Hosts: Lew Bryson, Liz Rhoades, and Marty Duffy

What You’ll Learn: Join a trio of drink industry veterans in weekly conversation on whiskey, spirits, distilling, marketing, and the current state of the drink industry. This week, the group looks back on 2+ years of shows and reflects on the knowledge gained along the way!

About the Hosts: 

• Liz Rhoades, founder of Spirit Safe Consulting, former research scientist for DIAGEO, distilling consultant, spirits writer for The Whiskey Wash & presenter.

• Lew Bryson, former managing editor for Whisky Advocate Magazine for 20 years, whiskey author, beer/whiskey writer and presenter.
  
• Martin Duffy, former DIAGEO Master of Whisky for the Midwest, DIAGEO Reserve Brand Ambassador for The Republic of Ireland, North American Brand Representative for Glencairn Crystal.

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Hosts: Lew Bryson and Liz Rhoades

What You’ll Learn: Join a duo of drink industry veterans in weekly conversation on whiskey, spirits, distilling, marketing, and the current state of the drink industry. This week, Dr. Anna Sulan Masing, drinks writer and editor, joins the group.

About Dr. Anna Sulan Masing: 

Dr. Anna Sulan Masing is a food, drink and cultural writer, and academic. She is co-founder of Cheese magazine, and the public research platform Sourced which investigates our global food and drink systems. Anna Sulan’s podcast series Taste of Place, by Whetstone Radio Collective, is a narrative journalistic series that looks at nostalgia through the story of pepper. Her debut book, Chinese And Other Asian, will be published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in February 2024.

About the Hosts: 

• Liz Rhoades, founder of Spirit Safe Consulting, former research scientist for DIAGEO, distilling consultant, spirits writer for The Whiskey Wash & presenter.

• Lew Bryson, former managing editor for Whisky Advocate Magazine for 20 years, whiskey author, beer/whiskey writer and presenter.

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Hosts: Lew Bryson and Liz Rhoades

What You’ll Learn: Join a duo of drink industry veterans in weekly conversation on whiskey, spirits, distilling, marketing, and the current state of the drink industry. This week,Tracie Franklin, Founder of Spirited Tracie and Apprentice at Nearest Jack Apprentice Initiative, joins the group.

About Tracie Franklin: 

Tracie Franklin is a whiskey educator, public speaker, consultant, and distiller who lives in Washington D.C. Previously, she traveled the world singing and performing in theatre productions and now uses those skills to share her passion for whiskey with diverse groups. She has shared her knowledge on the small screen with the Today Show, CBS This Morning, and Good Day Chicago.

Tracie enjoys helping curious imbibers find a new appreciation for the vast and delicious world of spirits. She’s been a featured at events for Drexel University, Google, Peloton, Essence Festival, SalesForce, Keeper’s of the Quaich, and Charleston Food and Wine.

Tracie was the first person to join the Nearest and Jack Leadership Acceleration Program with a focus on Distillery Management. This program has allowed her to travel the US working and learning at iconic and innovative distilleries. She’s racked up numerous Wine and Spirits certifications and is pursuing her Diploma in Distillation from IBD. She is a 2020 Icon of Whisky for Best US Scotch Ambassador and is in the Dames Hall of Fame for making a lasting impact on the spirits industry. Follow Tracie’s Spirited Adventures on Instagram @Spirited_Tracie

About the Hosts: 

• Liz Rhoades, founder of Spirit Safe Consulting, former research scientist for DIAGEO, distilling consultant, spirits writer for The Whiskey Wash & presenter.

• Lew Bryson, former managing editor for Whisky Advocate Magazine for 20 years, whiskey author, beer/whiskey writer and presenter.

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Hosts: Lew Bryson and Liz Rhoades

What You’ll Learn: Join a duo of drink industry veterans in weekly conversation on whiskey, spirits, distilling, marketing, and the current state of the drink industry. This week, Kevin Smith, Director of Distilling and Brewing at Company Distilling, joins the group.

About Kevin Smith:

Kevin Brent Smith is the Director of Distilling & Brewing for the newly formed Company Distillery in Townsend, TN. Company Distilling was founded in 2021 when a group of highly experienced, Tennessee Distilling industry leaders joined forces to create superior quality whiskies, distilled spirits, and brews to be celebrated while “Gathering Around” in the best of company. Currently, Company Distilling has two production facilities.  The first is in Thompson Station just south of Nashville, TN.  A second and newly opened distillery is located in Townsend, TN less than a mile from the entrance to the Smoky Mountains National Park. Process designs have been completed for a much larger distillery set to open in 2024 in Alcoa, TN. 

