours. If you're deep in the fandom, every bit of information they can possibly provide is either on the label or the website. This is an IB built on the knowledge, passion, experience, and wisdom of two people who know their spirits. We spend a few minutes just on Georgie's resume simply to highlight how extensive her knowledge base is - it's that impressive.  Finally, I want to acknowledge the introductions Georgie made after the interview was over. The best IBs don't work as firewalls but as gateways. If a bottling makes me want to know more about a distillery, that's the best job an IB can do, and The Heart Cut does it in spades. Who knows - within a few months, I may have completed the collection, having all The Heart Cut partners on the podcast... Being smaller releases, these won't usually be available in the US, but they are through both Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange. I'm picking up a bottle of the M&H (the pomegranate wine cask and Dead Sea Apex release are my two favorites, and The Heart Cut combined them!) and probably 2-5 others given the chance.  Thank you to Georgie for entering the Whiskey Ring, and for the multiple introductions she made after the interview! _________________________________________________________ If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring The Bottle Share Club - the $25/month Patreon level - is SOLD OUT! You can still support the podcast for as little as $1/month, and $5/month patrons will have first dibs if a $25/month member retires.  If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. The Heart Cut The Heart Cut Website The Heart Cut on Instagram The Heart Cut on Facebook The Heart Cut on LinkedIn