Whiskey on the Water: Jefferson's Journey (Episode 754: February 10, 2019)

Long before highways crossed North America, flatboats with
barrels of whiskey were a common sight along the Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers bound for New Orleans and beyond to satisfy
the thirst of early consumers. Fortunately, today's route to
market for distillers is paved and far more efficient - but
Jefferson's Bourbon founder Trey Zoeller wanted to figure out
what made the whiskey his predecessors distilled in Kentucky
become so popular. He decided to send a couple of barrels from
Louisville to New York City by boat in what became a year-long
journey filled with tropical storms, a wrecked boat, and barrel
repairs on the fly - while a batch of the same whiskey stayed
behind in the rickhouse to provide a control sample. Both
whiskies have now gone on sale, and we'll talk about the journey
with Trey Zoeller on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the
deadline to avoid another federal government shutdown is
approaching, and failure to reach a deal in Washington could
cause even more problems for whisky makers. We'll also look at
the economic impact of Kentucky's booming Bourbon industry and
get an update on record ticket sales for May's Spirit of Speyside
Festival in Scotland.