Cask to Glass

Unfortunately, John's had a seasonal bug. Nothing serious. But it's taken it's toll on his voice.We're very sorry we're unable to bring you this week's episode.John's on the mend, and he hopes to be back next week.Thanks for listening to Cask to Glass.Apologies once again.Catch you next time.Slàinte!-------Socials:@C2GWhisky@JohnRossBeattie Creator & producer: David HolmesArt work & design: Jess Robertson Music: Water of Life (Never Going Home)Vocals: Andrea CunninghamGuitars: John BeattieBass: Alasdair VannDrums: Alan HamiltonBagpipes: Calum McCollAccordion: Gary InnesMusic & Lyrics: Andrea Cunningham & John BeattieRecorded & mixed by Murray Collier at La Chunky Studios, Glasgow, Scotland

"I'm often called an accidental distiller," says Kim Cameron, founder of the Bothy Distillery in Glen Prosen in the Scottish Highlands.Kim started off running a coffee shop and producing jam. World class jam, which 11 years ago won its category in the World Jam Championships. So she launched her Jam Bothy label."In Angus," she says, "we grow the most amazing fruit, arguably in the best in the world: raspberry, rhubarb, blueberry, strawberry... And I was making the full seasonal calendar of jam. Now one of the byproducts of making jam was I had some juice and fruit left over. And rather than waste that, we decided to add it to gin."Next thing Kim knew, people were beating a path up her glen in the north east of Scotland for her gin. "The jam took a bit of a back seat," she continues, " and we focused on the Gin Bothy as a brand.""That," she explains, "is how my entry into the world of spirit happened. I didn't ever imagine that we would be in a position where we'd be distilling whisky in the glens."Well Kim's not quite distilling whisky yet.Her best selling gin is Gunshot Gin."I was selling that into the US market, and one of the things that we were always told on feedback was: 'We love the flavour profiles.' So it was cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, spice. Those really rich warming flavours. But we had distilled it with gin. And the biggest thing that the export market wanted was in a whisky. So we flipped the base and called it Gunshot Whisky."Gunshot was an eight year old blended whisky created for the Kim's export market. "But," she continues, "our customers here, once it followed our gin journey, have always asked me: 'When are you moving into whisky?'"Well that move has begun!Bothy Distillery is well under way. It's being built in old bothy in Glen Prosen in Cairngorm National Park in the eastern Highlands that in the early 1700s had been an old whisky smuggling room.The stills are on order from Forsyths, Scotland's go-to still manufacturers. They're about to be installed. And Kim hopes the first new spirit, to be distilled under the supervision of Ron Welsh (the master distiller behind Beam Suntory's Laphroaig and Bowmore, and 140 other expressions of Scotch whisky), will begin to flow in December or January.So join John as he chats to Kim about her journey from jam to dram.Slàinte!-------Socials:@C2GWhisky@JohnRossBeattie Creator & producer: David HolmesArt work & design: Jess Robertson Music: Water of Life (Never Going Home)Vocals: Andrea CunninghamGuitars: John BeattieBass: Alasdair VannDrums: Alan HamiltonBagpipes: Calum McCollAccordion: Gary InnesMusic & Lyrics: Andrea Cunningham & John BeattieRecorded & mixed by Murray Collier at La Chunky Studios, Glasgow, ScotlandSpecial thanks: The Piper Whisky Bar, 57 Cochrane Street, Glasgow, Scotland

