Show De Vie Podcast W/mike G

As our previous lives trickle into the new reality post shut-down, what have we learned? Robert Björn Taylor is taking his learnings in stride. As one of the most formidable forces in Texas cocktails, his background as a creative gives him boundless tools. But what happens when life moves too quickly, and the vices around us push us into a darker place? For some it leads to self destructive art, and for others like Björn, it leads to a chapter of sobriety and freedom. We chat Hitchcock, BLM, emo music, and more.....

I always applaud transparency and creativity in spirits. And in the world of Scotch, sometimes a different approach is the breath of fresh air we all need. This is Compass Box. James Saxon, assistant whisky blender at Compass Box, has an interesting background and introduction into blending. As a literature student, he quite literally looked for alcoholic references in books and translated how that reflected a characters significance. Compass Box has recently created new packaging and new blends for their flagship Artist's Blend and Glasgow Blend. But why 2 blends, why 2 cities? James tells all as we sip through the 2 delicious marks. We chat colors, season, and the Compass Box way.

Juan Coronado has an exceptional resume of pursuits from behind and beyond the bar. With travels all the over world imparting creative cocktail expertise, and sharing that certain something over 25 years in the hospitality industry can provide, one could call Juan "accomplished". But as it happens with truly brilliant people, there is always a new frontier. Juan's creation Mijenta Tequila combines his years of spirits expertise with his love of Mexico. We chat DJ'ing, daq's, history, and more.

Roberto Contreras Jr is a 5th generation distiller in Sonora, MX. His family's legacy is capture in every beautiful bottle of Rancho Tepúa. With his new Vinatero series, Roberto captures even more nuance of the ranch with a beautiful Lechuguilla and Palmilla. His mix of rancher and academic balance perfectly pair to spread the beauty of Bacanora in the states. We chat Deftones, wrestling, education, and facing our age.

Read Spear is a determined, ambitious, and insightful business person. His thirst for ideas and bringing his projects to fruition are imbibed with great passion. So when he started to delve into the world of agave, it was just a matter of time until he'd bring some of the most amazing spirits into the US. His brand, Cuentacuentos Mezcal, is just NOW hitting Texas in a big way. The delicious marks demonstrate Read's commitment to wonderful flavor and quality. Back in January of 2019 we sat down and chatted about this journey and so much more, but the story is more relevant than ever.

Ranch20 founder Amerlia Lettieri learned entrepreneurialism from a hard working, and accounting-minded mother. When Amelia added her drive, a degree, and a fearlessness to make a dream a reality, she arrived at her delicious Ranch20 canned cocktails. Starting with the Ranch Water cocktail, a Texas treasure with tequila, lime, and soda, Amelia committed to using actual spirits in production. The difference in taste is incredibly apparent. We talk about funding, family, and fear. Raise your Ranch Water in the air on 4/11 to celebrate National Ranch Water day.

The evolution and growth of Texas Whiskey has been catapulted by Balcones Distilling. And although the whiskey can at times be polarizing, understanding why it is the way it is, is ultimately an incredible tale. To think of Jared Himstedt as JUST a master distiller, would be a disservice to his pensive and philosophical lens about the world around us. We talk punk rock, what nature tells us, and how death is handled differently by everyone.

Sal Chavez has adapted beautifully to shut down. Despite all of the challenges in launching a brand during COVID, he finds a way to bring his Michoacán Mezcal, La Luna, to the lips of many. It's no wonder that he continues to bring amazing products to the hospitality industry because he grew up in it. We chat basketball, music, and returning to your roots.

Jesse Hubbard has been a cocktail slinging, ex-moshing, creator for his entire life, but like many, has really dove into his passions during shutdown. With a background in radio, production, and bartending, where does the passion go when you can't be behind the bar? Back to the roots......Punk Rock. Pairing punk rock with cocktails seems like a no-brainer, but Jesse finally articulated it with his new book Punk Rock and Cocktails, where he pays homage to his roots and nods to his future. We chat New Jersey, KROQ, pit camaraderie, and more.

