🎙️ Ep. 135 - SESPE CREEK DISTILLERY: John Campbell's Move From Scotch to California Bourbon

For generations, whiskey fans have repeated one simple rule: Ireland and America spell whiskey with an "e," while Scotland, Canada, and Japan spell whisky without one. But where did that rule actually come from—and does this formula hold up historically? Today I'll revisit one of the show's earliest topics to dive deeper, separate fact from fiction and uncover the surprising history behind one of whiskey's most debated letters. Along the way, we'll see what the government and the Father of American English, Noah Webster, has to say. I'll look at the cultural confusion of regional language differences, and the myths that have grown around the spelling of whiskey itself. Was the "e" really invented by Irish distillers in the 1800s to distinguish their spirit from Scotch blends? Did Scotland always reject the spelling whiskey? And have Americans always embraced whiskey with an e? Using newspaper archives spanning England, Scotland, Ireland, and the United States, I'll traces how the spellings evolved from the early 1700s through Prohibition and into the modern craft whiskey era. The results challenge many of the stories commonly repeated in whiskey circles today. This is a thoroughly researched, updated, and expanded version of Season 2 Episode 8.

Welcome back to a former guest, John Campbell, who we met back in Interview 63 when we chronicled his 27 years at the legendary Laphroaig Distillery on Islay. Back then, he was taking on the challenge of making Lowland Scotch at Lochlea. Today, he's making an even bigger jump, leaving the island of malt whisky for a chance to make California Bourbon. There are few who have made the modern journey from Scotland to America, so today's interview affords me the great opportunity to pepper John with questions about the move to Sespe Creek in Oxnard, California. John will discuss the personal and professional changes involved in moving from Laphroaig to a distillery making mesquite-smoked Bourbon, vodka, and rum. He'll reveal the reason he was approached for the COO and Master Distiller position, and we'll talk about making Bourbon in pot stills, his five-year plan, and capturing the brand's "Southwest" identity in a spirit.  Enjoy the episode and if you'd like a deeper dive, catch a longer episode in the Whiskey Lore Speakeasy with a 7-day free trial at patreon.com/whiskeylore 

Join me as I welcome back Jerry Daniels of Stone Fences Tours for a step beyond distillery visits and into the heart of Bourbon history. We'll tackle the question who truly belongs in the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame that has been left behind? We go back and forth in a snake draft, each bringing our own list of seven candidates, building a case for the overlooked figures who shaped the industry. From early pioneers and 19th-century power players to scientific minds and modern innovators, this discussion uncovers the foundations of Bourbon that often get overshadowed. If you think you know the names that define the industry, this episode might make you rethink the list, and have you guessing who we believe deserves a place among the greats. Want to offer your own suggestions of who is missing? Post your choices on my Instagram feed at instagram.com/whiskeylore or on the episode post at patreon.com/whiskeylore

Join me as I sit down with Brent Manning, co-founder of Riverbend Malt House, to uncover how two self-described "sustainability geeks" learned the science of malting, helped support the rise of "Beer City U.S.A.," while starting humbly with a one-ton floor malting setup in Asheville. We'll dive deep into the mechanics of malting, from steeping and germination to kilning, and explore how subtle adjustments at each stage can dramatically shape flavor. Brent also breaks down the divide between brewers' and distillers' malts, and how Riverbend is working to close that gap by developing grains that deliver both high enzyme potential and rich, distinctive character.

In the 1890s, South Carolina became the center of one of the most controversial experiments in American whiskey history—a state-controlled liquor system that promised reform but delivered conflict, corruption, and bloodshed. In this episode, I dig into the rise of Governor Benjamin "Pitchfork Ben" Tillman, his political machine, and the dispensary system that turned whiskey into a battleground between state authority and personal liberty. We'll follow the Tillmanites and Bourbonites all the way to the 1894 Darlington Riot, in a story that shows how quickly reform can spiral into unrest when power, profit, and principle collide. It's a chapter of whiskey history rarely told, but one that speaks to the development of the alcohol control systems we live with today. Enjoy a fascinating episode of forgotten whiskey history.

