#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.

#20: Eddie Russell Part 2 - Wild Turkey Rye & The Master's Stories

Part two of an amazing day with Wild Turkey Master Distiller, Eddie Russell. All of this awesome could not be fit in to just one podcast.

After picking the barrel of Wild Turkey bourbon that has come to be known as, “The Hot Pickle” (now sold out), the Beast Masters continued an amazing day of tasting and chatting with Eddie Russell in Warehouse A. Eddie treated the crew to an amazing single barrel Rye selected by his son, Bruce, the third generation of Russells at Wild Turkey. Then we settled in to listen to Eddie tell us about about the history and evolution of Wild Turkey and the bourbon industry in Kentucky.

Tune in for a truly unique perspective on where the American whiskey industry is now and how that came to be.
 

#19: SmokyBeast vs. The Whiskey Warrior Part II - Best Rye Under $100

Steve "SmokyBeast" Zeller takes on Jake "Whiskey Warrior" Cahill for a rematch, this time they bring the best ryes under $100

Ben and Steve welcome Mike Kantor of @thebourbonreview and Dana “Mrs. Beast” Zeller as guest judges for this brutal battle.

The Smoky Beast and The Whiskey Warrior are back in the ring again! And this time, the Beast is out for blood! They are battling for the title belt once again as they enter with their choices for BEST RYE UNDER $100. The Beast lost in his own lair last time when the Warrior strutted in for the battle of Best Bourbon under $75, so you know this one is personal. Bottles will be swung, swigged and smashed as the Beast claws the Warrior down in hopes of reigning supreme and recapturing his lost belt.

Regardless of the outcome of this epic battle, you are sure to find out the best ryes on the market for under 100 bucks. So pour yourself a glass and gather round the flame BeastMasters; as Steve and Jake battle it out for your entertainment.

SmokyBeast's Weapons:
Pikeseville Rye
6 years | 110 proof
Michter’s Barrel Proof Single Barrel Rye
NAS | 114 proof

The Whiskey Warrior's Weapons:
Wild Turkey 101 Rye
NAS | 101 proof
Redemption Barrel Proof Rye Batch 5
7 years | 123.2 proof