Happy Hour w/ Joby & Curtis hosts Ian Cutler, owner and head distiller of Cutler's Artisan Spirits. Cutler's is based in Santa Barbara, CA and can be found at cutlersartisan.com. 

James Carling from Ventura Limoncello shares his knowledge and enthusiasm for craft distilled products.

Click the Ventura Limoncello logo to learn more about limoncello or find a limoncello recipe.

Stephen Gertman for Ascendant Spirits Distillery is our guest for this episode.  We taste his award winning moonshine, bourbon, and vodkas.  

Joby and I broadcast from whiskey tasting at Wades Wines in Westlake Village, CA.  Chris Uhde is the whiskey expert and walks us through 8 different American Whiskies. 

A special thanks to Wades Wines for hosting us.  They host wine, beer and spirit tastings often so visit their website to learn when the next tasting will be held. 

AMERICAN WHISKEY POT DISTILLED FROM QUINOA AND MALTED BARLEY

QUINOA IS A SOUTH AMERICAN GRAIN CROP GROWN FOR ITS SEEDS. QUINOA ADDS AN EARTHY AND NUTTY FLAVOR TO THE WHISKEY. QUINOA SEEDS COMES IN RED, WHITE, AND BLACK VARIETIES. THIS WHISKEY USES RED AND WHITE QUINOA GRAINS.

(Text borrowed from website)

I employ the no-cook traditional sour-mash whiskey method and copper pot still to produce my "Monterey Rye"

This process produces flavors that are more natural, resembling the flavor of the rye grain itself.

(Text borrowed from website)

Benjamin Prichard's Tennessee Whiskey is distilled in the style of the traditional Tennessee whiskey like our fifth generation grandfather Benjamin made way back in the early 1800's. He made his whiskey in Davidson County, Tennessee from white corn in a pot still. White corn, having a higher sugar content than yellow corn, brings a note of sweetness not common with other bourbons and Tennessee whiskies. Our famous neighbor up the road has had a bill introduced to the Tennessee State Legislature that will require that Tennessee Whiskey will have to be charcoal mellowed according the Lincoln County Process. Though we are located here in Lincoln County, we sought and received an exemption from the bill. Benjamin Prichard's Tennessee Whiskey is not charcoal mellowed!

(Text borrowed from website)

Special select American Rye is used for our whiskey. This product is then distilled in our copper pot stills and AGED in our small American oak barrels for the perfect balance of smoothness and flavors we so desire. It has been bottled at 86 proof to achieve just the perfect taste we were looking for in a Rye Whiskey. Awarded (90 point rating) Excellent, Highly Recommended at the 2012 Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

Prichard's Distillery and the Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Company have formed a friendship to produce a one of a kind product. We were looking for something that is truly Southern Artisan and must be Hand Crafted and made in small batches which describes both of our operations. This resulted in a perfectly balanced bourbon with a mellow chocolate, (Not Sweet) background flavor. (90 point rating) Excellent, Highly Recommended at the 2012 Ultimate Spirit Challenge.

Homestead Bourbon styles itself as a "barrel proof" bourbon and is indeed bottled at a relatively high 113.4 (though we have personally noticed many single barrel bourbons in the 120s). We're told by co-founder and president John Andrews that their bourbon is distinguished by being barrel proof (stressed in the title) and very proud of the fact that it is uncut (most bourbon is blended back with water to bring it down to 80-90 proof from the 110+ that sits in the barrel) and unfiltered (many whiskeys are chill filtered, which removes some of the fatty acids and can make the spirit taste lighter and thinner). To their mind, this brings out the greater glory of the flavor of the bourbon than competitor products... though it also means the consumer may want to drop a little water in before drinking! 