Not too long ago, I was on my way up to Kentucky to check out the Beam Conference and when I contacted my friend Todd Ritter to see if we could sync up, he offered me a guest spot on the Bourbon Road Podcast. Enjoy this simulcasted edition of The Bourbon Road, hosted by my friends Todd and Jim. If you haven't heard the show before, beyond having great guests on, they also do tasting episodes. And here we try four craft whiskeys including selections from Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Missouri. Hear what we taste and find out how we rank them.  Find the Bourbon Road on your favorite podcast app. Cheers! Drew

Join me as I chat with Gary Mills, the Award-winning Brand Ambassador and Visitor's Experience Manager for Loch Lomond Distillery - a whisky that is making its way across the U.S. thanks to the Foley Family's distribution.  We'll dive into the unique history of the distillery, the stills that set it apart from the rest of Scotland, and I'll ask about how the Scotch Whisky Association put the breaks on how they labeled one of their whiskies.  We'll also learn the origins of the Lomond still and find out what the difference is between that and the unique column still at Loch Lomond distillery. We'll finish with a tasting of the 12 year and 18 year expressions and chat about the uniqueness of having a cooperage on site. 🌟 If you want bonus content, make sure you're a member of the Whiskey Lore Speakeasy, where this interview contains 20 more minutes that goes into the devil's cut, more details about the historic Littlemill Distillery, and the distillery's yeast focus.

When was Jack Daniel's registered as a distillery? According to legend, it was 1866. But I have questions.  When were Jack and Nearest working on the Dan Call Farm and when did Jack come over to the Cave Spring Hollow (the distillery's present location) to start distilling? None of the stories about this distillery match. Some sources say Jack Daniel took over as distiller from Nearest when he moved to the Cave Spring Hollow. But the Jack Daniel distillery supposedly started on Dan Call's farm. So was that 1866 or before, or after? And when was it the Daniel & Call Distillery. Now I have answers. And the story is not what you've been told. What is listed as the "oldest registered distillery in the United States" according to the National Register of Historic Places wasn't the location of Jack's distillery in 1866.  So where did this story come from? Why has this myth held on so long? How did the National Register get this bit of information wrong?  Join me as I dig into what might have been a true story that was shifted over time into what is now the oldest registered distillery claim. It's a fascinating evolution and one that will lead us to answer another long asked question - where did this name Old Number 7 come from.  Enjoy a romp through the history of Jack Daniel's, using historical evidence to recreate the creation of an origin myth. And check out Behind the Lore: Jack and Nearest on patreon.com/whiskeylore for a deeper look at the story of these two historic whiskey makers. Cheers and slainte mhath, Drew

Let's mix two of my favorite subjects today - music and whiskey - as I stop by Tommy Townsend's North Georgia distillery Grandaddy Mimms. As a musician, Tommy has many ties to Waylon Jennings, we'll chat about that (and there is a bonus episode with even more conversation around music, free for Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/whiskeylore ), and we'll talk about the development of the distillery, the use of two thumpers, the problem with high proof flavored moonshine, how moonshine and city hall got together, and Tommy with tap into plenty of stories. Enjoy this episode, that started out to be a Whiskey Flights episode, but we just had so much to talk about. Cheers! Drew

Back in 2020, I became fascinated with the story of the relationship between Jack Daniel and Nathan "Uncle Nearest" Green. I read Jack Daniel's Legacy by Ben A. Green (1967) and interviewed Jack Daniel's Historian Nelson Eddy and Uncle Nearest's Founder Fawn Weaver and then weaved the common tale surrounding these two Tennessee whiskey legends in Season 3 of Whiskey Lore. Then, in 2023, I began digging through archives in Georgia and Tennessee for my book The Lost History of Tennessee Whiskey and to my surprise, a very different picture of Jack and Nearest began to evolve.  In an effort to clean up some of my episodes that fell victim to marketing lore and oral tradition, it is time to reexamine the story of Jack and Nearest, to build a framework based on real documented history. And Whiskey Lore Speakeasy and Club 1897 members, make sure to check out Behind the Lore later this week to go even deeper in the myths and reality surrounding Jack and Nearest - exclusively on Patreon.com/whiskeylore.