Inside Whisky

“People make Glasgow” – that’s the slogan the city of Glasgow selected to show that Glasgow is so much more than what you can see from the outside.  And one could argue the same is true for Glasgow Distillery; a distillery totally different from many of those long-established ones you will find all over Scotland – a more modern one, aquite small one, maybe a more industrial one but with a wonderful charm because of so many people who love what they’re doing, who put their hearts into making their single malt, who make this place what it is and who fill it with life: “People make Glasgow Distillery”.  One of those people who make Glasgow Distillery is Sebastian Bunford-Jones, their head of marketing, who Miri and Manu met for a chat in the distillery’s beautiful, but to date largely unused tasting room (due to the fact that the distillery is not open to the public as of now).  Apart from working at Glasgow Distillery for about 8 years now, Sebastian is a real whisky enthusiast and that’s also why he is already excited to showcase Glasgow Distillery’s first 10-year-old whisky later this year, the journey of which he has accompanied almost from the get-go. Listen in and discover why Glasgow is the place to be when it comes to producing single malt whisky these days. Throughout the episode, get to know Sebastian and the distillery’s special approach to making whisky. And last but not least, find out about how their beautiful tasting room, the place of recording, might be filled with life in the nearer future.

Up there in Northern Ireland in the picturesque village of Bushmills and almost directly next to the Giant’s Causeway, you will find The Old Bushmills Distillery, the world's oldest licensed whiskey distillery. And it is certainly no coincidence that the people up there often say that “without the village there would be no whiskey, and without the whiskey there would be no village”. Why that is the case, you might ask – and in steps Julie Dixon. Julie was introduced to us as “the good soul of The Old Bushmills Distillery and an Irish original”, and luckily, she took some time to record this brand new episode in situ. Get to know what happens behind the scenes up there in the small village of Bushmills and listen to Julie’s lovely anecdotes brought to you straight from The Old Bushmills Distillery. Find out about the distillery’s long and eventful past, its promising present and about how the people up there are trying to make sure that Bushmills is well-prepared for the future. We’re sure you will enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it – Julie’s warm-hearted character, her hospitality and her passion for Bushmills make this episode one not to be missed.

The “Barley to Bottle” tour at Springbank Distillery is probably one of the best experiences you can have when you’re passionate about whisky. It’s an extensive access-all-areas tour and tasting which culminates in having the chance to blend one’s very own bottle of Springbank in their blending lab.  “Why are you telling us all of that?”, you might ask. Well, because it is just another thing that makes Springbank Springbank and truly special. Additionally, said blending lab was the place of recording for this very episode.  After having done the “Barley to Bottle” tour the day prior (of course), we came back to meet Findlay Ross, Springbank’s director of production and a true professional when it comes to creating whiskies, at the very place of our own amateur attempts of blending a nice bottle of Springbank. After having recorded a Springbank episode with Nicole Lindsay about three years ago, it was about time for a little update and we had a great time discussing all things Springbank once more, this time with the wonderful Findlay Ross.  Find out about the last remaining secrets of Springbank Distillery, about Findlay’s rather unconventional path to becoming their director of production and about Findlay’s take on the term “Campbeltown funk”. Last but not least we have to say that we are really happy that Findlay is so much better at making whisky and recording podcasts than his New York Giants are at playing American Football at the moment – but let’s not get into that… (just listen until the very end).

There are probably not too many places in Europe that one would label as “extremely un-get-at-able” – but that’s exactly how George Orwell once described the Isle of Jura when he spent several years there in the late 1940s to write his masterpiece and final work, 1984. During his time there, Orwell unfortunately did not have the pleasure to enjoy Jura whisky because the distillery fell silent in the early 1900s. It was not until the 1950s that it was rebuilt and expanded. The work was finally finished in 1963 and Jura Distillery has been up and running ever since. But who are we to tell you all that? There are people who know so much more about Jura Distillery and its history than we do. One of them is Kirsty Wright, Jura’s new brand home manager, who luckily took some time to record a podcast episode with us – as usual – in situ, on the beautiful and quite un-get-at-able Isle of Jura. It was just wonderful to experience how passionate Kirsty is about the distillery and the island itself. We had a great time recording this episode with her and roaming the grounds of the distillery. Listen in and get to know JURA from a totally new PERSPECTIVE (No. 01). Learn about how the team on the island and the distillery owners, Whyte and Mackay, are trying to make sure that Jura Distillery is well-prepared for the future without ever forgetting its roots. This new perspective we’ve mentioned above is a perfect example to showcase just that.

