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Beast Masters Club

Welcome to the Beast Masters Club Podcast. Join us as we explore the world of whiskey through our barrel picks, interviews and events. Our private barrel picks and other limited selections are available for sale at BeastMastersClub.com.
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Now displaying: 2017
Dec 15, 2017

Adam was kind enough to show us around his distillery and warehouses and give us a behind the scenes peek at how Sonoma County produces their unique take on a variety of pot distilled whiskies. From their Alembic Hoga stills hand crafted in Portugal and modeled on the original, ancient Arab water distillers to their method of slightly down proofing and finishing their whiskies in first fill barrels, there’s a lot of interesting distilling craft at work in Adam’s world. These unique approaches have certainly produced some very tasty craft whiskeys and great success Sonoma Distilling. They are currently expanding the operation from a 6000 to a 12000 sq ft footprint to meet demand for their West of Kentucky Bourbons and Sonoma Ryes.

Tune in to hear the story of a truly passionate, dedicated craftsman devoted to creating whiskies using time honored, traditional methods and local, sustainable ingredients. Sonoma County Distilling is really a grain to glass operation where every step of the process is treated with love and devoted attention.

Nov 29, 2017

Beast Masters Club and The Wall Street Journal Plus bring you a rare treat: an interview with Wild Turkey's Jimmy Russell and the chance to pick a private barrel of bourbon! With over 60 years of whiskey making experience running Wild Turkey, Jimmy Russell is a true bourbon legend. Jimmy and his grandson Bruce, now the fourth generation Russell at Wild Turkey, sit down with the Beast Masters to pick a private barrel of Wild Turkey Bourbon.

Nov 11, 2017

Once again, the doors to the Beast Masters battle arena were flung open to see two true masters of the dusty whiskey hunt engage in combat. The treasures they unleashed were truly epic, but only one could leave as champion!

These two expert dusty connoisseurs fought bravely to own the title of Champion Dusty Hunter. Each brought forth a serious bounty of dusty whiskey treats for the Beast Masters audience to judge. 

Josh Feldman came strong with a John Gibson & Co. Rye which was distilled prior to Prohibition in 1917 but bottled as medicinal whiskey during Prohibition at 11 years old in 1928, and a 1955 Jim Beam, Old Grecian Urn special glass decanter.  Josh Richholt brought some serious heat with a 1976 Bourbon de Luxe and a 1978 Wild Turkey 101, 8 Year "Limited Edition Ceramic Strutting Turkey" decanter labeled as, "No. 8 and Final in a Series." So we were all set to face off with some excellent old hooch and some super badass limited edition funky decanters!

It's safe to say we were all winners on this night of dusty love, but tune in to see who emerged to claim the title of Champion Dusty Hunter... At least until next time a worthy contender wants to rise to the occasion and see if they can etch their name in the annals of Beast Masters lore.

Oct 31, 2017

Legendary Four Roses Distillery Manger Al Young treated the Beast Masters to an incredible Kentucky bourbon barrel picking session that produced the OBSV awesomeness now known as, “It Must Have Been The Roses”.

When we arrived at Four Roses on a sunny morning in March, Al had a number of casks laid out for our day’s picking endeavor. Under Al’s expert guidance we tasted through six barrels pulled from a variety of Four Roses’ rickhouses and spanning a nice cross section of their different recipes. When all was said and done, our crack team of Hot Pickle Society inductees landed on the High Rye OBSV BEAST of a bourbon that has been dubbed, “It Must Have Been The Roses.” This bad boy stuck out immediately in the tasting as a deep, rich, spicy, flavorful bourbon with a gorgeous finish that goes on for days.

We sat down to chat with Al following our epic barrel picking session to review the barrel pick and get a bit of Al’s perspective on the world of whiskey and how we’ve come to where we are now in the industry. We also discussed Al’s 50th Anniversary bottling and the formulation the special blend of Four Roses selections picked for this special commemorative limited edition. We hope you enjoy cracking open a bottle of It Must Have Been The Roses and sipping along with us. We’re very glad to be able to share this with you all.

Oct 5, 2017

Once again two intrepid contenders step into our Whiskey Thunderdome - this time to decide who will be named the first ever One Bourbon, One Scotch & One Beer Champion by our Beast Masters Members!

