On the heels of an amazing several months of coverage, SMTV has decided to make our videos even more accessible. This month we created the Singlemalt.tv Whisky Video Podcast that can be downloaded in the iTunes store at no charge.

The podcast furthers our goal of exploring the whiskies of the world while integrating cutting-edge technology and superior quality. After reviewing our video library we decided to offer some of our short videos as downloadable podcasts, the response has been outstanding. As always we welcome viewer feedback, and we will consider all requests as we work to populate the podcast with fresh content regularly.

Podcast subscribers will have the opportunity to download special versions of our videos, including tasting notes and distillery profiles, and full-length videos when appropriate. We hope our podcast will be a valuable resource for whiskey lovers everywhere, combining Singlemalt TV’s original, premium quality whisky video and the convenience of a free download.

Head over to the iTunes store and check out the Singlemalt.tv Whisky Podcast. Take a ten-minute tour of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail with our mini-distillery profiles (each is an individual podcast, so you can download just one or all eight!), visit several of the fantastic stops on Louisville’s Urban Bourbon trail in mere minutes and check out lots more great videos currently available. Be sure to keep us posted on what videos you’d like us to add as podcasts, we’ve got over 500 so it may take a little reviewing! As always we value your input and hope you will enjoy our new video podcast.

I got a book in the mail this week—I get a lot of books (and I’m definitely not complaining!) and I am particularly excited about this one. Whiskey & Philosophy A Small Batch of Spirited Ideas (Wiley 2009) is one of the most conceptually interesting whiskey books I’ve encountered. Editors Fritz Allhoff and Marcus P. Adams (Allhoff is a philosophy professor and Adams is a PhD student in philosophy) have divided this collection of essays into five “units,” adding definition to this multifaceted exploration of whiskey that runs the gamut from history to ethics. The collection includes equally broad perspectives from a diverse group of authors, including a foreword by our friend (and Master of the Quaich) Charlie MacLean.

I’m hopeful about this combo of tasting notes and history, often intermingled with personal vignettes. I’ve always maintained that the complicated and strikingly finite aspects of whiskey are  profoundly  illuminated by context. Though the contributors’ backgrounds and nationalities attest to the global significance of whiskey, both editors are American and have chosen to use the “whiskey” spelling throughout the book. Such a decision is always a defining moment in whisk(e)y literature, and it interests me to read how various authors negotiate the slippery slope of “whisky” versus “whiskey.” In their introduction Allhoff and Adams defend American whiskey, paying homage and leveling the playing field.  An excerpt on page 4 caught my attention:

” Most important we think that American whiskey is really, really outstanding. Why is it that single malt Scotch is so celebrated and American whiskey is so routinely denigrated, at least comparatively? The biggest reason, it seems to us, is consumers’ lack of exposure to high-quality American whiskey.”

I’m looking forward to sitting down with this book tonight—and in keeping with the editors’ request at the start of the introduction—I will pour myself some whiskey as I sit down to read further.  Allhoff and Adams recommend bourbon—my only dilemma will be choosing which one.

Our slogan–exploring the whiskies of the world—truly sums up this week’s programming. Needless to say, we’ve been busy lately! We’ve added LOTS of new videos this week, all shot on location by SMTV crews.

Join us on Louisville’s newly-expanded Urban Bourbon Trail (the new passports look great!) for extended coverage of each of the UBT’s nine eateries. These establishments are complimentary in their diversity—from the best pork chop we’ve ever tasted at Baxter Station, to the cheerful red penguins that assume a life of their own at Proof on Main- representing “Urban” and “Bourbon” intermingled with history and Kentucky hospitality.

Ali Mutch mixes it up at Jockey Silks on the Urban Bourbon Trail.

The newly expanded Urban Bourbon Trail Passport includes new additions Z’s Fusion and Baxter Station.

In a land far, far away from the rolling pastures of the Bluegrass–on Orkney, off far Northern Scotland– is Highland Park.

