We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike Outcalt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, what are you inspired by?
Whiskey and spirits have always been a passion of mine – ever since I first discovered Jameson up at Colorado State University, but the All Things Whiskey Podcast was the brainchild of my now fiancée Rose. She is a huge fan of Dax Shepard’s podcast Armchair Expert. After our friend (soon to be co-host) Devin returned from a work trip with a couple of bags full of Japanese whisky we sat down to enjoy them and found ourselves talking about each expression endlessly. That’s when Rose had the idea that we could create our own whiskey podcast. Then we listened to several whiskey podcasts on a long drive from Denver Colorado to Flagstaff Arizona and strangely enough they hardly talked about whiskey. One of the shows talked mostly about golf and daylight savings time, but barely mentioned whiskey. This is where we saw the opportunity to turn our passion for spirits into a podcast that is focused on whiskey from around the world, the community, giving back through charity, and whiskey giveaways. Eventually we got involved in the thrilling world of competitive whiskey tasting and I applied for then competed two years in a row in Bardstown Bourbon Company’s World’s Top Whiskey Taster. In 2021 I won the entire competition and took home the grand prize of $20,000 cash, the title of “World’s Top Whiskey Taster”, I made my own blended whiskey at their distillery with Bourbon legend Steve Nally (Bardstown’s Master Distillery), an all expenses paid Bourbon Stewardship from Moonshine University, and we will be throwing a block part later this year. Of course I couldn’t have done any of this without my Fiancé who was my rock and coach during that time and our co-host who enjoyed countless whiskies with us long before we ever started competing. Winning the grand prize allowed us to continue to grow the business and reinvest in all the things we love to do on the podcast. We never take ourselves too seriously on the show and love explore whiskies from around the world in pursuit of the next great pour. Cheers!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Our art is tasting whiskey and we love to enjoy a few pours and record our episodes. Whiskey tasting can be a challenge and I think there’s a skill that we’ve developed to identify certain smells, flavors, and a rating scale to help people find the next great whiskey. On the show we either operate in one or two formats: lineups or interviews. In lineups we select (usually 3 whiskies) with a common theme and put them to the test while we judge their nose, palate, and finish. In interviews we explore brands and chat with industry guests. The show is a deep dive into world whiskies ranging from Bourbon, Rye, American, Scotch, Irish, and Japanese whiskies. Regardless of what we’re doing on the show we like to have a good time while we record because making the show was a passion project since day one and it continues to be now. We never take ourselves too seriously so we like to crack jokes, make puns, tell fun stories, and of course dive deep into the whiskey. Part of running the show includes the building the community, giving back, and donating to charities. We love to share whiskey and we believe the the best whiskies are shared with friends. As a part of that we frequently host whiskey giveaways through Instagram. We’ve given away some great bottles like Blanton’s, Weller 12, EH Taylor, and shared many samples with our followers. Additionally we’ve raffled off hard to get bottles for good causes. For example we raised $550 for the Parker Beam Promise of Hope Foundation (Kentucky ALS) by raffling off a bottle of Parker’s Heritage Heavy Char Rye. In January of 2021 I was part of a YouTube fundraiser with The Average Drinker, ADHD Whiskey, and Livewire Whiskey to raise money for families in Colorado that were impacted by the Marshall Fire. Together we raised over $22,000. Social Media remains a big part of the art too. I switch from my phone to a nice Nikon Camera (hoping to upgrade again soon) and take 6k x 4k pixel pictures that I then share. I find great satisfaction in taking the perfect whiskey photo.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’ve got a world class home bar so cocktails and neat pours are on the agenda!

The perfect week depends on the person, but you can find us walking or cycling on the Cherry Creek trail, paddle boarding at Aurora Reservoir, grabbing the best Mexican food in town at Los Dos Portrillos, playing Volleyball at Wash Park, camping, and spending time with our friends.

If you’re looking for a fun night downtown Arvada just north of us is a great spot to visit. The Stockroom Speakeasy (attached to Spirits Wine Provisions) is a must see.

Want a nice meal? We’re huge fans of Seasons 52 in Park Meadows.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My fiancé Rose. She came up with the idea to start the podcast and she produces it too! I always like to say that she takes our incoherent drunken rambling and turns it into easy to listen to consumable episodes! She was also my rock and coach during the whiskey tasting competitions.

Our Co-Host Devin deserves a nice shoutout as well since there wouldn’t be a show without him! He’s got a great palate and loves to explore whiskies from around the world. More so he’s the lead singer in a local band so he has a great voice for podcasting and perfect comedic timing.

Bardstown Bourbon Company is just the best! Everyone that there treats you like family and they show you unrivaled hospitality when you visit their distillery in Bardstown Kentucky.

Argonaut Liquor, Philnor Liquor, Mile High Spirits, Highlands WineSeller, and Spirits Wine Provisions have all been big supporters of the show so a big thank you to them!

Website: https://www.allthingswhiskeypodcast.com/

Instagram: @allthingswhiskeypodcast

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-outcalt-5a9a2445/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allthingswhiskeypodcast

Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/1YQwqf6TM1I4A5FqdSoRoJ?si=70e10e5437dc4216

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