Almost 20.000km from home – quite the distance to record a podcast in situ, don’t you think?! Well, we did it anyway… We travelled halfway around the globe to meet up with Matt Johns of Pōkeno Whisky in New Zealand to record this episode. Matt founded Pōkeno Distillery together with his wife Celine as a “passion project” just about an hour south auf Auckland in the small village of Pōkeno, to craft “one of the world’s greatest single malts”. Pōkeno is another one of those aspiring and innovative New World Distilleries, and to quote Matt, they completely “threw the rulebook out […] to make a true New Zealand whisky”. With his approach, Matt didn’t want to be inspired by the past too much, but for him it was more about building their own story from the day they decided to start Pōkeno Distillery and onwards. Sit down, pour a dram and join us for some fascinating stories from the other side of the world. Learn about the challenges of starting a distillery in a country where native, endemic timber exists aplenty but coopers are scarce and where a copper work industry is basically non-existent. Find out about what makes Pōkeno Whisky unique and enjoy this episode straight from the Southern Hemisphere. You surely won’t regret it.

Donald & Alexander Johnston, Ian Hunter, Bessie Williamson, Iain Henderson, John Campbell, Barry MacAffer – quite an illustrious round of people – and all of them special for Laphroaig in their very own way. And today’s episode is about Barry MacAffer, who has spent the best part of 13 years working at the distillery and who has now decided to leave Islay, Scotland, the UK and even Europe to start a totally new adventure in South Korea. We had the chance to talk to Barry right at the end of his time at Laphroaig and met a very thoughtful, reflective, open and also entertaining Barry and we felt like we really had a chance to get to know the person behind the role of being Laphroaig’s distillery manager. Barry took us along on his journey through the whisky world, starting with growing up on Islay, going through various roles at Laphroaig and now moving on to a totally new endeavour halfway around the world. His memories and anecdotes from along the way make this a wonderful podcast episode and with it, we are quietly saying goodbye to a man who will surely be missed on Islay a lot. But to say it in Barry’s words: “It’s never a goodbye, it’s always ‘see you later’.”

Today, the 7th of June 2024, marks the day that Rosebank finally opens its doors to visitors again and we got the chance to have a look behind the curtain shortly before the grand reopening of the distillery to talk to distillery manager Malcolm Rennie. Originally being founded in 1840, Rosebank had to endure a lot of agony up to this point in 2024 and we don’t know, yet, what the future holds for the distillery. But what we can say already with absolute certainty: Ian Macleod Distillers, the owners of Rosebank, have outdone themselves by reawakening this sleeping giant. The distillery building offers an impressive mix of architecture, incorporating old and new elements alike, also including the iconic Rosebank chimney, showcasing the year 1840. Within the building, the chimney marks the borderline dividing the production areas of mashing and distilling. Perfect. Listen in and learn more about Rosebank, which is a rather unusual Lowland distillery with its uncommon mix of triple distillation and worm tub condensers, and get to know Malcolm Rennie, the man behind the reimagined Rosebank spirit, whose experience in the world of whisky is hard to rival. We were utterly impressed! Lean back, tune in, and be one of the very first to get to peek behind the curtain of Rosebank Distillery – you won’t be disappointed.

Have you ever met Kenny Macdonald? No? Really?? Then here’s your chance!  Kenny is the co-founder of independent bottler Dràm Mòr, which he founded together with his wife Viktorija. Since he claims himself that he is not the “brains” of the company – what does he bring to the table? Well, he’s a real showman and a great storyteller and an absolute joy to listen to – so quite naturally, we wanted to record a podcast episode with him. To be honest, we tried to do this recording several times but somehow it never happened – but now we’re more than happy that it finally worked out – and we hope you will join us. Let’s enjoy some precious 1 on 1 (or actually 2 on 1) time with Kenny and get to know him and Dràm Mòr. We’re certain you won’t regret it. Kenny gives his all for his company and you really believe it, when he says that working in the whisky business is his absolute dream job – to the extent that he would claim that people would have to drag him out of this job “in a box”. He really loves what he is doing, and you can feel that in every single minute of this episode.  Some of Kenny’s stories are hilarious but sometimes he’s also quite emotional and thoughtful – it makes for a perfect mix, and we had great fun recording the episode. Lean back, relax and join us on this episode, which will take you from Munich to Dumbarton and back, via night clubs, slaughterhouses, Lithuania and even a short but pretty memorable stopover in Israel. Simply pour a dram and enjoy the (wild) ride. 

