Get ready for a wealth … I mean a WEALTH … of Whiskey knowledge.
Today I am not at one of my Industry Night residencies. No City Ridge, no restaurant, no bar. I am actually home, surrounded by my plants… and, believe it or not, a frankly ridiculous amount of whiskey.
I went to my own bar and pulled a little selection for today because I am very honored to be joined by someone who has probably forgotten more about whiskey than most of us will ever know: Noah Rothbaum.
Noah is the spirits editor at Men’s Journal, one of the world’s leading authorities on cocktails and spirits, a James Beard Award winner, and a fellow at the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits at the University of Kentucky.
He’s written The Art of American Whiskey, The Business of Spirits, and he was associate editor of the award-winning Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails.
And now he’s back with a brand new doorstop of a book:
The Whiskey Bible: A Complete Guide to the World’s Greatest Spirit — more than 600 pages of history, secrets, lore, producers, timelines, and 60 cocktail recipes that cover everything.
So let’s pour a little something, and talk about how you take all this knowledge and tasting and turn it into a bible.
Chapters:
00:00 — Home Studio Intro & Whiskey Setup
00:59 — Noah’s Whiskey Authority & New 600-Page Bible
01:45 — Noah Joins & Whiskey Everywhere
02:26 — From Scotland Semester to Spirits Journalism
04:07 — St. Andrews Pub Life & Early Exposure
05:49 — Food & Wine Internship & Cocktail Legends
08:27 — Pre-Renaissance Cocktail Culture
09:18 — Breaking Into Spirits Writing & First Book
11:23 — Rye Whiskey: Decline, Confusion & Revival
12:57 — Whiskey Styles: Global Categories 1011
4:27 — Scotch Deep-Dive: Single Malt vs Blended
19:13 — Irish Whiskey Traditions & New Distillers
22:23 — Bourbon vs Rye: Mash Bills & Flavor Impact
24:32 — Canadian Whisky’s Flexible Rules & Blending Culture
25:25 — Becoming a Kentucky Colonel
26:05 — Japan’s Whiskeys: Origins, Hype & Blending Scandals
31:15 — Barrel Aging: Angel’s Share & Flavor Creation
36:12 — Char Levels, Wood Chemistry & Barrel Finishes
38:03 — Peated Scotch: Smoke, Isla, and Flavor Identity
41:45 — Whiskey in Cocktails: Myths, Water & Technique
46:33 — Highballs, Ginger Mixers & Everyday Drinking
49:03 — Final Notes, Book Access & Upcoming Guests
Quotes:
“The beauty of whiskey is that there are very few hard and fast rules… you should feel empowered to experiment and try things.” - Noah Rothbaum
“There is so much history… not just to the whiskeys, but to cocktails and to our history as Americans.” - Nycci Nellis
Key Takeaways:
Whiskey Knowledge Isn’t Inherited — It’s Learned
Scotland Shaped Noah’s Whiskey Identity
The Cocktail Renaissance Had Humble Beginnings
Rye Whiskey Was Nearly Extinct
Blends vs Single Malts Is Mostly Marketing
Whiskey Categories Are Simpler Than People Think
Japanese Whisky Is Much Newer Than Its Reputation Implies
Barrels Drive Most of Whiskey’s Flavor
There Are No Real Rules About How to Drink Whiskey
The Whiskey World Is Bigger—and More Accessible—Than Ever
Guest Social Media Links:
Instagram: noah_rothbaum
Order ‘The Whiskey Bible’: Hachette Book Group - The Whiskey Bible
Read his Article on 92NY: Bourbon Barons: A Conversation on Jews on the Bourbon Trail
Featuring Nycci Nellis
https://www.instagram.com/nyccinellis/https://www.thelistareyouonit.com/
Produced by Heartcast Media http://www.heartcastmedia.com
