Whiskey with Witcher – Details, episodes & analysis

We’ve woken up in some strange places on occasion, though Geralt definitely has us beat with the ancient Japan-inspired world of The Witcher: Ronin. In this 2022 manga, the monster hunter finds himself on a very different path, fighting creatures inspired by Japanese folklore in his pursuit of a mysterious white-haired woman. Fortunately, our search for the perfect whiskey pairing proved much simpler—Legent Kentucky Straight Bourbon, an east-meets-west collaboration that’s well suited for enjoying alongside this equally cross-cultural comic. Plus, we discover why you’d better have some cucumbers on you before you start messing with kappas, ponder whether we’d be able to fight a dragon and remind our silver-haired samurai (and the creators of his debut adventure) that no one likes feeling unfulfilled at the end.

What was once lost is now found. And for that, we can only say...we're sorry! It's our first side quest of the season and we're dishing up over a dozen never before heard podcast moments from over the past two years. These were conversations, tangents and the occasional meltdown that we sadly had to cut for time, even though they resulted in some of the biggest laughs we've ever had behind the mics! If that's not enough to entice you, many feature past guests—including Joanna Estep and Ronin of Rivia—a few offer unique glimpses behind the scenes, and at least one of them includes Valerie singing about mermaid sex. Plus, this entire episode was recorded AFTER last week's, which means we start things off pretty lit and they only get more unhinged from there.

We’re simple people here at Whiskey With Witcher. We love geeky stuff and things that are high in alcohol, so it was only a matter of time until we spoke to a fan who combines both. This week, we say hello to Adam Carbonell, one of the authors of Supernatural: Join the Hunt, the official cocktail book of the Supernatural TV series. A longtime brewer and mixologist, Adam crafted dozens of original cocktails inspired by the show over a ridiculously short amount of time. How did he do it? That’s what we attempt to find out as we discuss Adam’s surprising relationship to Supernatural, how he managed to create original recipes based on sometimes limited information and which of the book’s many drinks he’s most proud of. Plus, he teases some other fandoms he’d enjoy creating drinks for (The Witcher, maybe?), shares a few publishing war stories and answers some demonically devious drunken questions! You can find Supernatural: Join the Hunt – The Official Cocktail Book at bookstores and online retailers. Keep up with Adam Carbonell on Instagram at @youlookitalian.

“We’re so excited that we’re finally getting to meet other witchers like Vesemir, Lambert, Coen and Eskel—WAIT, WHAT?!?!” Yeah, we’re as surprised as the rest of you about the fate of Geralt’s witcher bro in this head-scratcher of an episode, so we’re cracking open a bottle of William Wolf Pecan Bourbon to see if we can figure it out. While we’re at it, we share our thoughts on the Deathless Mother, the return of the elves, Geralt’s parenting, the wisdom of leaving Kaer Morhen on your own and the importance of always cleaning your sword.

Grab a glass, Witcher fans, because this one’s all about the booze. After our talk about how this week’s whiskey, WhistlePig Piggyback Rye, was designed for cocktails, we decided to try it out in one! Producer Sean mixes up some Sazeracs while giving us a brief history on the drink. Then it’s time for some freewheeling discussion on everything from cocktail prices to Witcher fandom to why Tim and Valerie just won’t ever agree on absinthe.

We’re finally diving into The Witcher’s second season and we couldn’t be more excited…or maybe that’s the WhistlePig PiggyBack Rye that accompanies this episode talking. We both scratch our heads over Triss Merigold’s oddly unexplained new hairstyle, Tim can’t handle the sight of sad Tissaia and Valerie has a few words of advice for the otherwise badass Vereena. Plus, a new final segment!

For this week’s side quest, we’re giving you an extended version of a previous segment—Valerie’s discussion on finishing The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt. Our podcast may focus on the Netflix series, but we’re big fans of the game as well, which offered us both an escape and a chance to connect with each other during the pandemic. And to randomly fall off of ledges. SPOILER ALERT: We do discuss two of the game’s three endings, so proceed with caution if you haven’t yet played it.

In The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt, side quests are brief missions that have nothing to do with the game’s main storyline, which seemed like a pretty good way of describing the brief bonus episodes we’ll be dropping between full episodes every now and then. In this first side quest, we answer some questions from one of our listeners (thanks for the e-mail, Karen!). Then it’s time to humble ourselves as we come clean about some names we’ve been mispronouncing before Valerie gives us a brief history of fanshipping that, while very interesting, doesn’t make Tim like the name “Geraskier” any better.

We often get pretty animated while talking about The Witcher, so it’s about dang time The Witcher follows suit! In our latest episode, we open a bottle of Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon and discuss The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf. Tim questions whether this movie counts as anime, while Valerie wonders why the mages don’t just...well, magic themselves out of there. Plus, we cower at the Trial of the Grasses, discuss some ties the movie may have to a unique book in the Witcher series and offer up our hopes and dreams for the next Witcher animated project!

We celebrate reaching the end of season one with an extra-sized (and extra boozy) episode. Valerie questions the use of death mages, Tim wonders what exactly Tissaia and Vilgefortz think they’re doing and both of them drink a few too many Fireball boilermakers. Plus, we speculate about Witcher: Blood Origin, reveal our plans for the future and pick our perfect monster pets!