Not Another Whisky Podcast

Daryl interviews Sarah Dowling, lead whisky maker at Laphroaig, tracing her path from a genetics and environmental background to a 2012 Edrington recycling contract that turned into a long whisky career via sensory panels, Diageo, and nearly seven years at Cooley in Ireland (working on Connemara and other releases, and even managing the site). She discusses how her palate evolved from missing vanilla to treating smoke as a “neutral,” and how collaborative tasting works best when nobody gets told what they “should” taste. Sarah explains the organic Willem Dafoe collaboration (the “Unforgettable” campaign), built from pilot blends, repeated tastings, and an Oloroso-driven 14-year whisky bottled at 53.7% with rich texture. For Fèis Ìle’s 40th anniversary, Laphroaig’s Càirdeas is fully matured in French oak, noted for Lapsang souchong-like smoke and melon notes, and Sarah previews interactive Laphroaig Day tastings, parties, and Friends of Laphroaig camaraderie.00:00 Welcome Sarah Dowling01:09 From Sustainability to Whisky02:59 Discovering Sensory Panels07:03 Finding Flavor Blind Spots11:53 Irish Whiskey Calling16:41 Life at Cooley Distillery17:55 Full Time Blender Role18:36 Willem Dafoe Collaboration20:34 Building the Oloroso Blend23:47 First Tastes and Bold Character24:28 Bold New Release25:07 Willem Gets It26:17 On Set Inspiration29:05 Friends And Festivals30:40 French Oak Cairdeas31:58 Tasting Notes Tea Smoke35:51 Feis Ile Tastings38:04 Friends Stories And Farewell

Gordon Dundas brings out Tamdhu’s Dalbeallie Dram, ninth edition — a natural-colour, first-fill sherry powerhouse sitting at 60.5% ABV. It’s everything you’d hope for from Tamdhu in full sherry beast mode: fruitcake sweetness, dark spice, espresso bitterness and a finish that somehow drinks far too easily for its strength.The panel get stuck into age statements, natural colour, value, pricing, and where the whisky market is heading after a few years of everyone releasing everything, everywhere, all at once.Then Stuart Buchanan steps up with the final dram: a newly shelved Benriach 2009 15-year-old peated whisky at 61.1% ABV, matured in refill hogsheads before spending six years in PX. Stuart talks through Benriach’s peated history, how cask choice shapes phenols, and why everyone apparently needs to save the hogshead.Along the way, the ambassadors talk favourite recent markets, from Japan and Turkey to Singapore and Australia, before looking ahead to what might be next for whisky: more highballs, more blends, more indie bottlers, and hopefully fewer releases that require remortgaging your house.The episode finishes with distillery recommendations from around the world, thoughts on new distilleries finding their feet, concerns around the pace of Irish whiskey growth, and the all-important audience vote.00:00 Next Dram Setup00:22 Dalbeallie Origins01:41 Sherry Bomb Breakdown03:44 Tasting Notes Banter04:29 Editions and Value Talk05:28 Age Statements Debate07:13 Whisky Market Correction10:06 Secondary Market Trends11:16 Final Dram Dedication12:17 Introducing Benriach Peat12:58 Peated Release Details14:50 Cask Strategy and Hogsheads17:09 PPM and Peat Science19:23 First Impressions Wrap19:29 Sherry Cask Debate20:14 Speyside DNA Explained21:10 Glenglassaugh Coastal Dram22:11 Travel Highlights Quickfire23:49 Whisky Trends Next Year26:41 Distillery Picks Worldwide33:32 New Distilleries Growing Pains34:59 Irish Whiskey Boom Concerns37:41 Global Whisky Wrap-Up39:39 Audience Vote Results

