Ep. 26 - 7/8/26 - Allisa Henley - AJ Bond Distillery - Building the Castle / Playing the Long Game

In Episode 26 of Whisky & Smoke News Network, host Chris Kumnick delivers the latest whisky, bourbon, cigar, pipe, and pipe tobacco news, plus an in-depth “Pop the Cork” interview with Allisa Henley, Master Distiller at AJ Bond Tennessee Distillery in La Vergne, Tennessee. This episode covers major whiskey and spirits headlines including Sazerac’s $20 million purchase of the former Garrard County Distilling property, proposed Irish whiskey GI rule changes, Bulleit 20-Year-Old Straight Rye, Bacardi’s full acquisition of Teeling Whiskey, Edrington’s Scotch whisky sales decline, the bipartisan SPIRIT Act for craft distillers, America’s 250th anniversary whiskey releases, Kavalan Solist Madeira Cask, Ian Macleod production cuts, The Singleton packaging redesign, and Buffalo Trace’s Prohibition Collection. In premium cigar news, Chris highlights the passing of Drew Estate CEO Glenn Wolfson, new releases from Punch Cigars, Montecristo, My Father Cigars, ADV & McKay, Micallef, Wildfire, Bunny Droppings, Ceniza Fina, Principle Cigars, RoMa Craft Tobac, AGANORSA Leaf, and Hiram & Solomon, along with upcoming whisky, cigar, and pipe events. The episode closes with a detailed WNSNN pairing review of Eagle Rare 10-Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon and the Eagle Rare Special Release #5 Batch 22-E2-21F Toro, making this a must-watch for fans of bourbon news, Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, craft distilling, premium cigars, cigar reviews, whiskey pairings, and the latest releases across the whisky and smoke industries. Social Media Links Whisky & Smoke News Network Instagram - / whiskynsmokenn Facebook - / whiskynsmoke Please subscribe, ring the bell, like, and comment below!!