EP42 From A. Smith Bowman to Caiseal: Tours, Tasting, and Total Audio Failure

Welcome to the “secret” episode — the one we didn’t plan, didn’t schedule, and only made because March decided to body‑slam us. Between distillery tours, merch drops, and a car crash, we’re finally catching our breath long enough to tell the story.

We kick things off at A. Smith Bowman, where we somehow ended up with a private‑feeling tour, a ghost sighting, and a crash course in how single‑barrel bottling really works. Holly delivered a tour so good it ruined all future tours… and right in the middle of all that magic, we discovered our microphones were absolutely, completely, irreversibly broken. Nothing says “professional podcasters” like realizing your audio gear died at the exact moment you’re recording in a historic distillery.

Then we headed to Caiseal, where we tasted everything they make, hung out with the head distiller, and recorded a full episode in their speakeasy — this time with microphones that actually worked, because we panic‑bought replacements at Best Buy on the drive home like the responsible adults we pretend to be.

We also dive into:

• The Bowman rye we now have to wait a decade for
• Losing an entire video because the camera decided to film in slow‑motion potato mode
• Scoring a signed bottle like the bourbon nerds we proudly are
• The long‑awaited merch drop, finally live after a year of “next week”
• And the car crash that kicked off this whole circus

Pour a drink, settle in, and enjoy the episode that proves we are one equipment failure away from becoming a documentary about podcasters who tried their best.