The Practical Still
Whiskey hunting and collecting has gotten crazy but there are still wonderful bottles of bourbon, rye, and single malt whiskeys waiting for you on store shelves if you just know a little bit about what to shop for. The Practical Still is about finding value in whisky to drink and share. Whiskey was never meant to sit on a shelf. Open the Bottle and enjoy it. We don't do detailed reviews, we just help you understand and enjoy the whiskey you can drink today.
Episodes
43 episodes
Aaron Gooding of Last Cut Crystal - hand cut crystal whiskey glasses
If you've paid any attention at all over the last couple of years, you know that I'm a sucker for nice glassware. Wine glasses, coffee cups, and in particular, whiskey glasses are as much a part of my drinking experience as the liquid that is s...
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28:58
Double Oaked and Toasted Whiskey - It won't save bad bourbon but it can sometimes make for interesting whiskeys
Double oaked and toasted barrel-finished bourbons are quite popular lately. It seems like a similar process to finishing in barrels that previously held other liquids but also different and more like a second maturation than a typical finish. N...
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18:47
What did we learn about whiskey and ourselves in 2022?
Every year around this time, we look back and ask ourselves what we learned about whiskey. In 2022, the big takeaway is that we should really focus on bourbon, rye, and scotch whisk(e)y that we really like. Saving $5 on a bottle on Elijah Craig...
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25:12
It's allocated bourbon release season, who cares? Allohatred season is more like it.
Every year in the fall, whiskey geeks decent upon every store hunting for bottles from Buffalo Trace's Antique Collection (BTAC), Pappy van Winkle, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, and others. It's like a zombie apocalypse. Many, if not most, of ...
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38:32
TINCUP Whiskey founder, Jess Graber
Jess Graber started distilling in the early 1970s as a hobby. A chance encounter with a neighbor named George Stranahan opened the door to take his moonshine hobby and eventually turn it into Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey. As the co-founder of S...
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35:02
What are we drinking? Where have we been?
We started The Practical Still as a podcast and then quickly added a video component that began to monopolize our time and then we even decided to produce a weekly live stream of us drinking and discussing whiskey. That stream has turned out to...
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26:39
Other whiskey options if you like Jameson Irish whiskey
Stacey Moses joins me again and we talk about options for her longtime go-to whiskey, Jameson Irish Whiskey. Other Irish whiskey such as Redbreast 12 is certainly an option but there are Scotch, Japanese, and American whiskeys that...
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47:31
My friend Stacey has some whiskey questions.
My friend Stacey Moses has some whiskey questions. Until just a few months ago, we'd worked together in various capacities for many years, and during that time, we also became friends. On balance, I feel as if I've learned far more from Stacey ...
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37:41
How practical can $85 bottles of whiskey be?
We were working on some other productions for Dan's Slow Guy on the Fast Ride cycling content and we decided to take a few minutes and sip some whiskey. I brought two sample bottles with some Old Fitzgerald Bottled In Bond 8 year old an...
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19:47
Drinking Some Islay Scotch Whisky
There are so many delicious whiskies to drink from around the world that no one person will probably ever come close to tasting them all but we should try to expand our palates, shouldn't we? Not that we stretch all that far but we have gotten ...
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58:37
Are practical whiskeys waiting for us even in this crazy bourbon market?
We started The Practical Still podcast about 18 months ago with the premise that there are wonderful bottles of bourbon, rye, and single malt whiskeys waiting for us on shelves any day of the week. We don't need to chase unicorn bottles, camp o...
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42:47
Do we really need so many bottles to be happy whiskey drinkers?
Dan and I always say that we don't have whiskey collections. We just have bottles of whiskey we haven't opened yet. The reality is that we do have quite a few bottles of bourbon lying around regardless of what we call it. So, do we really need ...
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41:20
Finding whiskey away from home and alcohol control states
Shopping for whiskey can be very different depending on where you are. The biggest difference you'll see is when states where the government controls retail sales, known as 'control states'. ABC stores in those states are the primary retail out...
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38:50
Finished versus Matured Whiskey: Is there a difference?
Maybe it's just splitting hairs but there is a difference between a whiskey finished in a barrel that previously held wine, sherry, port, rum, or some other product versus a whiskey that was matured in a sherry or port or whatever barrel. ...
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37:52
Deerhammer Distillery Visit: After Drinking from all the Barrels
After we recorded an introductory podcast (if you haven't listed to it yet, it's a good idea to pause this episode and give it a listen here) in the rack house at Deerhamme...
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12:21
Deerhammer Distillery Visit: Before the Drinking Started
Owner, co-founder, and head distiller of Deerhammer Distillery in Buena Vista, CO, Lenny Eckstein invited us up to visit after hearing the podcast episode where we talked about young whiskey. Lenny felt that he could offer some valuable experie...
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29:41
Are whiskey brand stories worth anything to us when deciding which bottles to buy?
I've decided something important. At least it is important to my whiskey drinking enjoyment. I'm going to pledge from this moment forward to only judge a whiskey by the actual whiskey and how much I like said whiskey. Not by the hype. Not by th...
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31:05
Whiskey Resources: It's about more than just money
Dan and Mark talk about resource considerations for whiskey consuming enthusiasts beyond just the money. Space on the shelf, what to do with the bottle of bourbon, rye, and scotch that you just don't care for, and more.They also sip on ...
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30:17
Young Whiskey: Sometimes surprisingly good but more often, not.
Why is it that some very young whiskeys can be surprisingly tasty while other are about what we'd expect, bad? Could it be that skilled distillers know how to aim at two or three year target better than others? Is it all about fermentation? Is ...
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54:36
How should we welcome new people into whiskey?
Every hobby faces the same dilemma - how do we welcome new people into our world without scaring them off before they even have a chance to figure it all out? That's what we tackle today. We were all new to whiskey at one point so how did we ma...
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25:29
Where is our whiskey?
It has been a while since Dan and I published a podcast episode. Why? Who knows. We've been busy with other projects but probably, the truth is closer to it just isn't as fun to produce these things remotely as it is passing bottles back and fo...
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2:13
Has the pandemic changed the way you enjoy your whiskey?
The pandemic is changing how we relate to all sorts of life events, hobbies, and other things we perhaps took for granted before. Has the isolation changed how you enjoy your whiskey? It sure has changed our relationship with the spirits we love t...
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53:35
The price of bourbon and rye whiskey just keeps going up and up and up!
It sure seems as if bourbon and rye whiskey prices are continuing to accelerate. Bottles that one day are gathering dust are gone from the shelf the next and doubling price the very next time you see them again. It's more important than ever to kn...
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56:55
Goodbye 2020, hello 2021 and more whiskey and maybe rum and tequila too!
Dan and Mark talk about starting The Practical Still in 2020 and what's coming up in 2021. There will be guests on the podcast and new topics for the YouTube channel too. There will still be lots of whiskeys but maybe some rum and tequila too. Any...
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52:26
Only one brand of whiskey for the rest of your life. Which would you choose?
If you could only drink one brand of whiskey for the rest of your life, which one would you choose? You still have to pay for it and you're still subject to marketing conditions such as pricing and availability so if you choose poorly you may neve...
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54:01