Ryan Perry is the master blender for Heaven's Door whiskey. The collaborative project with Bob Dylan is one of many in Ryan's career. With his sights set on big city opportunity as a kid living in rural Michigan, the goals kept getting bigger, and the achievements more vast. We chat being present, retirement (or lack thereof), and blending whiskey with your sense of smell.

Ismael Gomez, founder of Laika Spirits, has brought some of the rarest and delicious spirits into the States. From a love of Sotol with Flor Del Desierto, Cruz de Fuego Mezcal, or Tuxca with Balancan, his affinity for the esoteric and seemingly unattainable flavors allow us to taste them en masse. But what makes this expanding catalog of spirits function, how have things changed in shutdown, and will Ismael every stop and lounge on a beach someday? We chat, GDL, college, laws, and fear.

Casa Lumbre's Cesar Sandoval has achieved a lot in a little time because of one key personality characteristic: transparency. Ask him whatever, he's an open book of knowledge, compassion, and drum fills. His latest chapter with Abasolo Mexican Whiskey and Nixta Licor de Elote bring him into the fields of corn running throughout Mexico. With a little bit of shaking and a little bit of stirring, corn can change everything. We chat microphones, self reflection, and Cacahuazintle.

Khrys Maxwell is well known in the agave world. His dedication to production transparency, science, and digging into the details is bar none. But many people don't realize his dedication to music and education help fuel his passions. How's shutdown life? And where do you go when you're paving your own road? We chat KISS, teaching, love, and loss.

Jorge Gaviria has devoted years to understanding the culture, the people, and the logistics around corn production. The resulting project, Masienda, is now the industry leader in providing quality masa, heirloom corn, and tortilla cooking accessories. The journey to this amazing project is steeped in deep analysis, introspection, and travel. What started as a moment of translation, turned into a massive corn movement. We chat mezcal, NYU, civil unrest, and how we learn.

Red Parker is one of the founders of El Buho Mezcal, a truly accessible spirit and the result of an intimate relationship with the Jimenez Mendez family in Matatlán. Red is a brilliant guitar player, and his love of creativity has drawn him to entrepreneurialism, music, and of course.....mezcal. We chat Nirvana, community, and learning things over again.

Gabriel Gilberto Velazquez Zazueta is a Renaissance man of design. Whether it's designing the beautiful items for Tuyo  or co-hosting the agave-centric podcast Hey Hey Agave, he has his mind on design. After studying design in CDMX, an amazing opportunity brought him to the US and a whole new life began. Most recently Gabriel has joined the team at El Buho Mezcal. We chat about citizenship, love, creativity, and territorialism.

Back on September 19th 2019, when things were a little different, I had the opportunity to sit down with the amazing Silvia Philion, founder of Mezcaloteca. This beautiful and quaint Mezcaleria in Oaxaca Centro reminds me of a past life, a former glory, and many other emotions that are almost overwhelming. But in the midst of this feeling today, Sylvia's story is an incredible one, and I hope you enjoy the return of the podcast with thoughts of sipping beautiful Mezcal together again. We chat advertising, scalability, and the universe.

The world of whiskey has been forever changed by Compass Box, but the brand is knocked into the stratosphere by folks like Kerrin Egalka. Good with numbers, cats, cocktails, and conversation, we chat about this interesting time and her recent experiences in Houston on lockdown. Listen for some Black Sabbath, Pickles, Nintendo, and whiskey chat.

The world of whiskey wages on even despite the world seemingly being at a halt. In this week's chat, I sit down with one of the world's favorite whiskey men, Adam Harris. As he sits and sips some Booker's 25th Anniversary Bourbon in Houston, we ponder life, film, and what we can do to think about one's self in these times. We chat QT, Brad Pitt, Squirrels, and more.

The Covid19 world is new and different. So I'm taking the time out, in reverence to Social Distancing, to do some remote chats on Instagram Live. This is the first of many with my good friend Antonio Matta. He's a great bartender, and manager with an astute interest in all things agave. We chat Metal, horror, and more.