Enter the worthy contenders: Nate Woodruff of Whisky With A View and Shane Helmick of How to Drink Whisky. Each brought the eponymous, One Bourbon, One Scotch & One Beer. Each listened to George Thorogood records nonstop for a minimum of two weeks.

Enter the esteemed Judges: Dana “Mrs. Beast” Zeller, Jake “The Whiskey Warrior” Cahill and Beast Masters Co-Founder, Ben Paluba. Each has taken a solemn vow to guide the Beast Masters through this epic battle and inform the club wisely in casting their votes to ultimately decide who will reign as One Bourbon, One Scotch & One Beer Champion. Remember, the judges will certainly offer their evaluations and criticisms in spades, but ultimately, the audience decides the fate of our two hopeful prospects.

Enter our wise host and master of ceremonies: Steve “SmokyBeast” Zeller. Keeping all these players in line and sober enough to do their jobs is no easy task.

Who will be vanquished? Who shall prevail to hold and defend the title of OBOSOB Champion? Draw near, listen and be amazed by this tale of skill, courage, bravery and beverages.

Sep 18, 2017

The Beast Masters drop in on Ned Wight at New England Distilling in Portland, ME for a “North of the Wall" vacation podcast between Lobstah rolls and steamahs.
We could not have asked for a warmer welcome from a nicer guy. Ned took us deep behind the scenes of his distillery and delved into the real nitty gritty of his craft, methods and practices.  After the tour and schooling, he treated us to a great little tasting. New England Distilling is a true craft endeavor and a real passion project. Ned and his crew are in this to make excellent, unique and interesting spirits and I think we can say they’ve got some great things happening. This is one of the more in depth discussions about the art of distilling that we’ve had yet on the podcast. Tons of information here for the true whiskey freaks. Pick up some of Ned’s Gunpowder Rye, Eight Bells Rum, or Ingenium Gin (he’s got a bourbon but it all sold out locally) and sip along with us.

Aug 17, 2017

In the first ever Beastly Treats episode, the Beast Masters host and honor long time club member Jeff “Professor Rickhouse” Roth for a night of bourbon he will certainly never forget. We drink and chat about some of the most delicious bourbons around while we test our blind tasting chops. But that’s not all... In this riveting episode: Steve sings a song, Ben says “super bourboney”, Jake makes many weird noises and Jeff talks about his small palate. Its good to be beastly.

With, "Beastly Treats", we introduce a new fan / member appreciation initiative for the club. If you are an active member or listener you’ll be fired up about this. Every few months, say once a quarter, we will pick an active, supporting member of the club and invite them to a night of BEASTLY TREATS. This lucky member will be invited to the Beast’s lair where we will curate an epic tasting of delicious whiskeys, henceforth to be known as Beastly Treats. The chosen member will get to participate in the tasting and record their very own Beastly Treats podcast episode.

Be warned Beast Masters. If you are lucky enough to win, you will be exposed to epic whiskey that will forever raise the bar for your sipping future, VIP treatment of all kinds, bad jokes and cheesy puns, a chance to shout out your mom in the podcast world, and of course… Ben’s vocabulary lessons. Stay involved, and stay in touch, tag us with #BeastlyTreats on Instagram and Facebook for chances to win a seat at future episodes of…BEASTLY TREATS!!!!

Aug 10, 2017

The Beast Masters sit down with Chelsea Lovett from the organic, “grain-to-bottle” Koval Distillery in Chicago. Yep, we’re digging into some crafty stuff here.
Ben and Steve sit in on Dana “Mrs. Beast” Zeller’s interview in this episode which kicks off our exploration into the booming world of craft distilleries. Being the first legal distillery in Chicago since prohibition comes with a lot of pressure to deliver. We explore Koval’s road to craft greatness, taste through their line-up of products and discuss what makes Koval’s whiskies special and unique: from atypical mashbills incorporating oats and millet, to their German Kothe still.
Tune in and learn a bit about the booze soaked love story of an enterprising couple who turned their shared passions into a thriving, award winning craft distilling business.

