CRAFTED

Today we’re talking with the master distiller of one of the most prominent American whiskey producers of the past two decades, High West Whiskey. High West built much of its reputation through blending, which has long been a tradition in Scotch whisky but has often been treated with suspicion by American whiskey drinkers. In this episode, master distiller, Isaac Winter, joins us to investigate why blending has been so misunderstood.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.EPISODE SPONSORS: Momentous: livemomentous.com code: BlisterOneSkin: oneskin.co/BLISTERRELATED LINKS:High WestGet Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Order our 26/27 Winter Buyer’s GuideEnter Our Free Weekly Gear GiveawaysTOPICS & TIMES:Introduction to High West Distillery (0:00)Isaac Winter’s Journey (4:09)The Philosophy of High West (23:13)Creative Tension in Whiskey Blending (27:05)The Scotch Whisky Tradition (29:33)The Blending Process at High West (35:48)Collaboration with ‘The Prisoner’ Winery (51:59)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister Podcast

Zerno manufactures some of the best coffee grinders in the world, and last week, Jonathan Ellsworth returned to Zerno HQ to get into the weeds with founder, Vel Genov, about coffee grinder burrs, particle analysis, burr geometry, some big updates, and the future of Zerno. If you care about manufacturing in America, or uncompromising craftsmanship, or you love coffee, you need to know the Zerno story.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.RELATED LINKS:Our 1st CRAFTED podcast w/ ZernoGet Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Enter Our Free Weekly Gear GiveawaysTOPICS & TIMES:Catch Up & Refresher on Zerno (5:00)Chasing Retention Reduction (21:00)Updates at Zerno (24:54)Burrs (31:07)Burrs & Price (40:09)How Flavor is Affected (41:07)Consistency in Burr Manufacturing (51:34)Swapping Burrs (57:55)The Z2 Grinder & Lessons Learned (1:02:13)Bikes! (1:16:02)The Future of Zerno (1:17:34)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:The Blister VaultBlister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister Podcast

There are more than 175 species of agave native to Mexico — so why is tequila made from just one? To answer that question, you have to understand centuries of tradition, industrialization, and the forces affecting Mexico's native spirits, and today, Pedro Jiménez, founder of Mezonte, joins me to unravel that history and explore one of the world's most fascinating spirits traditions.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.EPISODE SPONSORS: Momentous: livemomentous.com code: BlisterRELATED LINKS:MezonteViva Mezcal!Pare de SufrirRELATED LINKS: Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Order our 26/27 Winter Buyer’s GuideEnter Our Free Weekly Gear GiveawaysTOPICS & TIMES:Pedro Jimenez’s Background (2:01)Pare de Sufrir (14:24)Creating Mesonte (15:35)Mezcal As Culture (15:54)Mezcal vs. Tequila (22:24)Commercialization & Standardization (31:34)Exploring Agave Spirits (56:17)The Mezcal Production Process (48:26)Critique of Denomination of Origin (1:01:47)The Role of Transparency (1:12:27)Viva Mezcal (1:17:55)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:The Blister VaultBlister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister Podcast

“That’s smooth!” That’s often the first thing someone will say after trying a new drink. But what if that’s a sign that we don’t actually know how to evaluate -- and appreciate -- the thing in the glass we’re holding? In this episode, Nicolas Palazzi, founder of PM Spirits, joins Eli to discuss how artisanal producers think about the difference between perfection and excellence.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.EPISODE SPONSORS: Momentous: livemomentous.com code: BlisterOneSkin: oneskin.co/BLISTERRELATED LINKS:PM SpiritsBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberTOPICS & TIMES:Introduction to PM Spirits (1:53)Mr. X & Inspiration (3:04)All Things Cognac (5:49)Building the Business from Scratch (19:16)Expanding Beyond Cognac (31:43)Why Brandy Struggles in the U.S. (38:10)Terroir, Palate, & “Smooth” (43:14)Market Adaptation (52:16)The Street Pumas Project (59:41)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastENTER OUR WEEKLY GIVEAWAYS:Enter Our Free Weekly Giveaways