As we've heard several times in previous episodes of Cask to Glass, China is one of the great untapped markets for Scotch whisky.With a populaton of 1.4 billion, China's the second most populous country in the world. And last year Scotland exported 30 million 70cl bottles to China at a value of £161 million, making it the 10th largest market for Scotch both in terms of volume and value. But when you consider that Scotland exported the equivalent of 1.7 billion bottles worth £5.4 billion in 2024, it's a small market compared to the size of its population.So, how do you expand the market?Since 2014 Chen Li, founder of Magna World Travel and owner of the newly opened Edinburgh Whisky House Hotel, has been running whisky tours for Chinese tourists. She describes the Chinese market as "a big meaty pizza"."Everybody wants a piece of it," she says."Everybody wants a slice from the pizza. But to do business with China, it's not easy. It's not that straightforwward. There are many barriers.""China needs patience," Chen continues. "Working with China or doing any business with China needs patience. Consider for you to send some money abroad. Forty, or fifty thousand, just by a blink? We need a relationship to build first. So that's how you should start: build relationships. Do you send them New Year message during Chinese New Year? Do you send them a message on China's national day."These things matter.Called 威士忌酒 in Simplified Chinese and pronounced "wēi shì jì jiǔ", Chen says whisky is synonymous with Scotland - or 蘇格蘭 in Traditional Chinese, 苏格兰 in Simplified Chinese and pronounced Sūgélán.But there are only about 600,000 serious whisky drinkers in China, Chen suggests, "ones who buy the premium brands."And she cautions: "To be honest there are a lot of people who don't really know much about Scotland. The know England. They know London. Scotland is not very popular yet.""So our job," Chen continues, "is to create an itinerary.We influence people of where they go; what they do; what they eat; where to stay."Join John as he talks to Chen about her understanding of the Chinese whisky market; how she provides whisky tours around Scotland; and how she's trying to turn one of Scotland's most famous, ancient houses - Auchenbowie House, once owned by the descendants of Rober the Bruce - into the first Chinese built distillery in Scotland.Slàinte!Or 干杯 - which means "empty cup", and's pronounced: Gānbēi!-------Socials:@C2GWhisky@JohnRossBeattie Creator & producer: David HolmesArt work & design: Jess Robertson Music: Water of Life (Never Going Home)Vocals: Andrea CunninghamGuitars: John BeattieBass: Alasdair VannDrums: Alan HamiltonBagpipes: Calum McCollAccordion: Gary InnesMusic & Lyrics: Andrea Cunningham & John BeattieRecorded & mixed by Murray Collier at La Chunky Studios, Glasgow, ScotlandSpecial thanks: The Piper Whisky Bar, 57 Cochrane Street, Glasgow, Scotland

Eighty five years in the making. One hundred and 25 decanters produced. £125,000 a pop.Released on the 2 October, and already almost entirely sold out..."More people will have summited Everest this year alone than will ever get to taste this whisky, never mind own it," declares Stephen Rankin, Director of Prestige at Gordon and MacPhail. "There's something like 600, 700 people - maybe more than that - start off to summit Everest and they tend to all do it in the springtime and about 60 or 70 percent of those people will ever actually reach the top."It's some statistic that puts into context just how special Gordon and MacPhail's 85 year old single malt from Glenlivet Distillery is."You're talking about one of the rarest, most historic, scarcest, not just whiskies in the world, but matured spirits in the world," Stephen continues. "I don't know if there's many other spirits - because spirits are matured in the cask that as soon as you take it ouf the cask that's the age stopped. There will be older bottles in the world bu there won't be older matured spirits in the world so it could be the oldest matured spirit in the world as well."On 3 February 1940, just five months after the start of the Second World War, Stephen's grandfather George Urquhart and great-grandfather John, filled a sherry cask made from American oak with new make spirit from Glenlivet. The cask, Stephen says, "was selected because it was a big sherry transport cask. These casks were very different. They were, one it was made of an American oak because it's a little bit tougher and tighter. The grain is much tighter and the staves were made much, much thicker."It was there to withstand the rigmarole of being rolled around quay sides and platforms before going on boats and trains an the like, and ultimately end up in the far north of Scotland."The barley had come from the last peace-time harvest. And filling the cask, Stephen says, "was an act of hope and optimism."In this episode John talks to Stephen about why this whisky is so special; how it survived the war years when whisky was in short supply and was monitored over the intervening years before being bottled and released.Slàinte!-------Socials:@C2GWhisky@JohnRossBeattie Creator & producer: David HolmesArt work & design: Jess Robertson Music: Water of Life (Never Going Home)Vocals: Andrea CunninghamGuitars: John BeattieBass: Alasdair VannDrums: Alan HamiltonBagpipes: Calum McCollAccordion: Gary InnesMusic & Lyrics: Andrea Cunningham & John BeattieRecorded & mixed by Murray Collier at La Chunky Studios, Glasgow, ScotlandSpecial thanks: The Piper Whisky Bar, 57 Cochrane Street, Glasgow, Scotland