Prior to coming to Company Distilling, Kevin worked for the Brown-Forman Corporation in various roles and for a total of twenty-two years. These roles included Distillery Manager, Distillery Quality Manager, Whiskey Technical Resource, and Microbiologist at the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, TN.  Primary responsibilities at Jack Daniels included management and optimization of fermentation and distillation processes, maintenance of production yeast and lactic cultures, optimization of yield and new whiskey organoleptic character. Kevin also served as the Global Technical Resource optimizing fermentation processes at all Brown-Forman distilleries.  

Kevin’s career chronology is hard to work out without knowing that he left Jack Daniels in 2003 yet was recruited back in 2007. In 2003, Kevin transitioned to and spent four years in the Fuel Ethanol Industry, first working for Commonwealth Agri-Energy as Plant Manager/Lab Manager in Hopkinsville, KY. In 2005, Kevin was hired by Lallemand Ethanol Technology and moved to central Iowa. A year later, He was promoted by Lallemand and served the larger Fuel Ethanol Industry as Technical Manager.  

Kevin holds a Masters of Science Degree in Environmental Biology with an emphasis in Microbiological studies from the University of Louisville. 

Kevin has authored a chapter on “Yeasting Practices in the Production of American Whiskies” in the sixth edition of The Alcohol Textbook.   

About the Hosts: 

• Liz Rhoades, founder of Spirit Safe Consulting, former research scientist for DIAGEO, distilling consultant, spirits writer for The Whiskey Wash & presenter.

• Lew Bryson, former managing editor for Whisky Advocate Magazine for 20 years, whiskey author, beer/whiskey writer and presenter.

Click on image to watch on Patreon

Click on image to watch on Patreon

Hosts: Lew Bryson and Liz Rhoades

What You’ll Learn: Join a duo of drink industry veterans in weekly conversation on whiskey, spirits, distilling, marketing, and the current state of the drink industry. This week, Rob Pinson, Partner and Alcohol and Hospitality Team Leader at Adams and Reese Alcohol and Hospitality practice, joins the group.

About Rob Pinson:

Rob Pinson is a leading member of the Adams and Reese Alcohol and Hospitality practice, representing both local and national clients with their licensing and regulatory needs.

Working extensively with distilleries, breweries and wineries on licensing matters, Rob helps his hospitality clients navigate through the complex approvals for manufacturing, self-distribution and other compliance issues at all levels. He provides counsel to alcoholic beverage manufacturers and retailers in transactional matters in which licensing issues play a critical role.

Rob assists businesses across the country with applying for and obtaining initial licensing, maintaining all necessary permits and licenses, and handling on-going regulatory obligations, such as formula and label submissions.

Rob can be reached in our Nashville office at 615.259.1407 or by email at rob.pinson@arlaw.com.

About the Hosts: 

• Liz Rhoades, founder of Spirit Safe Consulting, former research scientist for DIAGEO, distilling consultant, spirits writer for The Whiskey Wash & presenter.

• Lew Bryson, former managing editor for Whisky Advocate Magazine for 20 years, whiskey author, beer/whiskey writer and presenter.

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Hosts: Lew Bryson and Liz Rhoades

What You’ll Learn: Join a duo of drink industry veterans in weekly conversation on whiskey, spirits, distilling, marketing, and the current state of the drink industry.  This week, Sam Komlenic, rye whiskey historian, joins the group.

About Sam Komlenic:

Sam Komlenic grew up in the shadows of the great rye whiskey distilleries of western Pennsylvania’s Monongahela River valley. He is recognized as Pennsylvania’s whiskey historian and loves researching the distilling history of the Keystone State, with a particular interest in the S. Dillinger & Sons distillery, still standing in his hometown of Ruffs Dale.  He is also proud to be on the board of West Overton Village and Museums and maintains the integrity of its connection to American distilling history. Sam is a staunch supporter of the preservation of Pennsylvania’s distilling traditions and history.

