Very few people start collecting things on purpose. You start by grabbing one thing that catches your attention and then another. Soon, you have to start thinking about buying dedicated shelving, if not buying a whole new house.

On this episode, we talk with Linas Ruksenas, the man behind the social media handle @JackDanielsLibrary, about what kickstarted his Jack Daniel’s collecting habit, about how he sources all those wonderful bottles displayed on his Instagram feed, and about how he finally brought his spouse around to the idea of devoting their living room to the artful display of items that emerged from Around the Barrel.

Working with a spirit of innovation involves a constant process of unlearning and relearning. You want to refine what has worked in the past and trim away what is not needed within your new process. When you lay that new template over the business of whiskey production, you also have to factor in the idea of “hurry up and wait” before you can make more changes and move a new product into its final form.

On this episode, we talk once again with Master Distiller Chris Fletcher about the brand-new global travel retail (GTR) product American Single Malt finished in Oloroso sherry casks, about how the word “single” doesn’t always correlate with the word “simple,” and about how this new endeavor just might bring about a new set of frequently asked questions, Around the Barrel. 

It's been said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. To develop an understanding of the genius of the spirits space, you’ve got to factor in distillation, fermentation and maybe a little repetition too. On this episode we talk with San Diego-based whiskey influencer Sarah Jeltema, the woman behind the social media handle @whiskynomad, about how asking the right questions of bartenders and distillers spawned her current pursuits, about how the idea of service through spirits has made an impact on the world of first responders and about how sharing the science can enhance the enjoyment of sitting and sipping Around the Barrel.