In addition to holding the distinction of Scotland’s Northernmost distillery, Highland Park is the backdrop for a plethora of remarkable stories. Gerry Tosh, Head of Brand Education at the Edrington Group owned distillery, is a master at weaving Highland Park’s rich history into his tastings. Singlemalt TV’s live webcasts from Highland Park have attracted live viewers from all over the world, eager for Gerry’s input on their questions regarding the storied malt.

This week SMTV brings you two very special Highland Park tastings with Gerry,  Highland Park 1977 and Highland Park Ambassador Cask. You won’t want to miss these exceptional tastings shot on location at the distillery.

Gerry Tosh discusses his tasting notes on Highland Park Ambassador Cask.

And another treat for Bourbon Lovers–our brand new mini-distillery profiles from each of the eight distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Also on the docket this week—the launch of our video podcast check us out in the iTunes store and subscribe to our free podcast. We’ve got some great stuff available now (including the mini-distillery profiles) and we’ll be adding more regularly.

Pour a dram of whatever whisk(e)y of the world you prefer and enjoy our new videos. Subscribe to our podcast and leave your thoughts on the SMTV videos you think would be great podcasts. Cheers!

I recently read a great Associated Press Story by Bruce Schreiner (Master Distillers Take Star Turn in Bourbon World, October 30, 2009)  about the master distillers of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. I pounced on the piece eagerly, thrilled about the national acclaim for Kentucky Bourbon, and the homage to the phenomenal characters that grease the wheels of this vital American industry each day. The story did not disappoint. Just like my own experience in the Bluegrass, Schreiner locked into the the genuine passion and humanity of these bourbon-making legends, something unique and difficult to reconcile with the stardom that goes hand-in-hand with their profession.

Chris Morris conducts a tasting at Woodford Reserve, for all of our bourbon tasting videos visit the “Whisk(e)y Tastings” tab on the Singlemalt TV video player.

The AP piece features some great quips from the master distillers, taking readers to the Kentucky Bourbon All-Star Sampler (SMTV’s full coverage from the event can be seen by clicking this link), a premiere event sponsored by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association that kicked-off the bourbon-centric evening festivities during the 2009 Kentucky Bourbon Festival. 2009 was the first go for the All-Star Sampler and (trust me) it was a good time. Prior to arriving at the Sampler we has an idea of what to expect (thanks in part to the schedule, and in part to one of our crews who arrived on the scene to begin shooting in advance). Long tables lined the massive perimeter of the formidable tent where the Sampler was held (near JIDECO Hall in Bardstown),  and each of the distilleries had set up shop–with the master distillers serving up (characteristically generous) samples of their wares and signing fan memorabilia including made-for-the-occasion baseball cards featuring each master distiller.

Though most of my colleagues have had ample meetings and chats with the majority of these icons of the amber elixir, I arrived that Wednesday evening in September a star-struck rookie. The fabulous lights, crowded dance floor and projections of distillery logos above each respective table furthered my mild awe at the whole concept, adding to the festive, even glitzy ambience.  Though there were many new faces (though our camera crews were constantly shooting on location to capture the KBF I was working behind the scenes in Bardstown) I was almost immediately whisked off to make introductions, and I quickly learned that Kentuckians (master distillers included) are without a doubt, some of the most welcoming people on earth.

Jimmy Russell.

Master distillers are interesting people. They’re world-traveled, they’re highly accomplished chemists in their own right, and they have an incredible degree of responsibility each day. Master distillers also have some of the firmest handshakes I’ve encountered, they make eye contact and talk with the familiarity and ease of an old friend, they seemed to take genuine pleasure in pouring a good drop of Kentucky Bourbon for a Yankee gal with an eager palette and an empty glass.

