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The Scotch Whisky industry is roaring along, setting new records for sales every year as the global demand for whisky continues to grow. The last "golden age" for Scotch Whisky is generally considered to be the late 1800's, when distilleries flourished all over Scotland. That begs the question: are we in a new golden age for Scotch Whisky? Veteran whisky writers, historians, and consultants Charles Maclean and Ian Buxton take on that question and other key issues in an extended WhiskyCast In-Depth conversation this week. In the news, a Pacific Northwest malting house has left distilleries and brewers in the lurch after suddenly closing this week, while Speyside Distillers is being questioned about the location of casks sold to investors more than 20 years ago.

Westland Distillery co-founder Matt Hofmann is leaving the Seattle distillery at the end of the month to pursue new adventures. With no specific plans for the future, Matt and his successor as production manager, Tyler Pederson, join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth to discuss Matt’s move and how the distillery will ensure continuity going forward. We’ll also have tasting notes for Westland’s new Colere American single malt and the new Clermont Steep American single malt from Beam. In the news, the company administering Scotland’s controversial Deposit Return Scheme is on life support, while The Dalmore is preparing to double production capacity with a new stillhouse. We’ll have the details and much more on this week’s episode of WhiskyCast!

Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State's first distillery. That ended the run of David DeFazio as Wyoming Whiskey's president, but he remains the brand's global ambassador and a part-owner of the distillery. We'll talk with him about the changes since then, along with what the future holds, both for him and the brand. We'll also catch up with Wyoming Whiskey's first master distiller, Bourbon Hall of Famer Steve Nally and master blender Nancy Fraley on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth, too. In the news, the drinks industry is mourning the death of Diageo CEO Sir Ivan Menezes this week, while Brown-Forman has won a trademark lawsuit challenge at the U.S. Supreme Court.

With some parts of Scotland facing another long, dry summer, distilleries are making plans to cope with expected water shortages from the lochs and rivers that provide essential water for distilling. Wick's Old Pulteney Distillery has already announced plans to shut down production for eight weeks this summer after losing much of the last two summers to drought. We'll talk with distillery manager Malcolm Waring on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Balmenach Distillery has received a £4 million upgrade to make the distillery more energy-efficient, a bottle of the rare 81-year-old The Reach from The Macallan is up for grabs in British Columbia, and there's a host of new whiskies being released in time for Father's Day.

At one time, Campbeltown was Scotland's whisky capital with more than 35 distilleries. That number dwindled to just three over the years, but now, planning approval is being sought for up to three new distilleries. The latest project is the Witchburn Distillery to be built on the former RAF Macrihanish site, and we'll talk with project manager and master distiller Andrew Nairn on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. We'll also hear from Beam Suntory's Daryl Haldane following the auction Friday of a one-of-a-kind Bowmore single malt to raise money for projects on Islay. In the news, Stirling Council has rejected plans for the proposed Wolfcraig Distillery for a second time, Scotch Whisky Association leaders continue their push to reserve an excise duty hike planned for August, and Jack Daniel's lost a trademark infringement case in the U.K. to a pair of comedians. 

Whisky lovers around the world celebrated World Whisky Day Saturday. The holiday was created a dozen years ago by whisky writer and consultant Blair Bowman, and we'll check in with him on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. He's been involved in several major controversies affecting the Scotch Whisky industry, from protesting the planned Deposit Return Scheme now scheduled to take effect next March to fighting a proposed series of marketing and advertising restrictions for whiskies and other alcoholic beverages. In the news, we'll have an update on new whiskies released for World Whisky Day, while the owners of Justins' House of Bourbon have paid $3,000 in fines to settle charges brought by Washington, DC liquor regulators. We'll also have tasting notes for new whiskies from Jack Daniel's, Michter's, and Glenglassaugh.

