Last Call Whisky Podcast

American single malt, cross-border whisky chaos, and three Scotch whiskies worth talking about. Welcome to Season 2, Episode 3 of the Last Call Whisky Podcast! 🥃🎙️

Our dear friend Ryan Negley joins Jeremy, Travis, and Sean from Denver for a conversation about his journey through the whisky industry—from bartending and building a whisky club to blending at Boulder Spirits and launching his own venture, Will Whiskey for Work.

We get into the rise of American single malt, the craft distilling scene, what goes into a great blend, and the challenges facing whisky producers on both sides of the Canada–U.S. border. There are also a few festival stories that probably explain why we get along so well.

IN OUR GLASSES 🥃

• Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2014
• Our very own Last Call Whisky Podcast Benromach single cask
• Ledaig 2012 Bordeaux red wine cask

From barley and distillery character to peat, fruit, and wine casks, we work through the lineup and share our honest thoughts—with an entirely reasonable amount of bias toward the bottle with our name on it.

ALSO IN THIS EPISODE 🎙️

• Ryan’s memories of Boulder’s Trailhead, 10 Essentials, and Leave No Trace
• Finding confidence as a blender and building a business after Boulder
• Bourbon, American single malt, and changing drinking habits
• Happy Hour Headlines and our plans for the Victoria Whisky Festival
• A whisky club shoutout to the McMurray Malt Maniacs
• Tasting kits, whisky advent calendars, and making your own countdown to Christmas

Join the conversation in the comments: which American single malt should more people be paying attention to?

Subscribe for more whisky conversations, reviews, and questionable pronunciations. You can also listen to Last Call Whisky Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Good whisky. Good company. The usual nonsense.

Cheers!
Jeremy, Travis, and Sean

#LastCallWhiskyPodcast #WhiskyPodcast #AmericanSingleMalt #ScotchWhisky #whiskycommunity 

CHAPTERS 🥃

0:00 Welcome & Tonight’s Whisky Lineup
4:08 Cask Me Anything - Ryan Negley Joins the Show
1:28:18 Happy Hour Headlines
1:58:14 Pull the Bung: Whisky Reviews
2:47:28 Upcoming Whisky Events
2:54:59 Whisky Club Shoutout: McMurray Malt Maniacs
2:59:43 Tasting Kits & Whisky Advent Calendars
3:10:41 The Parting Glass

We had questions about Macaloney’s rebrand. So we invited their CEO to pull up a chair and answer them.

In Episode 12 of Last Call Whisky Podcast, Jeremy, Travis, and Sean sit down with Margaret Rygiel, CEO of Macaloney’s Distillery, for an honest conversation about the changes getting the whisky community talking.

Margaret shares her journey into Canadian whisky, the financial challenges behind the rebrand, and the thinking behind names like Bang Sauce and Buzz Cut. We discuss tradition, transparency, reaching new whisky drinkers, and the questions surrounding honey-seasoned casks and single malt labelling. It’s a chance to hear her perspective, challenge our assumptions, and talk about where Macaloney’s goes next.

Then we get into three very different drams:

🥃 Old Particular Jura 14 — Can an independent bottling change the minds of three guys who’ve given Jura plenty of grief?

🥃 Torabhaig Allt Cnoc Na Moine — Maritime peat, medicinal notes, and a debate about what makes a bottle worth buying.

🥃 Laphroaig Cairdeas 2026 French Oak — A big reputation to live up to after last year’s release. Does this one deliver?

Happy Hour Headlines brings a personal announcement from Travis about PWS Imports, plus distillery news, new releases, and more whisky packaging debates. We also raise a glass to the Three Amigos Whisky Club of Cornwall and Ottawa and catch up on community events.

Thanks to Whisky Drop for supplying our tasting samples and helping you taste along with the podcast.

Pour yourself a dram, settle in, and join the conversation. Has your opinion of Macaloney’s rebrand changed? Which of this episode’s three bottles would you reach for?

Subscribe for more whisky tastings, candid interviews, and questionable pronunciation.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
7:20 Cask Me Anything — Margaret Rygiel, CEO of Macaloney’s Distillery
1:46:16 Happy Hour Headlines
2:16:33 Pull the Bung
2:53:41 Whisky Club Shoutout
3:03:53 The Parting Glass

Welcome back to the Last Call Whisky Podcast for Season 2!

After taking the summer off - we are back in action this fall and kicking things off with a BLIND WHISKY EPISODE!

Travis, Sean, and Jeremy each picked a whisky from WhiskyDrop Canada without knowing what the others have picked... and we go through them blind together. 

We are also back to our normal shenanigans with some Happy Hour Headlines to keep you informed, as well as possibly a Grind My Malt section where we chat about something that's been.... bugging us. (And you possibly?)

Welcome to Season 2. We're happy that you're here, and we're excited to be back!

Cheers,
Jeremy, Sean, and Travis

**Please note:
This episode includes discussion of public commentary surrounding Macaloney’s Distillery’s recent rebrand and leadership changes. The conversation contains the hosts’ opinions and interpretations, along with references to industry rumours and online discussion that have not been independently verified and should not be understood as established fact.

Macaloney’s CEO Margaret Rygiel will join us on our next episode to share her perspective, respond to the conversation, and discuss the direction of the distillery.

In this episode we dip into three Canadian whiskies! Yep, that's right. 
Picking whiskies for our Bourbon and Canadian episodes proved to be a bit difficult, but we did end up with three crackers for Canada Day. 
In this episode we also are joined by our friend Gurpreet for our Cask Me Anything segment - Master Distiller at Anohka distillery in Alberta. Whenever we chat with him, his passion shines through. (And he happens to be making some pretty incredible spirit/whisky over at Anohka too...)
So sit back, relax, and we hope you enjoy this episode! Happy Canada Day!

In this episode we dive into a bit of controversial topic here in Canada... Bourbon. We talk with our friend Ray Daniel, a multi-award winning whiskey ambassador that represented Beam's bourbon lineup. 

So buckle up as we try three 'boutique' bourbons, talk about that industry, and have some fun along the way. 

Curious to hear your thoughts on this topic as the episode launches!

Cheers,
Trav, Sean, and Jeremy