Indian Single Malt Whisky – sounds quite exotic at first sight – and probably it is to some extent. But it’s also so much more than that: It’s made with pride, it’s unique, it’s very flavourful, it’s delicious and there are so many things to be discovered about Indian whisky and also the country itself. For this episode, our journey through the world of whisky has brought us together with Madhu Kanna of Indri Single Malt Indian Whisky – unfortunately not in India this time, but maybe some time in the future, who knows. Madhu is the international sales manager of Piccadily Distillery, the producers of Indri Whisky and we had a wonderful chat with him about India, its culture and, of course, Indri Whisky. Let’s have a look at whisky from a different perspective together with Madhu and think outside the box of Scotch or Irish whisk(e)y for the next 40 minutes or so. Sit down, lean back, relax and let Madhu and us invite you to the exciting world of Indian culture and Indian Single Malt Whisky – there might even be some world-exclusive news to be discovered if you listen closely – this is certainly a unique and exotic episode, and one surely not to be missed!

MCDXCIV – does that ring a bell? And no, it’s not a typo… It’s a Roman numeral and it stands for 1494, quite a pivotal year in the world of whisky and especially for the newly founded Lindores Abbey Distillery. 1494 is the year in which, according to the Scottish Whisky Association, the earliest documented record of distilling in Scotland occurred in the Exchequer Rolls (the tax records): An entry lists “To Friar John Cor, 8 bolls of Malt, wherewith to make Aqua Vitae for King James IV.” Friar John Cor produced this water of life exactly in the place where you find Lindores Abbey Distillery today. Cool background story – don’t you think?! Mr. John Howison then bought the Lindores Abbey estate in 1913 and we had a chance to talk to his great-grandson Drew McKenzie Smith, who, together with his wife Helen, founded Lindores Abbey Distillery in 2016. We know, we know, that’s a lot of facts and numbers, but isn’t it absolutely fascinating? In our opinion, it is! We hope you think the same because if yes, this presents a perfect chance for you: Listen in and find out more about Drew McKenzie Smith and Lindores Abbey and maybe discover some more intriguing stories about its historic past, its malty present and its promising future.

10 centimetres of snow, a single track road and its end, a Viking-style longhouse, mystically lit by torches and overlooking a picturesque Norwegian fjord – wow! That’s what our arrival looked like when approaching Aurora Spirit Distillery - quite the way to arrive at a distillery… Okay, okay, you have to go there in late autumn or winter for the snow and the torches are well-animated electrical torches, but still, our “wow” keeps standing – and we haven’t even mentioned the majestic Northern Lights, yet, which you can perfectly spot there when it’s clear at night.  After parking the car and then walking by the Viking longhouse, which is actually a whisky warehouse, we finally arrived at our final destination, Aurora Spirit Distillery, the producers of Bivrost Whisky: A beautiful and very modern building with a vast glass front, offering a perfect view of the fjord, coupled with traditional wooden elements. Stepping inside, you recognise right away all the thoughtfully staged artifacts reminiscent of the old Vikings – all very moody!  Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a man, who can actually claim that he is 100% Viking himself (a very calm and charming one, as we might add): Tor Petter Christensen, founder and CEO of Aurora Spirit Distillery. Before our recording, Tor took the time to give us an extensive tour of the entire site and we were hooked in no time – what an absolutely fabulous place to produce the northernmost whisky in the world. Spectacular! Are you curious now? Well, you should be! So don’t miss out on our new podcast episode with Tor and find out ...

Campeltown – once the whisky capital of the world – has become a place of whisky pilgrimage more and more in the last years. Nonetheless, many people still disregard the Glen Scotia Distillery in favour of their bigger neighbour. However, we think that is a mistake!  At Glen Scotia, Iain McAlister and his team produce a worldclass spirit and mature it to perfection. And apart from the great whisky you can get there, the atmosphere when you arrive at the distillery is just absolutely wonderful. Everybody is so warm-hearted and welcoming and distillery manager Iain McAlister is no exception to that (maybe he’s actually the reason for it?!). That said, we had a wonderful time recording this episode with Iain and to chat all things Campbeltown, whisky, Glen Scotia and bees (yes, indeed).  If you might not be as familiar with Glen Scotia, yet, this is your chance! And if you are an expert already, we’re pretty sure there are some more lovely details to be discovered in this episode. So don’t hesitate, tune in and get to know the wonderful Iain McAlister and his Glen Scotia Distillery.

If you think of a whisky distillery in Scotland which stands for powerful and peaty whisky with a hint of sweet vanilla and citrus, which is extremely good at storytelling, very creative in bringing old myths to life to describe and sell their whiskies with worldclass marketing but which is also seen as quite polarising at times throughout the whisky community, which distillery name pops up in your head? For many of you, just like for us, the answer is probably going to be Ardbeg. Year in, year out many people make the pilgrimage to Scotland and the Isle of Islay to experience their beloved Ardbeg Distillery first hand and we really have to say that Ardbeg, at least for us, is still a benchmark when it comes to hospitality. Even more so when you travel there during the Islay Whisky Festival, Fèis Ìle, and that’s exactly what we did once more this year. During all the festivities and the busy hustle of Ardbeg Day 2023 (and his top-secret Ardbeg Committee event), T.J. Littlejohn, Global Expierence & Advocacy Manager of The Glenmorangie Company, which Ardbeg is a part of, took the time to talk to us and tell us some lovely stories (very Ardbeggian, isn’t it?!).  So raise a dram of TEN, Uigeadail, Corryvreckan, An Oa, Wee Beastie, Smoketrails, BizarreBQ, Heavy Vapours or maybe The Harpy’s Tale (we could probably continue this list forever…) and join us to relive Ardbeg Day 2023 with T.J. and learn some more about this wonderful Islay distillery. 