"I'm very fluid with how I take my whisky," admits Scott Sneddon, the Managing Director of InchDairnie Distillery in Fife in this episode of Cask to Glass. So neat; a little bit of water; some ice; or even as a cocktail.But, Scott also continues, "I'm very very old fashioned. I like a hauf an' a hauf. So I always like to have a beer and whisky at the same time. So it really depends on what beer I've got in my other hand in how I take my whisky."A beer and a whisky. A half and a half. Or in Scott's Scots venacular, a hauf an' a hauf. It's a traditional way of drinking whisky in many parts of Scotland: a wee dram and half a pint of beer; but perhaps out of fashion now.Yet, Scott says, InchDairnie isn't an entirely traditional Scotch whisky distillery. Yes they malt the grain. Yes they double distill And yes they mature their spirit in oak barrels.But they deviate too."We don't have a traditional mash tun that all the industry have.," Scott explains. "We're one of only two in Scotland that has a mash filter. And that's important becaus a mash filter enables you to process grains that would otherwise be quite difficult to process in a traditional distillery."Grain like rye for example; malted of course; matured for five years in virgin American oak barrels sourced from forests in Orzak or the Appalachians. "But," Scott adds, "for the second distillation, we used a Lomond still. And a Lomond still is a pot still with a column still in the neck. And what that gave is a very very light spirit, very flavourful as well."This is InchDairnie's Ryelaw."To look forward, sometimes you have to look backwards," Scott explains. "So there's records from the 1908 Royal Commission and within those records it details what grains were being used in distilling at the the time, and one of them was rye. But there is no definition of rye whisky in Scotland. The regs don't allow it."Perhaps Ryelaw epitomises InchDairnie's vision. As Scott explains: "The company is basically built on tradition but it's been powered by innovation."Join John as he chats to Scott about the synergy between the old and the new; InchDairnie's other labels (including KinGlassie Raw and KinGlassie Double Matured); the company's 3Ms philosophy (material, method and maturation); and how Fife's five modern distilleries are putting a the region on the whisky map.Slàinte!-------Socials:@C2GWhisky@JohnRossBeattie Creator & producer: David HolmesArt work & design: Jess Robertson Music: Water of Life (Never Going Home)Vocals: Andrea CunninghamGuitars: John BeattieBass: Alasdair VannDrums: Alan HamiltonBagpipes: Calum McCollAccordion: Gary InnesMusic & Lyrics: Andrea Cunningham & John BeattieRecorded & mixed by Murray Collier at La Chunky Studios, Glasgow, ScotlandSpecial thanks: The Piper Whisky Bar, 57 Cochrane Street, Glasgow, Scotland

"Whisky is distilled and matured to be enjoyed," declares Russell Bradley, Head of Brand Development at newly launched independent bottlers One Cask at a Time."But," he adds, "people buy with their eyes."So the look and the packaging is his starting point. Then it's down to great whisky to follow through on the image."I originally came from graphic design. That's what I studied," he tells John in this episode. "I then got into the design world; into print and packaging, which in central Scotland essentially leads you into the spirits and whisky world."But, Russell continues, "for me, the most important thing is the liquid.""We only bottle single casks," Russell says. "We bottle everything at cask strength, natural colour, exactly as it should be."So he seeks out great casks with great whiskies to make up One Cask at a Time's three series: Chronograph, Pendulum and Grandfather, named after time pieces "because time is arguably the most important ingredient in Scotch whisky.""As an independent bottler," Russell explains, "we can select from any distillery from any region within Scotland."But, he says, he's looking for is that one cask which will "showcase our brand as well as the distillery." Distilleries like Ben Nevis, Glentauchers, Auchentoshan, Ledaig, Aultmore and Highland Park.Each bottle contains a "digital passport" embedded in the neck that allows owners to track their bottle's provenance, cask history and tasting notes on their smartphones It's a way of "bridging tradition with technology."So tune in to John's conversation with Russell, recorded on the eve of company's launch at the start of September.Slàinte!-------Socials:@C2GWhisky@JohnRossBeattie Creator & producer: David HolmesArt work & design: Jess Robertson Music: Water of Life (Never Going Home)Vocals: Andrea CunninghamGuitars: John BeattieBass: Alasdair VannDrums: Alan HamiltonBagpipes: Calum McCollAccordion: Gary InnesMusic & Lyrics: Andrea Cunningham & John BeattieRecorded & mixed by Murray Collier at La Chunky Studios, Glasgow, ScotlandSpecial thanks: The Piper Whisky Bar, 57 Cochrane Street, Glasgow, Scotland

