Barrel Tasting w/ Howard Fletcher Howard Fletcher | Journalist | Podcaster

Welcome to the first episode of Barrel Tasting with Howard Fletcher. Join Howard as he goes to Frederick, Maryland, to meet Braeden Bumpers, one of the founders of McClintock Distilling. If you want to know how a vapor infused gin is made and how a Maryland-style rye whiskey tastes like, you better stay tuned cause you’re in for a treat!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

● The beginning of McClintock Distilling and their journey to becoming the first and only certified organic distillery in Maryland.

● Who is McClintock Young, and why is McClintock Distilling named after him?

● Rye whiskey is a growing spirit category, and Maryland is at its forefront.

● How gin is made and the distinct process of making vapor infused gin.

● How distillery owners adapt to the changes brought by COVID-19.

● And more!



About McClintock Distilling:

Craft Distillery in the heart of downtown Frederick. Offering tours and tastings, as well as event hosting opportunities. Bottles and merchandise available for purchase on-site.

You can find McClintock Distilling on:

● Website - http://www.mcclintockdistilling.com/

● Email - Info@mcclintockdistilling.com

● Facebook - facebook.com/McClintockDistilling

● Twitter - twitter.com/DrinkMcClintock

● Instagram - instagram.com/mcclintockdistilling

You can find Barrel Tasting with Howard Fletcher on:

● Website: https://barreltastingpod.com/

● Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarrelTastingPod

● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barreltastingpod

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fletchDC

Join Howard as he goes back to Frederick, Maryland, to meet Mark Vierthaler, Head Distiller at Tenth Ward Distilling Company. They’re going to talk about the emerging craft distilling industry in Maryland and their mission to ward off the ordinary with their unique but high-quality bottled spirits. If you want to know more about Maryland’s first Absinthe, you better stick around!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

● Why is Genever considered the grandfather of modern gin?

● Caraway Rye spirit’s distinct and divisive taste; either you’ll love it, or you’ll hate it!

● The truth about Absinthe, and the “holy trinity” behind it.

● Treating their customers with one-off releases - Pawpaw-infused spirit, anyone?

● Why American whiskey has a more aggressive taste than European whiskey?

● Giving craft spirits a chance; Just because it's local doesn't mean it's terrible.

● And more!

About Tenth Ward Distilling Company:

We are Tenth Ward Distilling Company. We are proud to be woman-owned. We are located in what used to be the Tenth Ward of Frederick City. Specializing in a variety of year-round spirits, we take claim to producing Maryland’s first absinthe (heck yes, it’s real absinthe), and have a passion for developing small-batch, one-time-only limited releases. Everything we make is non-traditional and unconventional, which is why we live fearlessly by our slogan – #wardoffordinary.

You can find Tenth Ward Distilling Company on:

● Website - https://www.tenthwarddistilling.com/

● Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tenthwardco/

● Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/tenthwardco

● Instagram - http://instagram.com/tenthwardco



You can find Barrel Tasting with Howard Fletcher on:

● Website: https://barreltastingpod.com/

● Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarrelTastingPod

● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barreltastingpod

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fletchDC

Join Howard as he makes a little trip down to Virginia wine country, to the town of Leesburg, to meet Bill Hatch of Zephaniah Farm Vineyard, a place that Travel and Leisure magazine named as one of its top 25 wineries in the United States in 2018. They’re going to talk about Zephaniah Farm Vineyard’s rich history and how they were able to transform their dairy farm into a thriving vineyard that sells some of the best wines in the country.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

● The story behind Zephaniah Farm Vineyard. From dairy farming to wine growing!

● The wins and challenges of growing grapes in Virginia’s climate.

● What grape varieties grow best in the area?

● Understanding Virginia wine and its difference from California wine varieties

● Why you should focus on making the wine first before doing the business

● And more!

About Zephaniah Farm Vineyard:

Zephaniah is a Loudoun County farm winery proud of handcrafting fine wines from the grapes we grow on the family farm. It is a family winery on a third-generation family farm. The winery is named after our great- grandfather Zephaniah.

Our wine is carefully crafted by Bill and Tremain Hatch, a father and son team. Bill and Tremain grow our grapes. Their attentive, earth-friendly farming practices - and the great Loudoun land- produce wonderful grapes.

Our tasting room is distinctively located in our family home, built-in 1830, and filled with antiques. We sell Zephaniah wine only in our tasting room, open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5:30 pm.