Far up north, just off the northernmost point of the UK’s mainland, there are the Orkneys – islands shaped by the sea and extreme weather. And right up there, on these rough islands, there’s a distillery which is extremely beautifully situated and producing surprisingly smooth whisky. Of course, we are talking about Scapa Distillery overlooking the breathtaking Scapa flow. And that’s exactly the place where we recorded this episode with Mick Swanney, team leader at Scapa Distillery. As a real Orcadian, Mick knows a lot of stories about his home, Orkney, and obviously, he also knows a thing or two about whisky.  Find out about Scapa’s history and its superb whisky, about the rivalry with their neighbouring distillery (or is it?), life on Orkney and why you shouldn’t believe everything that’s on the internet.  Lean back, pour a dram and let a real Orcadian tell you some stories about his home - this remote, rough and captivating place, which, on top, also produces some absolutely incredible whiskies.

How do you produce whisky inefficiently on purpose and why would you want to do that? Well, we also wanted to know and asked Phil and Simon Thompson of Thompson Bros Distillers, Dornoch Castle Hotel and the relatively newly founded Dornoch Distillery. Despite their young age, Phil and Simon have had the chance to try some extraordinary whiskies from times long gone, dating back as far as the 1900s. Inspired by that they set themselves the goal of recreating an old-style spirit. And since whisky creation takes time, they are independently bottling very high quality single cask whiskies and their own blends in the meantime, using a very sophisticated ballot system to get their whisky into the “right” hands – but better listen for yourself and let Phil and Simon explain it to you first hand. Certainly being one of our most entertaining episodes with a lot of geeky knowledge and whisky enthusiast-friendly perspectives, this is one not to be missed!

Green rolling mountains, sleepy and bleating sheep, idyllic villages and vivid cities with wonderful people, vibrant traditional pubs with passionate folk music, delicious local food and, of course, a long and quite eventful history of producing whiskey… … Does that sound appealing to you? If yes, come join Miri on her trip to Ireland and experience the Emerald Isle with her! For this episode, the three of us sat down together to have a chat about Miri’s journey and, of course, Miri didn’t come back from Ireland empty-handed. She brought some short interview snippets with her, which she recorded on-site at several distilleries. So, you can look forward to interviews with Alex Chasko of Teeling Distillery, John Cashman of Powerscourt Distillery and Diarmuid Madden of Jameson Distillery. Guided through the country by John Callely of Whiskey Island, who you will also get to know during this episode, and Gracie Boylan of @tourismireland and @entdecke_irland, Miri had the chance to discover the stunning beauty of Ireland and we couldn’t wait to listen to Miri’s and her interview partners’ stories – maybe you feel the same now?! If all that has made you curious, sit down, relax, pour yourself a lovely dram of whiskey and come discover a glimpse of Ireland with us.

If we told you that there is a distillery in the Scottish Highlands, which is beautifully situated, easily accessible, has a very rich history, but which is still quite often overlooked, would you want to know more about it – especially if you knew that they promise you the “golden dram”? Well, we were certainly intrigued and once we visited for the first time, we couldn’t but visit many more times in the following years. Of course, we’re talking about Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery, where we met with Gary Ross, distilleries ambassador for John Dewar & Sons, to record this episode in the distillery’s visitor centre. Gary, who describes himself as a “mega whisky nerd” was absolutely wonderful and we had a great time wandering about the distillery and then also recording with him. He is extremely knowledgeable, very likeable and tremendously enthusiastic and excited about whisky. If that wasn’t enough already, he also calls himself a “sub-par home brewer” and he is a member of the Bacardi Boyband – if you want to know what that is all about, just listen in! We hope you will enjoy listening to the episode as much as we did recording it. Let Miriam and Martin take you with them on their journey to Aberfeldy to spend an hour with Gary Ross, chatting about all things Aberfeldy (and more).

