Life Behind Bars - Episode 48 American Whiskey’s Miraculous Comeback Story

11/26/19 • 32 min

Life Behind Bars with Noah Rothbaum & David Wondrich

Imagine a world without bourbon or rye whiskey.

As terrifying as that scenario sounds, not that long ago, America was heading in that very direction. Only a trickle of rye was being made each year and bourbon brands were struggling to stay relevant and were precipitously losing market share. But just in the nick of time, American whiskey distillers were miraculously able to stage a successful comeback.

On this episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum, talk about how American whiskey brands lost their way and how they were then able to reverse their fortunes.

They are joined by Fred Noe, Jim Beam’s great grandson and the Beam family’s seventh-generation distiller, to talk about his legendary father Booker Noe and his groundbreaking Small Batch Bourbon Collection. Fred also shares how his father got the idea for these pioneering American whiskies and how long he thinks this bourbon boom will last.

So pour yourself a few fingers of your favorite American whiskey and listen to this episode of Life Behind Bars. Cheers!

Life Behind Bars features Half Full’s editor Noah Rothbaum and its Senior Drinks Columnist David Wondrich as they discuss the greatest bartenders and greatest cocktails of all time. It won the 2018 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for the world’s best drinks podcast.

Edited by Alex Skjong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine a world without bourbon or rye whiskey.

So pour yourself a few fingers of your favorite American whiskey and listen to this episode of Life Behind Bars. Cheers!

Edited by Alex Skjong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Life Behind Bars - Episode 47 Death to Scotch Snobbery

When did drinking Scotch get to be so damn complicated? There are rules, myths, legends and half-truths that are, for lack of a better term, absolute and utter shite. They can also unfortunately lead to Scotch shaming, preventing you from drinking what you really want to drink. (Bartender: Please just add a few ice cubes to my dram and hold the sanctimonious lecture about the sanctity of whisky’s purity.) Drinking whisky should, of course, be enjoyable. On this episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum help you cut through the Scotch snobbery by breaking down the biggest Scotch misconceptions and falsehoods. So fix a Scotch anyway you like—seriously, we won’t judge you—and listen to this episode of Life Behind Bars. Life Behind Bars features Half Full editor Noah Rothbaum and its Senior Drinks Columnist David Wondrich, who discuss the greatest bartenders and greatest cocktails of all time. It won the 2018 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for the world’s best drinks podcast.Edited by Alex Skjong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Life Behind Bars Live - Episode 49 The Unspoken History of Scotch Whisky

For the first time ever, Life Behind Bars hosts Noah Rothbaum andDavid Wondrich have taken their award-winning podcast out of the studio to do a live recording in front of an audience in, of course, a bar. On this episode, they’re joined by veteran bartender and Dewar’s North American brand ambassador Gareth Howells and over glasses of whisky (what else did you expect?) they discuss the birth and evolution of blended Scotch and single malts. So fix yourself a Scotch and listen to this episode of Life Behind Bars. Cheers! Life Behind Bars features Half Full’s editor Noah Rothbaum and its Senior Drinks Columnist David Wondrich as they discuss the greatest bartenders and greatest cocktails of all time. It won the 2018 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for the world’s best drinks podcast.Edited by Alex Skjong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.