Thank you to Rabbit Hole Distillery for the opportunity to sit down with Founder, Kaveh Zamanian, to discuss his Founder’s Collection series and the history of the distillery. We sipped an ultra limited, ultra premium 15 year old Mizunara Cask Finished Bourbon as well as the original Founder’s Collection bottling of Cask Strength, 6 year old Boxergrail Rye Whiskey. We also discussed some exciting upcoming plans for the distillery, including Heigold Bourbon Single Barrel Picks - coming in June an...
May 10, 2021•49 min
It’s no secret that there are some incredible 15 year old Kentucky Bourbons hitting shelves over the last year. Recently, we had the opportunity to sample 6 excellent single barrels from Western Spirits Beverage Company; all in preparation for their upcoming release of Sam Houston Bourbon Batch 6. We were honored to be selected, along with several other “bourbon influencers”, to help provide feedback on a specialized tasting kit of 6 unique barrels. Our feedback will help Western Spirits Beverag...
May 03, 2021•34 min
This week’s guest is Michael Myers, Founder of Distillery 291 in Colorado. Michael left his career in fashion photography to start a distillery in Colorado and never looked back. We taste through several of their bourbons and ryes in this week’s episode and experience their unique aspen stave finished whiskey. We are thankful for everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your favorite podcast app, leave us ...
Apr 26, 2021•55 min
Old Carter Whiskey Co. has six new batches of whiskey on the horizon and we were fortunate enough to taste through each with Founders, Mark and Sherri Carter. The Carters invited Bourbon Lens to their tasting room in Downtown Louisville for an early look at Batches 7, 8, 9, and 10 of their latest bourbons and Batches 5 & 6 of the American Whiskey. Each batch is bottled at barrel strength and comes packed with a ton of flavor. Enjoy this week’s episode, a sneak peek of the upcoming releases f...
Apr 19, 2021•1 hr 32 min
Our guest this week is Brian Prewitt, Master Distiller for A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Virginia. We discuss the history of the distillery, Brian's background in the beer, wine and spirits industries, and the variety of bourbons that the distillery releases. We also taste through John J. Bowman Single Barrel Bourbon and Bowman Brother Small Batch Bourbon. We are thankful for everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star...
Apr 12, 2021•40 min
We’re joined by singer-songwriter Drew Holcomb. Drew talks about his career as musician, his band Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, his involvement in Sweetens Cove Bourbon, and his life as a husband and father in today’s world. Sweetens Cove allows Drew to combine his love for whiskey (and whisky), Tennessee pride, and the resurrection of a golf course. You’ve heard about Sweetens Cove previously on Bourbon Lens Episode 85 featuring Marianne Eaves , the Master Blender behind the bourbon. We appre...
Apr 05, 2021•52 min
We sit down with Jason Brauner and some "Sippin' Whiskey" at Bourbon's Bistro in Louisville. We discuss Jason’s experiences in the bourbon world, owning a highly regarded restaurant with an extensive selection of bourbon, and owning his own Whiskey brand. Buzzard’s Roost Sippin’ Whiskey is a brand that relies on Jason’s palate and experience to craft unique barrel finished (double barreled) rye whiskey. We are thankful for everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podcast. If yo...
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 4 min
We are joined by the co-founders of Blue Run Spirits to talk about their new, premium Kentucky Bourbon. Their first batches released in late 2020 - early 2021, each a 13 year old sourced Kentucky Bourbon. Mike Montgomery and Jesse McKnight are the co-founders and have created a unique and diverse team to help grown this brand. Blue Run Bourbon was selected and blended with the assistance and expertise of Jim Rutledge, former Master Distiller of Four Roses. Blue Run has exciting plans for future ...
Mar 22, 2021•45 min
2021 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown. This year aims to be better than ever. We are joined by Randy Prasse, Bourbon Festival President, to unveil some big changes for 2021. Learn about the new events, general admission tickets, once in a lifetime bourbon tasting opportunities, and the immersive bourbon experiences planned for 2021. Mark your calendars for September 16-19, 2021. General Admission Tickets go on sale on at 11:00 am ET - March 15th, 2021 - CL...
Mar 15, 2021•56 min
On this episode, we sit down with the Master Distiller of Barton 1792. Danny Kahn is a wealth of knowledge in the distilling and brewing industries and we were fortunate enough to be invited to the distillery. We started our morning off with some of Barton's newest releases, Thomas S. Moore cask finished bourbons. And after the podcast, we selected our very first Bourbon Lens single barrel pick, a Full Proof 1792 Bourbon. You aren't going to want to miss this release when it hits SharedPour.com ...
