Embellish Podcast (2025)

20/11/2025

New Riff is bringing the heat this holiday season 🔥

Winter Whiskey and Sherry Finish Malted Rye drop Black Friday (Nov 28 at 11am EST), and these aren't your typical seasonal releases.

Winter Whiskey takes inspiration from chocolate oatmeal stouts - made with malted oats and chocolate malt, bottled in bond at 100 proof. Master Distiller Brian Sprance took a beer recipe and reimagined it as bourbon.

The Sherry Finish Malted Rye is a double gold medal winner that treats 100% malted rye like a malt whiskey, finished in oloroso and PX sherry casks. Bottled at barrel strength at 111.9 proof.

Both available at the distillery, online, and through their distribution network starting Black Friday.

Which one are you hunting for? 🥃

04/11/2025

🥃 NEW DROP: Black Walnut Bitters from Bluegrass Bitters 🌰
After 2+ dozen recipe iterations, founder Shawn Herbig has cracked the code on the perfect Black Walnut Bitters—and it's here just in time for holiday cocktails!
Deep, earthy, and aromatic with real black walnut + baking spices, these bitters are made for:
🥃 Old Fashioneds
🍸 Manhattans
🍎 Holiday Ciders
✨ Bitters & Soda with ginger ale
This is the 3rd release from the Louisville-based, Kentucky Proud certified brand—joining their 5-Spice Orange Bitters and Smoky Simple Syrup.
🎙️ I sat down with Shawn a few weeks ago on EmbellishPod to talk craft, quality, and his passion for authentic libations—link in bio to watch the full interview!
Ready to level up your home bar? Grab yours now at bluegrassbitters.net for $13.50

29/10/2025

Is the Kentucky Bourbon Festival broken, or are attendees just doing it wrong? After years of coverage—from general admission to VIP to media access—host John Hughes delivers an unfiltered reality check about what's become America's premier bourbon festival.
The uncomfortable truth: While content creators generate clickbait videos about bottle-hunting chaos and 3-hour lines, they're completely missing the point of what makes this event valuable.
This isn't a bottle-hunting competition—it's an ACCESS event featuring 200+ bourbon expressions, 65 distilleries, and unprecedented opportunities to meet master distillers and discover craft producers like Potter Jane (showing their first new make), Craig Beam's Jackson Purchase debut, and Whiskey House's innovative contract distilling operation.
Hughes tackles the controversial questions:

Should Kentucky Bourbon Festival stop selling limited editions entirely?
Are social media influencers damaging bourbon culture for algorithm clicks?
What's the real value proposition of VIP vs General Admission?
How do you maximize a festival experience in an age of FOMO?

Drawing parallels to Disney vacations and high-fence hunting, Hughes argues that bourbon culture has an identity crisis where trophy-hunting has replaced genuine appreciation and community connection.
Perfect for: Bourbon enthusiasts, craft spirits fans, festival attendees, whiskey content creators, anyone interested in bourbon industry culture
Featured Distilleries Discussed: Heaven Hill, Bardstown Bourbon Company, Dark Arts, Potter Jane, Jackson Purchase, Whiskey House, Casey Jones, Angel's Envy, Maker's Mark, and more
Related Topics: Kentucky bourbon tourism, craft distilling, limited edition whiskey releases, bourbon secondary market, whiskey content creation, festival strategy

