Jason Brauner, Co-Founder of Buzzard’s Roost Sippin’ Whiskey rejoins the Bourbon Lens to talk about some of their latest releases. This includes one of the more unique finished whiskies we’ve tried this year, Cigar Rye. As you’ll hear, they take their process seriously and believe that's what makes their bourbon and rye truly spectacular. Buzzard's Roost uses only brand new, 53-gallon white oak barrels that are carefully toasted and very lightly charred. Each barrel is designed from the ground u...
Jun 19, 2022•55 min
We're back for Episode 2 of “Off Hours with Bourbon Lens” featuring Brandon Smith, the face behind @TheDailyDram on Instagram. This episode is brought to you by Off Hours Bourbon. Off Hours Bourbon is made for the moments in between. After a long week or just because. Find the time and the moments in between. Find them with us in the Off Hours. Find out more about Off Hours Bourbon on their website. This has been another production of Bourbon Lens LLC. Thank you for your continued support. Scott...
Jun 15, 2022•30 min
Jake and Scott celebrate all the Father’s in this episode. Catch up with the guys and hear our suggestions for some great Father’s Day gifts for the bourbon-loving dads in your life. What has been your best Father’s Day gift to give or receive? Be sure to drop us a line and let us know! Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you’re there. This episode of the Bourbon Lens is brought to you by MANSCAPED™, who is proving themselves to be the best in...
Jun 12, 2022•34 min
Thanks for listening to the Inaugural Episode of "Off Hours with Bourbon Lens" featuring Jake Ireland, Founder of Off Hours Bourbon. This episode is brought to you in collaboration with, and support from, Off Hours Bourbon. Off Hours Bourbon is made for the moments in between. After a long week or just because. Find the time and the moments in between. Find them with us in the Off Hours. Find out more about Off Hours Bourbon on their website. This has been another production of Bourbon Lens LLC....
Jun 08, 2022•28 min
Jake sits down with 3 soon-to-release offerings from Ohio’s High Bank Distillery. High Bank just announced three new barrel selects which are releasing Friday, June 10th at 11AM. The release features: Whiskey War Barrel Select - 2ND AGED SANGIOVESE Batch #7 - 120 proof Our classic rye-heavy mash bill that has been second aged in the original Barrel Select batch #1 high-end Sangiovese wine cask for 27 months (total age of 5 years). Statehouse Gin Barrel Select - WHISKEY WAR CABERNET Batch #4 - 82...
Jun 06, 2022•31 min
Blue Run has experienced a lot of growth and success in the time since we last spoke with them on Episode 115. Their recognizable bottle and butterfly branding has helped propel their premium whiskies to the top shelf of many enthusiasts' bars. We catch up with Mike Montgomery and one of their newest team members, Shaylyn Gammon, to discuss the brand’s current position in the market and how they expect to continue to push the premium American Whiskey world. Stream this episode on your favorite p...
May 30, 2022•48 min
Jake and Scott pour up a variety of whiskies as they attempt to organize their liquor cabinets. Big shoutout to all the brands who allow us the opportunities to taste a wide range of whiskey and bourbon. This episode of the Bourbon Lens is brought to you by MANSCAPED™, who is proving themselves to be the best in men’s below-the-waist grooming. Their products are precision-engineered tools and are designed specifically for maintaining and taking care of your family jewels. MANSCAPED’s™ Perform...
May 22, 2022•45 min
Stepping into the broader spirits world, we’re looking at some whiskey-adjacent spirits today. We are sipping 4 different barrel-aged gins from a wide variety of distilleries. Is the gin world ripe for the whiskey lover? Tune in to find out. This episode of the Bourbon Lens is brought to you by MANSCAPED™, who is proving themselves to be the best in men’s below-the-waist grooming. Their products are precision-engineered tools and are designed specifically for maintaining and taking care of yo...
May 15, 2022•32 min
Jack Daniel’s just launched two new bottled in bond whiskies and Bourbon Lens is among the first to try them. Among the two new releases, a Bonded Tennessee Whiskey and a Triple Mash Blended Straight Whiskey. One of the most recognizable, traditional American Whiskey distilleries has really stepped up their whiskey releases beyond Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey and we discuss how these new Bottled in Bond offerings fit into their portfolio. Interestingly, this may be the first time that the Kentuck...
May 08, 2022•28 min
They’re taking the bourbon craze into the world of crypto, blockchain, and NFT. Party Horses joins Bourbon Lens to demystify the NFT (non-fungible token) and discuss how the bourbon community can embrace the blockchain to gain exclusive access to rare bottles and once in a lifetime events. Party Horses co-founder Chris Wiedmar is our guest for this week’s episode. Party Horses is a collection of 3.2k NFTs on the Ethereum Mainnet. Their vision is to create a future where NFTs create access and sp...
