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Latest podcast episodes:
World Martini Day, with Archie Rose Bone Dry Gin: S13E6
Brewer turned distiller Ben Stevens, of Bondi Liquor Co: S13E4
Westward Cask Strength rides American malt whiskey boom: S13E3
Starward’s cult whisky, Ginger Beer Cask, with David Vitale: S13E2
Aussie rye whiskey Gospel spreads to USA: S13E1
Maker’s Mark MD Rob Samuels on whiskey sustainability & more: S12E12

Latest news:
Diageo Special Releases 2021 arrive in Australia

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Today is World Martini Day, which is celebrated ev

Today is World Martini Day, which is celebrated every year on the third Saturday in June.⁠
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Listen to Archie Rose master distiller Dave Withers join me in a special podcast episode, produced in partnership with @archierosesyd Bone Dry Gin.⁠
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Bone Dry was the first gin produced by Archie Rose using the copper vacuum stills at its new Banksmeadow production site, opened in 2021.⁠
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Dave explains why it’s the perfect gin for a martini, an important cocktail for the team at Archie Rose.⁠
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Link in my bio to listen. #worldmartiniday⁠

S13 of the podcast continues with Ben Stevens of @

Westward American Single Malt Whiskey is brewed li

Westward American Single Malt Whiskey is brewed like a pale ale, distilled like a traditional single malt and aged in new American oak, like a bourbon.⁠
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Head blender and distiller @Miles_Munroe joined me on S13E3 of the Drinks Adventures podcast while in Sydney recently to launch its new cask strength expression.⁠
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Link in my bio to listen to this special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced with the support of @WestwardWhiskey, which is made in Oregon, USA.⁠
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And I started this conversation by asking Miles whether the American single malt whiskey scene had progressed since we met CEO Thomas Mooney in 2019.

Starward Ginger Beer Cask began almost by accident

Starward Ginger Beer Cask began almost by accident, when the distilling team took a bit of whisky and filled it into a barrel that had previously contained their house made ginger beer.⁠
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Just 85 bottles were released in 2014 of the first ever ginger beer cask, and the following few editions weren’t much easier to get hold of.⁠
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It’s only now with the release of Ginger Beer Cask #7 that Starward has been able to make this whisky in substantial enough quantities that it will be more widely available, including in the American market, where Starward founder @iamdavidvitale is now based.⁠
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David rejoins us this in this special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced with the support of @StarwardWhisky.⁠
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He’ll share with you the story of Ginger Beer Cask and what you can expect from the new edition.⁠
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We’ll also get a long overdue update on what’s been happening at Starward since David was last on the show, which is nearly four years ago.⁠
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Starward’s entry level blend, Two Fold, didn’t even exist at that stage, so there’s plenty to talk about.⁠
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Not least Starward’s incredible haul of 12 Double Golds and 3 Gold Medals at the recent San Francisco World Spirits Competition, including double gold for last year’s edition of the whisky we’ll be discussing at length today, Ginger Beer Cask.

In S13E1 of the Drinks Adventures podcast, @thegos

In S13E1 of the Drinks Adventures podcast, @thegospelwhiskey co-founder Andrew Fitzgerald discusses its recent entry into the US market.⁠
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It seems a bold move, taking Australian rye over to the home of rye whiskey.⁠
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So I asked Andrew first up how he and his business partner, Ben Bowles, came to this decision.⁠
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Link in my bio to listen.

Cheers to @will_ziebell for this lovely article on

Cheers to @will_ziebell for this lovely article on @drinksadventures_au, which you can read on @craftypint. 🍻 #Repost @craftypint with @make_repost
・・・
“𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬, ‘𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭?’

“𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭. 𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧.”

Ahead of tonight's @melbourne.royal Australian International Beer Awards, @will_ziebell chatted to the only two-time winner of the Crafty-sponsored Best Media trophy, James Atkinson.

He tells us how COVID has helped shape @drinksadventures_au, and of the interviews he's most enjoyed. Check it out via link in bio.

