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Whether you call it White Whiskey, Clear, New Make or even Moonshine, there is a whiskey geek fascination with clear whiskey.  This episode we lay out the basics of this type of whiskey and explore expressions from Union Horse Distillery, Wood Hat Spirits, Fernweh Distilling Co and Buffalo Trace.

We are joined by our friend Cory Finley owner of SEVEN Images KC and co-owner of a new coffee house cocktail bar that will be opening this summer in Overland Park called Bear Necessities.  Our focus on this episode was a comparison of nine different pre-made cocktails to their bar made counter parts.  Is the convenience of a pre-made cocktail worth it when you weigh it against taste?

We take a walk on the wild side this episode and explore non-alcoholic whiskey comparing it to a true bottom shelf whiskey and a basic Kentucky Straight Bourbon.  Who wins this battle?  Check out this episode of The Dram State

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!  This episode we are exploring Irish Whiskey....what is it, how does it taste, some favorite brands and some cocktails you can enjoy it in.

In this episode, we cut our sub-$60 concept in half and explore whisk(e)y under $30 per bottle.  We'll explore both Bourbon and Scotch.  We also have an announcement of an exciting affiliation with Whiskey University.

The proof is in the barrel on this episode of The Dram State.  Today we'll explore barrel proof whiskey.... What is it? Why do they make it? How can we enjoy it? What are a couple of great representations of barrel proof whiskey Booker's Wild Turkey Rare Breed Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

We pick up from the last episode where we gave an overview of what craft distilling is as well as some examples of our favorite craft distillers from around the country.  Today we go inside the glass and do a virtual pod tasting of some awesome craft whiskeys.  We'll sample.... Ironroot Republic Harbinger Straight Bourbon Koval Oat Whiskey J. Reigers Kansas City Style Whiskey Union Horse Rolling Standard Four Grain Whiskey Buck-U Monster Buck Bourbon Mash Whiskey

We explore the world of craft whiskey distilleries on this episode.  We'll define exactly what craft distilling is and talk about some examples of craft whiskeys around the country specifically... Balcones in Waco, TX Ironroot Republic in Denison, TX Koval in Chicago, IL The Greater Kansas City area has a number of excellent craft whiskey distilleries.  We'll publish a list on our website at www.theclassicdram.com  We also announced our new segment on Rockstar Radio with Billy Gerard heard weekly on the USA Radio Network as well as all podcasting platforms.

Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of 2021.  In this episode we'll be talking about winter cocktails.  All the recipes will be on our website at www.theclassicdram.com

As our final episode for 2020 we take a look back and a look forward to 2021.  We've done so much this year and it wouldn't be possible without our audience, so THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support this year and look forward for some exciting stuff in 2021.  Remember..."Come for the Spirits and stay for the Experience!!".  Cheers All and Happy New Year!!

We explore the history around prohibition and National Repeal Day, December 5th.  We also look at several current day whiskeys that are designated as "Prohibition Style, Pre-Prohibition Style or Repeal Batch".  Today's pours include.... Redemption Prohibition Style Bourbon Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Bourbon Jim Beam Prohibition Style Rye Jim Beam Repeal Batch Bourbon Remus Repeal Reserve Series II Bourbon

On this episode we take a trip to the tasting bar to see what's new.  We'll cover six whiskeys including a Tennessee Whiskey, a Bourbon, a Rye, a couple of single malts and a real wild card.

This episode is a virtual pod-tasting and exploration of Lowlands and Islay single malt scotches. From the Lowlands we sampled two expressions from Auchentoshan, their Triple Wood and their Limited Edition Bartender's Malt.   We then went on to Islay to discover the smokier side of single malts with the Laphroaig Quarter Cask, and the Ardbeg 10.   The smoky Islay inspired us to look at an American whiskey that uses smoke in their process....from Waco, Texas, we sampled Balcones Brimstone and compared it to the Islay single malts.

This episode looks at the smoky side of single malt scotch...the expressions of the Islay region of Scotland.  We look at the characteristics of scotch produced in the region, and yes we'll talk about the peat.  Our trip will introduce you to three of the more notable distilleries on Islay....Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Lagavulin...what makes them distinct and which bottles are good starting points for you to enter Islay single malts.

After a great celebration of National Bourbon Heritage Month, The Dram State heads back over to Scotland to continue the journey through the scotch producing regions.  This episode explores The Lowlands region and looks at their flavors, production and drops in on a couple of their more notable distilleries, Auchentoshan & Glenkinchie.

In this episode of The Dram State, we take a look at holiday gift ideas for the bourbon lover.  Links to the products covered will be on our website under show notes at www.theclassicdram.com Remember....Come for the spirits, and stay for the experience right here on The Dram State

This episode talks about our recent trip to a number of our favorite Missouri distilleries around the Hermann, MO area.  We covered Pinckney Bend in New Haven and tasted their new Heirloom Collection expression "Bloody Butcher".  We also opened up their latest batch of Sherry Cask Whiskey.  In Hermann, MO we visited The Copper Mule and had a private tasting at Fernweh Distilling Company.  Finally we stopped at Wood Hat Spirits in New Florence and sampled their new Missouri Bourbon, Montgomery County Straight Bourbon.  Links to their websites will be published on our website.

This episode gives you books, documentaries and magazines that will expand your bourbon knowledge Books Bourbon; The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of American Whiskey; Fred Minnick Bourbon Curious; Fred Minnick Bourbon Empire; Reid Mitenbuler Bourbon Justice; Brian Haara Magazines Bourbon +; www.bourbonplus.com Whiskey Advocate; www.whiskyadvocate.com Bourbon Review; www.gobourbon.com The Spirits Network: www.spiritsnetwork.com  Check all these resources out and let us know what you think.    

I had a blast interviewing Allie, The TN Whiskey Chick from Chattanooga, TN.  We talked about all things bourbon, shared a couple of pours and had a great conversation.  Please support Allie on all her social media platforms.... Facebook; @TnWhiskeyChick Instagram; TnWhiskeyChick Twitter: @chickwhiskey  

We take a diversion from scotch this episode...really the whole month of September as this is National Bourbon Heritage Month.  Today we'll be discussing.... What is National Bourbon Heritage Month Things you can do to celebrate bourbon during the month What new bourbons hit our shelf Upcoming distillery visits  Preview of upcoming episode topics New contest announcement.  Some awesome distillery swag provided by our friends at Pinckney Bend Distillery in New Haven, MO