GUEST: John Pawluk (Twisted Cow Distillery Founder and Distiller)

Some distillers master tradition. Others ask why the tradition exists in the first place. In this episode, Drew Hannush sits down with Twisted Cow founder and distiller John Pawluk, whose gift of curiosity has led him to challenge long-held assumptions about fermentation, copper, grain, barrel aging, and flavor development. There is plenty of discussion around one of John's favorite tools for stretching his abilities-the iStill. Enjoy this return to long-form discussions about why and how whiskey is made. It's a fascinating look inside the mind of a whiskey maker who refuses to accept "because that's how it's always been done."

In This Episode

• Why curiosity drives better whiskey
• Building flavor before the barrel
• Rethinking copper's role
• The science of fermentation
• Why grain origin matters
• Stone mills versus hammer mills
• Barrel proof and flavor evolution
• Learning from tradition, not following it
• Experimenting with blue corn and heirloom grains
• Creating a distillery built for discovery

TRANSCRIPTS: whiskeylore.org/interviews
JOIN THE SPEAKEASY: patreon.com/whiskeylore

Long before Bourbon became synonymous with Bardstown and Frankfort, Lawrenceburg was home to a network of distillers whose names helped shape the industry itself. Families like the Ripys, Hawkins, Bonds, McBrayers, and Dowlings built businesses, mentored one another, and left a legacy that still echoes across Kentucky whiskey today. In this episode, Drew Hannush talks with filmmaker Bo Cumberland and Stone Fences Tours co-founder Jerry Daniels about their new documentary, Spirits of Lawrenceburg: A Bourbon Legacy Forged Through Time, and why one of Bourbon's most influential communities deserves to be remembered.

• Why Lawrenceburg became one of the cradles of Bourbon
• The forgotten names behind familiar brands
• Old Joe Peyton and the rise of Old Joe Distillery
• How distilling families became intertwined
• Why the Ripys reached far beyond Wild Turkey
• Lost distilleries hidden beneath modern landscapes
• Oral tradition and the challenge of preserving history
• How a documentary brings vanished places back to life
• Why Lawrenceburg still matters to Bourbon today

Find show notes and transcripts at whiskeylore.org/interviews

Drew Hannush heads to Florida's Treasure Coast for a virtual visit to Indian River Distillery in Vero Beach. Founded by Ray Hooker and his family, the distillery combines Florida history with a passion for rum, bourbon, gin, and American single malt. Along the way, Ray shares stories of pirates, the infamous Ashley Gang, and the unique challenges of making whiskey in a subtropical climate.

• Visiting Indian River Distillery in Vero Beach, Florida
• The Treasure Coast Spirits Festival
• Building a family-owned distillery from the ground up
• Florida whiskey and tropical maturation
• Malted wheat bourbon and American single malt production
• The story of the Ashley Gang and Florida's outlaw history
• Pirates, treasure ships, and legends of the Treasure Coast
• Things to see and experience around Vero Beach

My three reasons to visit

📍 Indian River Distillery
Vero Beach, Florida

Travel maps, distillery information, and trip-planning tools for more than 1,000 whiskey destinations can be found at WhiskeyLore.org/flights.