Mar 08, 2021•37 min
If you’ve listened to the Bourbon Lens podcast over the last two years, you’ve heard from some of our favorite craft bourbon and whiskey distilleries, blenders, and brands. In this episode, we discuss some of our standout craft distillers and brands that we are excited for in 2021 and beyond. As always, we'd love your feedback and hearing what distilleries are your favorite Craft Whiskey producers. We may even feature them on the Bourbon Lens in the future! We appreciate everyone who has taken t...
Mar 01, 2021•36 min
How many “best of” lists have you read and laughed to yourself? We are putting our own spin on things and have challenged each other to start a new home whiskey bar for $50. Will we grab one expensive bottle and max out our limited budget? Or try to squeeze in two or three solid budget bottles? Scott and Jake may have different philosophies on buying whiskey, but they had a great time comparing notes and choices in this week’s podcast. What strategy would you use to buy yourself or a friend some...
Feb 22, 2021•34 min
Combining a passion for spirits, industry knowledge, and blending expertise, Phenomenal Spirits has released its first whiskey. RY3 Whiskey (Pronounced “Rye 3 Whiskey”) is a rum cask finished whiskey that was carefully crafted from this blending house. Phenomenal Spirits, Karthik Sudhir and Matt Witzig, joins Bourbon Lens to talk whiskey. Karthik is the Founder / CEO of Phenomenal Spirits and drives product development, strategy, brand positioning, market expansion, and investor relations. Matt ...
Feb 15, 2021•52 min
In this week's podcast, we learn some family and Tennessee Whiskey history from Charlie Nelson of Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery. Charlie, along with his father and his brother Andy, stumbled upon a bit of family history while out on the road one day. This discovery led them down a long and winding path to resurrection of the family distillery, DSP-TN-5. Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery dates back to 1880, though it wasn’t revived by Charlie and Andy until 2009. We found the stories of the famil...
Feb 08, 2021•54 min
The crew is back together and we’ve got a blind bourbon tasting ready to go! This time, it’s Buffalo Trace and we line up 3 single barrel store picks against an off-the-shelf bottle of Buffalo Trace. Which will come out on top? Are single barrels better than what you can find on any store shelf? We share our opinions and the results of our blind tasting. We also discuss Michael’s upcoming plans to move to Florida and even get into a little debate about pizza. We hope you enjoy this episode as mu...
Feb 01, 2021•50 min
It’s National Irish Coffee Day on January 25th and we couldn’t have asked for a better guest to celebrate the occasion. We’re joined by Alex Conyngham from Slane Distillery in Ireland. Slane Irish Whiskey is the perfect accompaniment to the classic Irish Coffee and they’ve put their own spin on the cocktail to celebrate. Partnering with Red Bay Coffee, they’ve developed their own roast which pairs perfectly with Slane Irish Whiskey. Be sure to check out the full recipe below and be sure to let u...
Jan 25, 2021•49 min
Castle & Key Distillery has resurrected a giant in the Kentucky Bourbon industry, the Old Taylor Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. And after many years of restoring the fabled location, Castle & Key has released their first whiskey. Restoration Rye, an aptly named whiskey, is the first rye whiskey to be released from this location as well. We are joined by co-founder Wes Murry and Blender Brett Connors to discuss the distillery’s history, its whiskey, and their plans for the future. We ...
Jan 18, 2021•50 min
Maker’s Mark is going on a tear with their Wood Finishing Series and Private Selection Bourbon program and people are starting to take notice. This week, Scott and Jake crack the wax on their brand new bottles of The CommUNITY Batch by Maker’s Mark. Jake and Scott also chat about early New Year resolutions and plans for making 2021 a better year for both. The CommUNITY Batch is a special release bourbon created to support trade and hospitality partners around the country by benefiting The LEE In...
Jan 11, 2021•29 min
Terry Bradshaw joined Bourbon Lens to talk whiskey and his new Bradshaw Bourbon. Terry Bradshaw, NFL Hall of Famer and four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is widely acknowledged as today’s preeminent NFL studio personality, serving as co-host on Fox NFL Sunday. While Terry is well known for his time on the football field, lately he's been busy with balancing a bourbon brand, The Bradshaw Bunch, and co-hosting duties at Fox. Launched in February, the Kentucky Str...
Jan 04, 2021•49 min
Hank Ingram joined us to talk about his namesake whiskey and the unique aging technique it employs. Nashville entrepreneur, Hank Ingram, is the founder of Brown Water Spirits and their line of O.H. Ingram River Aged Whiskey. As the name implies, this whiskey was river-aged inside a floating rickhouse. This rickhouse is a large barge moored to the banks of the Mississippi River, benefiting from the riverside’s temperature variations, humidity, and the constant motion of the river. While some may ...
