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As Sinatra said, "come fly with me" as we head to Foynes Airport in Ireland and learn how a stormy night and cold wet passengers led to one of the most iconic drinks in Irish Whiskey. We'll also follow along with Alfred Barnard and join him at the home of Powers Whiskey. And I'll continue my journey through the modern distilleries of Ireland with a trip to Tullamore DEW.

Time for episode 2 of my journey through Ireland, along with Alfred Barnard's historic trip to John Jameson & Son's famous Bow Street Distillery, and the story of a man who will turn your impression of the Irish and their love affair with drink on its head.

Welcome to Season 6! Join me for three amazing journeys into Irish whiskey.  We'll go back to the very origins of the spirit, see it rise to become the most popular whiskey in the world, and trace its from its fall to rebirth. We'll also follow a 19th century writer on his historic journey to the Irish distilleries of the first boom. And I'll share my own historic journey, as the first person to travel to over 40 modern Irish distilleries as I give you a window into the industries rebirth. We’ll meet rebellions, kings, inventors, drinks, distillers, heroes and villains, and we’ll dispel a few myths along the way. Welcome to Season 6 of Whiskey Lore Stories!

Today, we demand a certain amount of transparency with our food stuffs. But in the 19th Century when it pertained to patent medicines, everything was a cure-all! Even whiskey! Hear the story of an enterprising distiller who decided his product was so good, it could cure just about anything. And he even got the government believing his marketing. This is the story of Walter Duffy and his miracle cure - Duffy's Pure Malt Whiskey. And here more about it in my interview with Clay Risen of the NY Times on Whiskey Lore: The Interviews (available wherever you download your podcasts).

Who was William Johnson? The high sheriff of the Oregon provincial government seemed to be living a double life. And his moonlighting appeared to be as a trader, using a colorful potion to subdue his trading partners, the local tribes. Is the legend of Blue Ruin true? And what can it teach us about life on the frontier, the fur trade, and our history?

The question remains, who is the real whisky capital of the world? Was it Peoria, Illinois or Campbeltown, Scotland. Well, in this episode, I will draw a conclusion, but before I do that - I'll give you a better understand of just how big the "wee toon" as it was known, got to be. I'll also talk about the ghost that haunts Glen Scotia, the mysterious painting that appeared on Davaar Island, and find out what remains of Campbeltown's old distilling days with Iain McAlister of Glen Scotia.  And beyond all the rumors and speculation, I'll reveal the forces that really brought this whisky behemoth to an end. 

Step back to the very origins of scotch whisky, to an area that was once hailed as the Whisky Capital of the World. We'll track the first Gaels from Ireland, meet the Lord of the Isles, and learn about a town that was one an ancient capital of Scotland called Dalruadhain, evolved into Lochend, and then boasted the largest collection of distilleries featured in one town, in the history of the British Isles. It's a lot of whisky and a lot of history in this two part journey.

In the powerful conclusion to this story about Joseph Greenhut's Whisky Trust, an infernal instrument of death is set to be deployed at one of the Distillers and Cattle Feeders Company's greatest rival distilleries and the conspirators are brought before the court. And we find out why the Whisky Trust wasn't really a whisky trust after all. And later, we discover what happened to this powerful combination. Enjoy an extended part 3 of Whiskey Lore.

The quest for a solution to overproduction of whisky soon turns into a vehicle bent on total domination of America's alcohol industry. At the center of this quest is the president of the infamous Whisky Trust, Joseph Greenhut. His success is so great during the first year, that he soon becomes emboldened to ratchet up the pressure on his biggest rival. And his methods soon cross the line. And as Standard Oil and other trusts draw the attention of lawmakers, Greenhut makes a shift to keep the eyes of the law off of his business.

Join me for an epic mini-series as we investigate one of the darkest chapters in the history of whisky - the age of the Whisky Trust. Built to help control and out of control industry, the Distillers and Cattle Feeder Trust started simply enough, with a goal of stopping the mass overproduction of alcohol. But soon greed took hold of its founders and soon, any device necessary was used to bring the industry under their thumb. Even going as far as Japan to find resources to help them dominate their competitors.

