Bourbon Obsessed Bourbon Podcast

14 Bourbon Industry News Stories (and an Event) You Need to Know! The Supreme Court takes on home distilling, a Kentucky craft pioneer heads to the auction block and a well-known Indiana distillery, yet again, changes its name. All this and more on this week’s Bourbon and Distillery news! CONTENTS00:00:00 Opening00:05:43 Supreme Court to Review Federal Home Distilling Ban00:11:44 MB Roland Distillery Heads to Auction00:16:36 MGP Ingredients Plans to Rebrand as Sempreon00:19:44 Great Jones Closes Its Manhattan Visitor Center00:21:52 Lofted Spirits Elevates Nick Smith to Master Distiller00:23:10 National Bourbon Week Returns June 14–20, 202700:25:37 Casey Jones Distillery Sale to B3 Beverage Not Completed00:28:15 Brother’s Bond Bourbon Joins JetBlue’s Onboard Selection00:30:07 Craft Spirits Sales Decline for Third Straight Year00:34:08 ISFAR Critique of Alcohol-Attributable Cancer Mortality Study00:38:02 Pernod Ricard Reports a 10% Decline in U.S. Quarterly Sales00:41:26 Larrikin Expands Distribution into Texas00:42:45 Still Austin Opens The Still Austin Quarter00:45:26 California Distillery Trail Connects Growers, Distillers and Visitors00:48:01 Dark Arts Halloween Pop-Up Market00:49:06 Closing SHOW NOTES Ed and Dean discuss 14 bourbon industry news stories and a Halloween event, along with recent tastings and distillery visits. Read the newsletter and find all our sources here:bourbonobsessed.com/bourbon-and-distillery-news-for-october-24-2026/ - Home distilling: The Supreme Court takes up the federal ban, and Dean explains the constitutional question.- MB Roland: The operating distillery heads to auction as its founders prepare to retire.- MGP/Sempreon: We discuss the planned corporate rebrand and CASK stock ticker.- Great Jones: The Manhattan visitor center closes, with questions remaining about future production.- Lofted Spirits: Nick Smith becomes Master Distiller as Steve Nally moves to an emeritus role.- National Bourbon Week: Bardstown’s celebration returns June 14–20, 2027.- Casey Jones: The B3 Beverage sale did not close; tours, production and events continue.- Brother’s Bond: The bourbon joins JetBlue’s onboard selection in 50 mL bottles.- Craft spirits: Sales decline again, California’s distiller count drops, and local customers remain important. We distinguish 2025 sales from 2026 distiller counts.- ISFAR: We discuss its critique of an alcohol-attributable cancer mortality study and the difference between death counts and age-standardized rates.- Pernod Ricard: U.S. sales fall, with little detail about American whiskey beyond Skrewball.- Larrikin: The Kentucky distillery expands distribution into Texas.- Still Austin: The Still Austin Quarter adds music, cocktails, food and event space.- California Distillery Trail: An online trip-planning guide connects distillers, visitors and specialty-crop agriculture.- Dark Arts: A Halloween Pop-Up Market comes to Lexington on October 31, with evening activities at The Break Room. Join us later this week for a special Bourbon Litigation Update and next Monday for New Bourbon Releases News. Visit BourbonObsessed.com for our whiskey reviews, distillery write-ups and newsletter sign-up. Find Bourbon Obsessed on Instagram at @bourbon_obsessed and on Facebook at BourbonObsessed. Follow Dean on Instagram at @dean_of_bourbon. Thank you to our supporters, and be sure to follow the podcast on your preferred listening platform so you don’t miss an episode! Cheers!

