Distillers Talk

Paul Menta of Key West First Legal Rum Distillery joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson following a distillers gathering at George Washington's Distillery at Mount Vernon. Paul catches us up on collaborations in the works following the trip. We also learn more about his unique processes at his own distillery, including salt curing his barrels for pH adjustment, and the need for greater education by distilleries to the consumer.

AJ from Casey Jones Distillery in Western KY joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to chat about the square pot still, running a lake-destination distillery and more. We even get a few stories about Casey Jones and learn about Moonaritas.

Ken Schreiner of A.J. Schreiner Spirits joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to catch up since the company's launch and release of their first pre-prohibition style rye and gin.

Moonshiners Master Distiller alum JJ Jackson joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson since taking on the Head Distiller role at Lucky Sign Spirits. Tune in as JJ walks through a sampling of new projects, including rum and brandy. We get into consumer relatability in the craft spirits industry, transparency and techniques with younger products, and embracing terroir and our local farmers. There's also a proposal for vintages in some distilled spirits.

Dr. Pat Heist of Wilderness Trail Distillery and Ferm Solutions joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to discuss fermentation, particularly grain vs sugar ferms, osmotic stress and more. Pat shares some perspectives from his consulting work for distillers exploring yeast strains and ways to manipulate your batches to produce diverse results using the same strain. We discuss the buzz about the bourbon industry and speculation about the market, as well as how the approaches taken by Wilderness Trail that have supported their growth and maintained the brand's strong presence during the market softening. We also chat about opportunities with rye whiskey and Pat's experimentation with "casket strength" whiskey.

Jesse Tate and Grant Patterson from Vista Gin in Florida join Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to delve into their unique pot still gins. We discuss building flavor through production techniques and Grant's culinary background, as well as working with koji in making their whiskey.

Jolee Kasprzak of Old Homestead Distilling Co and Patoka Lake Winery joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson this week. Jolee and Alan update on the progress so far at Old Homestead. We also talk about Sunshine, a line of sunflower moonshine spirits already being run at the distillery, as well peach brandy. Alan and Jolee discuss the distillery's terroir-focused approach to spirits and the homage to the region including trapping local yeast and growing a strain of wheat originally grown in the area. 

Irish whiskey historian and author Fionnán O'Connor returns to Distillers Talk with Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to discuss his upcoming new book, Créatúr. Fionnán speaks about his adventures and travels digging into the history of poitín and Irish pot still whiskey, and his journey to bring back (and even be a part of the distillation of) lost Irish mash bills with the help of others along the way. We also get into the temperance movement, past and present.

Erik Wolfe of Stoll & Wolfe Distillery joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to talk about his latest distilling adventures with Alan on the road at both Stoll & Wolfe and George Washington's Mount Vernon. We also catch up on another collaborative effort, the Historic Trades Workshop. There's several colorful stories along the way, including "dough balls of anger".

Al Laws of Laws Whiskey House in Colorado joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson on all things grain and terroir. Al guides us through a tasting of their Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey, San Luis Valley Straight Rye Whiskey, Centennial Straight Wheat Whiskey and Henry Road Straight Malt Whiskey. We also discuss production and their upcoming new tasting room. 

Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson take on some controversial topics in the spirits industry right now and discuss the future of the market, as well as tips for brands and ancillary partners.

Seth Benheim and Nick Roady of Broken Barrel Whiskey Company join Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson and discuss the importance of packaging and standing out in a market as a craft producer in a developed market. We also get into responsible distribution strategies and working with foreign markets while satisfying your home accounts, as well as upcoming plans and unique collaborative releases.

Ian Verno of Ten-030 Barrels joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to discuss his hybrid barrels

Distillers Talk goes to Yunnan Province, China this week! Evan Villarrubia of MB Distillery joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to discuss his start in the distilling industry in China, as well as the production of some of his products including sugar cane rum and rice based spirits. We're also going to get into China's multi-tier system and Chinese distilling culture.  Check out our Facebook and Instagram on Monday, February 12th to weigh in on our poll with questions for Evan's next episode with us!

David McIntyre of West Fork Whiskey in Indianapolis joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson this week. We discuss West Fork's beginnings under a small budget and the evolution of its production setup and product line, as well as struggles encountered along the way. This is a great episode for those looking to start up a distillery with a small investment!

Thomas Thacker in North Carolina joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to talk more about his process and operations at Southern Grace Distilleries making Conviction Bourbon and White Dog. Tune in also to learn about their whiskey prison and paranormal tour stories!

Author and host of the Whiskey Lore podcasts, Drew Hannush joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to discuss his new book, The Lost History of Tennessee Whiskey. Order it now through Amazon here.

Andrew Lohfeld of Roulaison Distilling Co in Louisiana joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to discuss some hot topics in rum right now. We get into single estate varietals and Louisiana grown sugarcane, a Louisiana rum designation, rum nomenclature and changes to Louisiana state law for self distribution. 

Bobby Demars, Christian Riddout and Christopher Sebastian from Blind Barrels join Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to discuss their unique whiskey service, helping connect their subscribers with American craft distilleries.

Jeff Rasmussen of StillDragon joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to share his more unique experiences helping their clients design more efficient and innovative systems. We also chat about his journey into the industry and some surprises coming up with DragonStill.

Alexis Casimiri of La Mauvaise Graine Distillerie in Lyon, France joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to talk about his introduction to distilling and the industry. We learn more about his spirits and process, particularly his Louise Gin, a tribute to his grandmother and the people of Lyon. Alexis talks about his botanical sourcing from the local area and partnering with wild harvesters.