Is it just clever marketing or is ocean aged whisky really something to behold? Well, aging at sea is actually nothing new. In fact, the history of sea aging goes back centuries. Hear the story of these nautical spirits through the ages and climb aboard a ship may very well have sparked the move to American independence. Hear more of Season 5 as a member of the Whiskey Lore Society. Your support will help in the creation of future episodes and seasons. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeylore

What is a "dusty hunter?" Find out in this week's episode and join me as we talk about the largest collection of Pre-Prohibition whiskey sold at a Christie's auction. Whiskey that sat for a century in two vaults owned by a man who helped put Los Angeles on the map and also brought its citizens plenty of whiskey. And find out where I take 2 bottles of this Pre-Prohibition whiskey during my 6000 mile journey across the country. And find out how to see pictures of these old bottles and get tasting notes from those 2 century old bottles as a Whiskey Lore Society member. Support production of future seasons of Whiskey Lore at patreon.com/whiskeylore

One morning, I opened my email and read about one of the most fascinating finds any whiskey fan could hope for. A paralegal from Los Angeles who is also a fan of the show, had a client who recently passed away, and within their house was a store of whiskey filled with the most fascinating history imaginable. Not only from the dusty bottles themselves, but also the story of how they got there - a magical gift from the man who created what the Los Angeles Times called in 1919, "the wettest spot in America." Support production of future seasons of Whiskey Lore at patreon.com/whiskeylore

Continuing my journey through the Mississippi Delta, I made a couple of stops including Rosedale, mentioned in Robert Johnson's Traveling Riverside Blues, and Dockery's Plantation. My final stop was to be the final resting spot of Robert Johnson, but a surprise awaited me - and it would lead to a voice with first hand experience at partying at the juke joints - Poe of WABG-AM in Greenwood, MS. Support production of future seasons of Whiskey Lore at patreon.com/whiskeylore

Join me as I go on a hunt for juke joints in the Mississippi Delta. Along the way I'll taste a hamburger fried in 100 year old grease. I'll talk about the Father of the Blues and the Home of the Blues. I'll search for Robert Johnson's home in the Delta. I'll spend some time relating some of the great information I learned from Roger Stolle and his book Juke Joint Confidential and I'll have someone offer me a building Ike Turner worked in. Support production of future seasons of Whiskey Lore at patreon.com/whiskeylore

What a fascinating human being. Robert Johnson didn't live a long life, but he lived a full one for his years. Amazingly, researchers have retraced a large portion of his life and books released in the last 2 years have shown a bright light on who Robert the man was, rather than the legend. In this episode, I will tell the story of that man. From the day he went searching for his father, to the uncovering of myths, and his families quest to bring him peace. Support production of future seasons of Whiskey Lore at patreon.com/whiskeylore "Waiting For a Train" by Jimmie Rodgers is in the public domain.

A lot has been written about Robert Johnson, the legendary blues guitarist of the 1920's and 30's - much of it is based on half truths and legends. One of his most known legends is based in the story of the crossroads when he was said to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his guitar genius. But Robert faced more than one crossroad in his life. We'll look at the fact and fiction of Robert Johnson and see if we can find the real man behind the legends. Support production of future seasons of Whiskey Lore at patreon.com/whiskeylore

The story of James Anderson and his journey to becoming George Washington's distiller is a fascinating one. It starts simply enough on a farm in Inverkeithing, Scotland. But circumstances around him dictate his future and he suddenly finds himself bringing his wife and seven children to a new world. Listen to the story of a Scottish farmers journey to Mount Vernon and how he convinced a retiring president the benefits of the whiskey trade. Support production of future seasons of Whiskey Lore at patreon.com/whiskeylore

The Battle of Bower Hill woke up Philadelphia and created quite a stir in President Washington's cabinet. It would result in George Washington and Alexander Hamilton taking a trip towards Western Pennsylvania and militia men being summons across four states. So what happened to David Bradford and the rebels? And what happened with the dreaded whiskey tax? Find out in this episode as we close out the Whiskey Rebellion. Support production of future seasons of Whiskey Lore at patreon.com/whiskeylore

If you thought it was odd for Robert Wilson to go through torture to live out life as a spy, wait until you hear the comedy of errors that is George Clymer. If Hamilton wanted a war, he was making a pretty good show of it. And the episode ends with an epic battle that would forever be a symbol for the violence that took place in Western Pennsylvania. Enjoy the prelude to the finale. The rebellion is on.