Ben Salango
By Ava Kaiser
In 2017, Ben Salango was selected as a recipient of the Lawyers & Leaders award for his success as an attorney and commitment to his community. Since then, Salango’s career has evolved from a few different angles. In addition to having his own firm, Salango Law, PLLC, located in Charleston, WV, Salango was elected president of the Kanawha County Commission in 2025.
Enjoying the diverse workload and excitement of every day being different, Salango finds himself blessed to have found his professional calling. His career has yet to go unnoticed—in 2019, Salango was named Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in America, nominated by his Charleston colleagues. Salango has received that recognition three times since.
“Whether it’s helping people through my law firm or helping through my public service on the Kanawha County Commission, it is truly rewarding to take on a challenge and make a difference,” he says. “It’s the entire reason I became a lawyer and the reason I chose public service.”
Additionally, Salango has accomplished something outside of the typical law accolade: starting a bourbon-centered podcast, which has grown into one of the top podcasts in the U.S. in Apple Podcasts’ hobbies category.
With his friends Joe Nassif and Kyle Mork, Salango started the podcast in 2022. During the first year, the three hit number one in the hobbies category on Apple Podcasts, eventually ranking in the top 10 in other categories worldwide.
Salango credits the success of the podcast to timing and a little luck.
“When we launched in 2022, the bourbon industry was booming. People tuned in to learn about the history of the brands and listen to our featured guests,” Salango says. “Timing was crucial to our success, but so was the content. We’ve been fortunate to have great guests on the show, and our audience has been incredibly loyal and engaging.”
Due to busy schedules, Salango and his co-hosts meet twice per month to record episodes. They look for new whisky releases, industry trends and hot topics to decide what they should talk about.
“We’re all very good friends, so it’s a great time,” says Salango. “Listeners can hear that we’re having fun and enjoying the conversation together.”
Aside from finding time outside of their busy schedules, challenges for the “Bourbon Podcast” are slowing down. While it was once a struggle to find master distillers and industry insiders to appear on the podcast, the phone is now off the hook for the crew, as they receive many calls asking to come on to the show because of the exposure the podcast is getting. In a recent article, Forbes Magazine listed the crew as a Top 4 Bourbon Influencer.
“It is humbling, and somewhat comical, that the idea took off and really made an impact,” Salango says.
Goals for “Bourbon Podcast” are simple: to produce quality content while staying true to the original formula of the podcast. “Tune in for a little news, a few reviews and a lot of booze” is the tagline for the bourbon enthusiasts, a message that has brought in over 100,000 social media followers and thousands of weekly listeners.
For Salango, his future goals remain aligned with the work he has always enjoyed, with the podcast being an unexpected addition to his professional values.
“I love practicing law. There’s never been a day when I’ve woken up and dreaded going to the office,” Salango says. “I also enjoy serving on the Kanawha County Commission, and I plan to continue doing both in the future. I’m also having a blast with ‘Bourbon Podcast’ and plan to keep growing that business and enjoying the ride.