Mitch kicks off a sold-out Clash of the Drams live recording, making it clear from the start that this is not going to be one of those polite Speyside tastings where everyone nods quietly and pretends to know what quince is.This year’s brave contenders are Stuart Buchanan from Brown-Forman, Gordon Dundas from Ian Macleod Distillers, Struan Grant Ralph from Glenfiddich, and first-time entrant Charlie Metcalfe from The Balvenie. The audience are given the terrifying responsibility of judging both the drams and the banter, before casting their final vote in the Quaich Bar.Part one features two outstanding drams. First up is Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix, created after the heavy winter snow of 2010 caused warehouse roofs to collapse, leading Brian Kinsman to vat together a unique selection of rescued casks. The panel talk through the story, the rarity, the price, and why it still holds such a special place for Glenfiddich fans.Dram two comes from Balvenie, with an 18-year-old finished for seven years in Pineau des Charentes casks. Charlie explains how ambassador-led ideas can help shape whisky projects, while the group get into cask influence, flavour development, market differences, and what happens when ambassadors are allowed anywhere near new liquid.And because this is Not Another Whisky Podcast, things naturally take a turn. The episode ends with the ambassadors being forced into celebrity-style whisky poems, including Daniel Craig and Jack Nicholson impressions that may never fully leave the room.Part two is where things get even more unhinged.00:00 Welcome to Clash01:37 How the Voting Works03:11 Meet the Panel07:16 Festival Banter10:26 Ambassador Origins12:47 Dram One: Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix18:26 The Warehouse Roof Collapse19:17 Snow Phoenix Price Talk20:50 Tasting Notes and Vibes21:54 Dram Two: Pineau des Charentes Cask25:01 How Ambassadors Shape Whisky25:38 Signatures and Fingerprints29:48 Markets and Innovation32:42 Envelope Impression Game37:40 Part One Sign Off

Mitch is joined by Ria McAdam, European Marketing Manager at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, for a dive into the world of SMWS — who chats about the current chance for members to win an entire Distillery 10 Islay cask.They get into the origins of the Society, from Pip Hills sharing cask-strength whisky with friends in the 1970s to the founding of SMWS at The Vaults in Leith in 1983, before moving into how it has grown into a global whisky membership community. Ria talks through the monthly outturn model, the coded bottles, the flavour-led approach, and the gloriously odd names that have become part of SMWS folklore.There’s also plenty on what membership actually gives you, from access to exclusive bottlings and Members’ Rooms to tastings, guest access, content and whisky education. Ria explains the crazy current May promotion where buying a festival bottle or activating a membership gets you into the draw to win a full Distillery 10 cask.The episode also touches on SMWS’s Scotland football-inspired release, A Belter for America, a 10-year-old Highland single cask bottled to celebrate Scotland’s return to the World Cup.LinksSMWS websiteJoin SMWSWin a cask / festival bottlesBuy A Belter for America (28.118)00:00 Welcome to SMWS01:45 Origin story: Pip Hills03:38 Global membership today05:06 Ria’s role in marketing06:27 How outturns work10:11 Wild bottle names11:52 What membership offers13:19 Members’ Rooms and perks15:14 Staff training and whisky culture17:59 Ria’s own whisky journey23:00 Events, outreach and content25:36 Win a cask giveaway29:03 A Belter for America30:42 How to join and buy33:24 Wrap up and thanks