May 01, 2022•42 min
The Bourbon Lens is traveling to some Louisville hotspots over the next few months and we are stopping in one of the newest spots in NuLu (New Louisville). This week we are at The Local Seltzery as we gear up for Derby Week. This Seltzery is a high tech mixology bar which leverages unique natural flavors with booze and carbonated water to craft hard seltzers. And, just in time for Derby, they’ve added a Bourbon Mint Julep Seltzer to their lineup. We sit down with The Local Seltzery’s General Man...
Apr 25, 2022•41 min
“IT’S (BOURBON) TIME!” with Bruce Buffer and Umberto Luchini as we talk about their brand Puncher’s Chance Bourbon and its two current offerings. If you don’t know Bruce Buffer, you likely know his voice and his iconic trademarked introduction; “IT’S TIME!”®. He’s the official Voice of the Octagon for the UFC and he is putting his name and reputation behind this bourbon brand that he loves so much. We are also joined by the brand’s founder, Umberto Luchini. He’s an Italian with tons of experienc...
Apr 18, 2022•47 min
We are on location at the Michter’s Distillery in Shively (Louisville) Kentucky for this episode. We sit down with Dan McKee and Andrea Wilson and share an incredible rye whiskey flight as we discuss the brand, its origin, and its growth into the future. We discuss Dan’s role as Master Distiller and Andrea’s as Master of Maturation as we enjoy this flight of a single barrel Rye, a 10 Year Rye, Barrel Strength Rye, and Toasted Barrel Strength Rye Whiskey. Download this episode on your favorite po...
Apr 10, 2022•1 hr 13 min
In conjunction with the release of this podcast, we are launching our very first Single Barrel of Frey Ranch Distillery’s Four Grain Bourbon . This is a 5 year, 4 grain, 129.36 proof, grain-to-glass Nevada Bourbon that was hand selected with the Bourbon Lens team and the owners, Colby and Ashley Frey. It is available now through our online retailer, SharedPour.com , and shipping to nearly 40 states. The guys are joined by Colby and Ashley Frey to discuss this single barrel pick, to catch up on t...
Apr 04, 2022•40 min
We are venturing away from American Whiskey in an effort to expand our palates and appreciation for single malt whisky. Brandon from @TheDailyDram on Instagram stops in with a flight of Japanese Whiskies, including some of his favorites, Hakushu 12 Year and Yamasaki 18 Year. Brandon teaches us a little about the history of whisky in Japan as well as the terroir and regional styles of Japanese Whisky. Have you tried Japanese Whisky before? Be sure to let us know your favorites and thoughts about ...
Mar 28, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Our guest this week is Herman C. Mihalich, Founder and Distiller of Dad's Hat Rye Whiskey at Mountain Laurel Spirits, LLC in Pennsylvania. Find out what makes Pennsylvania Rye different and how Pennsylvania contributed to the birth and rise of the earliest American Whiskies. Download this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you’re there. We are thankful for everyone who has supported us. A huge shoutout to our growing Patreon Community as well! We'd appreci...
Mar 20, 2022•53 min
We’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and Irish Whiskey all week and we are kicking it off with J.J. Corry Irish Whiskey. We are joined by Louise McGuane, Founder and Whiskey Bonder of J.J. Corry. You’ll learn a little history of Irish Whiskey, Louise’s efforts to revive the practice of Whiskey Bonding, and J.J. Corry’s extensive whiskey and barrel inventory for future releases. And, as a bonus for our Kentucky Bourbon fans, we taste through the latest release from Kentucky Owl. Kentucky Owl and L...
Mar 13, 2022•56 min
The American Whiskey Ambassador for the James B. Beam Distilling Company joins Bourbon Lens today to talk about all things Beam and we enjoy some pours of Legent Bourbon with Beth Burrows. We discuss the origin story of this unique finished Kentucky Bourbon which we’ve not tasted since way back in episode 11 of the Bourbon Lens. It’s been a while since that episode and we were excited to be re-introduced to Legent which may have been slightly ahead of its time nearly 3 years ago. Download this e...
Mar 07, 2022•45 min
The guys challenge each other to create a diverse whiskey bar but only using one Distillery. Find out which Distillery each of us select and our logic behind the choice. And one of us maybe gets a little too creative with their choice. Does it follow the rules? Let us know which Distillery you’d pick to craft the perfect “Five Bottle Whiskey Bar”. Download this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you’re there. We are thankful for everyone who has continued ...