Blended American Whisky has been ignored by connoisseurs for many years, largely because the category has been dominated by cheap blends using grain neutral spirits. Now, there's a new era for Blended American Whisky as blenders explore the flexibility the category offers, from being able to blend Bourbons and Ryes with other styles of whisky to being able to use whisky matured in used barrels. We'll talk with master blender Ari Sussman about the trend in this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Australian distillers are in a dispute over what should be called a "single malt," Russian officials raid a factory producing counterfeit Scotch Whisky and other spirits, and we'll learn what not to do when your golf bag catches on fire. In our Behind the Label segment, we'll look at what researchers say is the proper amount of water to add to your whisky, and our latest Community poll asks whether you'd prefer to try a 50-year-old whisky or a 10-year-old bottled in 1920.

Bourbon's construction boom in Central Kentucky is raising concerns in Nelson County, home to Bardstown, the "Bourbon Capital of the World." County officials have reached a compromise with whiskey makers for a 90-day moratorium on planning approval for new warehouses in agricultural zones. Nelson County Judge Executive Tim Hutchins wants a review of current ordinances allowing virtually unfettered development of warehouses without public input, while allowing projects in areas zoned for industrial use to move forward. We'll talk with Judge Hutchins on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth about the moratorium and the impact of losing millions of dollars in barrel tax revenue in the coming years. In the news, Sazerac CEO Mark Brown is stepping aside in a long-planned succession, while Scotland's Parliament has approved new rules to make it easier for whisky makers to borrow against their stockpiles of maturing whisky. We'll also have details on a host of commemorative whiskies celebrating the coronation of King Char

Rye hasn't been widely used by Scotch whisky distillers for decades, but Inchdairnie Distillery is doing something different for its first release: A Scottish single grain distilled from 53% malted rye and 47% malted barley. The distillery contracted local farmers to grow the rye grain, and released its first batch of RyeLaw this week. Inchdairnie managing director Ian Palmer joins us to explain the reasons for starting with a Scottish rye whisky. In the news, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says no to reconsidering a whisky tax hike set for August, while Diageo is joining the growing list of whisky makers eliminating cardboard gift boxes from its whiskies. 

Dr. Bill Lumsden has been experimenting at both Ardbeg and Glenmorangie distilleries. His latest Ardbeg release, Heavy Vapours, involved taking part of the distilling system out of the picture just because he wanted to see what would happen if he did. At Glenmorangie, he has a whole year's worth of projects for his experimental Lighthouse distillery. We'll catch up with whisky's mad scientist on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Scotland's controversial alcohol marketing restrictions have been sent back to the drawing board, while the equally controversial deposit return scheme for bottles has been pushed back to next March. We'll also have details on a new distillery in Kentucky...that was quietly built six years ago.

We're celebrating a major milestone this week with the 1000th episode of WhiskyCast! To mark the occasion, Mark went back through the archives to pick some memorable moments and interviews from the past 18 years for this special episode. You'll hear from legends like the late Parker Beam and Michael Jackson, along with Jimmy Russell, Jim McEwan, Maureen Robinson, Fawn Weaver, and Richard Paterson...just to name a few. This episode is a lot longer than usual, and there's plenty more that we could have included. In the news, Scotch Whisky Association leaders are hoping to persuade Parliament to reject a tax increase on whiskies and other distilled spirits, while local officials in Kentucky are looking at moratoriums on new distillery construction following the phaseout of the state's barrel tax.

Many have tried, but the Glencairn whisky glass remains the preferred choice of whisky blenders and savvy whisky lovers. There's more to Glencairn Crystal than just its iconic glass, though, and we'll talk with Glencairn founder Raymond Davidson on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Campari is investing $160 million to build a second distillery at Wild Turkey in Kentucky. We'll have details on that and the rest of the week's headlines, and in our Behind the Label segment, we'll explain why some whiskies can taste soapy and what causes it.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is marking its 40th anniversary in 2023, and we'll talk with founder Pip Hills on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. The 82-year-old Hills started the Society as a cask-share scheme with his friends...and their friends...and so on, until now, the Society's membership stands at 37,000 whisky lovers worldwide. In the news, Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes is retiring, Kentucky state lawmakers have passed the barrel tax phaseout bill into law, and Whisky Magazine handed out its annual awards this past week.

