Episode 612: October 23, 2016

Lagavulin Distillery is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, and the Islay distillery hasn’t changed all that much over the years – at least on the outside. Inside, Lagavulin’s team has found new ways to produce more whisky each year without adding new equipment by combining classic distilling heritage with modern technology. We’ll talk about the history and future of Lagavulin with distillery manager Georgie Crawford, longtime warehouseman Iain McArthur, and Diageo’s in-house historian and director of whisky outreach, Nick Morgan, Ph.D. We’ll also have tasting notes for the 200th anniversary Lagavulin 25-year-old single malt and this year’s highly sought-after Feis Ile bottling.

In the news, the week-long strike at Jim Beam’s two Kentucky distilleries is over after workers ratified a new contract Friday. We’ll have the details on that new contract along with another whiskey acquisition for Constellation Brands, another legal setback for the Scotch whisky industry’s attempt to block a minimum pricing scheme in Scotland, the results of the 2016 Irish Whiskey Awards, and more new whiskies on the way for the holidays.

Links: Lagavulin | Jim Beam | United Food & Commercial Workers | Constellation Brands | Bardstown Bourbon Company | Scotch Whisky Association | Irish Whiskey Awards | Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible | Arran | Single Cask Nation | Wemyss Malts | The Whisky Exchange | Master of Malt | The Irishman | Usquaebach | The Glenlivet