EmbellishPod

Old Louisville Whiskey Company

I got the chance to sit down with Amine from Old Louisville Whiskey Company and chat through what they have going on in Louisville.  I tasted some of their offerings at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and knew immediately that I wanted to have them hop on for an episode.  We have so many more things to talk about with them so I hope we can get them back on in the next few months.  https://oldlouisvillewhiskey.com/https://www.facebook.com/people/Old-Louisville-Whiskey-Co/100076109330926/https://www.instagram.com/oldlouisvillewhiskeyco/

Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2023 Recap

This year I had the opportunity to attend the festival as a “media” person.  I think it was another great year so I put together a video montage that I’m going to essentially narrate over so I can capture my own thoughts on it all.  The weekend began before the festival for me though with an open House for Barrell Craft Spirits and then an evening with Broken Barrel at the Bardstown Motor Lodge.
 
https://www.kybourbonfestival.com/
https://www.barrellbourbon.com/
https://www.pinhookbourbon.com/
https://www.brokenbarrelwhiskey.com/
https://estespr.com/

Barrell Craft Spirits Celebrates 10 Years

For this weeks episode I have Lindsay Gulics the Northeast Regional Manager for Barrel Craft Spirits.  We get a chance to talk about their evergreen lines, some Limited offerings their new batches of bourbon and rye, the pandemic, riding bikes and maybe even a little bit about wine.  At just under an hour it feels like we talked about as many possible things as you could imagine in that time frame and we still didn’t get through it all.  Hopefully I’ll get to catch up with her again and talk more about Barrell as they celebrate 10 years as an Independent Bottler and Blender changing the landscape of the North American whiskey drinker’s collection.
 
https://www.barrellbourbon.com/
http://www.facebook.com/barrellbourbon
http://instagram.com/barrellbourbon
https://www.youtube.com/c/barrellbourbon
https://www.linkedin.com/company/barrell-craft-spirits

Let’s Chat ASM with DemiTastes(Doug)

Tonights guest and I cross over in a lot of places around whiskey, food and beverage. Tonight we'll get a chance to talk about that and more. You can find him at the following links:
Doug (DemiTastes):
- http://DemiTastes.com
- http://ASMWbook.com
- DemiTastes on Discord https://discord.gg/KQGkBmtzPT
- DemiTastes on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/demitastes
- @DemiTastes on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/demitastes
- @DemiTastes on Threads https://threads.net/@DemiTastes - @DemiTastes on Twitter https://twitter.com/DemiTastes
- Demi Tastes Whiskey on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@demitasteswhiskey
- https://maltrunners.com - a collective blog from a group of reviewers, myself included, who love single malts and other spirits.
- Visit the American Single Malt Whiskey Subreddit: https://reddit.com/r/AmericanSMW
- Find my reviews under https://reddit.com/u/demireticent
- Buy DemiTastes a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/demitastes
 

EP. 100 - Michael ”Woody” Dombrowsky

I had the great opportunity to hang out with Michael "Woody" Dombrowsky (@distillerwoody).  As the head distiller for Yardley Distilling (@yardleydistilleryofficial) and consultant to so many more in the Distilling, Beer making, Winemaking industries his expertise is deep and wide.  We got a chance to talk about almost everything distilling related.  We might have even diverged into having fun in college, education, language acquisition and what the hell Boilo is.  I always look forward to conversations like this and I hope you enjoy it.  Show Notes:
https://yardleydistillery.com/https://www.instagram.com/yardleydistilleryofficial/

Broken Barrel Whiskey w/Seth Benhaim

I’ve been following Broken Barrel Whiskey Company since their first launch of the “Cask of Amontillado” finish.  What self respecting Poe fan wouldn’t know about that and if you were into whiskey at the time, even more reason to know.  I’ve been able to watch this company transform and the fact that they partnered with a “West Kentucky” distillery for their contract distillation engendered them even more to me.  Follow along as I have a conversation with Seth Benhaim talking about the ethos of the brand and more.  There may be a tease about some upcoming bottlings that are really interesting and the final curtain call for a series that has been pretty successful.
 
https://www.brokenbarrelwhiskey.com/
https://www.instagram.com/brokenbarrelwhiskey/
https://www.facebook.com/BrokenBarrelW/
 

Embracing Authenticity: A Conversation with Jackie Zykan

In this episode of the Embellish podcast, the host welcomes guest Jackie Zykan, a partner at Hidden Barn Whiskey. The conversation goes beyond whiskey and delves into topics such as mental health, the impact of social media, and the challenges of being in the spotlight. Jackie shares her experiences in the whiskey industry, discussing the pressures of always being "on" and the need for transparency. She also talks about her passion project, Oduoak, a fragrance brand that captures the aromatics of whiskey and other sensory experiences. The host and Jackie explore the process of blending fragrances and how it relates to blending whiskey. Overall, the episode offers a unique perspective on the whiskey industry and the intersection of scent and taste.
The downside of it all…I 100% recorded all of this audio from the crappy macbook microphone because I didn’t check my settings.  For a guy in the technology sphere professionally this is a huge oversight.  I apologize for the audio but I think you’ll be ok with the content. 
 