Bottom line: The master distillers are delightful. Each and every single one of them, from Kevin Smith of Maker’s Mark, to Parker and Craig Beam of Heaven Hill, to the always gregarious Fred Noe of Jim Beam and each of the others these guys love what they do and they’re damn good at it. In numerous cases the craft is in their blood, honed over generations of fathers and sons. There is an overwhelming integrity about all of it and that’s what sticks with me as I write this. All of them were instantly warm and welcoming, and every encounter I had with them as the Kentucky Bourbon Festival marched on cemented my initial impression, they’re just a great group of remarkable (and remarkably low-key) Kentucky boys.  A fun piece on one of the master distillers is Singlemalt TV’s  tribute video Heaven Hill’s Parker Beam that screened at his 50th anniversary celebration at the Bourbon Heritage Center October 23,  you can WATCH IT HERE.

An excerpt from an email I received from Four Roses Master Distiller Jim Rutledge, sent just before Singlemalt TV crews headed to Bardstown for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, sums up everything I can now handily confirm:

I sincerely look forward to meeting you and talking Kentucky, Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Bourbon and about anything else you may want to know about what we do in Kentucky. You’ll find pretty quickly that it’s a lot easier initiating a conversation with a master distiller than some how bringing it to a close. So be forewarned.

I think of this email often and think about how much I appreciate Jim’s candor, I spoke to him recently and despite a packed travel  schedule (another aspect of the job mentioned in the AP piece) he was happy to chat…for a while (hey, he warned me!). As a veteran master distiller and sitting Chairman of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival Board Jim is a true ambassador to the bourbon industry. Just like Fred, Parker, Craig, Chris, Jimmy, Kevin and Greg (unfortunately I didn’t get to meet Harlen Wheatley), Jim is the “Real McCoy.”

And yes, just like anyone who has ever met one of these easy-going icons of the bourbon business, I feel like I’m on a first name basis. I’d wager a guess that the master distillers probably wouldn’t have it any other way. Visit Kentucky and you’ll see too, and if you can’t get there just yet pour yourself a nice glass of bourbon and check out Singlemalt TV’s massive bourbon video selection for a virtual trip to Bourbon country, even if you’ve only got a few minutes you can check out each of the eight distilleries in under ten minutes by watching our NEW MINI DISTILLERY PROFILES HERE. Cheers!

Jim Rutledge at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival.

Jenson Button drove to a well deserved third place, behind Aussie Mark Webber and Seb Vettel, in the final race of the 2009 Formula One season the Abu Dhabi Gran Prix earlier today.

Jenson jumped team mate Rubens Barichello in the opening laps to move into 4th eventually claiming third, and almost 2nd place, in the closing laps, with a stellar last lap dice with Mark Webber’s Red Bull. Following Hamiltons retirement with suspected brake problems Seb Vettel, also in the Red Bull, drove a calculated racing to take his 4th win of the season and wind up in 2nd place in the World Championship Driver standings.

Agai Abu Dhabi turned on a spectacular light show as the sun set over the Persian Gulf during the race and the track lighting and Yas marina Hotel light show gave the whole area a Las Vegas feel.

The official Brawn GP website posted the following statement after the race:

“Brawn GP’s Jenson Button finished his World Championship year on a high today with a third-placed podium finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the new Yas Marina Circuit. Team-mate Rubens Barrichello came through a first corner impact to drive a composed race and bring his Brawn-Mercedes car home in fourth position.

Formula One’s first twilight race began at 1700 in daylight conditions before night fell and the floodlights came on around the circuit. Both Brawn GP drivers had good starts before Rubens made slight contact with Mark Webber going into turn one and damaged his front wing which allowed Jenson to pass whilst he struggled for downforce.

From there, Jenson and Rubens drove extremely well to secure third and fourth positions respectively on two-stop strategies. Jenson had a thrilling battle with Mark Webber over the final few laps for second place with several overtaking moves almost coming off on the final lap but the Australian managed to hold him off to the chequered flag.

After 17 races of the 2009 season, Brawn GP end the year as winners of the Constructors’ Championship with 172 points with Jenson winning his first Drivers’ Championship with 95 points and Rubens in third place with 77 points.”

It was a fitting end to a great season and with some seats up for grabs and no Official testing until February the teams head for a well-deserved break.

Singlemalt TV will be reporting on events during the off season and will follow the full Championship in 2010.

