Episode 296 - The Mind of a Blender with Nancy Fraley

In this cask-strength conversation with spirits judge, educator, and master blender Nancy Fraley, some of the topics we discuss include:

• Nancy’s journey to spirits blending, from Harvard Divinity School, to maritime law, to her apprenticeship under the legendary brandy maker Germain Robin.

• The story of the first Cigar Blend Bourbon (developed, of course, by Nancy) and how she weaves together factors like fermentation style, maturation humidity, cask finishes, and more to achieve the elusive flavor note known as rancio.

• A crash course in blending theory, which draws on architectural and corporeal metaphors to describe how to build flavor profiles in barrel-aged spirits

• Why the terms “master distiller” and “master blender” have become watered down in recent decades, which underscores the importance of humble practice day after day, year after year, in the pursuit of world-class distillates.

• We also explore the tension between the intellect and the instinct in spirits blending, using Nancy’s experiences to illustrate how and when to let the wisdom of the body triumph over the chaos of “monkey mind” and the dance of contingency.

• Along the way, we divulge the connection between French brandy and rotting pheasant, trace the story of an all-but-forgotten yeast strain, share how you can sign up to taste some of the rankest, most flawed distillates in Nancy’s “Nosing for Faults” class, 

• And much, much more.

This episode was made possible with editing and sound design by Samantha Reed, whiskey blending insights and some delicious pours brought to you by Nancy Fraley, and support from The American Distilling Institute. This has been a Direct Fire Studios production, copyright 2025.