Recorded live at the Craigellachie Hotel, this one’s exactly what you’d hope for from a Not Another Whisky Podcast live show, six drams, zero filter, and the Thomson Brothers in full flow.
Mitch sits down with Phil and Simon for part 1 of a six-dram tasting that quickly turns into a deep dive on value, volatility, and what’s actually going on behind the scenes in whisky right now.
On the tasting table:
Early doors, the conversation gets into why older grain whisky like North British is suddenly everywhere, and how the Thomson Brothers are managing to put out bottles that don’t require a small bank loan (the North British sits at 40.1% and around £65, make of that what you will).
From there, it opens up into a proper industry chat:
There’s also a no-holds-barred discussion on whisky tourism — including the impact of decisions by Diageo, the closure of Clynelish’s visitor centre, and the wider shift toward high-end, limited-access experiences.
Somewhere in the middle, there’s a quick detour into upcoming Spirit of Speyside shows (because even in the middle of a tasting, you’ve still got tickets to sell…).
By the final dram, the conversation lands on sherry casks, long-aged whisky, and the realities of keeping things interesting — before cutting off mid-flow with a Glen Garioch 27 discussion and a neat little cliffhanger for Part Two.
TICKETS FOR OUR SHOWS:
THREE BLENDERS WALK INTO A BAR WITH BRIAN KINSMAN, OLVER CHILTON AND SARAH BURGESS
A CLASH OF THE STILLS - THE RETURN OF THE DISTILLERS SHOWDOWN
00:00 Band Banter
00:28 Live Show Kickoff
01:17 Meet Thomson Brothers
02:05 Six Drams Lineup
02:53 Tasting Format
03:12 North British Grain
04:15 Label Age Mixup
04:41 Pricing And Value
05:16 Yearly Catch Up
05:35 New Distillery Build
06:40 Budget Control Lessons
08:20 Phased Build Plan
09:52 Business Wins And Events
11:36 Blending Approach
13:44 Dram Two And Tourism
16:15 Diageo Decisions Debate
19:03 Tourism At Dornoch
20:18 Value Over Hype
20:54 Castle Bottle Strategy
21:35 Speyside Events Plug
23:14 Clynelish Cask Breakdown
25:50 Closures Hit Communities
27:42 Whisky Boom Bust Math
32:05 Planning For Downturns
33:43 Indie Festival Buzz
38:05 Sherry Cask Debate
38:53 How Many Releases
42:54 Subscribe And Wrap
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