Hot sauce — many of us love it, but few of us know how & why it came to be; how it works; how it could kill you and how it might save you; and why exploring these topics actually leads into some big questions about the evolution of humankind itself. Jonathan Ellsworth & Eli Brown discuss.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.EPISODE SPONSORS:Momentous: livemomentous.com code: BlisterOneSkin: oneskin.co/BLISTERRELATED LINKS: Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Order our 26/27 Winter Buyer’s GuideEnter Our Free Weekly Gear GiveawaysTOPICS & TIMES:Introduction to Hot Sauce (1:35)Jonathan’s Hot Sauce Journey (4:12)What Counts as Hot Sauce? (7:55)The Data: Global Hot Sauce Consumption (21:25)The History of Tabasco & Cholula (27:00)The History of Chiles (39:09)How Does Hot Sauce Work? (50:37)The Future of Hot Sauce (1:00:50)Craft Hot Sauce Brands (1:03:06)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister PodcastBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30CRAFTED

According to all the headlines, the wine industry is in trouble — sales are plummeting, major producers are shrinking their portfolios, and the natural wine movement has become a punchline. But what if wine isn't actually in crisis at all? Louis Schofield, founder of World Apart Wines, joins us to argue that the industry is simply returning to reality after years of unsustainable growth. We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.TOPICS & TIMES:Craft Collective (1:15)Louis’ Background (2:38)White Burgundy (7:06)Working In Retail (9:46)Top 50 Restaurants (13:05)Dogma vs. Drinkability (17:47)Regression to the Mean (22:22)The Influence of Taras Ochota (25:03)Wine Making (30:07)The Art of Winemaking (33:11)Post-Natural Wine Making (38:23)Problems w/ Natural Wine (47:03)Off-grid Wine Making (51:11)EPISODE SPONSOR: oneskin.co/BLISTERRELATED LINKS:World Apart WinesVine Street ImportsBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberSEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastENTER OUR WEEKLY GIVEAWAYS:Enter Our Free Weekly Giveaways

Tiki is easy to dismiss: themed mugs, carved idols, Hawaiian shirts, and over-the-top cocktails. But the real history is far more interesting. After nearly disappearing in the 1970s, tiki is being revived and redefined by a passionate group of bartenders. Today’s guest, Sam Miller, is one of the people leading the charge, breathing new life into a style of drinks we almost lost.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.TOPICS & TIMES: Utah’s Peak Seasons (2:31)Samson & Water Witch (3:06)Learning to Bartend In Utah (9:53)Salt Lake City’s Bar Scene (14:36)Iron Chef & Hawaii (18:07)All Things Rum (22:47)The History of Tiki (25:07)Hawaiian Localism (47:26)Returning to Salt Lake City (57:29)Remora Bar (1:05:38)RELATED LINKS:The Donn of TikiRemora BarB4 ChangeBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberSEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastENTER OUR WEEKLY GIVEAWAYS:Enter Our Free Weekly Giveaways

What happens when a category's success leads to its demise? Tequila is the fastest-growing spirit in the world, yet its popularity has put it on a path to extinction. In this episode, David Suro joins us to discuss the world of agave spirits, from smuggling tequila into the U.S. for tastings in the 1980s to the rise of industrialized production methods that he believes have put the entire category at risk of disappearing overnight.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.TOPICS & TIMES:Founding ‘Tequilas’ (3:34)Americanized Mexican Cuisine (10:27)The Low Cabinet: Secret Bottles (15:19)Origins of Agave Spirits (21:01)Tequilas Boom and Bust (30:50)Mescal vs Tequila (41:32)Tequila’s Monoculture (47:32)Process vs Aging (1:07:35)Transparency in Tequila (1:16:46)RELATED LINKS:Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of MezcalsSiembra SpiritsTequilas Casa MexicanaThe Tequila Inerchange ProjectSiembra Suro FoundationBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberSEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastENTER OUR WEEKLY GIVEAWAYS:Enter Our Free Weekly Giveaways

Who decides which wines make it to wine shop shelves and restaurant lists? For decades, importers like Ronnie Sanders have quietly helped shape the way we drink wine. As the founder of Vine Street Imports, Ronnie has spent the last two decades building a reputation for finding overlooked winemakers long before the rest of the industry. In this episode, Ronnie and Eli dig into emerging wine trends, his take on ‘the death of wine’, and explore what actually makes a bottle worth drinking.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.RELATED LINKS:Vine Street ImportsBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberTOPICS & TIMES:Ronnie’s Australian Connection (3:37)Getting Into Wine (6:11)Bordeaux and Ronnie’s Father (17:34)Sourcing Australian Wine (22:20)The Jakarta Story (30:44)What's Hot In Wine (45:00)Australian Pinot Noir And Chardonnay (48:49)What is Value? (49:59)Emerging Wine Trends (58:49)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastENTER OUR WEEKLY GIVEAWAYS:Enter Our Free Weekly Giveaways