Silicon Valley’s Single Malt Whiskies (Episode 860: February 28, 2021)

Silicon Valley is the technology center of the world, but Virag Saksena has made the switch from mashing together code to mashing barley. He’s a former software engineer and Oracle executive who founded San Jose’s 10th Street Distillery in 2017 with his partner, chemical engineer Vishal Nauri. They’re exploring a shared passion for single malt whiskies…especially peated single malts, with the goal of creating a “great” California single malt whisky. We’ll meet Virag Saksena on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, help  is getting closer for the U.S. hospitality industry to cope with the economic impact of the pandemic, while Scotch Whisky makers are hoping for help from their government when the new budget is announced this week. New Zealand’s whisky makers are joining the rush to define the terms for their whiskies, and the pandemic-delayed Canadian Whisky Awards winners are celebrating.

Links: 10th Street Distillery | Kentucky Distillers Association | Scotch Whisky Association | Becle | Proper No. Twelve | Canadian Whisky Awards | Distilled Spirits Aotearoa | Deanston | Chapel Gate Whiskey Co. | Alberta Premium | Redbreast | Irish Distillers Association