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.
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.
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.