Feb 28, 2022•36 min
We’re discussing New York Rye Whiskey this week with Alex Clark, Founder of Fort Hamilton Distillery in Brooklyn. We taste through 4 offerings from Fort Hamilton, including Single Barrel Rye, Double Barrel Rye, Double Barrel Bourbon, and a private selection of Rye. We enjoyed chatting with Alex about his background in the cocktail world and what drove him to start a rye whiskey distillery in New York. If you are looking for a new rye whiskey, grab a bottle of Fort Hamilton. Download this episode...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 24 min
The world famous Churchill Downs is home to Matt Winn’s Steakhouse and we were invited to a one-of-a-kind bourbon experience inside its jaw-dropping "The Bourbon Room". Tim Knittel is the Official Bourbon Ambassador of Churchill Downs and has curated a tasting and dining experience for us as we sit down to record at the historic racetrack. We taste through a flight of private selection bourbons from the restaurant’s impressive bourbon inventory. We hope you enjoy this podcast as we discuss histo...
Feb 14, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Buffalo Trace’s mashbills #1 and #2 go head-to-head in this week’s episode. We taste two solid single barrels; Blanton’s and E.H. Taylor Single Barrel. Find out our thoughts on the house styles of Buffalo Trace Distillery and two hard to get bottles of bourbon. Download this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you’re there. We are thankful for everyone who has continued to support us. We must give a huge shoutout to our growing Patreon Community as well! We...
Feb 07, 2022•27 min
We’re heating things up with 3 barrel proof bourbons that each are a dozen years old. We also discuss storing opened bottles long term and the bourbon and American Whiskey export market. Knob Creek 12 Year Cask Strength goes up against Elijah Craig Barrel Proof and Lux Row’s Limited Edition 12 Year Double Barrel. How do they stack up? Download this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you’re there. Image Credit: Lux Row Distillers We are thankful for everyon...
Jan 31, 2022•37 min
We’re discussing Bottled in Bond bourbon this week, including whether this designation is still important in today’s whiskey world. Whether the distillery is a major producer or a craft whiskey maker, the reasons for labeling their spirits as “bonded” will differ. But is this important for the consumer? We also line up 3 Bottled in Bond Kentucky Bourbons from some of the larger producers in the state. How do they hold up in a blind tasting and which is our favorite? Download this episode on your...
Jan 24, 2022•35 min
We're exploring 3 Double Oaked Bourbons this week, including Peerless, Woodford Reserve, and Starlight Distillery. We discuss the purpose of double oaking and why we believe that it elevates a bourbon to new levels. How do these three double oaked bourbons stack up? Be sure to let us know which double oaked bourbons we missed in this episode. Do you have a favorite Double Oaked Bourbon? Download this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you’re there. We are ...
Jan 17, 2022•30 min
We’re back together and discussing the top trends in whiskey that we are expecting for 2022 and beyond. We also discuss some trends that we wish would fizzle out and die. And finally, we have some thoughts on some distilleries and brands you should be watching for in 2022. Download this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you’re there. We are thankful for everyone who has continued to support us. We must give a huge shoutout to our growing Patreon Community...
Jan 10, 2022•41 min
The gang’s all here and we’ve cracked open two heavy hitting, barrel proof bourbons from Buffalo Trace Distillery. We compare two Mashbill #1 Bourbons, including Stagg Jr (Batch 13: Fall, 2019 – 128.4 proof) and EH Taylor Barrel Proof (Batch 10; 2021, 127.3 proof). These bottles have skyrocketed in secondary marketplaces and have become rare sights on store shelves, but are they worth the price? Show Links: EH Taylor, Jr. Barrel Proof Stagg Jr. Colonel EH Taylor Jr Barrel Proof Releases Buffalo ...
Jan 03, 2022•33 min
Our guest this week is Miles Munroe, Lead Distiller for Westward Whiskey. Westward is reimagining Single Malt and adding an American Whiskey spin to elevate the category. American Single Malt Whiskey is a growing category and Westward is one to lead the charge as the United States moves towards well-defined standards of identity for the category. Miles brings a brewer’s mentality to whiskey-making and goes above and beyond to craft high quality whiskies in Portland Oregon. Download this episode ...
Dec 27, 2021•1 hr 3 min
With Christmas right around the corner, we know there will be a few bottles of whiskey under the Christmas Tree this year. If you are playing Santa for your whiskey-loving friends & family, we have some great gift bottles you should check out. Whether it’s a classic bourbon, something with some fancy packaging, or some whiskey that might be a little out of the norm, you’re sure to find a bottle on our list that someone will love. Download this episode on your favorite podcast player by click...
Dec 20, 2021•22 min
An American distillery with Irish heritage in its veins, O’Shaughnessy Distilling Company has engaged a modern legendary distiller of Irish Whiskey to grow a product line which embraces the best of both whiskey worlds. Combining a classic American Rye with two Irish Whiskies, Master Distiller Brian Nation is looking to put Minnesota on the world whiskey map. The O’Shaughnessy Family convinced Brian to leave an established and world-renowned Irish distillery to perfect his own passion project. Br...
Dec 13, 2021•49 min