📸 @lpcommercial.photography

#aibabeer #drinksadventures #podcast #drinkspodcast #beerwriting #beermedia #craftypint

B Corp is a certification program that measures a

B Corp is a certification program that measures a company’s entire social and environmental impact.⁠
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There are now more than 4000 Certified B Corporations around the world, several of which we’ve featured on the Drinks Adventures podcast: Sipsmith Gin, Stone & Wood Brewing Company, and South Australian winery Unico Zelo.⁠
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In February, Maker’s Mark joined this elite group of businesses. It’s the first distillery in Kentucky and the largest distillery in the world to achieve @bcorporation certification.⁠
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Link in my bio to a special podcast episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast – produced with the support of Maker’s Mark – exploring some of the environmental initiatives it’s undertaken to safeguard the future of bourbon, which of course is ultimately an agricultural product.⁠
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We meet Rob Samuels, an eighth generation whiskey maker and the grandson of Maker’s Mark founder, Bill Samuels Senior.⁠
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And also joining us is Trent Chapman, marketing director Oceania for Beam Suntory, Maker’s Mark’s parent company.⁠
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Later on in the interview, we cover the ingredients and production practices that underpin the Maker’s Mark style, and the evolution of the bourbon industry in Kentucky, where ten new distilleries opened in 2021.⁠
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The B-Corp milestone comes as Maker’s Mark continues its rapid growth in markets such as Australia.⁠
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The distillery released a new expression, Maker’s 46, in 2010. But the international growth has largely been driven by classic Maker’s, which for almost 60 years was the only whiskey it produced.⁠
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I asked Rob first up about the significance of this singular focus by Maker’s, at a time when many of its peers are seemingly bringing out new whiskies every other week.

Congratulations to Australia’s first Master Cice

Congratulations to Australia’s first Master Cicerone, Shane McNamara! Don’t miss our chat on the Drinks Adventures podcast - link in my bio. Posted @withregram • @cicerone Our newest Master Cicerone® Shane McNamara was recently featured on the Drinks Adventure podcast. In this podcast, Shane, and podcast host James, discuss the various levels of certification and what to expect for each exam.

Opened in 2013 by Northern Irishmen Sean Muldoon a

Opened in 2013 by Northern Irishmen Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry, @DeadRabbitNYC is famous for its Irish coffee.⁠
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In S12E9 of the Drinks Adventures podcast, Sean recounts the messy incident that put The Dead Rabbit on the path to perfecting this somewhat neglected cocktail, with further inspiration coming from legendary bartender Dale DeGroff aka @kingcocktl.⁠
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Also with us this episode is The Dead Rabbit beverage director @jillianvose, who explains how the sous vide cooking technique enables the team to serve the Irish coffee perfectly and consistently every time.⁠
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And if like me you’re based in Sydney, here’s a tip. You can try an Irish coffee that’s very similar to the Dead Rabbit’s at a bar in the city. Jillian visited @thedukeofclarenceaus a few years ago to show them how it’s done, and they’ve since kept up the tradition.⁠
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Sean, Jack and Jillian have now published the definitive story of the Irish coffee in a new book titled When Whiskey Met Its Match: How Irish Coffee Captivated The World, which sets the record straight once and for all, that the cocktail was invented by a Northern Irishman, Joe Sheridan.⁠
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I hope you enjoy about this chat about one of my favourite cocktails. We also talk a bit about Irish whiskey, and the second Dead Rabbit book that launched on February 22, called Paddy Drinks: The World of Modern Irish Whiskey Cocktails.⁠
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Paddy Drinks includes an illustrated guide to Irish whiskey production and the differences between the various different styles of whiskey, plus flavour wheels and tasting notes.⁠
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It aims to equip readers to create their own drinks using a range of Irish whiskies, while also presenting a collection of The Dead Rabbit’s cocktail recipes that Sean hopes will help fuel Irish whiskey’s ascendancy in cocktail bars across the world.

In S12E8 of the Drinks Adventures podcast, we met

In S12E8 of the Drinks Adventures podcast, we met Warwick Ross and Rob Coe, directors of the brilliant new wine documentary Blind Ambition.⁠
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It's about four Zimbabwean sommeliers who form a team and compete in the World Blind Wine Tasting Championships in Burgundy.⁠
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It’s like a wine equivalent of the ultimate sports underdog tale, Cool Runnings, the 1993 film inspired by the true story of the first Jamaican national bobsled team.⁠
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But unlike Cool Runnings, Blind Ambition is all true. ⁠
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Filmmakers Warwick and Rob were behind the 2013 film Red Obsession, which explored how France’s finest wines have skyrocketed in price having become a status symbol in China.⁠
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As you’ll hear from Warwick, the film was made possible by two of our previous guests on the podcast, @JancisRobinson and @AndrewCaillardMW.⁠
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When Jancis heard the story of these four Zimbabwean sommeliers who had fled Robert Mugabe’s regime, she set up a crowdfunding campaign to get them to France where they would test their skills against expert tasters from 26 other countries. The first black team ever to do so.⁠
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Make sure you see the film as it’s brilliant and very moving. You don’t need to be interested in wine to enjoy it, in fact it recently won the audience award at both @tribeca and #sydfilmfest

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