What happens when you grow your own grain in Nevada’s high desert, age whiskey in rickhouses modeled on Kentucky and Scotland, and operate two distinct distilleries on one campus? Join Ed and Karen as Master Distiller Joe O’Sullivan takes us behind the scenes at Minden Mill Distillery, in Minden, NV. From the ranch and barrel warehouses to the stills and tasting room, we explore the factors that shape their whiskeys, and taste the results. Join us! CONTENTS 00:00:00 Introduction00:00:52 The Ranch: Carson Valley Water, Grain & Terroir00:08:38 The Bourbon/Rye Rickhouse: Bringing Kentucky to Nevada00:14:07 The Single Malt Rickhouse: Scotland, Barrels & Maturation00:26:12 The Distillery Campus00:27:54 The Bourbon/Rye Distillery00:39:51 The Single Malt Distillery00:51:00 The Tasting: Rye, Bourbon, Single Malt & Coffee Liqueur Show Notes: Inside Minden Mill Distillery with Master Distiller Joe O’Sullivan Our visit to Minden Mill Distillery in Minden, Nevada, takes us well beyond the tasting room. Master Distiller Joe O’Sullivan joins us for a trip to the grain fields, a look inside two very different rickhouses, and a tour of the separate facilities used to make bourbon and rye and American single malt. Along the way, we talk about the land, the equipment, the barrels, and the people behind the whiskey before sitting down to taste the results. 00:00:00 — Introduction We introduce Minden Mill and the features that drew us here: estate-grown grains, two distinct distilleries, and climate-controlled rickhouses inspired by Kentucky and Scotland. We’re joined by Master Distiller Joe O’Sullivan for a tour that follows the whiskey from its agricultural beginnings to the glass. 00:00:52 — The Ranch: Carson Valley Water, Grain & Terroir Our conversation begins on the drive out, with a little of Joe’s background before we turn to the Carson Valley and the water that makes farming possible here. We reach the ranch around 00:04:25 and discuss the grains they grow, the challenges of working with oats, and why Joe finds rye such a compelling expression of the place where it’s grown. 00:08:38 — The Bourbon/Rye Rickhouse: Bringing Kentucky to Nevada Stepping inside the bourbon and rye rickhouse, we immediately notice the change in humidity. We ask Joe how the Kentucky-inspired environment works, why Nevada’s dry climate presents such a challenge for aging whiskey, and what altitude might contribute. We also discuss barrel temperatures, thermal mass, and why the warehouse doesn’t need to follow every outdoor temperature change minute by minute. 00:14:07 — The Single Malt Rickhouse: Scotland, Barrels & Maturation We move into the cooler, more humid environment used for single malt and talk about barrel sizes and finishing projects. The conversation turns to how spirits settle after bottling and opening, then to Joe’s preference for long air-dried staves and high-quality oak. As we make our way back, we also discuss production schedules, water, cooling systems, and the challenges of running an automated distillery. 00:26:12 — The Distillery Campus Back at the campus, Joe points out the pump house and explains why he values ideas from the wider team. We discuss the success of Evil Bean coffee liqueur, the role of Foley’s leadership, and the balance between Joe’s own approach and the contributions of the people around him before heading inside for the production tour. 00:27:54 — The Bourbon/Rye Distillery We take a close look at the Christian CARL pot still and the Headframe stripping still, with Joe explaining how the two work together. Our questions cover cuts, wooden fermenters, efficiency, and what happens to the spent grain and stillage. We also see the small research still, blending rooms, and bottling area while talking about the experienced team that keeps everything running. 00:39:51 — The Single Malt Distillery Joe introduces the historic mill before taking us through the thermal oil heating system beneath the s

12 Bourbon Industry News Stories You Need to Know! This week, Canada's alcohol ban may have a big bulk-shipment loophole, while England's new whisky rules ignite a single-malt debate. Plus, we've got news about Evan Williams, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Eastern Light Distilling, Jefferson's, Willett, Diageo's Crown Royal, Sazerac's Canadian Mist, Toasts Not Tariffs, Jameson Irish whiskey, NAFDAC and Southern Glazer's. Tune in to learn all about these news stories in this week's Bourbon and Distillery News! CONTENTS 00:00:00 Introduction00:01:57 Evan Williams College Football00:05:14 Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2027 Dates00:06:56 Eastern Light Distilling Funding00:12:38 Jefferson’s Refreshes Portfolio 00:15:47 Willett Introduces Cask Strength Pot Still Reserve00:18:39 Certain Canadian Alcoholic Beverages Ban00:26:58 Toasts Not Tariffs Coalition Letter to the President00:32:31 Jameson $5 Million Football-Season Bar Tab00:34:57 Irish Whiskey Tariffs to be Removed00:36:30 English Whisky Geographical Indication Application Approved 00:41:24 Methanol-Contaminated Drinks Kill in Nigeria00:44:28 Southern Glazer’s Settlement00:51:42 Conclusion If you enjoy our podcast, we would greatly appreciate it if you would like and subscribe to it and also leave us a 5 star review. In addition, you can read and subscribe to my newsletter over on BourbonObsessed.com. There you can also find the links to the press releases or full articles for each of these news stories, as well as a whole lot more bourbon-related content. Thanks for listening! See you next time! Cheers!🥃