The Whiskey Ring Podcast

Ep. 26: Honkaku Spirits with Christopher Pellegrini and Stephen Lyman

After 1300 tastings, it's so rare to come across something truly new and exciting at the same time. Enter Takamine 8-year-old whiskey, a koji-fermented and double distilled spirit from Fukuoka in southern Japan. 
Named after Jokichi Takamine, one of the most influential and under-known men in both Japanese and American history, this whiskey with an "e" is unlike anything I've had before and something I urge you to try. Christopher Pellegrini, founder, and Stephen Lyman, ambassador, for Honkaku Spirits join me to talk about Takamine, give me an introduction to shochu, awamori, and other koji-fermented products. 
Trust me - like it or not, this will be something you'll remember trying for a long time. 
Also, take a listen to Japan Distilled (linked below), Christopher and Stephen's podcast on all things Japanese alcohol related. It's informative, fun, and the episodes are short enough to binge. I enjoyed them thoroughly and will probably listen again before the new season comes out!
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If you haven’t joined the Patreon community, please do! You can now support the site and podcast for as little as $1 a month, plus new and improved benefits for the $5 a month tier including exclusive content, free glassware after 6 months, and more benefits as the group grows such as barrel picks, live events, and more.
If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website. 
Thank you for listening and for supporting, and please enjoy my chat with Christopher Pellegrini and Stephen Lyman of Honkaku Spirits. 
Honkaku Spirits Website
Honkaku Spirits Facebook
Honkaku Spirits Instagram
Honkaku Spirits Twitter
Japan Distilled Podcast

Ep. 25: M&H Distillery’s Oded Weiss

Welcome to Season 2! 
The Whiskey Ring Podcast returns with Oded Weiss of M&H Distillery in Tel Aviv, Israel. This distillery - another project of the late Dr. Jim Swan - is creating new and exciting single malts in the land of milk and honey (hence the M&H). Perhaps even more exciting than the malt itself are the finishings, including peated casks, Israeli wine, and pomegranate wine, plus unique agings (as this goes live, the Dead Sea APEX Series release is also being distributed). 
It was a thrill to talk with Oded and I can't wait to taste even more from M&H!
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If you haven’t joined the Patreon community, now is the time: you can now support the site and podcast for as little as $1 a month, plus new and improved benefits for the $5 a month tier including exclusive content, free glassware after 6 months, and more benefits as the group grows such as barrel picks, live events, and more.
If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website. 
Finally, please subscribe to the Whiskey Ring Podcast on your favorite podcast platform today! We're on Podbean, Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and most other major podcast platforms. Every subscription and listen helps us get sponsors, secure guests, and ultimately get more content to you.
Thank you for listening and for supporting, and please enjoy my chat with Oded Weiss and M&H Distillery.

Ep. 23.2: Travel Bar with Owner Mike Vacchrese, Part 2

Part 2 of our Season 1 and 2021 finale! Owner Mike Vacchrese and I continue our talk about his establishment, Travel Bar, in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. 
Mike generously gave over three hours to our interview, so I've broken it into two parts - make sure to listen to both! 
Travel Bar Brooklyn, 520 Court Street, Brooklyn, 11231
Travel Bar Instagram
Travel Bar Facebook
Travel Bar Twitter
If you haven’t joined the Patreon community, now is the time: you can now support the site and podcast for as little as $1 a month, plus new and improved benefits for the $2.50 and $5 a month tiers including exclusive content, free glassware after 6 months, and more benefits as the group grows such as barrel picks, live events, and more.
If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website. 
Finally, please subscribe to the Whiskey Ring Podcast on your favorite podcast platform today! We're on Podbean, Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and most other major podcast platforms. Every subscription and listen helps us get sponsors, secure guests, and ultimately get more content to you.
Thank you for listening and for supporting, and please enjoy my chat with Mike Vacchrese of Travel Bar Brooklyn. 

Ep. 23.1: Travel Bar with Owner Mike Vacchrese, Part 1

Season 1 and 2021 finale! Owner Mike Vacchrese and I talk about his establishment, Travel Bar, in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. 
Mike generously gave over three hours to our interview, so I've broken it into two parts - make sure to listen to both! 
Travel Bar Brooklyn, 520 Court Street, Brooklyn, 11231
Travel Bar Instagram
Travel Bar Facebook
Travel Bar Twitter
If you haven’t joined the Patreon community, now is the time: you can now support the site and podcast for as little as $1 a month, plus new and improved benefits for the $2.50 and $5 a month tiers including exclusive content, free glassware after 6 months, and more benefits as the group grows such as barrel picks, live events, and more.
If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website. 
Finally, please subscribe to the Whiskey Ring Podcast on your favorite podcast platform today! We're on Podbean, Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and most other major podcast platforms. Every subscription and listen helps us get sponsors, secure guests, and ultimately get more content to you.
Thank you for listening and for supporting, and please enjoy my chat with Mike Vacchrese of Travel Bar Brooklyn. 
 

Ep. 22: Tennessee Tasters with WhiskeyFellow

A crossover! On this week's episode, I'm joined by Jeff Schwartz, AKA Whiskeyfellow. He's been writing about whiskey for several years on his blog and Facebook page - both of which you should definitely like and follow (Instagram too!). We're tasting the Tennessee Tasters, a 7-bottle series from Jack Daniel's that's all experimental (until they aren't, of course). 
If you haven’t joined the Patreon community, now is the time: you can now support the site and podcast for as little as $1 a month, plus new and improved benefits for the $2.50 and $5 a month tiers including exclusive content, free glassware after 6 months, and more benefits as the group grows such as barrel picks, live events, and more.
If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website. 
Finally, please subscribe to the Whiskey Ring Podcast on your favorite podcast platform today! We're on Podbean, Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and most other major podcast platforms. Every subscription and listen helps us get sponsors, secure guests, and ultimately get more content to you.
Thank you for listening and for supporting, and please enjoy my chat with Jeff the Whiskeyfellow.
 