“If you can work in the stillhouse at Dalmore, you can work in any stillhouse in the world because it’s completely complicated” – doesn’t sound like the easiest of jobs, don’t you think? So let’s get to know the man who is responsible to make sure that every single drop of The Dalmore is, well, The Dalmore, despite the quite complicated process in the stillhouse.  Let’s meet Mark Lancaster and find out, why it is actually that intricate to produce The Dalmore's spirit. Mark Lancaster is the distillery manager at The Dalmore and he took the time to meet us at the premises of the distillery to record this episode with him. Luckily, he also showed us around the place, which is currently still closed to the public, to experience how The Dalmore is made first hand. We had a wonderful afternoon and now we would like to share this experience with you. Tune in to find out more about Mark, the Englishman in charge of one of Scotland’s most prestigious distilleries, some lovely anecdotes about Richard Paterson and, of course, all things Dalmore. This is an episode not to be missed.

No Scots on this episode?! Not for me, you say? BUT WAIT!! This German-Italian whisky-bromance straight from our hometown Munich might indeed be a bit different but we can assure you that it still makes for a great listen. In this episode we talk to Davide Ansalone and Randolph Kunis. You might know Davide better as @whisky_munich on Instagram, since he is one of the most influential and biggest whisky bloggers there. Apart from that, Davide is also a member of WhiskyFacile, a new and very promising independent bottler from Italy, which you should really get to know. Randolph (Randy) is the owner of Munich’s best-known whisky shop, TARA Spirits and very well-connected in the world of whisky. Listen in and find out about the bumpy start to Davide’s and Randy’s friendship and what a Yamazaki 25 has to do with it. Furthermore, get to know WhiskyFacile, TARA and some of Davide’s best tips for your personal (whisky) Instagram account. Pour a dram and join us in our hometown Munich to meet Davide and Randy – we’re sure you won’t regret it!

Nicole Lindsay you say? Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? And indeed, if you follow our podcast regularly you probably know her already from our episode about Springbank Distillery. This time, however, Springbank will take a backseat since the episode is (mainly) about Kilkerran Single Malt and Glengyle Distillery. We met Nicole in the new Springbank blending lab to record this episode and it was so much fun talking to her again since she is an absolutely wonderful person and so incredibly knowledgeable – but, of course, you know that already if you have listened to our first episode with her. Let’s dive deep into Glengyle Distillery, the original purpose of which it was to make sure Campbeltown would retain its status as a whisky region and which, ever since, has become an integral part of the Campbeltown whisky family. Lean back, pour a dram, relax and come to Campeltown with us to meet Nicole Lindsay once more – you know it’s worth it.

Have you always wanted to meet the legendary Swedish mermaid of the Ardnamurchan peninsula? Then here's your chance: Meet Jenny Karlsson, Ardnamurchan Distillery's marketing and communications manager, part of the blending team, part-time mermaid and much more. We travelled all the way to the very West of Scotland's mainland to talk to Jenny in situ about Ardnamurchan, AD whisky, the narrow single-track road leading to the distillery, sustainability, hidden gems in the warehouses, Miriam's and Martin's Swedish (which is absolutely "jättebra") and a lot more. And guess what, it was an absolute blast! When you listen to the episode, we're sure you will fall in love with Jenny right away because of her sympathetic, humorous, enthusiastic, excited and sometimes a bit positively confused character. We certainly love Jenny and enjoyed our chat with her a lot. And now we hope we can transport a bit of Jenny's excitement and love for Ardnamurchan to your living room. Pour a dram and tune in - this is an episode definitely not to be missed!

We’re back on the Isle of Arran – we really love this little island!  And no! Even though we greatly enjoy our chats with Andy Bell of Lochranza Distillery, we don’t have him on the podcast this time – and actually this episode is not even about Lochranza Distillery. Instead, we will focus on the Isle of Arran’s newest gem: Lagg Distillery (what a beautiful place!!). We travelled all the way to the south end of Arran, straight into the Scottish Lowlands (wait, really?!) to talk to Lagg’s distillery manager Graham Omand. Of course, we also discussed the Lowlands, Highlands, Islands topic – because things are not as clear-cut for Lagg Distillery as for most other Scottish whisky producers, but Graham will happily tell you more about this topic – listen for yourself. Furthermore, find out more about Graham – the Islay man on Arran –, about the venture of setting up a new distillery, about Lagg’s inaugural releases and about what Donkey Kong and Super Mario have to do with them. Of course, that’s not all and there is a lot more to learn and discover… … So pour a dram, lean back, tune in and get to know Graham Omand and Lagg Distillery.

This weekend it's derby time in Edinburgh: Hibs against Hearts. Hibernian Football Club and Heart of Midlothian will face off in the first derby of this (still very young) football season.  Wait, isn't this a podcast about whisky? So why are we talking about football here?  Well, we went to Edinburgh to record with Greg Urquhart and John Moffat of the spirits company Gleann Mòr, which is known for their independent bottlings of "Rare Find" whisky in the whisky world. Listen in and Greg and John will happily answer the question why football and the "Hibs" in specific are definitely worth talking about in this episode. Moreover, you will find out some interesting facts about independent bottling, the casks Greg and John dream about at night and Gleann Mòr's other projects besides whisky. Tune in, lean back and enjoy the show!