About the Hosts: 

• Liz Rhoades, founder of Spirit Safe Consulting, former research scientist for DIAGEO, distilling consultant, spirits writer for The Whiskey Wash & presenter.

• Lew Bryson, former managing editor for Whisky Advocate Magazine for 20 years, whiskey author, beer/whiskey writer and presenter.

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Hosts: Liz Rhoades, Lew Bryson, & Martin Duffy

What You’ll Learn: Join a trio of drink industry veterans in weekly conversation on whiskey, spirits, distilling, marketing, and the current state of the drink industry. This week, Gregg Snyder, master distiller at Chicken Cock Whiskey, joins the group.

About the Hosts: 

• Liz Rhoades, founder of Spirit Safe Consulting, former research scientist for DIAGEO, distilling consultant, spirits writer for The Whiskey Wash & presenter.

• Lew Bryson, former managing editor for Whisky Advocate Magazine for 20 years, whiskey author, beer/whiskey writer and presenter.

• Martin Duffy, former DIAGEO Master of Whisky for the Midwest, DIAGEO Reserve Brand Ambassador for The Republic of Ireland, North American Brand Representative for Glencairn Crystal.

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Hosts: Liz Rhoades, Lew Bryson, & Martin Duffy

What You’ll Learn: Join a trio of drink industry veterans in weekly conversation on whiskey, spirits, distilling, marketing, and the current state of the drink industry. This week, Clay Risen, Author of Bourbon: The Story of Kentucky Whiskey, joins the group.

About Clay Risen: 

Clay Risen is a reporter at the New York Times and the author, most recently, of Bourbon: The Story of Kentucky Whiskey. A veteran spirits writer, judge and critic, he has written several other books about whiskey, including The Impossible Collection of Whiskey, Single Malt: A Guide to the Whiskies of Scotland, and  American Whiskey, Bourbon and Rye, which has sold more than 100,000 copies. Risen has also written several highly regarded books on American history, including, most recently, The Crowded Hour: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century, chosen as a 2019 Notable Book by the New York Times.

About the Hosts: 

• Liz Rhoades, founder of Spirit Safe Consulting, former research scientist for DIAGEO, distilling consultant, spirits writer for The Whiskey Wash & presenter.

• Lew Bryson, former managing editor for Whisky Advocate Magazine for 20 years, whiskey author, beer/whiskey writer and presenter.

• Martin Duffy, former DIAGEO Master of Whisky for the Midwest, DIAGEO Reserve Brand Ambassador for The Republic of Ireland, North American Brand Representative for Glencairn Crystal.

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Guests:  Miguel Monsalve – DUSA Brand Ambassador 

What You’ll Learn: 

DUSA is located in one of the geographical areas with the most natural resources in Venezuela, in the middle of the three largest sugar cane producer states – Lara, Portuguesa, and Yaracuy. Rains throughout the year, springs, and an altitude – that generates warm temperatures during the day and cool temperatures at night – favor the development of high concentrations of sucrose in the stem of the sugar cane, making it one of the sweetest on the continent.

In the Hacienda Saruro, next to the town La Miel (Lara), the complex has one of the few plants in the world with different distillation systems gathered in one place. Therefore, the manufacturing plant can produce not only rum but also whiskey, gin, vodka, and cocuy.

DUSA covers an area of 1,300 hectares where the plant, industrial effluent treatment plants, and crops are located. The company owns different farms where they grow sugar cane, cereals, and fruits, enough raw materials to produce a great variety of liquors.

Join Federico Hernandez as he journey’s the world of rum.

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Hosts: Liz Rhoades, Lew Bryson, & Martin Duffy

What You’ll Learn: Join a trio of drink industry veterans in weekly conversation on whiskey, spirits, distilling, marketing, and the current state of the drink industry. This week, Charlie Smith, icon of Scotch whisky, joins the group.

About the Hosts: 

• Liz Rhoades, founder of Spirit Safe Consulting, former research scientist for DIAGEO, distilling consultant, spirits writer for The Whiskey Wash & presenter.

• Lew Bryson, former managing editor for Whisky Advocate Magazine for 20 years, whiskey author, beer/whiskey writer and presenter.

• Martin Duffy, former DIAGEO Master of Whisky for the Midwest, DIAGEO Reserve Brand Ambassador for The Republic of Ireland, North American Brand Representative for Glencairn Crystal.

Click on image to watch on Patreon