There's very little Dennis Malcolm hasn't seen in his 62 years of making whisky, and the longtime Glen Grant distillery manager joins us on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth to answer some of your whisky questions. Dennis was in New York City for the global launch of the new Glen Grant 21 Years Old, and we'll have tasting notes for it as well. In the news, Kentucky lawmakers are running out of time to pass a bill ending the barrel tax this year, while the U.S. Supreme Court held oral arguments on a trademark case involving Jack Daniel's...and dog poop.

1983 was a very bad year to be in the Scotch Whisky business. Sales had dried up in the face of changing consumer tastes and economic woes, and the industry was sitting on a "whisky loch" of millions of gallons of whisky no one wanted to buy. That led to the permanent or temporary closings of 14 distilleries, along with blending and bottling plants throughout Scotland. 40 years later, the industry has recovered - but have the lessons from 1983 been remembered? We'll talk with historians Charles Maclean and Dr. Nick Morgan about the circumstances that led to mass closings back then, and what's different today. In the news, UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has slapped Scotch Whisky with a 10.1% increase in excise duty, and industry leaders are fighting back claiming broken promises. Kentucky state lawmakers are trying to get a bill passed in the next few days that would phase out the state's barrel tax on maturing whiskey, and David Beckham is reported to be stepping away from his bespoke whisky brand.

Mark Kent left the UK's diplomatic service 14 months ago to become the new CEO of the Scotch Whisky Association, and admits he didn't know much about Scotch when he started. With the industry in a state of flux over issues ranging from a potential marketing and advertising ban in Scotland to free trade and climate change, it's been a busy 14 months for Kent. He'll join us on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth to discuss the state of the Scotch Whisky industry and those key issues it faces. In the news, Islay distillers are scrambling to find new sources of peated malt after Diageo's Port Ellen Maltings stopped supplying outside customers. We'll also look at record U.S. spirits exports, even though some key markets are still recovering from the impact of trade tariffs, and on this week's Behind the Label, we'll look at the role enzymes play in mashing and why many distillers use a small amount of malted barley in their mashes.

Melissa Rift's career path is anything but traditional for a whisky maker. She started out as a family therapist before discovering her passion for Bourbon, and it's led her to become the new master taster for Old Forester. We'll explore her journey and her passion for whisky on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Jack Daniel's has been ordered to stop work on one of its new barrel houses after a neighbor sued over whisky fungus problems, while Kentucky distillers are hoping a bill pending in the state legislature could mean the end of the "barrel tax."

There are literally hundreds of whisky clubs around the world, with more being formed all the time. This week on WhiskyCast, we'll hear from some club founders on how they started their clubs, along with advice for those thinking about forming a whisky club. In the news, Russia is planning "grey market" imports of some key whisky brands to evade trade sanctions, while Scotland's controversial bottle deposit program may be in trouble. We're also announcing the launch of the new WhiskyCast Community mobile app this week, too!

Bourbon and many other whiskies must be matured in new barrels by law, but distillers are finding a shortage of available barrels. Cooperages are keeping up with existing demand, but are facing their own supply chain issues with raw logs and can't keep up with distillery expansions across the industry. It all amounts to "the barrel problem," and we'll look at the issue on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Scottish government officials want public comments on whether the sale of peat should be banned, including the whisky industry's use of peat for malting barley. There's a scandal in Oregon, where state liquor board officials diverted bottles of rare Bourbon for their own use, and two veteran distillers join Whisky Magazine's Hall of Fame.

Last month's raid on the Justins' House of Bourbon stores in Kentucky brought a multi-state and federal investigation into the spotlight. Now, authorities in the District of Columbia and at least two other states are investigating potential violations of interstate shipping laws, according to a report this week in the Lexington Herald-Leader. The Herald-Leader's Janet Patton broke the story and joins us this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, distilled spirits sales outpaced beer for the first time during 2022, while Scotch Whisky exports set a new record.