The Whiskey Ring Podcast

Ep. 6: Martin Markvardsen, Highland Park Distillery

Hi Whiskey Ringers! 
It took 6 episodes, but I got to talk to my favorite Scottish distillery, Highland Park. My guest, Martin Markvardsen, is their Senior Brand Ambassador. 
We talk peat, non-chill filtering, how whisky changes over the years, Islay vs Orkney vs other types of smoke/profiles, and more. 
If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the newsletter on whiskeyinmyweddingring.com. 
If you like what you hear, please consider supporting the site and the podcast. You can help out for as little as $2.50 a month at www.patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring.
You can find Highland Park’s entire lineup at https://www.highlandparkwhisky.com and at @highlandparkofficial on Instagram or with the hashtag VikingSoul. Martin can be found at @hpmarkvardsen on Instagram and on Facebook.
Subscribe to the Whiskey Ring Podcast on your favorite podcast platform today! We're on Podbean, Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more. 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 this episode with Martin Markvardsen of Highland Park. 
Cheers!David

Ep. 5: Alan Bishop, Spirits of French Lick

Episode 5! This one’s a kicker, Whiskey Ringers. A nearly 2-hour conversation with the one-and-only Alan Bishop, Master Distiller of Spirits of French Lick Distillery in French Lick, Indiana.
If you haven’t guessed by now (or this is your first episode), I’m a whiskey nerd/geek and proud of it. Thankfully, Alan is just the person to talk to. Getting into the details of whiskey making - from naming his stills to using different grains - was a thrill. Needless to say, Alan will be back on a future episode.
During the episode, Alan and I talk about Spirits of French Lick’s newest bourbons, the William Dalton wheated bourbon and the Morning Glory Buckwheat Bourbon (I got a chance to taste both!). They’ll be in stores this week! Check them out - they’re worth the buy!
Please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the newsletter on whiskeyinmyweddingring.com.
If you want to support the site and the podcast, you can help out for as little as $2.50 a month at www.patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring.
You can find Alan at @thealchemistcabinet on Instagram or at spiritsoffrenchlick.com.
Subscribe to the Whiskey Ring Podcast on your favorite podcast platform today! We're on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Cheers!David

Ep. 4: Dave Schmier, Proof and Wood Ventures

Episode 4! We’re on a roll. This episode, I talk with Dave Schmier of Proof and Wood Ventures.
Proof and Wood is an unabashed non-distilling producer. Dave is transparent that most of his stock is from MGP (with a few exceptions like The Justice), and beyond that he’s transparent about as much as possible in his products. Mashbills, ages, sources, chances are you can find the info on the website or in an interview with Dave.
Since starting Proof and Wood in 2015 and after selling the Redemption brand, Dave has consistently added to Proof and Wood’s portfolio. Covering bourbon, rye, special releases like the DC series, one-offs like The Stranger Polish Rye, Vertigo, and 100 Seasons whiskey are all right in Dave’s wheelhouse…put simply, the man knows how to spot a good chance and take it. Same goes for The Funk Jamaican Rum and finishing it in rye casks.
Please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the newsletter on whiskeyinmyweddingring.com.
If you want to support the site and the podcast, you can help out for as little as $2.50 a month on Patreon.
You can find Proof and Wood at www.proofandwood.com.
Subscribe to the Whiskey Ring Podcast on your favorite podcast platform today! We're on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Cheers!David
 

Ep. 3: JK Williams Distilling

Episode 3 is here! Coming out on Cinco de Mayo (also known as Cinco de Gato in our household). On this episode, I'm joined by Andy Faris and Jeff Murphy of JK Williams Distilling.
Andy, Jeff, and the JK Williams Team are distilling and producing out of Peoria, Illinois, the former Whiskey Capital of the World. Today, that whiskey history is a long-gone legacy.....or is it? To hear Andy and Jeff talk about it, that legacy was only dormant, and now it's time for whiskey to rise again on the banks of the Illinois River.
Listen for a taste of history, bourbon, rye, and the rise of another distilling legend.
Please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the newsletter on whiskeyinmyweddingring.com. You can find Jk Williams Distilling on Instagram @jkwilliamsdistilling.
Subscribe to the Whiskey Ring Podcast on your favorite podcast platform today! We're on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Cheers!David

Ep. 2: Kaiyō Whisky

If you follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring on Instagram, Facebook, or through the website, you know how much I love Japanese whisky. After devoting three full weeks to it, I wanted to bring on a special guest to talk about what makes Japanese whisky unique.  Please welcome Jay Cole, US Ambassador for Kaiyō, as the Whiskey Ring Podcast's second guest. Jay is a native Massachusettsan (yep, that's the real word!) but represents one of the most exciting Japanese whisky producers of the moment. He's also got a Viking-worthy beard that would make Ragnar Lothbrok jealous.
We talk about Kaiyō as a company, its ethos and thinking, the benefits and drawbacks of using mizunara in each of their expressions, the art of "teaspooning", and the new Japanese whisky regulations introduced in Q1 of 2021.  This is a thrilling conversation you won't want to miss. Links to tasting notes on Kaiyō whiskies are included below, as is a link to their website.
Please follow @whiskeyinmyweddingring on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the newsletter on whiskeyinmyweddingring.com. You can find Jay on Instagram (@thewhiskypirate) and Kaiyō on Instagram. 
Subscribe to the Whiskey Ring Podcast on your favorite podcast platform today! We're on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Cheers!David

Ep. 1: Olde Tyme Spirits

Welcome to the first Whiskey Ring Podcast, hosted by Whiskey in my Wedding Ring! These podcasts will be all about talking whiskey, spirits, and furthering the whiskey journey.
If you’re listening to this, I’m sure you know how important history is when talking about whiskey. Old and/or longstanding brands take great pains to show their legacy; new brands look for any way to build off a legacy that’s available for the taking. Even for the most forward-thinking brands, the past is never just ignored. Stories of “my grandpa saved this yeast strain and kept it going through Prohibition” are more popular than they are factual.
But what about those spirits that have been around for decades, even centuries, that we just don’t hear about? Enter Olde Tyme Spirits and Will Persons. I got to talk to Will about the company he’s created, but the most fun was just talking about history - his family’s ties to 15th-century Ireland, to spirits that have largely disappeared even in the Irish homeland, to the ways he’s making authentic, regional, cultural spirits that are true to where they come from. We spoke for two hours, and I’ll be honest I think we both were ready to go longer if the dinner bell hadn’t started to ring.
For this first podcast, I want you to be able to hear it raw, lightly edited, and in its entirety. While our format will evolve over time, at the end of the day I want you to hear these conversations just like I did - as conversations. With that, enjoy the show!
Olde Tyme Spirits: Website, InstagramTasting notes from the podcast
Subscribe to the Whiskey Ring Podcast on your favorite podcast platform today! We're on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Cheers!David