The Mecca of whisky. Whisky drinkers' heaven. The one place, probably every Scotch whisky lover wants to visit at least once in their lifetime. Of course, we're talking about the Isle of Islay in the Scottish Hebrides with its currently 9 working distilleries (and at least 2 more to come), home to arguably the best peated whisky on this planet. We're finally back after a short break and we've got a brand new episode for you: We went to talk to Cat Gordon of Islay's oldest whisky producer, Bowmore Distillery, and had an absolutely fantastic chat with her. Check out the epsiode and find out more about Cat, the distillery (of course!) and about how Martin made it into the history book of Bowmore visitor centre anectodes. Certainly one of our most entertaining episodes with some really funny moments. Raise a good dram of Bowmore whisky, sit back and enjoy the show - you don't want to miss out on this one!

It is probably going to be very hard (impossible?!) to find another place on earth with a higher distillery-density than the Scottish Speyside - and apart from some of the best Scotch whiskies being produced there, the possibility to visit so many different distilleries within such a small space makes the region a magnet for whisky tourism.  One distillery that can't be missed during a visit in the Speyside is Glenfarclas Distillery. Owned by the Grant family and thus being one of the few left family-owned whisky distilleries in Scotland, Glenfarclas has a very special charm to it. What also makes the distillery very special is that there are not too many distilleries around with such a large inventory of old stock - I mean, which distillery can actually regularly release a thing such as the "Family Casks" series with whiskies dating back until the 1950s?!  So for the grand finale of Batch 3 of “The Barrel Talk”, we set off to the iconic Glenfarclas Distillery in the heart of the Scottish Speyside to talk to Deborah Stewart. Tune in and find out more about the history of the distillery, the broad range of whiskies offered by Glenfarclas and, of course, about Deborah, her background story, her love for the brand and her ambitions in the “Dramathon”. This episode is one not to be missed. 

This episode of “The Barrel Talk” is slightly different than what you are used to. Michael and Andrea Gradl of Gradl’s Wiskyfässla in Nuremberg, who are the co-founders and co-organisers of The Village Whisky Fair invited us to come to the fair and “present The Village to an international audience”. Of course, we couldn’t say no and subsequently spent three fabulous days in Nuremberg, working quite a lot, meeting lots of wonderful people, recording this special episode and enjoying a very special moment with Jim McEwan, who we invited to join us virtually for the big Masterclass to sing his favourite song “Sweet Caroline” for him. The recording of the song is the background music for the initial quotes and can be found, once more, at the very end of the episode. If you would also like to see the video along with the song, go check out @inside_whisky on Instagram. Of course, all the background noise didn’t make it easy recording but we tried our very best to provide you with the high sound-quality you are usually used to – for those (rare) cases when it did not always work perfectly, we sincerely apologise.  For you not to get lost during this long episode of almost 2 hours and 12 minutes, here’s a list of our guests with the indicated times of where to find the specific interviews:  1. 00:03:29 Ben Curtis (The Single Cask)  2. 00:09:04 Matthew Hastings (Nc’Nean Distillery)  3. 00:20:08 David Ferguson (Lochlea Distillery)  4. 00:26:13 Udo Sonntag (author)  5. 00:34:24 David Thompson (Spirits of Yorkshire / Filey Bay)  6. 00:40:29 Alexander Tichy (Whisky Club of Austria...

For this episode of The Barrel Talk we will once more stay in the Scottish Speyside, in Elgin, to be precise, and are joined by Iain Allan, global brand ambassador and visitor centre manager of Glen Moray Distillery. If you are a fan of exploring whisky matured in all kinds of different casks, Glen Moray is probably one of your go-to whiskies because of the vast variety of different finishes and maturations. Discover interesting facts about the idea behind and the roots of Glen Moray's rich diversity. Find out about Iain's love for Glen Moray, his favourite casks and expressions, some secret treasures patiently sleeping in the warehouses and some potential future crackers to be released by the distillery, which we can really look forward to in the future. Pour yourself a good dram of whisky and let Miriam and Manuel carry you off to the Scottish Speyside for a lovely chat with Iain Allan about Glen Moray Distillery.