Mitch takes Not Another Whisky Podcast on the road for a live recording at Speyburn, joined by distillery manager Euan Henderson and head of whisky creation Sarah Burgess—two people quietly shaping one of Speyside’s most underrated distilleries.They dig into Speyburn’s “hidden gem” reputation, what’s changed with the new visitor centre, and how the team balances consistency in new make with the creative chaos of building a modern whisky portfolio.There’s proper whisky chat too—none of that vague “notes of happiness” nonsense. The lineup starts with the Speyburn 10 Year Old (refill ex-bourbon, 40%), before moving through the range, touching on the 15 and 18 with their increasing sherry influence, plus experiments with rum casks and the slightly geeky (but very cool) world of dechar/rechar cask rejuvenation.Euan breaks down the distillery’s unusual setup—worm tubs, mixed condensers, and a blend of wooden and stainless steel washbacks—and how those choices shape Speyburn’s crisp, green-apple-driven spirit. There’s also a look at real-world challenges, including water supply issues that actually forced production cuts (because whisky isn’t always as romantic as we pretend it is).They nose fresh, fruity new make, chat about early peated runs now quietly maturing away, and then… land on something ridiculous:A 1975 vintage (53.4%), distilled in 1975 and re-vatted in 2017 into sherry-seasoned European oak butts—packed with rich, balanced old-whisky character and, somehow, still talked about as “good value” (which feels illegal).It’s part distillery deep-dive, part live tasting, part organised chaos—with a proper crowd in the room.Timestamps 00:00 Welcome & warm-up 00:40 Meet the hosts 02:10 Speyburn: the “hidden gem” conversation 04:07 Who actually does what behind the whisky 08:03 First dram: Speyburn 10 09:12 Range breakdown & cask strategy 12:04 Distillery DNA explained 15:15 Inside Speyburn 16:18 Worm tubs, condensers & water realities 17:18 Drum maltings heritage 18:45 Old stock & shifting flavour profiles 19:56 Expansion vs consistency 20:47 Life as a distillery manager 22:05 Sustainability & water challenges 24:48 New make: green apple and freshness 26:19 Peated experiments & terroir chat 28:51 The 1975 edition story 31:06 Tasting notes & balance 33:46 Age vs flavour debate 36:24 Audience Q&A & wrap

Daz and Mitch are back—slightly dusty, fully loaded with stories, and picking up where they left off.They kick things off by chatting about the now-legendary two-part Thomson Brothers live episodes (and the ongoing failure to actually sit down and have a proper dram with them like normal human beings).Then it takes a turn… Mitch’s back garden goes full disaster movie. A neighbour’s shed fire spreads, wipes out half his own setup, melts the hot tub (yes, melted), and leaves about £10k worth of gear gone. It’s equal parts chaos and a public service announcement: check your insurance before your hot tub becomes modern art.From there, it’s straight back into work mode—hosting guests around Speyside and running Wildmoor experiences at the Fife Arms alongside Aldo Kane and a crew of Taiwanese influencers.Meanwhile, Daz has been living a completely different life—heading stateside from Savannah to Augusta for the Masters. Think whisky tastings, cigars, house parties, and somehow ending up in rooms with Dave Grohl and Brett Young. Casual.Back on home turf, there’s Islay, Jura, and a deep dive into the ever-divisive world of wine cask finishes—sweet wines, orange wines, weird experiments… and the occasional accidental success.They round things out with a look ahead at a stacked Spirit of Speyside lineup—live podcasts, events, questionable decisions—plus plans for Fèis Ìle and the gloriously named “Burning of the Bear” at Lindores Abbey.Standard service resumes.Timestamps:00:00 – Cold open (slightly chaotic, obviously)00:09 – Back after a month: where have we been?00:21 – Thomson Brothers live episode recap01:36 – Mitch’s shed fire disaster (RIP hot tub)04:08 – Hosting in Speyside & Five Arms Wildmoor experience05:55 – Daz does the Masters (no phones, all vibes)08:51 – Augusta afterparty madness10:48 – Islay, Jura & battling the weather11:51 – The great wine cask debate begins14:46 – Weird casks & when port actually works15:56 – Orange wine casks… seriously16:20 – Listener poll on wine finishes16:57 – Recent whisky highlights18:02 – Highlander side-by-side tasting18:45 – Listener shoutout (Roy 👏)19:15 – Spirit of Speyside week preview19:53 – Live events lineup22:50 – Opening dinner plans23:54 – Fèis Ìle plans24:47 – Laggan Bay milestone25:07 – Burning of the Bear (yes, really)26:29 – Laphroaig celebrity collab chat28:21 – Bottle chat & whisky gifts29:29 – Wrap up