Christian Kahle of Lucky Sign Spirits joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to chat about his unique spirits, including finocchietto, raki, limoncello and more. We get into standards of identity and communication amongst distillers, as well as the merits of a two chamber still. Christian discusses his corn stalk agricole project and lemonade burrito is our new favorite tasting note.

Christopher Conrad of BadMotivator Legacy Barrels joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson with updates on the company and their innovative barrels, as well as a sampling of some of Christopher's experiments using BadMotivator barrels.

Jeff Wuslich of Cardinal Spirits in Bloomington, Indiana joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to talk about the distillery and its spirits, getting into copackaging, considerations for new brands and so much more.

Ray Hooker of Indian River Distillery in Vero Beach, Florida joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to explore a sampling of several different experimentals and product.

Jesse Wilson from Still It returns again with Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to catch up on his latest experiments. Jesse and Alan introduce a collaboration to honor the late Ben Quady through Bad Motivator's next chapter using barrels that had been provided to them by Ben. We also nerd out on fermentation cultures, and Alan waxes nostalgia with his new affinity for naming still designs after 80's pop culture.

Brian Gelfo of Broadleaf Whiskey joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to discuss the brand as we drink through two batches and even chat about the future of Brothers of the Leaf

Author, food and spirits journalist and sprits educator Steve Coomes joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to chat about agave based spirits and his impressions from a recent trip to Mexico to explore tequila distilleries

Birk O'Halloran of Rockwell Vermouth and Iconic Wine joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson on Distillers Talk. Birk chats about his lengthy botanical R&D project developing his artisan vermouths using local California botanicals, as well as what sets the products apart from other vermouths on the market. We also get into some upcoming projects, including single cask vermouths.

Amy Bohner of Alchemy Distillery in Humboldt County, California joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson. Nerd out with us as we get into all sorts of unique grains and go through a flight of their Boldt Cereal Killer triticale whiskey, wheat whiskey and genever style gin. We also chat about their new tasting room and on site restaurant.

Jesse Wilson of the Still It Youtube show and Chase the Craft podcast joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson

Brett Schlagel of Distillery 64 in New Albany, Indiana joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to chat about the distillery and speakeasy.

Distiller Bill Hockett of Dayton Barrel Works Artisan Distillery joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to discuss his recent release of Harper's Siren Armagnac Barrel-Aged Gin.  We also chat about the whiskey Bill will be releasing in the future under his own label, contract work and then we try to find the perfect botanical-themed name for future Baby Hockett coming this year.

Stephen Osborn of Stoutridge Distillery and Winery joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson again, and this time he's brought his latest Quartarium series as part of a Transcendent Spirit Exploration.

Ben Quady of Badmotivator Barrels joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to discuss his approach to alternative barrels. We also explore a flight of samples from his projects.

Moonshiners Master Distiller contestant and veteran JJ Jackson, aka "High and Angry", joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson on Distillers Talk to discuss his personal journey that led a philosophy and theater arts major to the military and ultimately to distillation.

Henry Anderson of Dominion Distillery and Gatling Still Works in Washington State joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to chat about the distillery and his still building company. You've heard about one of his projects on a previous episode!

Jessie Zien and Matt Nurre of Two Eagles Distillery join Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to talk about their distillery located in the Chicago area. They talk about their adventures in contract distillation, in addition to making their own products including whiskey, gin, arak and RTD cocktails. We get into their specialty working with flavor chemistry and botanicals, as well as ethical barrel sourcing and the future of barrels for aging whiskey. 

Randall Janc aka Whiskey Shaman joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson this week with a blind flight of spirits he is working on and we discuss his projects, including his spirits-focused YouTube Channel. Follow The Whiskey Shaman on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_whiskeyshaman   Check out Whiskey Business FBG: https://whiskeybusinessfbg.com

Journalist and writer Marielle Songy joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to talk about her new book, The Absinthe Frappé, and all things absinthe. Tune in to hear about her exploration with absinthe and thoughts on how distillers and cocktail bars can help make absinthe more relatable in the U.S. market.

Fernando Plata of Big Cypress Distillery in Miami joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to discuss botanical spirits and extraction methods. Make sure you catch this one as we also issue a challenge for a unique botanical bill to meet our custom spirits request!

Jerrod Leon Henry of Rio Grande Distillery joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to chat about the distillery and their products. We're digging deep into agave, gin, moonshine and more. He even shares a story from his youth about the first time he was playing around and trying to make liquor.

Chip Tate returns to Distillers Talk with Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to deep dive into questions distillers should be asking themselves and any prospective partners before entering into business agreements. We also get into brandy and agave spirits!

Will, Clay and Dallas Glazik of Silver Tree Beer & Spirits join Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to talk about the new distillery the three brothers are launching, as well as their current and upcoming products. We also learn about the family farm and their proprietary seed strains.

Chip Tate of Chip Tate Craft Copperworks and Tate & Co Distillery joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to discuss his custom still building, the craft distilling industry, future plans with the distillery, brandy and more.

Kelley Tennille joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to update on her latest projects with Whiskey Thief Distilling and her seasonal gins, as well as her work producing okra hydrosols for Pholk Beauty. We also highlight her second run on Moonshiners: Master Distiller, which is currently airing on the Discovery Channel.

Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson chat with Wayne Herbert of Ozark Still Works

Moonshine Shua of the Un-Taxed Podcast and Broken Bones Distillery joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson

Max Fann and Malik Warrad of Inbox Beverage join Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to discuss their container-based brewing and distilling units, as well as their own spirits offerings.

The family behind Mingo Creek Craft Distillers joins Alan Bishop and Christi Atkinson to discuss Liberty Pole Spirits in Washington, PA