Farewell To a Whisky Maker (Episode 738: November 4, 2018)

This time around, we’re on the road in Kilkenny, Ireland, but with heavy hearts. The whisky world lost one of its leaders Thursday night with the death of Master Distiller Dave Pickerell in San Francisco. Dave was truly deserving of the Master Distiller title. After leaving Maker’s Mark in 2008, he helped dozens of craft distillers and entrepreneurs get into the whisky business, earning him the nickname of craft distilling’s Johnny Appleseed. We’ll honor his legacy in this episode, while also looking at the local whiskey scene in Kilkenny. Nine whiskey bars and one retailer make up the Kilkenny Whiskey Guild, and are working together to make Kilkenny a destination for whiskey lovers visiting Ireland.

Editor’s note: Dave rarely discussed his age, and our original reporting that he was 70 years old was based on information provided by one of his publicists. We have since confirmed through West Point alumni records that Dave was born in 1956 and was 62 when he died. We regret the error. 

Links: Kilkenny Whiskey Guild | Oak View Spirits | Maker’s Mark | Blackened American Whiskey | Pittsburgh Whiskey Friends | The Irishman | West Cork Distillers | Egan’s Irish Whiskey | Irish American Whiskey