Brett Connors | Castle & Key: Whiskey Blending, Experimental Barrels, Roots of Ruin Gin & the Secrets of Maturation Copy title

What goes into making great whiskey, and what happens when an experiment goes completely wrong?

We sit down with Brett Connors, the Whiskey Wizard of Castle & Key Distillery, to talk about his journey from giving distillery tours to blending whiskey and developing some of the distillery's most interesting releases.

We get into the reality of making whiskey, from throwing away their earliest distillate to experimenting with unusual finishing casks, including a rye that went from tasting like Robitussin to Cherry Cola.

Brett also shares the story behind Roots of Ruin Gin, why Castle & Key's unique warehouses produce such different flavor profiles, and how blending for other brands helped shape his approach to making whiskey.

We cover:

• How Brett got started at Castle & Key and became a blender

• Why a distillery's first barrel isn't necessarily its best

• The experiments behind Castle & Key's finished whiskeys

• How Roots of Ruin Gin was created

• Why warehouse conditions can completely change a whiskey

• The challenges of creating whiskey that's both delicious and commercially viable

• Why Brett believes Castle & Key's rye is its best whiskey

A conversation about experimentation, learning from failures, and the work that goes into making the spirits we love.

Off Profile: A Highly Spirited Conversation.

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