Ep. 63: Whiskey Del Bac with Stephen Paul and Mark Vierthaler

Our first ever episode from Arizona! 

I'm joined by Whiskey Del Bac Founder Stephen Paul and Head Distiller Mark Vierthaler to walk through the Whiskey Del Bac Classic, the Whiskey Del Bac Dorado, and how they're making American Single Malt in the not-so-dry desert on a spaceship malting apparatus. 

Stephen comes from a carpentry background - having joined the "nub club" - and saw the beauty of mesquite wood. Like their counterpart in New Mexico, Stephen and Whiskey Del Bac decided to incorporate that delicious smoke into their single malt (the Dorado), but not the classic, which was a single malt to be left unpeated.

Mark comes from both Boot Hill and 10th Ward Distilleries, two places where he had to wear many hats - but at Whiskey Del Bac...let's be honest, he's still wearing many hats. But he's enjoying it just as much, and has wide range to experiment with finishes and barrels as much as he likes, as long as it's single malt!

They're in a desert that has not one but two rainy seasons, use a still with no reflux component, and age in quarter casks - and their whiskey is excellent. On its own, smoked or unsmoked, even in Borrowed Page Volume #1 from American Mash & Grain, Whiskey Del Bac makes an impact. 

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Before we jump into the interview just a few quick notes:

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Thanks for reading! Now here’s Mark Vierthaler and Stephen Paul, Head Distiller and Founder, respectively, of Whiskey Del Bac. 

Whiskey Del Bac

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Whiskey Del Bac Reviews

• Whiskey Del Bac Classic Review
• Whiskey Del Bac Dorado Review (Coming soon!)

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