It's time to announce the winners of the 2008 Malt Maniacs Awards, and Serge Valentin will join us with this year's selections from his home in France! In the news, the U.K. flip-flops on a whisky tax increase, we'll take a look at the upcoming 75th anniversary of the end of Prohibition on Friday, Auchentoshan releases a second cask of 50-year-old single malt, and Glenlivet celebrates Founder's Day this weekend.

Willie Tait has been a fixture at Whyte and Mackay for 34 years, and is most known for his work at Isle of Jura Distillery. He's the third of this year's Lifetime Achievement Award winners at the Malt Advocate Magazine Awards, and shares some of his stories with us in this episode...including how he and his family wound up on Jura in the first place. We'll also hear from Chris Morris of Woodford Reserve, John Hall of Forty Creek, and John Glaser of Compass Box on their new whiskies.

Malt Advocate Magazine handed out its annual awards at this week's WhiskyFest New York, and you'll hear from some of this year's winners in this episode, including Jim Rutledge of Distillery of the Year Winner Four Roses and two of the three Lifetime Achievement Award winners: Kenny Gray of Oban and veteran Buffalo Trace warehouse manager Ronnie Eddens (next time, we'll hear from Isle of Jura's Willie Tait). In the news, the latest on Springbank, The Macallan gets artsy, and Jeff Arnett's having a ball as the new master distiller at Jack Daniels.

Robert Hicks tried to retire a couple of years ago as the Master Blender at Teacher's, Laphroaig, and Ardmore...but he's busier than ever these days. 2009 will mark his 45th year in the whisky business, and he'll share his memories in this episode of WhiskyCast! In the news, Diageo taketh away from Canada and giveth to developing markets...new (old) whiskies from Glenglassaugh, the PC7 from Bruichladdich, and (ri)1 takes rye whiskey to the trend-setters...

We'll go inside the laboratory this time around, and our guides are the lead chemist at Buffalo Trace, Truman Cox, and one of the leaders of the distillery's tasting panel, Dendress Ennis. Buffalo Trace was just honored by Whisky Magazine as Innovator of the Year in the US round of its 2009 Icons of Whisky Awards, so these guys are the perfect guides to explain what happens behind the scenes. In the news, the rest of the Icons winners from the US and Scotland rounds, a new independent bottler from South Africa, and more new whiskies from all over the world!