You can find Zephaniah Farm Vineyard on:

● Website - https://zephwine.com/

● Email - Info@zephwine.com

● Facebook - facebook.com/Zephaniah-Farm-Vineyard-101605249898855

● Instagram - instagram.com/zephwine/



You can find Barrel Tasting with Howard Fletcher on:

● Website: https://barreltastingpod.com/

● Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarrelTastingPod

● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barreltastingpod

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fletchDC

Join Howard Fletcher in Silver Spring, Maryland, with Christian Layke, the Co-owner, CEO, and Master Brewer of the Silver Branch Brewing Company. They talk all about the company’s amazing services, using various brewing styles of other countries in making their products. They serve different kinds of beer, wine, cocktails, and coffee! And as they like to say, “Silver Branch’s beers will be multi-dimensional so that the last sip of your last beer is as pleasing as the first sip of your first beer.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:
• How Christian fell in love with the process of making beer that eventually turned into his career.
• Recapturing cultural experiences and using those different styles in the recipe.
• Describing the taste and brewing styles of Asian beer.
• All about the pilsners and the balanced beers of Central Europe.
• Emerald Castle, a green lager made by the Silver Branch Company.
• What are the Silver Branch Brewing flagship beers?
• And more!
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About Silver Branch Brewing:
Silver Branch Brewing Company is a production brewery and taproom located in the heart of Downtown Silver Spring immediately adjacent to the Silver Spring red line metro stop. Silver Branch was founded by Christian Layke and Brett A. Robison in January 2017. As long-time beer lovers with an appreciation for the four major brewing cultures, they will brew and serve excellent beer inspired by European and American beer traditions. Silver Branch’s beers will be multi-dimensional so that the last sip of your last beer is as pleasing as the first sip of your first beer. We look forward to welcoming you into our taproom fall of 2018.
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You can find Christian Layke and Silver Branch Brewing on:
• Website: https://www.silverbranchbrewing.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/silverbranchus/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silverbranchus
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/silverbranchus/
You can find Barrel Tasting with Howard Fletcher on:
• Website: https://barreltastingpod.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarrelTastingPod
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barreltastingpod
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/fletchDC

Join Howard Fletcher in Loudoun, Virginia with Scott Harris, one of the founders of the Catoctin Creek. Scott and his wife, Becky, started this business because of their love for winemaking. They are the first legal distillery in Loudoun County, Virginia since the prohibition. Catoctin Creek continuously produces and provides their customers the finest spirits in Virginia.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Transitioning from working in the telecommunications industry and the government to finally opening their business.
• The story of Scott’s light bulb moment that made him decide he wants to start his own distillery.
• He worked at a winery in the great state of Starkville, Mississippi.
• Why did they decide to move to Loudoun County, Virginia’s wine country, and start a distillery even when there were already 40 wineries there?
• George Washington's Distillery became the largest commercial distillery in the United States.
• And much more!
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About Scott Harris:

Scott graduated with honors from Georgia Tech. He spent the last twenty years building a software career in telecommunication systems and government IT solutions and traded it all in for the chance to own and run his own distillery. Liquors of all types are his greatest love (besides Becky, of course). Whiskeys from Scotland, Ireland, and the United States. Brandy from France and Germany. And eclectic German bitters called Boonekamp. "It's good for the digestive!" as his old German grandmother used to say.
~
You can find Catoctin Creek on:

• Website: https://catoctincreekdistilling.com/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catoctincreek/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catoctincreek/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/catoctincreek/

You can find Barrel Tasting with Howard Fletcher on:

• Website: https://barreltastingpod.com/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarrelTastingPod

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barreltastingpod

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/fletchDC

Join Howard Fletcher in Loudoun, Virginia, with Nate Walsh, the winegrower and one of the owners of Walsh Family Wine. In their company, Nate and his wife, Sarah, make a great team. They produce delicious, authentic Virginia premium wines. Learn more about their business, Nate’s experiences in the wine industry, and more. Enjoy the episode now!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How Nate got into the wine industry even though he didn’t know a lot about wine.
You can make very different things out of kind of the same starting point.
Before Nate was drinking wine at home, he was drinking at work!
His wife Sarah has been an incredible help in his journey and career.
He worked as a head winemaker at the Sunset Hills Vineyard.
And much more!
 ~

About Walsh Family Wine:

Nate Walsh is a career winegrower. Starting as a cellar rat at Horton Vineyards, in Central, Virginia, he went on to work in vineyards and wineries in the Willamette Valley and Central Otago before spending seven years as the winemaker and vineyard manager for Sunset Hills Vineyard, in Purcellville, Virginia, during a time of large expansion. During this time, he began searching for a site from which he knew one could create truly premium Virginia wine.

Sarah, conversely, comes from a background of fine dining, fine wine sales, and wine education. Beginning her career at restaurants in Chicago, Atlanta, and Northern Virginia, Sarah shifted into fine wine sales, working for a wholesaler/importer on the East Coast. She holds a Diploma from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust. 

Sarah and Nate met in 2012, married in 2013, and founded Walsh Family Wine in 2014. 

~

You can find Walsh Family Wine on:

• Website: https://www.walshfamilywine.com/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walshfamilywine/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/walshfamilywine/

You can find Barrel Tasting with Howard Fletcher on:

• Website: https://barreltastingpod.com/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarrelTastingPod

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barreltastingpod

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/fletchDC