WhiskyCast

What WhiskyCast does

WhiskyCast is a privately held whisky-focused media brand operated by CaskStrength Media from Haddonfield, New Jersey. Founded in 2005 by journalist Mark Gillespie, the company produces a weekly whisky podcast that, as of June 2026, had reached Episode 1,167 — making it one of the longest continuously running spirits podcasts in the market. The audience it serves is global whisky enthusiasts and, on the commercial side, the whisky brands and distilleries that sponsor and partner with the show. The product portfolio is anchored by the flagship weekly podcast and extends across a searchable tasting notes database (388+ pages of personally scored reviews on a custom 0-100 academic-style rubric), a long-form journalism section (109 pages of "Stories" covering industry M&A, tariffs, category trends, and distillery news), a curated global events calendar, a dedicated community portal with iOS and Android mobile apps, and a lifestyle/video sub-brand called "The Pub" covering cocktails and HD video content.

The underlying technology stack is conventional media infrastructure rather than a software platform: Libsyn-hosted RSS distribution feeds the major podcast platforms (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music); the website is WordPress-based with a custom tasting notes archive; the community runs on a separate portal with native mobile apps; and the events calendar offers Google, iCal, and Outlook subscription integration. The team is small (1-10 employees, with Mark Gillespie and Christina Philburn as named contributors) and the company is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding, parent company, or external shareholders. The intellectual property consists of the WhiskyCast brand, the proprietary tasting-notes scoring rubric, and copyright in the editorial photography and articles credited to CaskStrength Media.

WhiskyCast's business model is advertising- and sponsorship-driven on a freemium base. All editorial content — episodes, tasting notes, stories, the events calendar, and the community — is free to access, and no subscription tiers or paid memberships are disclosed. The primary commercial channel is homepage and episode-level placements for "Presenting Brand Partners" (Dewar's as the flagship, Glendalough Distillery as a second named partner), supplemented by potential indirect revenue from podcast advertising on third-party platforms. The go-to-market motion is community-led (the listener portal and mobile app extend podcast relationships into ongoing discussion), direct-to-consumer (owned site plus RSS and major podcast platforms), and event-driven (coverage of whisky festivals globally drives both audience and brand-partner credibility).

Name

WhiskyCast

Legal name

CaskStrength Media

Website

https://whiskycast.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WhiskyCast is a privately held whisky media brand operated by CaskStrength Media from Haddonfield, New Jersey. Founded in 2005, it publishes a weekly whisky podcast (now in its 21st year), a searchable tasting notes database, long-form whisky journalism, a global events calendar, and a listener community platform serving whisky enthusiasts worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Media (Whisky / Spirits Podcasting)

NAICS

Sound Recording Industries (5122), Other Sound Recording Industries (51229)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Podcast Networks & Studio Platforms (MPAIADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Podcast Ad Sales Networks & Monetization Platforms (MPACADAD), Audio Production & Podcasting (BPAFAIAE)

Keywords

• Whisky podcast
• Spirits media
• Tasting notes
• Podcast production
• Alcohol industry news

Headquarters

HQ city

Haddonfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Presenting/Brand Partnerships: Revenue from "Presenting Brand Partners" featured prominently on the homepage (e.g., Dewar's 19 Year Old, Glendalough Distillery promoted as "Ireland's Distillery of the Year"). These are sponsorship/advertising placements from whisky brands and distilleries.
2. Podcast Distribution (Potential Indirect Revenue): Free podcast distribution via RSS to Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Amazon Music supports audience scale that monetizes the brand partnership channel above.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WhiskyCast produces a free weekly whisky-focused podcast hosted by Mark Gillespie, in continuous publication since 2005, covering global whisky news, in-depth distiller interviews, and personal tasting notes. The podcast is supported by an integrated media platform that includes a searchable tasting notes database, an editorial news section, a global whisky events calendar, and a community portal with iOS and Android mobile apps for enthusiast engagement.

Product overview

WhiskyCast is a whisky-focused media brand published by CaskStrength Media (Haddonfield, New Jersey) operating as a content platform built around its flagship WhiskyCast Podcast, now in its 21st year. The product portfolio consists of one core product (the weekly podcast) supported by several integrated content and community modules: the WhiskyCast Tasting Notes Database (a searchable archive of hundreds of scored whisky reviews), the WhiskyCast Stories news section, the WhiskyCast Calendar of Events directory of tastings and festivals, the separate WhiskyCast Community platform (with iOS/Android mobile apps), and "The Pub" lifestyle section covering cocktails and video content. Together these modules function as a unified destination for whisky news, education, community engagement, and event discovery, all anchored to the weekly podcast cadence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WhiskyCast Community: WhiskyCast Community portal for listeners and enthusiasts to access conversations and community features.
• The Pub