22/10/2025

Owen Martin, Master Distiller at Angels Envy, joins EmbellishPod to discuss the unique challenge of stewarding a bourbon brand through time. From honoring Lincoln Henderson's pioneering legacy of cask finishing to innovating with new grain bills and experimental finishes, Owen reveals what it's like to simultaneously preserve tradition, manage current production, and lay the groundwork for releases that won't see bottles for years to come.
In this candid conversation, we explore Owen's journey from Scottish distilleries to American single malt at Stranahan's, and ultimately to Angels Envy where he's pushing the boundaries of what cask-finished bourbon can be. Learn about the innovative barrel-aged water project, the complexities of sourcing finishing casks from around the world, and how Angels Envy is expanding beyond their classic port-finished bourbon into international markets with unique expressions.
Whether you're a bourbon enthusiast, a whiskey nerd, or simply curious about the craft behind the bottle, this episode offers an insider's look at the art and science of modern bourbon making.
CHAPTERS:00:00 - Introduction00:52 - Meet Owen Martin: The Elevator Pitch02:21 - From Scotland to Stranahan's: An Unconventional Path05:02 - Why Angels Envy? The Cask Finishing Connection08:48 - What is Cask Finishing and Why Does It Matter?12:07 - Defining "Mature Whiskey" for Finishing14:31 - Sourcing and Selecting Finishing Casks16:45 - Keeping Innovation in Check: The ADHD Question19:05 - Small Scale vs. Large Scale Trials20:25 - Working Within the Bacardi Portfolio22:25 - The Barrel-Aged Water Experiment28:33 - Innovation Grain Bills: Beyond 72-18-1032:36 - Exploring New Small Grains and Malts36:07 - The Challenge of the Three Acts39:03 - Sourced vs. Own Distillate: The Evolution42:39 - The Blender's Philosophy45:53 - Owen's Vision: Act Three for Angels Envy49:23 - Recent Releases: Cask Strength 10 and More52:44 - Age Statements and Brand Maturity54:20 - Final Thoughts and Thanks
CONNECT WITH US:🎙️ EmbellishPodInstagram & TikTok: : [email protected]: www.embellishpod.com
🥃 Angels EnvyWebsite: www.angelsenvy.comInstagram: : facebook.com/AngelsEnvyBourbonTwitter/X: :

15/10/2025

🔥 It’s here. And it’s Hazmat.
Barrell Craft Spirits just dropped their Hazmat Triple Rum Cask Finish Whiskey — a limited-release blend finished in rum casks from Jamaica, Barbados, and St. Lucia, bottled at a massive 142.24 proof.
Available now at barrellbourbon.com — grab it before it disappears.

🎙️ I just had the BCS team on the podcast a few weeks ago — go back and listen for the full story behind their incredible blending process!
Barrell Craft Spirits

15/10/2025

Join us as we sit down with Denny Potter and Jane Bowie, the founders of Potter Jane Distilling in Washington County, Kentucky. After decades of combined experience at Heaven Hill, Maker's Mark, Jim Beam, and other industry giants, these two bourbon veterans left their corporate careers to build something generational from the ground up.
🥃 CHAPTERS:00:00 - Introduction & Kentucky Bourbon Festival01:25 - Meet Denny Potter & Jane Bowie03:46 - The Whiskey Drop Master Distiller Bottles04:28 - A Day in the Life at Potter Jane07:16 - Building the Dream Team12:29 - Why Leave World-Class Jobs?17:44 - The Romantic Story of Bourbon20:37 - Finding Their Point of View23:47 - Living with Imposter Syndrome27:07 - Bourbon Festival Success29:36 - The Fun Side of Bourbon30:56 - Price Point Strategy & Market Reality34:12 - Could They Be Bought Out?37:07 - Tasting the First Barrels40:17 - Summers, Winters & Age Statements43:44 - The Four-Year Release Plan46:37 - Tours, Skee Ball & Community
Denny Potter brings 28 years of industry experience, including roles as VP of Operations and Master Distiller at Heaven Hill, plus time at Jim Beam plants, Maker's Mark, and running Cruzan Rum in the Caribbean.
Jane Bowie spent her entire pre-Potter Jane career at Maker's Mark (2007-2022), most recently as Head of Blending, Innovation, and Maturation.
🔗 CONNECT WITH POTTER JANE DISTILLING:Website: www.potterjane.comInstagram:
🎙️ ABOUT EMBELLISHPOD:EmbellishPod is a spirits-focused podcast exploring the stories, people, and craft behind the bottles we love. Hosted by John Hughes from Kentucky.📧 Contact: [email protected]🌐 Website: www.embellishpod.com📱 Instagram & TikTok:

14/10/2025

🌳 THE SPIRIT OF OAK 🌳
Pursuit Spirits just dropped something the bourbon world has never seen before.
Most distillers would slap a Mizunara finish on bourbon and call it a day. But that's not how we roll at Pursuit Spirits .
KODAMA MIZUNARA is the world's first dual-barrel blend combining:
🇯🇵 Rare Japanese Mizunara Oak (the holy grail of whiskey wood)
🔥 Infrared-Toasted American Oak
The result? A 117-proof powerhouse that balances exotic sandalwood spice with creamy vanilla sweetness—something a single finish could never achieve.
Named after the tree spirits in Japanese folklore, Kodama honors the soul of the oak that makes whiskey magic possible.
📍 Available Saturday, Oct 11th at Pursuit Spirits on Whiskey Row
💰 $89.99 | Limited Edition
From the innovators behind Bourbon Pursuit - the #1 whiskey podcast that's rewriting the rulebook on American whiskey.
Who's ready to taste the future of bourbon blending? 🥃