Jul 31, 2017

After picking the barrel of Wild Turkey bourbon that has come to be known as, “The Hot Pickle” (now sold out), the Beast Masters continued an amazing day of tasting and chatting with Eddie Russell in Warehouse A. Eddie treated the crew to an amazing single barrel Rye selected by his son, Bruce, the third generation of Russells at Wild Turkey. Then we settled in to listen to Eddie tell us about about the history and evolution of Wild Turkey and the bourbon industry in Kentucky. Tune in for a truly unique perspective on where the American whiskey industry is now and how that came to be.

Jul 24, 2017

Ben and Steve welcome Mike Kantor of @thebourbonreview and Dana “Mrs. Beast” Zeller as guest judges for this brutal battle.

The Smoky Beast and The Whiskey Warrior are back in the ring again! And this time, the Beast is out for blood! They are battling for the title belt once again as they enter with their choices for BEST RYE UNDER $100. The Beast lost in his own lair last time when the Warrior strutted in for the battle of Best Bourbon under $75, so you know this one is personal. Bottles will be swung, swigged and smashed as the Beast claws the Warrior down in hopes of reigning supreme and recapturing his lost belt.

Regardless of the outcome of this epic battle, you are sure to find out the best ryes on the market for under 100 bucks.So pour yourself a glass and gather round the flame BeastMasters; as Steve and Jake battle it out for your entertainment.

Smoky Beast Weapons of Choice

Pikeseville Rye 6 years / 110 proof

Michter’s Barrel Proof Single Barrel Rye NAS / 114 proof

The Whiskey Warrior's Weapons

Wild Turkey 101 Rye NAS/ 101 proof

Redemption Barrel Proof Rye Batch 5 7 years 123.2 proof

Jul 10, 2017

The Beast Masters were treated to an amazing barrel picking experience at Wild Turkey, hosted by none other than second generation Master Distiller, Eddie Russell.

We met Eddie at Wild Turkey's historic Warehouse A to knock open the barrels that he set aside for us to choose from. This oldest of Wild Turkey's rickhouses was built in the 1890's and we could not have asked for a more perfect setting or host as we settled in for an afternoon of sampling a few of what Eddie calls his, "best 100 barrels out of 700,000".

In the end, our intrepid crew of Beast Masters came away with the barrel we have all come to know as, "The Hot Pickle," a super deep, flavorful, spicy 9 year bourbon with a gorgeous long finish. We hope you all enjoy sipping some Hot Pickle as you listen along with us.

Jul 3, 2017

Nate Woodruff from Whisky With A View treated the Beast Masters to a stellar day of hiking and sipping great drams in New York's Hudson Valley.

Nate has developed one of the largest social media followings in the world of whisk(e)y by combining his two great loves, being in nature and drinking excellent whisky. His Whisky With a View channels feature beautiful photos of whiskies in awesome natural settings and surroundings. We had an amazing day with Nate and our other friends Jake, "The Whiskey Warrior" Cahill and Anthony Colasacco, proprietor of a great bar and eatery in Mt. Kisco, NY.  Join us for good times, friendship and drams in the great outdoors. Get yourself outside! You can drink whiskey in the woods, people!

Jun 21, 2017

On the eve of their annual NYC Whisky Jewbilee festival, your faithful hosts Steve & Ben invite Single Cask Nation's Joshua Hatton and Jason Jonstone-Yellin into the Beast Lair for a private barrel showdown.  Single Cask Nation is a private bottler. They bring two of their all-time favorite whiskies.  Beast Masters Club brings two of our favorites and the audience decides.  Special guest judge: Robin Robinson.

Jun 12, 2017

In this episode, Beast Masters Club unveils a new private barrel - Elijah Craig 9-year Single Barrel from Heaven Hill.  We talk with Heaven Hill's Bernie Lubbers, aka Professor Bottled-in-Bond, about the BiB act and what it means to the quality and history of whiskey.  Bernie takes us through a tasting of Heaven Hill's five bottled-in-bond whiskies including Parker's Heritage Bottled-in-Bond 24-Year.  

Apr 25, 2017

Michter's Master Distiller, Pamela Heilmann sat down with the Beast Masters to talk about building a new distillery from the ground up combining the best of tradition and cutting edge science.