"Whisky is for everyone," declares Kristiane Westray, whisky writer, educator and judge. Her book Savour: A guide to tasting and exploring whiskies of the world, published by Bloomsbury, is out next month.But, Kristiane continues, there's still a misogyny around whisky. "I want to invite people into the whisky industry, but I do sometimes worry that I'm inviting people - particularly under-represented groups - into a space that might not be entirely safe for them.""I think everywhere there's misogyny," she tells John in this episode. "I think in male dominated industries especially there's misogyny. And I think in whisky, you have that, but you also have the layer of alcohol on top of it, which unfortunately, and it shouldn't do, can mean that filters come off or people behave in ways that they shouldn't because they are drunk or feel enabled in some other way".As a 37-year-old, openly gay woman, Kristiane says she has "a much easier time of it of late. But," she continues, "younger women in the industry who are maybe brand ambassadors, who are on the front line of events, or other writers will tell me stories of being harassed, being groped and all of this stuff, and I'm like 'No. We need to as an industry collectively work much harder at this.""It's horrible to say," Kristiane adds, "because I want to invite more women in and more non-binary people, more people from different ethnicities, more working class people..."That's why she's an advocate of "safe space whisky places" and greater diversity in the industry.But how did Kristiane get into the industry?"I was writing for a travel and retail magazine and I wanted to be a fashion and beauty journailst.That was the dream. And I remember my editor saying, 'You've got to go off to Sweden to cover the the Viking Line Whisky Fair.'"I was 24 and I was like, 'I don't like whisky. It's going to be full of drunk men' (which it was), but I had to go... and I tasted whisky for the first time and I fell in love with it."In this episode Kristiane tells John about her whisky journey. They discuss the different marketing strategies adopted by Johnnie Walker with Sabrina Carpenter and Glenmorangie with Harrison Ford; how you can improve your olfactory skills to appreciate whisky better; and how enjoying whisky is a "mix of art, science and storytelling."So pour yourself a dram - as it comes, or with ice or with water, or - as Kristiane recommends - ginger ale or soda or any other mixer - and tune in. After all, whisky is for everyone!Slàinte!-------Socials:@C2GWhisky@JohnRossBeattie Creator & producer: David HolmesArt work & design: Jess Robertson Music: Water of Life (Never Going Home)Vocals: Andrea CunninghamGuitars: John BeattieBass: Alasdair VannDrums: Alan HamiltonBagpipes: Calum McCollAccordion: Gary InnesMusic & Lyrics: Andrea Cunningham & John BeattieRecorded & mixed by Murray Collier at La Chunky Studios, Glasgow, ScotlandSpecial thanks: The Piper Whisky Bar, 57 Cochrane Street, Glasgow, Scotland

Could Scotch whisky be exempted from US tariffs?In this episode, after his whirlwind visit last week to meet US President Donald J Trump at the White House, Scotland's First Minister John Swinney joins John Beattie to discuss the prospects of a deal on US tariffs on Scotch whisky.Ten percent US tariffs are costing the Scotch whisky industry £4 million a week, Mr Swinney says.But Scotland, he adds, imports $300 million worth of Kentucky bourbon barrels every year. And tariffs are having an impact on that trade too."I'd also had the fortunate position to meet with one of the cask producers in Kentucky before I met Mr Trump," Mr Swinney explains. "And he was telling me that he was already having orders cancelled from Scottish distilleries. So the real life effect of the tariffs is having an effect in America already."It's a story that's been picked up by The New York Times, which reported on 15 September 2025 that "if 10 percent tariffs persist, the United States will lose 3,300 jobs and the US hospitality industry would lose $300 million according to the Distilled Spirits Council [of the United States]."One of the Scottish distilleries The Times mentioned was Kilchoman Distillery on Islay (featured in Episode 8), which imports 60 percent of its barrels from Kentucky.So a deal, Mr Swinney says, would be "a win-win": "It's also not a deal that causes any other collateral implications because Scotch whisky can only be produced in Scotland. Kentucky bourbon can only be produced in Kentucky. So there's no transfer of trade that can be involved. But there is an economic benefit for both sides of the pond if we get this right."But what was it like pitching a proposal to the most powerful man on the planet in the most well-known office in the world?"I had to know my onions about my proposal because he was questioning me. It was a questioning experience."But in essence, Mr Swinney says, "I was saying, 'Here's a deal which will benefit the Scotch whisky industry, yes, but it'll also benefit the distilling industry in the United States'."So will there be a deal?"I think there's an attractive proposition there. The question is, will we pull it off? And well, we'll get an answer to that in due course."Slàinte!-------Socials:@C2GWhisky@JohnRossBeattie Creator & producer: David HolmesArt work & design: Jess Robertson Music: Water of Life (Never Going Home)Vocals: Andrea CunninghamGuitars: John BeattieBass: Alasdair VannDrums: Alan HamiltonBagpipes: Calum McCollAccordion: Gary InnesMusic & Lyrics: Andrea Cunningham & John BeattieRecorded & mixed by Murray Collier at La Chunky Studios, Glasgow, ScotlandSpecial thanks: The Piper Whisky Bar, 57 Cochrane Street, Glasgow, Scotland