This week I welcome Celina Perez from Great Jones Distilling Co. to the program for a great conversation about all things New York City and New York City Whiskey. We go through how she got started in whiskey as well as what it took for her and the team at Great Jones to get a distillery off the ground in the middle of a pandemic. It’s a great conversation and I thoroughly enjoyed having Celina on the show. The art that she puts into her whiskey shines through on this weeks episode of The...

This week we welcome Victoria Horn and Brandi Bowles, the founders of Boss Molly Bourbon onto the show and we talk about everything under the bourbon sun. We talk about what it takes to start a bourbon brand, the sleepless nights spent making sure you get your recipe 100% perfect, the endless hours spent introducing your brand to new consumers and how it is all totally worth it when you see someones reaction to that first sip of good whiskey. It's a great conversation and we were super...

This week we welcome Liz Rhoades and WhistlePig back to the Bourbon Showdown and we talk BOSS HOG X! That’s right, Liz is back and we do a deep dive into Boss Hog X and Robbie’s Blend, two distinct whiskey’s that properly represent why WhistlePig is and has always been at the forefront of pushing boundaries in the whiskey world! So sit back, pour a big dram of WhistlePig rye and get ready for Jesse and Liz to explore the wonderful world of WhistlePig on this weeks episode of the Bourbon...

This week we welcome Lori Fetrick, better know as ICE from the American Gladiators to the Bourbon Showdown Podcast! Thats right Ice herself is on the show today to talk all things whiskey and American Gladiators. We talk about the new Docuseries on Netflix "Muscles & Mayhem" which acts as an unauthorized deep dive into the the American gladiator story, we talk about how she got started with the gladiators and what she has been doing since the show ended… and of course we do this while...

This week we welcome Bruce Russell back to the show and talk about the new Wild Turkey Generations expression! The first time in the history of Wild Turkey that there are three generations of Russell's collaborating on one bottle. We talk about how this expression came to be and what it felt like to get his name on the bottle alongside his Grandfather Jimmy Russell and his father Eddie Russell. It's a great conversation and an amazing whiskey! We can't thank Bruce enough for sitting down with...

This week we welcome High West Distillery back to the show! Tara Lindley and Holly Booth join us and take us on a sensory and cocktail journey through everything High West! We talk about how the brand got started, what led both of them to whiskey and then we drink some whiskey! Tara takes me through the sensory process of identifying whats in the glass and Holly teaches me how to make a High West Old Fashioned, there is literally something for everyone in this episode and we can’t thank Tara...

This week we welcome back long time friends of the show, Michael and Danny from Penelope. We sit down and discuss everything from the success of Rio to the recent acquisition by MGP. It's a great conversation that covers the full scope of Penelopes rise in whiskey and a comprehensive look at what they have in store for whiskey lovers in the future. Its a deep dive into Penelope Bourbon on this weeks Bourbon Showdown Podcast.

While we were at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival last week, we were fortunate enough to be a part of Kentucky Owl’s unveiling of their new Maighster edition, limited release, Bourbon Whiskey. This comes on the heels of Kentucky Owl naming Maureen Robinson as their new Master Blender! We were able to sit down with this Scotch Whisky Hall of Famer and talk about everything from her very brief retirement to her new venture with Kentucky Owl. The challenges she faced moving from Scotch to Bourbon...

This week we welcome Old Forester Master Taster, Melissa Rift to the show! We talk about what brought her to Old Forester and her whiskey journey, all while sipping on some delicious 117 Series, Bottled in Bond whiskey! She tells us about what goes into the creation of each 117 Series offering, the role she plays in its production and what she has in store for us in the future. It’s a great conversation that we think you guys are going to enjoy.  We thoroughly enjoyed having her on the show...

This week we welcome Peter Nevenglosky from Rare Character onto the show. Pete and Jesse talk about Fortuna and everything it takes to bring a classic brand back from the whiskey beyond as well as Petes origin story into the whiskey world. They go everywhere from the pandemic in NYC to drinking with Mr. Belding in Las Vegas. This episode has something for everyone! So grab a tall pour of Fortuna, sit back and get ready for Peter Nevenglosky and Rare Character, this week on The Bourbon...

It is the official SEASON PREMIERE of the Bourbon Showdown and we have our buddy John Rempe from Lux Row Distillers on the show to talk BLOOD OATH PACT 9! It’s a great interview and we were so happy to have John back on the show. We went to Kentucky and got to drink some Pact 9 with John at Lux Row and let me tell you, this is some delicious whiskey! We go through his whiskey journey to Lux Row master distiller, the conception of Blood Oath starting with Pact 1 and how it has evolved since...

The Bourbon Showdwon is back for a new season and we have Randy Prasse with us to talk everything Kentucky Bourbon Festival! The festival is less than a month away and Randy comes on the show to tell us about everything he has planned for the big event this year. We talk whiskey, we talk what it takes to put on a festival of this magnitude we talk all the special events he has planned all while sipping on some deliciousness from Bardstown Bourbon Company. Its a great start to the new season...

This week Jesse welcomes one of his good whiskey buddies Dan Spivey from Broad Branch Distillery onto the show! Jesse and Dan go way back and this conversation has been a long time in the making. They talk about how Broad Branch Distillery got started, the delicious whiskeys that they are currently producing and the state of North Carolina whiskey in general. They go into the history of NC whiskey and touch on what it takes to make a distillery work in this current whiskey boom. Always a good...