Peated. Speyside. Privately-owned. These three words sound as if they don't match but indeed, they describe the distillery starring in our latest episode: Benromach. Nestled between Inverness and Elgin, in the small town of Forres, we had the opportunity to talk to Benromach's distillery manager Keith Cruickshank about what makes Benromach special. Being owned by Gordon & MacPhail, Keith would rather claim that Benromach is actually "his distillery" - in this episode you will find out why. Learn about Keith's long career at the distillery, how things changed during the past 25 years and what he would do if he were not to be the distillery manager at Benromach anymore. Moreover, of course, we also talk whisky and discuss the idea behind the creation of the Benromach single malt, talking about core range whiskies and also specialties like the 40-year-old. Enjoy a dram and listen to Miriam and Manuel and their chat with Keith, who will make you want to travel to the Scottish Speyside immediately.

Islay is the island of dreams for each and every Scotch lover and even though the island does have uncountable beautiful spots, we have to admit that we love being down at Bunnahabhain Distillery enjoying a dram at the pier with its views across the sound of Islay towards the Paps of Jura. Our guest in this episode, David Brodie, beloved tour guide at Bunnahabhain, probably feels the same. David talks about how he got to Islay and Bunnahabhain, about Islay's weather, the bumpy road down to the distillery and, of course, about the casks and the whisky as well as the experience in Bunnahabhain's famous Warehouse 9 tasting. He also reveals stories about his funniest (or should I say strangest?) guests on the tour and which drams you should absolutely try. So imagine sitting at the Bunnahabhain pier, looking over to the Paps of Jura - and then pour yourself a good dram of (Bunnahabhain) whisky and join David and Miri on this episode of "Inside Whisky - The Barrel Talk".

After being a shareholder of The BenRiach Distillery, The GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh one might think all life goals have been reached. Not so Billy Walker. A few years back, he and his partners decided to sell the three distilleries but for Billy it had always been clear that this would not be the end of his journey in the whisky industry. Serendipity made it possible for him to eventually purchase The GlenAllachie in 2017. His vision was to create great whisky while not being dependent on others' decisions. In this episode, Billy Walker talks about buying a running distillery, changing its character and building a new reputation in the market for an up until then rather unknown brand. Moreover, we talk about Billy's background in the whisky industry, the development of The GlenAllachie since 2017 and which other distilleries he would like to own. Yep, still not all life goals achieved as it seems. Listen in and let us take you to the Scottish Speyside to enjoy our talk with whisky legend Billy Walker.

Seeing Andy's shining eyes at the very moment when setting foot into one of Lochranza Distillery's warehouses made one thing clear to us once more: You can never get tired of this special atmosphere and smell of the warehouses of a Scotch whisky distillery...  ... the warehouse, you're wondering? Well yeah. This episode is slightly different than usual - it's an extensive and probably a bit geeky audio tour of Lochranza Distillery - and that's why, among others, we also recorded in their warehouse. After having met Andy Bell for a first recording in Glasgow about a year ago (check out our first episode with him: "Inside Arran with Andy Bell"), we caught up once more - but this time in situ on the Isle of Arran. Andy took us around the distillery and we recorded each and every step of our tour: from water source, to malt intake, to distillation room, to filling store, to warehouse(s) and even a special surprise in the end. Join us on this tour and share some of the joy we felt during this lovely expierence. If you want to see some pictures of the various stages of our recording, check out our Instagram profile @inside_whisky for more. By the way, the two epsiodes with Andy are totally different but both are a lot of fun - so don't miss out on any of them! Sit back, relax, and enjoy the tour with "Inside Whisky" and Andy Bell.

"If Scotland was a whisky, it would be a Springbank" - that was one of the first reactions we got when starting to promote our latest episode of "The Barrel Talk". We just found this statement so perfectly fitting that we had to include it here. Springbank is so much more than just a whisky, it's probably one of the "truest" Scottish spirits you will find, it's history, it's a myth, it's family, it's delicously dirty and it is sought after. In this episode we are talking to Springbank's Nicole Lindsay, who we met in Cadenhead's tasting room in Campbeltown for the recording. Tune in and find out more about Springbank's ethos, their history, some exciting new releases and about some quite photogenic employees of the distillery - it's gonna be interesting, informative, entertaining and fun - so don't hesitate and join us on "Inside Whisky - The Barrel Talk".

Have you ever heard of the new Lochlea Distillery? If not, it's just about time to find out more about this very interesting project, situated in the heart of the Scottish Lowlands near the beautiful seaside town of Ayr. With their inaugural release just around the corner the time is more than right to go discover this new distillery with Lochlea's David Ferguson and us. In this episode you will find out why Lochlea Distillery has been a secret for so long and why only some selected few have known about it for quite a while. You will learn about the distillery's ties to Scottish legend Robert Burns and you will also get to know why "local barley" is actually a downgrade for Lochlea Whisky. On a slightly different note, you'll also find out, why a Middlesbrough FC victory might lead to the consumption of more than just one dram of Lochlea Whisky - at cask strength, of course. Let us take you over to the Scottish Lowlands, directly into the Warehouse of Lochlea Distillery where we recorded this episode together with David.