We're told that Homestead co-founders Reggie Amos and John Andrews are both University of Iowa graduates now living as neighbors in Homestead, Iowa, which lends its name to the company. They're founded on principles of fine ingredients, a minimal aesthetic, and no unnecessary embelishment: "whiskey for a whiskey drinker." The whiskey is distilled (as reported by bourbon guru Chuck Cowdery) at Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana (the source of a great lot of whiskey in North America), is aged for 4 years, and includes a measure of 20% rye in its bill. This leads us to believe it will have a spicy note to the flavor profile characteristic of rye. Despite the filing with the federal Tax and Trade Bureau as Strong Spirits, we list LDI as the producers.

(Text borrowed from website)

WE TAKE THREE FRACTIONS OF MALTED BARLEY, EACH SMOKED BY A DIFFERENT FUEL – CHERRY WOOD, PEAT, AND BEECHWOOD – TO CRAFT THIS DEEPLY COMPLEX WHISKEY. POT DISTILLED THEN BARRELED IN NEW CHARRED OAK, TRIPLE SMOKE HAS THE SWEETNESS AND BARREL NOTES OF AN AMERICAN WHISKEY AND A SINGLE MALT’S RICH SMOKE, BROADENED BY TONES OF CHERRY AND BEECH. EXCELLENT MIXED OR NEAT.

Homestead Bourbon styles itself as a "barrel proof" bourbon and is indeed bottled at a relatively high 113.4 (though we have personally noticed many single barrel bourbons in the 120s). We're told by co-founder and president John Andrews that their bourbon is distinguished by being barrel proof (stressed in the title) and very proud of the fact that it is uncut (most bourbon is blended back with water to bring it down to 80-90 proof from the 110+ that sits in the barrel) and unfiltered (many whiskeys are chill filtered, which removes some of the fatty acids and can make the spirit taste lighter and thinner). To their mind, this brings out the greater glory of the flavor of the bourbon than competitor products... though it also means the consumer may want to drop a little water in before drinking! 

We're told that Homestead co-founders Reggie Amos and John Andrews are both University of Iowa graduates now living as neighbors in Homestead, Iowa, which lends its name to the company. They're founded on principles of fine ingredients, a minimal aesthetic, and no unnecessary embelishment: "whiskey for a whiskey drinker." The whiskey is distilled (as reported by bourbon guru Chuck Cowdery) at Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana (the source of a great lot of whiskey in North America), is aged for 4 years, and includes a measure of 20% rye in its bill. This leads us to believe it will have a spicy note to the flavor profile characteristic of rye. Despite the filing with the federal Tax and Trade Bureau as Strong Spirits, we list LDI as the producers.(Text borrowed from website)

After a long wait in April of 2010, our first two barrels of premium bourbon were bottled, and it was immediatly an AWARD WINNER!  In May 2010 Colorado Gold Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a Single Barrel Whiskey, was awarded a Fourth Place by the American Distilling Institute in a blind whiskey tasting event held in Kentucky. This was an outstanding accomplishment for the then three year old Colorado Gold Distillery to be in the top Four Straight Bourbon Whiskey Producers.  This has been blown out of the water in 2012 with our BEST IN CLASS finish.

(Text borrowed from website)

Alex Viecco, CEO of Montalvo Tequila, is our guest.  I taste my first straight tequila since college and guess what? I love it!  Please visit Montalvo's website to learn more about tequila and what makes this particular brand so special.  Follow their Facebook page for recipes.

Joby and I go solo this week as we investigate and taste-igate some common Irish-themed drinks. And NO, we didn't drink any green beer. 

A show of firsts! This is our first 90 minute show, we stream video for the first time and Joby and I host our first distillery. Alex Villicana, owner of Re:Find distillery, tells us how he turns "extra" grape juice into Brandy, Vodka and Gin.  He walks us through the distillation process and lets us taste as many samples as we can handle!

Click the file below to stream or save for later.

In this episode Joby and I discuss the end of the world and what we would like to have as our last drink. James Carling is our guest and he brings in a couple samples of the best Limoncello I have ever had.  Listen and learn why it is so!

Click the file below to stream or save for later.