Products and services

• WhiskyCast Podcast Flagship weekly whisky podcast, in its 21st year, delivering whisky news, events updates, tasting notes, listener comments, and an "In-Depth" segment featuring interviews with distillers and industry figures. Each episode is hosted by Mark Gillespie.
• WhiskyCast Tasting Notes Database Searchable archive of hundreds of whisky tasting notes scored on an academic-style 0-100 scale (with 93 points representing an "A"). The database spans single malts, bourbons, ryes, and other whiskies reviewed by Mark Gillespie and currently paginates to 388+ pages.
• WhiskyCast Stories Editorial news section covering whisky industry developments including tariffs, distillery openings and closings, ownership changes, and category trends across Scotch, Bourbon, Japanese, Irish, and world whisky.
• WhiskyCast Calendar of Events Searchable event directory aggregating whisky tastings, festivals, and educational events from around the world, with date, location, and keyword search, individual event detail pages linking to event websites, and calendar subscription (Google, iCal, Outlook) integration.
• WhiskyCast Community Separate community platform accessible via a dedicated portal (community.whiskycast.com) and mobile apps on iOS and Android, where whisky enthusiasts can join conversations about the podcast, tastings, and shared interests.
• The Pub Lifestyle content section under the main WhiskyCast umbrella featuring cocktail recipes and HD video content related to whisky enjoyment, with sub-categories for Cocktails, Video, and About.

Quantifiable outcome

• Episode count reached 1167+ by June 2026, reflecting over two decades of weekly publication without interruption.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship presenting partner, brand partner, core distribution partner and owned ecosystem.

• Dewar's (Presenting Brand Partner)flagship presenting partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerDewar's is featured as a "Presenting Brand Partner" on the WhiskyCast homepage. The 19-year-old Dewar's annual "Champion's Edition" tied to the U.S. Open golf tournament has been featured prominently in WhiskyCast tasting notes and news coverage (May 2026).
• Glendalough Distillery (Brand Partner)brand partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerGlendalough Distillery is promoted on the WhiskyCast homepage as a Brand Partner, advertised as "Ireland's Distillery of the Year."
• Apple Podcastscore distribution partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWhiskyCast distributes its weekly podcast on Apple Podcasts (id93465727), one of three major podcast platforms hosting the show.
• Google Podcastscore distribution partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWhiskyCast distributes its weekly podcast via Google Podcasts through an RSS feed.
• Amazon Musiccore distribution partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWhiskyCast distributes its weekly podcast on Amazon Music Podcasts.
• WhiskyCast Community (Owned Platform)owned ecosystemOthersWhiskyCast operates its own community portal (community.whiskycast.com) with mobile apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play, where listeners continue the conversation beyond the podcast.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Whisky Magazine: UK-headquartered global whisky publication running the Icons of Whisky Awards that WhiskyCast actively covers. Closest international editorial peer in scope, awards authority, and distillery trade coverage.
• Whisky Advocate: Long-running U.S.-based whisky print and digital magazine with tasting reviews, rankings (Whisky Advocate Top 20), and a buyer-facing audience. Most direct editorial peer to WhiskyCast — overlapping audience and advertiser set with shared whisky media DNA.
• The Whiskey Wash: Online whisky publication producing tasting reviews, news, and lifestyle content with a global enthusiast audience. Comparable niche whisky editorial model with brand partnerships and a tasting-notes database.
• Breaking Bourbon: U.S. bourbon and American whiskey review site and podcast producing regular tasting reviews, editorial, and rankings. Comparable in editorial format, audience (American whiskey enthusiasts), and ad-supported monetization model.
• Bourbon Pursuit: U.S.-based weekly bourbon-focused podcast and community, with tasting shows, festival coverage, and member events. Direct format peer — single-host weekly whisky podcast with engaged enthusiast community and brand partnerships.
• Malt Review: Independent online whisky review site producing editorial reviews and tasting notes from a small editorial team. Closely comparable as a niche, small-team, editorial-led whisky media brand serving enthusiasts.

Others

• Scotch Malt Whisky Society: Members-only whisky club that sells single-cask bottles and runs tasting events globally. Comparable community-driven, membership-style engagement model around whisky connoisseurship — adjacent rather than directly competitive.
• Single Cask Nation: Whisky club and review community selling single-cask bottles to enthusiasts with editorial reviews and tasting events. Adjacent model — combines whisky media with a paid membership/community layer WhiskyCast could evolve toward.

Broad incumbents

• VinePair: Large U.S. drinks media outlet covering wine, beer, spirits, and cocktails with a substantial editorial team and podcast network. Broad incumbent competing for the same whisky advertiser dollars from a much larger audience base.
• The Spirits Business: Global B2B spirits trade publication covering whisky, gin, vodka, and broader categories with a much larger editorial team. Broad incumbent offering overlapping whisky coverage as part of a wider spirits portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/whiskycast
• Facebookfacebook.com/WhiskyCast
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/whiskycast
• Instagraminstagram.com/whiskycast

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WhiskyCast