Whiskey Lens Ep. 3: Independent Bottling, Single Casks & Impex Beverage with Sam Filmus

Why do independent bottlers matter, and how do they let you taste whiskey that never makes it into a distillery's core range? In Episode 3 of Whiskey Lens, Jake Lewellen sits down with Sam Filmus, founder of Impex Beverage, to unpack the world of single casks and curated collections — and how Scotch whiskey makes its way onto American shelves.

Sam walks through his path into the business, starting with an ethnic import company in California before pivoting into mainstream whiskey, and explains why independent bottling was such a hard sell in the early 2000s, when buyers expected a Macallan label to look like, well, a Macallan label. He and Jake dig into how the category has exploded since then — with Impex, Lost Lantern, and Single Cask Nation all building loyal followings — and how Impex curates each annual edition around its own theme, from single malts across Scotland's regions to grain whisky and blended malt.

The conversation gets hands-on with two Impex selections: an 11-year Teaninich, a clean, Speyside-leaning Highland malt with a surprising backstory involving a distillery founder known as the "Blind Captain," and a 14-year cask-strength Ardmore, which becomes the jumping-off point for a real conversation about peat — Highland peat versus the more medicinal, maritime style associated with Islay. Sam also shares the story behind his favorite Impex bottling to date: a 25-year-old Springbank finished in a sherry cask under the guidance of Exclusive Malts' David Stirk.

If you've ever wondered what "single cask" really means, why independent bottlers are reshaping how whiskey drinkers discover new distilleries, or how peated Scotch can be far more approachable than its reputation suggests, this episode is for you.

Chapters:

• 00:00 – Why Independent Bottlers Matter
• 01:36 – Sam Filmus's Journey Into Whiskey
• 03:23 – The Rise of Independent Bottling in the U.S.
• 06:31 – Curating Impex: The Springbank 25 and Building Each Edition
• 16:22 – Tasting Teaninich: Clean Distillate and the "Blind Captain" Story
• 23:24 – Tasting Ardmore: Cask Strength and Highland Peat
• 32:24 – Scotch's Wide Spectrum, and How to Buy Impex Bottlings

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