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We taste through Rolling Fork’s most interesting bottles with Turner Wathan and unpack how a rum-first company ends up leading with Armagnac, Calvados, and a revived Kentucky bourbon label. Along the way, we get the real story behind Fortuitous Union, the Bourbon Deluxe comeback, and what the current whiskey market means for drinkers who want value without hype.
• Fortuitous Union build and why rum plus rye works
• Weller-barrel finishing, proof choices, and non chill filtered texture
• Fred Minnick book story, mental health honesty, and mentorship moments
• Wayward Cask approach to Armagnac and Calvados, buying containers and telling producer stories
• Why French oak and no char changes long aging, including a 42-year Armagnac
• Amburana finishes, what got overused, and when it still tastes great
• Whiskey market downturn, overproduction, DSP closures, and how to stay solvent
• Bourbon Deluxe trademark gamble, sourcing Kentucky straight bourbon, and Green River ties
• Contract production, mash bills, and a legendary 41-day rum fermentation
• Where to buy, what states can ship, and what releases to watch for
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A rum and rye blend that drinks like a serious rye, a 42-year cask-strength Armagnac that somehow stays silky, and a bourbon brand resurrected because a trademark clock was ticking. We sit down with Turner Wathan of Rolling Fork Spirits to taste, laugh, and get unusually honest about how bottles actually get made, found, and sold when they don’t fit tidy categories.

We dig into Fortuitous Union and why the “distilled spirit specialty” label can hide some of the best liquid on the shelf: foursquare rum, MGP rye, careful proofing, and a Weller barrel finish that pulls vanilla into the blend without muting spice. Turner shares how bartenders react, why tastings are the real marketing engine, and what he looks for when he’s building something meant to be opened with friends.

Then we go deep on Armagnac and Calvados through the Wayward Cask lens: container-sized buys, Gascony farmers, traveling stills, French oak that isn’t charred, and the kind of terroir detail that makes brandy feel like a “final boss” spirit. We also talk Bourbon Deluxe, the Wathen family whiskey history, why Green River Distillery became the right partner, and what the current whiskey market slowdown means if you care about value, age statements, and authenticity.

If you like independent bottlers, barrel finishing, Kentucky bourbon history, rum in bourbon barrels, and rare French brandy, this one is packed. Subscribe, share this with a spirits friend, and leave us a review so more people can find the show.

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A barrel can be magic, or it can be ruined before it ever touches whiskey. We sit down with Macaulay Mitten (Dark Arts Whiskey House, aka The Bourbon Swami) to get painfully specific about what separates a memorable finish from a disaster: producer selection, barrel handling, shipping heat, and the kind of quality control most drinkers never see.

We also crack open the America 250 release: an almost 11.5-year blend bottled at a hefty 128.28 proof. We talk about why blending at cask strength leaves nowhere to hide, how custom char and toast profiles can lift the flavors you want without dragging in bitterness, and what “bold” can taste like when it’s built with intention. Expect notes and frameworks you can use the next time you’re evaluating barrel proof bourbon, sherry cask finishing, or why proofing can change a brand’s consistency.

Then the conversation expands into what’s next at the Whiskey House: patio upgrades, cigars and pairing strategy, a caviar and whiskey event, and the launch of Noble Arts for botanical spirits. Macaulay teases a navy strength gin designed for big oils and louche, absinthe experiments that could lead to absinthe-finished rye, and more one-off drops headed toward Kentucky Bourbon Festival, including a 19-year Mizunara-aged bourbon and other serious “eat lunch first” pours.

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We catch up with Macaulay Mitten and talk through how Dark Arts turns sourced barrels into distinctive, high-impact blends with real control over finishing and flavor. We taste and break down the America 250 release, then zoom out into barrel quality, honey finishes, and the next wave of botanical spirits coming from Noble Arts.
• America 250 limited five-barrel run details, presale hiccups, Tuesday online allocation
• What Oloroso sherry finishing adds, why producer and sweetness level matter
• Barrel sourcing realities, shipping heat, spoilage risks, rejecting bad casks
• Blending at cask strength vs proofing down, consistency and complexity trade-offs
• Custom toast and char profiles per barrel to preserve and elevate core notes
• Tasting notes and why high proof does not have to drink hot
• Rye and Scotch palate talk, peat as a palate wrecker, mezcal appreciation
• Whiskey House updates, patio build-out, cigar plans and pairing strategy
• Caviar and whiskey event tease and what makes a pairing work
• Noble Arts roadmap, botanical library, navy strength gin, absinthe experiments, vodka base
• Honey barrel finish process, waiting list demand, filtration choices and haze
• Sweet and sour mash blend concept and trademark approach
• Old whiskey sourcing, 19-year Mizunara tease, avoiding tannic over-oaked barrels
• Philosophy on intent and energy in blending, why “bad whiskey” is often just preference
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We hang out with Greg Keeley from Larican Bourbon Company and trace how a military career, a Kentucky road trip and a string of coincidences turn into a real bourbon distillery with a loyal following. We taste and talk through what sells, what the maker actually likes, and how new releases get built from the barrel up.
• Greg’s path from the Royal Australian Navy and US Navy to Kentucky distilling
• Finding the farm and distillery building by pure coincidence
• Being steps from Wild Turkey and earning visitor referrals
• Building a destination experience with staff hospitality, cigar lounge and bar
• Australian identity in the brand, merch and food truck menu
• Amburana finishing and why cigar blends keep selling out
• Bottled-in-bond blending with heavy tasting and minimal note taking
• New nine-year rye details, proof preferences and how rye changes with age
• Breaking news on Deep Purple, a bottling robot and barrel-aged Manuka honey
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A distillery a quarter mile from Wild Turkey sounds like a master plan, but Greg Keeley tells us it was closer to dumb luck and a willingness to say “yes” before everything was figured out. We sit down with the Larican Bourbon Company founder to unpack how a career that spans the Royal Australian Navy and the US Navy turns into Kentucky craft distilling, and how a farm search on a random Sunday leads to the place he now calls home. Along the way, we talk about what “grain to glass” really signals to drinkers, and why “uncut and unfiltered” is more than a slogan when you’re the one making the calls.

Then we get into the fun arguments bourbon fans actually have: finishing, flavor and what the market rewards. We debate Amburana, cigar blends and the line between finished bourbon and the flavored whiskey crowd, plus why some releases sell out even when the maker personally wouldn’t reach for them first. We also hit the visitor experience side of Kentucky bourbon tourism, from being so close to Wild Turkey that guests get sent over daily, to building a welcoming space with a cigar lounge, a standout humidor and a team that earns name-checks in reviews.

If you love process, the bottled-in-bond segment delivers. Greg explains blending by tasting through dozens of barrels, trusting a simple “yes or no” palate, and refining batches without turning it into a lab experiment. We close with real-time distillery updates: a new nine-year rye coming as picks, a rare Deep Purple drop, plans for a bottling robot, and barrel-aged Manuka honey that sets up a future honey-finished bourbon with an Australian twist. Subscribe, share this with a whiskey friend, and leave us a five-star review if you want more conversations like this.

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