Forty Creek Whisky founder John K. Hall has kept a low profile since selling his distillery to Campari five years ago. He won dozens of awards for his whiskies at Forty Creek, and turned his startup into one of the best-selling Canadian whiskies around - earning him a place in Canadian Whisky history. Hall returned to the 2019 Victoria Whisky Festival for the first time since the sale to serve as the keynote speaker for the Canadian Whisky Awards dinner. In an exclusive interview with WhiskyCast's Mark Gillespie, he shared his thoughts on today's whisky business and whether he may make a comeback once his non-compete agreement with Campari expires later this year.

WhiskyCast HD

Catching Up with Forty Creek Whisky Founder John Hall

On June 22, 2018, half of Warehouse 30 collapsed at the Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, spilling around 9,000 barrels of whiskey. The rest of the warehouse collapsed on July 4 with another 9,000 barrels. Crews have been working since then to recover as many barrels - and as much Bourbon - as possible. The site is closed to reporters, but Sazerac has released a video and new images showing cleanup work at the warehouse site.

Cleaning Up Thousands of Bourbon Barrels at Barton 1792 Distillery

With the ongoing trade dispute between the US and Canada, it's important to keep in mind that Canadian Whisky remains extremely popular in the US. Crown Royal has released the latest edition in its Noble Collection series - a 13-year-old "Blender's Mash" using one of the five different styles of whisky Crown Royal makes at its distillery in Gimli, Manitoba. They call it a different name at the distillery, though...and when they tried to use that "Bourbon Mash" name in the US...let's just say it didn't go quite as planned.

Crown Royal's Bourbon...Uh, Blenders' Mash

James Yoakum opened Cooper River Distillers in 2014 in the heart of Camden, New Jersey - just wanting to make good whiskies and rum. He and his team did just that, but they learned an important lesson along the way: size matters. They couldn't make enough whiskey and rum to meet the demand, but they also couldn't make enough money to expand the distillery. Faced with that dilemma, Yoakum decided to close the distillery with one final Kentucky Derby party on May 5, 2018.

A Craft Distiller's Last Call

Irish Whiskey's history has been written over centuries, but Carol Quinn has the unique task of preserving the history that was actually written down. The professional archivist has spent the last five years cataloging more than two centuries' worth of historic documents, photographs, and bottles from the distilleries that joined forces in 1966 to form Irish Distillers - and she's barely getting started. The stories hidden away in the Irish Whiskey Archive tell more than just the facts and figures ... they give today's whiskey lovers a glimpse of the people who helped put Irish Whiskey on the map.

The Archivist Preserving Irish Whiskey's History

We'll visit the Hiram Walker and Sons distillery in Windsor, Ontario, which uses around 100 million metric tons of grain each year to distill its Canadian whiskies, and meet "The Gatekeeper," Kristy Fregonese. It's her job to make sure that every truckload of grain that arrives at the distillery meets strict quality control standards.

Whisky Starts with the Grain and "The Gatekeeper"

George Washington's original whiskey distillery at his Mount Vernon estate in Virginia operated from 1797 until shortly after his death in 1799. In 2007, the restored distillery began producing rye whiskey using Washington's original recipe. Ten years later, distillers from around the United States gathered at Mount Vernon to celebrate - and make some whiskey.

10 Years of Making Rye Whiskey at George Washington's Distillery

On the first Saturday each December, Stranahan's Distillery in Denver releases its annual Snowflake limited-edition single malt whiskey. The release party has become more than just a one-day event, as hundreds of whiskey lovers start camping outside the distillery days in advance to claim a spot in line. We'll meet these "Strana-fans" and get a look behind the scenes as the 2017 release of Snowflake goes on sale.

A Snowflake Whiskey in the Rocky Mountains

Dublin's Liberties neighborhood was once the center of the whiskey universe at a time when Irish Whiskey ruled the world more than 100 years ago. Changing tastes, wars, and economics ended that, and the last heritage distillery in the Liberties closed in 1976. Four decades later, the resurgence of Irish Whiskey has led to a resurgence of distilling in the Liberties, with two distilleries now in production and two more under construction as the Liberties reclaims its place in the whiskey world. We'll explore that revival with a visit to Dublin on this episode of WhiskyCast HD!

Reviving Whiskey Distilling in Dublin's Liberties

The boom in Bourbon and American Whiskey sales isn't just a North American phenomenon. Whisky lovers around the world are demanding Bourbon, Tennessee Whiskey, and other whiskies from legendary and new distilleries alike, as we found during The Whisky Show in London. Part of the demand is being created by the cocktail culture, as American whiskies are key to making both classic and modern cocktails, but there's also a demand for the unique flavors of American whiskies, too.

Selling Whiskey in a Whisky World

BTaiwan's King Car Distillery is only 10 years old, yet its Kavalan single malt whiskies have won worldwide acclaim. As the distillery enters its second decade, Master Blender Ian Chang is leading his team with a heavy heart following the sudden death of his mentor earlier this year. Dr. Jim Swan was a consultant and mentor to distillers and blenders around the world, but had a special place in his heart for his friends in Taiwan, where he helped fashion the single malt whiskies that gave Kavalan its global reputation.

Taiwan’s King Car: A Distillery on Fire

Balcones Distilling moved into a brand-new modern whisky distillery in Waco, Texas in 2016, leaving behind its home in an old welding shop under the 17th Street Bridge a few blocks away. Head Distiller Jared Himstedt helped build the original distillery, and took us back for a tour of the largely hand-built distillery that helped Balcones make its name. We’ll also get a look inside the new state of the art distillery as well.

WhiskyCast HD: Making Whisky Under a Bridge in Waco, Texas

The pagodas that adorn the roofs of many whisky distilleries in Scotland aren't there just for show. Years ago, those pagodas reeked with smoke as distillers dried the malted barley they produced on their malting floors. Economics forced all but a handful of distilleries to shut down their maltings many years ago and source their malted barley from large commercial maltings. However, a handful of Scotland's distilleries still malt some of their own barley because they believe it makes a difference in their whisky. We'll visit the malting floors and smoky peat-fired kilns at Orkney's Highland Park Distillery, where they malt peated barley for use in their single malt Scotch whiskies.

WhiskyCast HD: Making Scotch Whisky the Old School Way with Floor Malting

For years, whiskey lovers spoke of a mysterious Irish Whiskey that could generally be found only in Ireland. Green Spot is a single pot still Irish Whiskey that was created by Mitchell and Son, the legendary Dublin wine and whiskey merchant. Green Spot got its name from the dab of green paint on each cask, and was one of four different Spot whiskeys bottled by the Mitchell family for decades using whiskey from Dublin's Jameson Distillery.

WhiskyCast HD: The Story of Green Spot Irish Whiskey

The Old Jameson Distillery in Dublin has been one of Ireland's most popular tourist attractions for years, but it closed at the end of August 2016 for an €11 million renovation project. It has now reopened as the Jameson Distillery Bow Street, with a whole new approach to go along with the new name.

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WhiskyCast HD

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