Jamie and Mark are pulled out of hibernation, sat in front of some microphones, and we all just hope for the best. That's it, that's all we got for you for this week.

Will Schragis of Barrell Craft Spirits joins us to talk about the latest offerings from Barrell including their rye, bourbon, and their journey into other spirits!

David Jennings (Rare Bird 101) talks to us about his love of Wild Turkey Distillery, his upcoming book, and the best Wild Turkey stories. We breifly cover the history of the distillery, the brand, and the undeniable influence of Jimmy Russell.

Jamie and Mark are joined by Josh Peters (The Whiskey Jug). We cover everything from whisky stones, finished Bourbons, to smoked sheep dung whisky. Gimmick or innovation? Our panel decides!

This bonus episode has been brought to you by Johnnie Walker. Whisky is one of the more complex drinks in the world. We bring on Chef Matt Jones to talk about the three main elements to use whisky—pairing whisky with food, infusing whisky with ingredients, and cooking with whisky. Unlike wine pairings, which look for similarities, with whisky it’s all about finding the right contract.

This bonus episode has been brought to you by Johnnie Walker. Whisky and cocktail culture have a long and wonderful relationship. Whisky and cocktails have a long and wonderful history. They evolved together. We specifically look at the last few decades of cocktail culture and the innovative cocktails that you can make at home.

Raj Sabharwal joins Mark and Jamie to tell his story of how he discovered delicious Indian Single Malts from Amrut. He’s since started the import spirits company, Glass Revolutions, and brings in a unique range of spirit products from India, Scotland, Australia, and the Caribbean.

This bonus episode has been brought to you by Johnnie Walker. In this episode we go through the exclusive range of Johnnie Walker scotches, starting with the eighteen year old, and ending with the ghost and rare series that celebrated new world and old world whiskies coming together. Whiskies tasted include Johnnie Walker 18, Johnnie Walker Blue, Johnnie Walker King George V, and Johnnie Walker Ghost and Rare.

This bonus episode has been brought to you by Johnnie Walker. In this episode we go through a range of single malt scotches sold by Diageo, and we discuss the subtle nature of tasting whisky. We discuss drinking whisky on ice, adding water, and glassware and how all these elements can change the flavour of whisky. On this episode we taste Dalwhinnie 15, Mortlach 12, Cardhu 12, Johnnie Walker Green, and Johnnie Walker Black. We also discuss how Diageo is the only company to offer complete list of nutritional information for their products through DRINKiQ.

Five time Grammy Awards winner, Neil Giraldo, joins us on the podcast to talk about music, bourbon, and how making both are related. We also talk about Steel Bending Spirits, and their first line of bourbons bottled under the label of Three Chord Bourbon.

This bonus episode has been brought to you by Johnnie Walker. In this episode we discover the history of whisky, and its massive influence on the history of the world from paying for civil wars, to its earlier medicinal uses. We cover the more recent history of Scotch, Irish Whiskey, Canadian Whisky, and American whisky. As we cover more recent innovations in the whisky world, we speculate on how whisky continues to change.

Davin de Kergommeaux joins us to talk about the book he co-wrote with Blair Phillips—The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries! Davin and Blair visited every distillery that had a functioning still in Canada. We talk about the writing process, the unique products being distilled, and the journey of Canadian whisky.

This bonus episode of this podcast has been brought to you by Johnnie Walker. Emma Walker is a master blender on the Diageo team, responsible for making Johnnie Walker scotch from an inventory of barrels from 29 different distilleries. In this episode we cover the convergence of marketing, art, and science in making whisky. Featured scotches in this podcast are Johnnie Walker Black, Johnnie Walker Ghost Series, and Johnnie Walker Blue. You can read about Emma Walker’s journey to becoming a blender on one of the world top scotch’s in this feature on Master of Malt.

Best known as the lead singer from Great Big Sea, Alan Doyle is a folk singer, author, and actor. He joins us on the podcast to talk about the long history of whisky and music in pop culture, folk music, country music, and Celtic music. Why do so many songs include whisky? Alan Doyle gives us the answer! No spoilers.

Kentucky’s first female master distiller, Marianne Eaves, comes on the podcast to talk about life after Brown Forman and Castle & Key Distillery. We talk about some of the industry changes she’s observed over the last several years, as well as her new evolving projects on the consultative side of the business. Congratulations to Marianne on the birth of her first child, Andi Lane Eaves-Venardos, only a few days after this podcast was recorded!

Cam Millar of Highland Park and Glenrothes joins Jamie and Mark on the podcast. In the spirit of the holidays, we have a competition. Mark reads out tasting notes, and Jamie and Cam battle out for which whisky was described in that particular way. Someone wins! There is a promise of a prize.

Frank Sinatra would call Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey the “Nectar of the Gods.” We speak with JD’s official historian, Nelson Eddy, on how closely Frank Sinatra and Jack Daniel’s are intertwined. Nelson shares some of his favourite Sinatra stories, we talk about how Sinatra liked to have his whisky, and the people around Sinatra that drank Jack Daniel’s.

Rob Coldwell of Teeling Distillery joins us to talk about the extensive history of the Teeling family, the distillery, and the whiskies coming out of the distillery. We talk about “core DNA” of a distillery, and how Teeling’s DNA is all about innovation.

It’s a classic Whisky Topic Podcast! And this is the only podcast you’ll ever hear where Jamie and Mark both do terribly in a quiz game (usually that’s reserved for Mark doing poorly). Sam Simmons of Atom Brands joins us! He’s behind the Boutique-y whisky company, advent calendars, rum, bathtub gin, and plenty of mistakes. There are some swears. It’s a frank discussion. Other notes of relevance: Sam respects Jamie. Jamie is missed. Sam administers Balvenie’s Facebook group.