This is Kentucky Derby week in Louisville, and that makes it a perfectly good time to focus on bourbon. We'll hear from Ron Givens, author of the new book "Bourbon at its Best." Ron's book covers everything from bourbon history to travel tips and cocktail recipes. One of the recipes is for the Seelbach Cocktail, named for the legendary Old Seelbach Bar at the Seelbach Hilton in Louisville. Jerry Slater tells us about the Old Seelbach's century of history with bourbon.

Running a distillery is a tough job...but Ian MacMillan runs three. Oh, he serves as the master blender, too. Ian's in charge of Burn Stewart's three distilleries: Bunnahabhain, Deanston, and Tobermory...and he is also responsible for the Black Bottle blended Scotch. Ian tells us about his 36 years in the whisky business in this episode. In the news, a major -- and unexpected -- change at Maker's Mark, as Kevin Smith replaces Dave Pickerell as master distiller. We'll also have the World Whisky Awards winners, the new 40-year-old Highland Park, and much more...

Time for a road trip...this time to the spiritual home of Bourbon...Kentucky. This week's episode comes from DeSha's Restaurant and Bar in Lexington, which tied for top honors as Best Whisky Bar in the World in Whisky Magazine's recent Icons of Whisky Awards. It's about an hour away from another Icon award winner...the Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto, which was named Best Visitor Attraction by Whisky Magazine. Assistant Master Distiller Kevin Smith and Rob Samuels, grandson of Maker's Mark founder William Samuels Sr. will guide us through the distillery and its new visitors center.

It's been a busy week for whisky festivals from coast to coast in the US, with events in San Francisco, New York, and Chicago. In this episode, we'll get some of the highlights from Whisky Live New York. Ronnie Cox of The Glenrothes talks about a rare 1975 vintage, Duncan Taylor's Euan Shand updates us on his construction plans for a new distillery and a new website offering cask whisky purchases, new selections from Scott's Selection, and wider US distribution for The Singleton of Glendullan.