As fans of Michter's for quite some time, we were very excited to have Pam in New York to lead us through this tasting.  The whiskies featured were: Michter’s US1 Bourbon and Rye, 10 Year Bourbon and Rye (2017 editions), and Barrel Strength Rye.

Mar 22, 2017

Master Distiller Dave Pickerell joins Ben and Steve to drop some serious whiskey science at our WhistlePig Old World Barrel Premiere. 
This episode is a true treat for whiskey lovers and whiskey nerds alike. Dave Pickerell, the man who made our private cask of WhistlePig Old World 12 Year Rye, came in to talk to the club about his history in distilling, the Old World project and all things WhistlePig. Dave has been described as the Johnny Appleseed of American whiskey and has been a key figure in reviving brown spirits and craft distilling. Specifically, Dave is one of a few folks responsible for bringing rye back to the forefront of the whiskey world.
As huge rye lovers, we were super excited to have Dave sit down with us to taste through the entire WhistlePig lineup and share his stories and vast distilling knowledge. Dave gets into topics ranging from reviving George Washington's distillery at Mount Vernon to predictions on the future of the whiskey industry and why, "Rye ought to be like a good first date."
Dave also brought along some of WhistlePig's brand new, "Bottled in Barn," FarmStock whiskey -- their first to contain juice distilled at the WhistlePig farm in Vermont.
Grab a bottle of our WhistlePig Old World 12 Year from our Shop and sip along with us as we go deep with Dave Pickerell.

Mar 5, 2017

Steve and Ben sit down to pop open the latest Beast Masters Club Barrel - A WhistlePig Old World 12 Year Rye. 

This 12 year American Rye was finished in a custom blend of Old World wine casks.  We created a blend of finishes that we felt best complimented the smooth spiciness of this gorgeous rye: 80% Madeira, 10% Port, 10% Sauternes. We think you're going to love it.  Pick up a bottle in our web shop and play along at home! 

 

Jan 29, 2017

Steve, Ben and the Beast Masters welcome Chris Riesbeck of Westland Distillery for a very special event at the Norwood Club in NYC.

We were very happy to have the club taste through the full line up of Westland’s whiskies.  Westland is one of our very favorite craft distillers and one of the leading producers of American Single Malt whiskies. Tune in to learn what makes Westland unique and delicious as Chris gets into everything from the barley in their malts to the wood in their barrels and everything in between.

This particular evening was doubly sweet as it was the first in what we hope to be a series of events at the amazing Norwood Club.  The folks at Norwood are expert hosts and their club is truly a marvel - beautiful and sophisticated but completely fun and unpretentious.  A perfect setting for the Beasts to dig into Westland’s American Oak, Sherry Wood, Peated, Garyanna, and Winter 2016 offerings.    

Jan 24, 2017

It begins… These two gladiators have been called to search ceaselessly throughout Caldeonian moors, crags, islands and bogs, accepting no limits and yielding to no obstacle placed in their path, all for the glory of a sacred mission - to find the best smoky malts in the world and bring them back to the Beast Lair in the hopes of becoming CHAMPION of the Smoke Wars.  Few have been chosen, but only one will prevail… In our first battle of the Smoke Wars, Mrs. Smoky Beast faces off against Joshua “Big Wood" Hatton of Single Cask Nation and Whiskey Jewbilee.  In this contest each will present two smoky malts each to the Beast Masters for judgement.  The first round will be a malt under £100, the second round a malt over £100 with no price limit.  Who will be able to claim title as the first Champion of The Smoke Wars?  Listen and all shall be revealed.

Jan 15, 2017

Hot or Hype? That's the question... The Beast Masters review five of this year's most sought after limited release whiskeys. Steve and Ben once again welcome Jake, "Whiskey Warrior" Cahill, to sip through five of this year's most heavily hyped whiskeys. The lineup includes Parker's Heritage 24 Year Bourbon, Booker's Rye, Four Roses Small Batch LE, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, and Rebel Yell 10 Year. Were these expensive and highly allocated bottles worth the hype? We get to the bottom of this essential question and let you know where to look for your next acquisition. Treats or tricks? Worth hunting or paying up for? We'll sort you out.  Also covered in the episode are Jake's most pompous sommelier terms, "Karate Kid-&-Play", and Steve's latest exploits rolling whiskey barrels across the streets of Manhattan.

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