Brawn GP’s drivers, Jensen Button and Ruben Barrichello have placed third and fourth respectively as official results from the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix are in.

Sebastian Vettel finished first at Abu Dhabi, trailed by Red Bull teammate Mark Webber who took home a second place finish behind Vettel. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, who many had strong hopes for in today’s showing, was forced to retire middway through the race with car failure.

Check back later on for pictures and further info from today’s race.

Some specatacular shots of the boys in action during qualifying in Abu Dhabi earlier today. Spectacular lighting on track playing against the sunset with the sky illuminated with pinks and blues.

Jenson had some small vibration issues with the car once the car was on race fuel load with the smooth track emphasizing the vibration through the steering wheel and causing some understeer.

All feel the problems will be resolved by race start tomorrow and look forward to a good battle with the guys in front.

Photos: Brawn GP

Jenson Button in action

Brawn drivers Rubens Barichello and Jenson Button claimed 4th and 5th positions on the grid respectively for the start of tomorrow’s inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

In a qualifying sessions that saw the Ferrari’s of Fisichella out in Q1 and Raikkonen out in Q2, Hamilton took a last minute pole at 1:40:948 bumping Vettel to 2nd and fellow Red Bull driver, Aussie Mark Webber to third.

Barichello clocked in at 1:41:786 and Button at 1:41:892.

Once again the new, purpose built Yas Marina cicuit played spectacular host to proceedings as the sun set, lights shone bright and multi million dollar yachts glistened around what has surely become the benchmark in modern Formula 1 racing circuits.

We will be back with some comments from the drivers later on.

The Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau debuted the second edition of their Urban Bourbon Trail Passport today. The UBT has expanded to include nine premiere Louisville restaurants, each revered for great food and a great bourbon selection!

Singlemalt TV crews filmed profiles of each of the nine restaurants including Bourbon’s Bistro, Proof on Main, Baxter Station, Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar and Lounge, The Old Seelbach Hotel Bar, Blu Italian Grille, Z’s Fusion, the Brown Hotel Bar and the Maker’s Mark Bourbon House and Lounge.

Check out our segments from Proof on Main and Baxter Station.We’ll have the rest online shortly!

Curious about the UBT? Hear the Trail explained by Stacey Yates VP or Tourism Marketing at the CVB HERE. Here’s an excerpt from their press release sent this afternoon, which explains the UBT concept:

…Open to all residents and visitors age 21 and older, the Urban Bourbon Trail Passport program allows individuals to collect unique stamps from each of the nine participating stops and be rewarded with a special gift. New with this passport printing is a tiered prize system. Participants are encouraged to take their time enjoying Bourbon responsibly. The pace is entirely up to the participant as there is no time frame for completing the Passport. Those who visit all nine locations receive a t-shirt and a premium prize making them a “Trail Master,” while anyone who visits at least four locations will receive the t-shirt and be deemed a “Trail Blazer.”

Within the 60-page Passport, each location is identified on a map with its address and a short description, along with space for notes and the stamp. The booklet also includes instructions on how to use the Passport, and pointers on how to taste bourbon like an expert. The “Just a Step off the Trail” section describes additional attractions, stores and restaurants where bourbon culture is celebrated. There is also a map and guide to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries.

Passports can be picked up at any of the stops on the Urban Bourbon Trail or at the Louisville Visitors Center, located at 301 S. Fourth Street. Visitors at the Center can explore an introductory exhibit of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and purchase Bourbon Country merchandise, including the popular “Just Add Bourbon” line. For more information about planning a vacation to Louisville…The Gateway to Bourbon Country and the Urban Bourbon Trail visit www.JustAddBourbon.com.

The new UBT Passport.

After two practices at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi today drivers will prepare for a third practice and a qualifying round tomorrow.

Brawn GP driver Jensen Button came in second in the first Friday practice session today, which commenced at 7:30 am local time,  Button’s time was 1:44.035. He came in third in latter Friday practice session, with a time of 1:41.541.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton came in ahead of Button in the first practice, and McLaren drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Hamilton came in first and second respectively in the second Friday practice.