Dec 28, 2020•49 min
We’re joined by friends and co-founders of Penelope Bourbon, Mike Paladini and Danny Polise. Penelope Bourbon was founded out of a passion for family, friendship, and great bourbon. We enjoyed sitting down with Mike and Danny to discuss the brand, its origin story, and 3 different bourbons in their lineup. Penelope is distilled at the famed MGP, but blended with diverse input from Mike and Danny. They’ve hit on something with their Four Grain blend and are staking their claim in the ultra-drinka...
Dec 21, 2020•1 hr 16 min
We're joined by American Whiskey Legend, Greg Metze, for this week's podcast. If you don't know his name yet, you'll definitely know his whiskey. Greg has decades of experience at one of the largest spirits producers in the United States; MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. As part of his retirement planning, Greg decided to venture out on his own and develop products for the Old Elk Distillery, including the 3 we taste through in this episode. Old Elk Straight Wheat Whiskey 5 year. 100 proof Mashbill...
Dec 14, 2020•1 hr 8 min
It’s hard to believe we’ve produced 100 episodes of Bourbon Lens. The three of us spend some time talking about some of our favorite episodes, guests, and moments over the last 2 years. We’ve appreciated each of our guests, our fans, and supporters who’ve kept us going. Here’s to another 100!! Thank you! You’ll find a full list below of all the episodes we discussed during this week’s “look back” episode. While we couldn’t possibly name every episode, these are just a few standouts to us. Be sur...
Dec 07, 2020•37 min
Gregg Snyder, from Chicken Cock Whiskey, joined the podcast to talk about all things Chicken Cock and to share some of their bourbon and rye whiskey. We discussed the history of the brand, its revival, and plans for the future, including their relationship with the Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Distilling Program. Most of all, Michael and Scott enjoyed getting to hear from Gregg about his experience and expertise at famous Kentucky distilleries, including Brown-Forman, Wild Turkey, and...
Nov 30, 2020•43 min
This week we are discussing High West Whiskey and their new release of A Midwinter Night's Dram. Midwinter Nights Dram is a wildly popular version of High West Rendezvous Rye finished in French oak port barrels. This year is their Eighth Act (release) in the limited release series. It stands out for its unique and bold style while still appealing to many different types of whiskey drinkers. If you have the opportunity to grab this release, you shouldn't pass on it. We also discuss future release...
Nov 23, 2020•48 min
'Pappyland' tells the story of the Van Winkle family, the bourbon business, & the demand for rare wheated bourbon bearing the name of Pappy Van Winkle. We were joined by Author & ESPN's Wright Thompson to discuss his new book which just released November 10, 2020: Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last . The book is about so much more than bourbon; it tells the story of those who make bourbon and those who enjoy it. As you know, both are essential to the sto...
Nov 16, 2020•57 min
We’re checking out a couple rye whiskies this week, including the Old Overholt 114 Proof (Ohio only Special Release) and Hudson Whiskey’s new Do the Rye Thing Rye Whiskey. The new, higher proof Old Overholt is a spin on a classic rye. It is limited to Ohio only at this point, but it has garnered some good reviews from those who have had the opportunity to land a bottle. Find out how we think these two whiskies stack up. Thank you to Hudson Whiskey for sending us a care package featuring two of t...
Nov 09, 2020•36 min
We are joined by Jackie Zykan, Master Taster for Louisville's Bourbon Brand, Old Forester. Jake and Michael sat down to discuss the brand's growth and her rise through the ranks. We sipped Old Forester Rye Whiskey during this episode, which is another staple to add to any bar. We also discuss the growth of the lineup from the Whisky Row series, Statesman, and bringing back President's Choice. You'll learn how Jackie’s background in the bartending industry helped her transition to this beloved br...
Nov 02, 2020•43 min
The Bourbon Lens Crew had the privilege of taking a private tour of the Rabbit Hole Distillery in Downtown Louisville recently. We sat down with the Brand’s Digital Ambassador, Adam Edwards, to discuss the history of the distillery, its founder Kaveh Zamanian, and the spirits they craft. We discuss the ultra exclusive Founder’s Collection and its first offering, Boxergrail Rye Whiskey at Cask Strength as well as future plans for the brand. And we discuss, maybe for the first time publicly, the H...
Oct 26, 2020•1 hr 20 min
This week we have a solid lineup of limited edition bourbons from Maker’s Mark. Our first podcast back together as a group of 3 since the pandemic started, we had a lot of fun catching up and talking shop. We each brought something different to run through a tasting together. Jake had Maker’s 101 and Maker’s 46 Cask Strength, Scott brought Maker’s Cask Strength (Batch 20-03), and Michael grabbed his Private Selection of Maker’s from Match Cigar Bar. We discussed the legendary Maker’s Mark red wa...
Oct 19, 2020•59 min