Connect with Jackie:
https://www.jackiezykan.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jackiezykan/
https://hiddenbarnwhiskey.com/
https://www.instagram.com/hidden_barn/
https://www.oduoak.com/
https://www.instagram.com/oduoak/
Connect with The Embellish Pod:
Website: www.embellishpod.com
Instagram: embellishpod
TikTok: embellishpod
 

Podcast Trailer

I spent a little bit of time away from podcasting and content creating and after some distinct soul searching here is what came out the other end.  

The Rise of Borrowed Page: Blending Craft Whiskey and Showcasing Distilleries

In this episode of EmbellishPod, I had the pleasure of chatting with Devin and Chase from American Mash and Grain and Borrowed Page.
They started American Mash and Grain as a whiskey website that features a new craft whiskey distillery each month, diving deep into their history, process, and brand storytelling. They also released their own whiskey called Borrowed Page Volume 1 and recently released Volume 2.
Devin and Chase explained that Borrowed Page is a series of blends where they work with distilleries previously featured on their website. They aim to challenge the idea of American whiskey and use the blends as an extension of their storytelling mission. They want to support craft distilleries and push the boundaries of what American whiskey can be.
When selecting distilleries for the blends, they look for alignment in ethos and mission. They want to partner with distilleries that have a great message and are doing something different. They also consider the flavor profiles of the component whiskeys and how they will play together in a blend.
We discussed the concept of the blends being greater than the sum of their parts. While they aim for a well-crafted blend, their main goal is to showcase the distinct contributions of each individual distillery and allow their products to shine through. They want to create a unique and high-quality blend that represents the hard work and passion of the craft distilleries they work with.
They also touched on the geographical aspect of their blends, mentioning that they try to avoid repeating states back-to-back. They want to connect different parts of the country and shine a light on distilleries that may not be as well-known in certain areas.
They also discussed the process of selecting distilleries and the importance of finding partners who are aligned with their mission. They mentioned the support they received from distilleries like Watershed, Mammoth, and Old Dominick, and how their enthusiasm for the project helped drive its success.
This episode provided insights into the world of American Mash and Grain and Borrowed Page, their mission to support craft distilleries, and their approach to creating unique and high-quality blends. Listeners were given a glimpse into the process of selecting distilleries, the concept behind the blends, and the future direction of the project.
 
On this newest episode we talk about the future of the product, the goals and ethos, some inside baseball on Chase and Devin’s friendship and more.  It’s always great to have the join me and I couldn’t be happier to have them. 
 
 
 
Long Form Distillery Pieces:
https://www.mashngrain.com/
Where to buy Borrowed Page Vol 1 and 2:
https://shop.mashngrain.com/
 
Borrowed Page Volume 2 Specifics:
https://www.mashngrain.com/industry/borrowed-page-vol-2
 
Members of the blend
 
Talnua:
https://www.mashngrain.com/distilleries/talnua-distillery
https://www.talnua.com/
 
Mammoth Distilling:
https://www.mashngrain.com/distilleries/mammoth-distilling
https://mammothdistilling.com/
 
Virginia Distillery:
https://www.mashngrain.com/distilleries/virginia-distillery
https://vadistillery.com/
 
Things to be on the lookout for
 
Storm King Distilling:
https://www.mashngrain.com/distilleries/storm-king-distilling
http://www.stormkingdistilling.com/
 
Liberty Pole Spirits:
https://www.mashngrain.com/distilleries/liberty-pole-spirits
https://www.libertypolespirits.com/
 
 

Touring Ireland with Drew

I've been working on this episode for a month and a half, but life and work often gets in the way.  I really thought about blaming everyone else that decided to do an Irish Whiskey episode in the month of March but the reality is it's a busy month and I had to come in sideways with three flat tires and an engine on fire to be able to complete this episode.  It's got a lot to do with Drew Hannush from Whiskey Lore, Irish Whiskey, history and maybe even good whiskey friends.  
 
Links of Interest:https://a.co/d/byh76Gg
https://www.theirishroadtrip.com/
https://www.irishwhiskeymagazine.com/magazine/independent-bottling-part-1/