Ep. 21: Clay Risen

Hey folks, welcome to Episode 21 of the Whiskey Ring Podcast. My guest is whiskey writer and historian Clay Risen, whose new book Bourbon: The Story of Kentucky Whiskey is available today. It’s a table-top book that you will go back to again and again, and I’m thrilled to have my own copy on my table now.
If you haven’t joined the Patreon community, now is the time: you can now support the site and podcast for as little as $1 a month, plus new and improved benefits for the $2.50 and $5 a month tiers including exclusive content, free glassware after 6 months, and more benefits as the group grows such as barrel picks, live events, and more.
If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website. 
Finally, please subscribe to the Whiskey Ring Podcast on your favorite podcast platform today! We're on Podbean, Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and most other major podcast platforms. Every subscription and listen helps us get sponsors, secure guests, and ultimately get more content to you.
Thank you for listening and for supporting, and please enjoy my chat with Clay Risen.
Order Bourbon: The Story of Kentucky Whiskey

Ep. 20: Raj Bhakta, Bhakta Spirits

This is one for the record books – I taste through four high-end brandies from Bhakta Spirits with none other than Raj Bhakta himself.
This is a different type of episode right from the start. Bhakta Spirits’ story comes out through the conversation, but it’s really about the spirits themselves. From a decades-old Armagnac and Calvados blend to a pair of century-and-a-half-old brandies, a single word emerges: quality. To put it bluntly, this shit is the real deal.
Bhakta Brandy
Bhakta Spirits
Bhakta Farms
Here’s the fun part: that decades-old Armagnac and Calvados blend? 80 bucks. 80 BUCKS. Can you imagine a 40-ish year old whiskey being less than 80 bucks per ounce, let alone for the full bottle? Come on now.
The brandies? Really, Armagnacs, but for ease of labeling they’re listed as brandies. Each batch is a single barrel with various vintages in it ranging from 1970 – already fifty-plus years old – to 1868. The first vintages in these bottles were distilled when Andrew Johnson was president and Ulysses S. Grant was elected. A few other things from that year:
The Meiji Restoration begins in Japan, opening the country after centuries of insular policy.
The first parade with floats occurs at Mardi Gras in New Orleans
The first cro-magnon skeletons are identified
The first Memorial Day is observed in the US
The 14th Amendment is ratified
Wyoming becomes a US territory
Edison files his first patent
Ok you get the point. ITS OLD. And it’s fucking fantastic.
Raj? He was a blast to taste through these with. You can tell how he relaxes through the episode and by the end we’re swapping tasting notes and ideas for finished American whiskies. I look forward to having him back on the pod in the future.
Finally – if you are in the financial position to become an investor in Bhakta Spirits or are interested in the Bhakta Spirits set mentioned in the episode, reach out at the links in the shownotes. There are only 30 or so spots left in the Revivalist Society, so don’t hesitate.
If you haven’t joined the Patreon community, now is the time: you can now support the site and podcast for as little as $1 a month, plus new and improved benefits for the $2.50 and $5 a month tiers including exclusive content, free glassware after 6 months, and more benefits as the group grows such as barrel picks, live events, and other things – the possibilities are endless. The first exclusive episode with Michter’s Master Distiller Emeritus Pam Heilmann is live now. Patreon subscribers will have access to the audio and video of this episode a full TWO MONTHS before the episode is released to the public.
Next up: The Whiskey Ring Podcast is looking for sponsors! If you’re a whiskey company, an accessory company, or subscription service, reach out to see how you can be a sponsor. There are only two more spots being opened for sponsors, so if you’re interested reach out asap.
If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook and follow @whiskeyring on Twitter, and subscribe to the newsletter on whiskeyinmyweddingring.com. 
Finally, please subscribe to the Whiskey Ring Podcast on your favorite podcast platform today! We're on Podbean, Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and most other major podcast platforms. Every subscription and listen helps us get sponsors, secure guests, and ultimately get more content to you.
Thank you for listening and for supporting, and please enjoy my tasting session with Raj Bhakta of Bhakta Spirits.
Bhakta 27-07 Review
Bhakta 50 #14 "Theobold" Review
Bhakta 50 #16 "Ulysses" Review

Ep. 19: Jesse Parker, Doc Swinson‘s

This is a turning point episode! Starting with Ep. 19, we're moving to an every week format, so tune in to this episode and be ready every Wednesday morning for a new drop!
This week I'm joined by Jesse Parker from Doc Swinson's and Distiller's Way. He and I talk through the entire Doc Swinson's line, including the 15 year, the Alter Ego releases, the core Blender's Cut, and the Exploratory Series - Mind, Body, and Soul. 
**GIVEAWAY ALERT**
Join the giveaway from Doc Swinson's and the Whiskey Ring Podcast! Click here for your chance to win two bottles of their whiskey, two branded glencairns, two branded hats, and some WRP swag, too. 
https://kingsumo.com/g/48cg1q/doc-swinsons-giveaway
Tasting notes to all the Doc Swinson's they were generous enough to send are below! (Give it a day if the links don't work for some reason...). As always, editorial control remains with me.
Blender's Cut Bourbon Review 
Doc Swinson’s Exploratory Cask Series: Mind, Body, And Soul
Socials:
Doc Swinson's Website
Doc Swinson's Facebook
Doc Swinson's Instagram