This week Jesse welcomes Ryan Perry from Heaven’s Door back to the show! The Founder and Master Blender at Heaven’s Door, Ryan walks Jesse through his 10 year Decade Series Straight Bourbon Whiskey. They talk about the patience it takes to sit on good barrels for that long and how that patience has paid off in this 10 year offering. On top of sipping and talking about good whiskey, they also catch up on everything Heaven’s Door, talk about Bob Dylan’s hand in the brand, comedy, hecklers and...

This week we welcome Lance Winters to the show! The Master Distiller at St. George Spirits, Lance is a recent inductee into the Whiskey Hall of Fame and one hell of a whiskey maker. He and Jesse sit down and go through how he went from being a nuclear engineer to spirits maker and the struggles he faced early in his career when introducing his vision for American Single Malt to an industry that hasn’t always been so accepting of spiritual change. They also talk art, books and the philosophy...

This week Jesse welcomes Nick Scarff, the Master Blender & VP of Business Development at Next Century Spirits to talk about Bear Fight American Single Malt Whiskey! Nick and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane have been working to help bring American Single Malt to the masses and they have succeeded! Jesse and Nick talk about how that partnership came to be, what their plans are for the brand and how Nick got started with Next Century Spirits. They also talk about Creek Water Whiskey,...

This week Jesse welcomes Chicken Cock Whiskeys Master Distiller Gregg Snyder to the show! Gregg walks Jesse through the history of the brand, it's ups and downs and it's reemergence on the whiskey scene. They talk about Gregg's own whiskey journey and how he has spent the last 40 + years of his career creating some of the best and best known whiskies in the industry. This is a master class on whiskey production. Gregg walks Jesse through the whiskey process and even after an hour it feels...

This week Jesse welcomes Gerard Patrick Garland to the show for Irish Whiskey Day! That's right, it's St. Patrick's Day and what better way to celebrate than with a big pour of something delicious and Irish! Gerard and Jesse sit down with four unique bottles of Method + Madness and drink through all four! They go through what brought Gerard into the whiskey business and how Method + Madness created these amazing expressions. We had a great time having Gerard on the show and welcome Method +...

This week I welcome my buddy Trey Wade to the show! Trey is the NEW Chief Experience Curator for Blue Run and has been selected to lead their first Private Barrel Program. Trey and I sit down and talk about his whiskey journey and how he got to Blue Run. As well as his new Chosen, Private Barrel Program and how he is bringing whiskey to the people by giving everyone a shot to be “Chosen” and be a part of this new private barrel program! It’s a great conversation, Trey is a true renaissance...

This week we welcome Elizabeth McCall, the NEW Master Distiller for Woodford Reserve to the show! Elizabeth has been a guest before and we are so happy to have her back on to discuss her new role as Master Distiller for the company. She takes Jesse through her career with Woodford Reserve, and what it takes to become Master Distiller. How not only is she overseeing quality and innovation and leading special releases, but she is also overseeing so much more of the process than you might think...

This week Jesse welcome Dan Callaway, the Vice President of Hospitality and Product Development at Bardstown Bourbon Co.! They sit down to talk the new Bardstown Bourbon Co. Origin Series and Dan walks Jesse through all three of their new expressions! They talk about how Dan got into whiskey and his journey from music into the whiskey world, all while drinking some of that sweet, sweet whiskey! It's a great episode and we are very happy to have Dan Callaway on this weeks Bourbon Showdown...

We kick off Bardstown Bourbon week today with National Brand Ambassador, Sam Montgomery! Jesse welcomes Sam to the show and they walk through the history of the Bardstown Bourbon brand, how they got started, the liquid they are creating and the top of the line facility they have created in Bardstown Kentucky. It's a great conversation and Sam and Jesse talk about everything from Bourbon to Comedy to The Never-ending Story! You never know where its going to go on The Bourbon Showdown Podcast,...

This week Jesse invites Cold Case Investigator Paul Holes onto the show to talk whiskey and True Crime! Paul is probably best known for his contributions to solving the Golden State Killer case using advanced methods of identifying the killer with DNA and genealogy technology. He is also an author and has written the New York Times bestseller - UNMASKED My life solving Americas cold cases. We were thrilled to have him on the show so he and Jesse could talk about how he got into the world of...

This week we welcome Andy and Charlie Nelson to The Bourbon Showdown! They walk Jesse through their families history in whiskey and how they grew up not knowing the role their family played in Tennessee spirits. They discuss the trials and tribulations of bringing their great great great Grandfathers whiskey brand back to the whiskey world and how they have taken his brand and made it their own in this current whiskey landscape. It's a great episode filled with history and that...

This week Jesse welcomes Brendan Coyle, the Master Distiller from High West Distillery to the show! Jesse and Brendan talk the history of High West as well as all the amazing expressions they have been responsible for. They talk about and sample A Midwinter's Night Dram: Act 10, The Prisoner's Share and High Country: American Single Malt. It's a great conversation as Brendan walks Jesse through what got him into whiskey and what it takes to launch a successful whiskey brand. They talk about...