The State of American Whiskey

Portland, Oregon-based Westward Whiskey filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last April seeking to restructure its finances. At the time, CEO Tom Mooney told us the future was still bright for Westward, which makes American Single Malts. Now, Westward is poised to emerge from bankruptcy after a group of the distillery's original investors bought its assets. Tom Mooney re-joins us this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth to explain why his original optimism still holds. In the news, Four Roses is reportedly up for sale, with a price tag estimated at $1 billion. Sazerac is planning another billion-dollar expansion project in Kentucky, while the federal government shutdown is delaying approvals of new whiskies and distillery permits. 

Seattle's Westland Distillery welcomed more than a thousand people this weekend hoping to get their hands on a bottle of the distillery's first 10-year-old single malt, the 10th Anniversary Garryana. It's largely matured in Garry Oak casks from the Pacific Northwest, and this year's release is more scarce than usual - after thieves stole a semi-trailer with nearly half the year's production of Garryana last month. We'll talk with Westland master distiller Shane Armstrong and managing director Jason Moore on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Portland's Westward Distillery has been saved by investors after filing for bankruptcy, and sales  are down again for Pernod Ricard and Moet Hennessy.

Kentucky's Bourbon distillers are in a conundrum…the industry set a new record for barrel inventories in 2024 and the number of distilleries is at an all-time high. However, domestic sales are slumping and exports are down significantly from previous years. Eric Gregory of the Kentucky Distillers Association joins us on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth to explain the state's latest whisky production report and what it means for the future. In the news, another new report shows U.S. spirits exports are down for the second quarter of this year, with sharp declines across most key trading partners. 

Gordon & MacPhail has unveiled the oldest whisky ever bottled (so far), an 85-year-old single malt distilled at Glenlivet Distillery in 1940, and priced at £125,000 per decanter. We'll get a taste of the history behind this whisky, and a taste of the whisky itself, on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth with Stephen Rankin of Gordon & MacPhail. In the news, the partial shutdown of the U.S. government is having an impact on whisky makers, and a court-appointed receiver for Uncle Nearest Tennessee Whiskey has a positive outlook for the business. 

This week, we'll catch up with veteran whisky and beer writer Lew Bryson. His new book "American Whiskey Master Class" is a deep dive into American whiskies from Bourbons and Ryes to the new American Single Malt category. In the news, 12,000 bottles of Westland American Single Malts have gone missing after a truck that was hauling the whiskies never made it to its destination. The haul includes 3,000 bottles of the limited-edition 10th Anniversary Garryana single malt. We'll have that and the rest of the week's whisky news on this week's WhiskyCast. 

Kilchoman Distillery marked its 20th anniversary in 2025, and founder Anthony Wills will be in the U.S. for a series of anniversary tastings this week. Before he left, he joined us for an in-depth interview covering everything from the distillery's beginnings to the state of the whisky industry today. In the news, Scotch whisky industry leaders are still hoping for relief from U.S. trade tariffs, while an impending government shutdown threatens to derail whisky label approvals. We'll have the details, along with word of a bunch of new whiskies released this week. 

Angela D'Orazio is the new Creative Director of Whisky Making at Compass Box. She spent 17 years as master blender at Sweden's Mackmyra Distillery, building a reputation for innovation and creativity. D'Orazio joins us this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth in one of her first interviews since joining Compass Box. In the news, Scottish leaders are hoping this week's UK state visit by U.S. President Donald Trump leads to the end of tariffs on Scotch Whisky imports, the owner of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and Single Cask Nation reports a drop in sales and memberships, and this year's Van Winkle whiskies are headed to retailers.

This week, we're in Bardstown, Kentucky for the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival, which brings together more than 6,000 whiskey lovers from around the world. We'll hear from several of the master distillers on hand, including Maker's Mark's Dr. Blake Layfield and Craig Beam of Jackson Purchase Distillery. In the news, Heaven Hill officially dedicated its $200 million Heaven Hill Springs Distillery in Bardstown on Thursday, marking one of the largest-ever investments in Bourbon production. Suntory's CEO has resigned in a scandal over supplements, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford is blasting Diageo's decision to close a Crown Royal bottling plant in his province. 

As we continue our series leading up to the 20th anniversary of WhiskyCast in November, it's important to celebrate the whisky legends who are still with us while they're still around to receive our recognition. Jim McEwan retired from public life a couple of years ago after nearly 58 years in the whisky business, and he's always been one of our favorite interview subjects. This week, we're featuring Mark Gillespie's interview with Jim from May 25, 2013, just as Jim was about to celebrate his 50th anniversary with a Feis Ile celebration at Bruichladdich. In the news, Diageo plans to close a Crown Royal bottling plant in Ontario, Independent Stave is laying off 110 workers at its Lebanon, Kentucky cooperage, and American whiskies won't be on sale in Ontario any time soon…

Frustrated by the hoopla over Bourbons, with their relative scarcity and high pricing, Mike Gilmore decided to take a different tack. He started searching the world for alternatives to Bourbon, and found them in Armagnacs, Cognacs, and Rums from Barbados to Belize. For the last three years, he's been bottling them under his Roaming Road Spirits label, while also exporting Bourbons from his collection of barrels to Ireland and finishing them in Irish Whiskey barrels. We'll talk with Mike Gilmore on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, a receiver has been named for Uncle Nearest Tennessee Whiskey, while the Waterford Distillery receivership may not be resolved until next year.