08/10/2025

Journey to Scotland's rugged maritime islands where isolation breeds innovation and tradition creates legendary whiskeys. Host John Hughes explores how geographic challenges become competitive advantages in the world of island whiskey production.
In This Episode:Discover the legendary tale of the SS Politician—a cargo ship carrying 264,000 bottles of premium Scotch that ran aground, sparking one of whiskey's most fascinating stories of island resourcefulness and community resilience.
Explore Highland Park's Norse heritage and how Orkney's culture influences every aspect of their whiskey-making, from traditional floor maltings to hand-turned germinating barley that preserves irreplaceable flavors.Learn how Loch Lomond combines innovation with tradition, using different still types and unique maritime conditions to create diverse spirit styles that showcase island character.Understand how salt air, geographic isolation, and cultural heritage converge to produce some of the world's most distinctive whiskeys—spirits that are more than just drinks, they're liquid history.
Perfect for: Whiskey enthusiasts, Scotch lovers, history buffs, and anyone curious about how tradition and innovation shape the spirits we drink.Keywords: Scottish whiskey, island whiskey, Highland Park, Loch Lomond, SS Politician, Orkney whiskey, maritime whiskey, Scotch whiskey history, whiskey production, distillery tours, craft whiskey, traditional whiskey making, Norse heritage, whiskey podcast, Embellish PodSubscribe to Embellish Pod for more immersive explorations of whiskey culture, history, and craftsmanship.
Host: John HughesShow: Embellish PodCategory: Food & Drink, History, Education

01/10/2025

In this episode, John Hughes talks with Mike Fruge from JT Meleck about the journey from rice farming to crafting rice whiskey. They discuss the challenges and triumphs of distillation, the unique qualities of rice whiskey, and the importance of authenticity in the spirits industry.
Takeaways

Mike Fruge shares the transition from rice farming to distillation.
The unique qualities of rice whiskey are explored.
Mike emphasizes the importance of authenticity in their brand.
Challenges in the whiskey market are discussed.
The role of family heritage in JT Meleck's story.
Insights into the distillation process and product development.
The impact of market trends on rice whiskey.
Mike's personal journey and learning experiences.
The significance of blind tastings in overcoming market bias.
Future plans for JT Meleck's whiskey offerings.

24/09/2025

In this episode of the Embellish Pod, I sit down with Shawn from Bluegrass Bitters to explore the fascinating journey from a personal quest for the perfect old-fashioned to the creation of a unique brand. Discover how Shawn's passion for consistency and quality in cocktail bitters led to the development of Bluegrass Bitters, a brand that aims to complement Kentucky bourbon with precision and flair.
Key talking points include:
The inspiration behind Bluegrass Bitters and the quest for the perfect old-fashioned. The challenges and triumphs of entering a market dominated by established brands. Insights into the creative process of developing unique bitters flavors like Five Spice Orange and Black Walnut. The science and artistry behind crafting a smoky simple syrup that enhances cocktails without overpowering them. The dynamics of running a business with a partner, balancing personal and professional life. Future plans for Bluegrass Bitters, including new product lines and market expansion.
Whether you're a bourbon enthusiast or a cocktail connoisseur, this episode offers a deep dive into the world of bitters, blending, and the business of crafting exceptional cocktails.

17/09/2025

Join us in this episode as we delve into the world of Barrell Craft Spirits, exploring their innovative strategies and the challenges they face in the ever-evolving spirits industry. Host John Hughes sits down with Joe Beatrice and Nic Christansen to discuss market trends, the art of blending, and the unique processes that set Barrell Craft Spirits apart.
Episode Highlights:
[00:02:15] Introduction to Barrell Craft Spirits' new blending facility [00:10:30] Market shifts and consumer trends in the spirits industry [00:18:45] The art of blending: Creating unique products with Joe Beatrice [00:27:00] Nic Christansen on maintaining product consistency and innovation [00:35:20] Exploring new releases: Armagnac finish and French Oak bourbon [00:45:00] Future trends and the strategic vision for Barrell Craft Spirits
Discover how they navigate market shifts, maintain product consistency, and continue to innovate with new releases. Don't miss this insightful conversation that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the craftsmanship and creativity driving Barrell Craft Spirits. Subscribe for more episodes and stay updated on the latest in the spirits world!

Embellish Podcast

20/11/2025

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29/10/2025

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15/10/2025

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