#25: Four Roses Barrel Picking with Al Young

Legendary Four Roses Distillery Manger, Al Young treated the Beast Masters to an incredible Kentucky bourbon barrel picking session.

When we arrived at Four Roses on a sunny morning in March, Al had a number of casks laid out for our day’s picking endeavor. Under Al’s expert guidance we tasted through six barrels pulled from a variety of Four Roses’ rickhouses and spanning a nice cross section of their different recipes. When all was said and done, our crack team of Hot Pickle Society inductees landed on the High Rye OBSV BEAST of a bourbon that has been dubbed, “It Must Have Been The Roses.” This 121 proof bad boy stuck out immediately in the tasting as a deep, rich, spicy, flavorful bourbon with a gorgeous finish that goes on for days.  

We sat down to chat with Al following our epic barrel picking session to review the barrel pick and get a bit of Al’s perspective on the world of whiskey and how we’ve come to where we are now in the industry. We also discussed Al’s special limited edition 50th Anniversary bottling and how they came to formulate the blend of Four Roses selections that went into it. We hope you enjoy cracking open a bottle of It Must Have Been The Roses and sipping along with us. We’re very glad to be able to share this with you all.  

#24: One Bourbon, One Scotch & One Beer Battle - Nate Woodruff vs Shane Helmick

Once again two intrepid contenders step into our Whiskey Thunderdome - this time to decide who will be named the first ever One Bourbon, One Scotch & One Beer Champion by our Beast Masters Members!

Enter the worthy contenders: Nate Woodruff of Whisky With A View and Shane Helmick of How to Drink Whisky. Each brought the eponymous, One Bourbon, One Scotch & One Beer. Each listened to George Thorogood records nonstop for a minimum of two weeks.

Enter the esteemed Judges: Dana “Mrs. Beast” Zeller, Jake “The Whiskey Warrior” Cahill and Ben "The Nicknameless" Paluba. Each has taken a solemn vow to guide the Beast Masters through this epic battle and inform the club wisely in casting their votes to ultimately decide who will reign as One Bourbon, One Scotch & One Beer Champion. Remember, the judges will certainly offer their evaluations and criticisms in spades, but ultimately, the audience decides the fate of our two hopeful prospects.

Enter our wise host and master of ceremonies: Steve “SmokyBeast” Zeller. Keeping all these players in line and sober enough to do their jobs is no easy task.  

Who will be vanquished? Who shall prevail to hold and defend the title of OBOSOB Champion? Draw near, listen and be amazed by this tale of skill, courage, bravery and beverages.

Don’t miss our next Dusty Whiskey battle on October 27th between Josh Feldman of The Coopered Tot and Josh Richholt owner of The Well in Bushwick, Brooklyn. 

#23: Ned Wight of New England Distilling - Vacation Edition

The Beast Masters drop in on Ned Wight at New England Distilling in Portland, ME for a “North of the Wall" vacation podcast between Lobstah rolls and steamahs.

We could not have asked for a warmer welcome from a nicer guy. Ned took us deep behind the scenes of his distillery and delves into the real nitty gritty of his craft, methods and practices and then treated us to a great little tasting and debrief.

New England Distilling is a true craft endeavor and a real passion project. Ned and his crew are in this to make excellent, unique and interesting spirits and I think we can say they’ve got some great things happening. This is one of the more in depth discussions about the art of distilling that we’ve had yet on the podcast.  Tons of information here for the true whiskey freaks. Pick up some of Ned’s Gunpowder Rye, Eight Bells Rum, or Ingenium Gin (he’s got a bourbon but it all sold out locally) and sip along with us. 

#22: Beastly Treats with Jeff "Professor Rickhouse" Roth

In the first ever Beastly Treats episode, the Beast Masters host and honor long time club member Jeff “Professor Rickhouse” Roth with a night of bourbon he will certainly never forget.

The crew drinks and chats about some of the most delicious bourbons around while we test our blind tasting chops. But that’s not all... In this riveting episode: Steve sings a song, Ben says “super bourboney”, Jake makes many weird noises and Jeff talks about his small palate. Its good to be beastly.

With, "Beastly Treats", we introduce a new fan / member appreciation initiative for the club. If you are an active member or listener you’ll be fired up about this. Every few months, say once a quarter, we will pick an active, supporting member of the club and invite them to a night of BEASTLY TREATS. This lucky member will be invited to the Beast’s lair where we will curate an epic tasting of delicious whiskeys, henceforth to be known as Beastly Treats. The chosen member will get to participate in the tasting and recording of their very own Beastly Treats podcast episode.

Be warned Beast Masters. If you are lucky enough to win, you will be exposed to epic whiskey that will forever raise the bar for your sipping future, VIP treatment of all kinds, bad jokes and cheesy puns, a chance to shout out your mom in the podcast world, and of course… Ben’s vocabulary lessons. Stay involved, and stay in touch, tag us with #BeastlyTreats on Instagram and Facebook for chances to win a seat at future episodes of…BEASTLY TREATS!!!!

Cheers!

#21: Koval Distillery - The Start of A Craft Adventure

The Beast Masters sit down with Chelsea Lovett from the organic, “grain-to-bottle” Koval Distillery in Chicago. Yep, we’re digging into some crafty stuff.

Ben and Steve sit in on Dana “Mrs. Beast” Zeller’s interview which kicks off our exploration into the booming world of craft distilleries.

Being the first legal distillery in Chicago since prohibition comes with a lot of pressure to deliver. We explore Koval’s road to craft greatness, taste through their line-up of products and discuss what makes Koval’s whiskies special and unique: from atypical mashbills incorporating oats and millet, to their German Kothe still.  

Tune in and learn a bit about the booze soaked love story of an enterprising couple who turned their shared passions into a thriving, award winning craft distilling business.