From French assistant teacher to distillery manager of Lagavulin, one of the most popular whisky brands worldwide. Sounds like living the American Dream - in this case, however, it is a Scottish Dream come true for Frenchman Pierrick Guillaume. In this episode, Pierrick is telling his story about how he got into the whisky industry working his way up to becoming Lagavulin's distillery manager. We also learn more about his fascination for sports, whisky, Islay and Lagavulin as well as the casks he dreams about at night.  Pour a dram of Lagavulin and listen in - you won't regret it! Slàinte!

After having had the first Irish distillery on our show in the last episode, this time it’s another “first”: We have got an English whisky distillery for you! And it is not just any English distillery – it is probably the most hyped one – and we’re absolutely delighted to present Matt McKay of BIMBER Distillery to you. Of course, there is still no easy travelling (especially to the UK) and therefore it is another online recording. Matt is head of marketing and communications for BIMBER Distillery, however, his job description includes much more than the title might suggest. Tune in to let Matt and us take you on a tour to London to get to know more about BIMBER’s Single Malt London Whisky and, of course, about Matt and his take on English whisky, his ideas about collecting whisky, his affection for craft beer, and so much more! 

Teeling is the first Irish distillery on the show - as well as our first online recording for a podcast episode since travelling is still not possible at the moment. In this list of many "firsts", Teeling Distillery is also the first whiskey distillery to open up in Dublin in 125 years and since Irish Whiskey is on everybody's lips as of recently, we are very happy that Chris Hayes, European brand ambassador of Teeling Whiskey, took the time to talk to us. Listen in and find out more about Teeling Whiskey, its interesting and at times a bit confusing history and their love for experimenting with whiskey. Furthermore, you will learn more about Chris, his love for languages, the Whisk(e)y he's going to celebrate his 30th birthday with and a lot more. Lean back and enjoy our latest episode! 

Before Kilchoman Distillery was built and finally opened in 2005, no one had built a distillery on Islay for 124 years. Furthermore, there was not much expertise to be found when it came to actually building a new distillery from scratch in the early 2000s because hardly anyone had done something like that before. Considering those facts, would you have "bloody done it" and taken this huge risk? Listen to the man who was brave enough and mustered all his courage to build Kilchoman Distillery on Islay - and, as we know now - turned out to be very successful with his idea. Enjoy a dram of Kilchoman whisky and find out more about Anthony Wills, founder and managing director of Kilchoman Distillery in this episode of "The Barrel Talk".

Wick - once the herring capital of Europe and thus one of the most important harbour cities in Scotland. In 1826, Wick has also become the home of Pulteney Distillery making the town quite attractive and offering several possibilites to work there. Nowadays, however, many young people leave the town to look for work in the bigger cities. But of course, some people stay and make your visit to the North a great experience. For young Pulteney tour guide, Daniel Ross, the sky is the limit. Enjoy a dram of Old Pulteney Whisky and listen to our "Inside Whisky - The Barrel Talk" episode with tour guide, Daniel Ross.

The Isle of Harris is one of the most beautiful but also one of the most remote Scottish Islands. Find out why the Isle of Harris Distillery is so important for the island, the Hearach (the people of Harris) and their daily lives.  This episode offers some interesting insights into the island life in this remote place in general but, of course, will also provide you with some exciting information about the current flagship of the Isle of Harris Distillery (their Harris Gin) and about their main business: whisky. While we wait for their inaugural whisky to be released, enjoy a glass of Harris Gin and listen to our "Inside Whisky - The Barrel Talk" episode with their head distiller, Kenny Maclean.

When you go to a party as a teenager, someone offers you a dram of whisky and you absolutely don't like it, what do you think might be the end result of that? Well, for Andy Bell, the logical consequence was to make a career in the whisky industry. Listen to this episode of "The Barrel Talk" and find out more about Andy and Arran.

How does an ex-police officer, taking care that Scottish people don't drink too much, become Wolfburn's global brand ambassador encouraging people to actually drink a lot of whisky? And what do the Northern Lights have to do with Wolfburn whisky? Listen to this episode of "The Barrel Talk" to get to know some intriguing facts about Scotland's northernmost mainland distillery.

What's it like to build a new distillery on Islay? Port Ellen vs. Bowmore - How did Jim McEwan and Stewart Laing get to know each other and what does football have to do with it? In how far are Scott and Andrew Laing - the next generation - involved in the family business and what does roasted meat have to do with their relationship to whisky? Find out more in this episode of "The Barrel Talk".

Listen to our trailer to get an impression of what to expect in the future episodes of The Barrel Talk.