Not Another Whisky Podcast

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

Part two of our live Not Another Whisky Podcast recording with the Thompson Bros at the Craigellachie Hotel picks things up mid-tasting — and it only gets better from here.We start with a chat on label design, working with artists, and the reality of constant releases, before getting into what life actually looks like running a distillery, a hotel, and everything else… in a whisky market that’s not exactly flying right now.From there, we get stuck into Sideburn — a 35-year-old Burnside — and unpack some of the wonderfully confusing, slightly ridiculous naming rules that still exist in Scotch whisky.The conversation drifts (as it should) into world whisky, market pressures, and then lands on the Mystery Malt concept — one of the most talked-about things the Thompson Bros are doing right now. Think scratch-card whisky, full transparency on the breakdown, and bottles that can massively overdeliver on the £65 price point — with a fan credited for the original idea.Across the episode, we taste:North British 33, Clynelish 12, Sideburn 35, Glenrothes 20, Glengoyne 27, and a Mystery Malt — before opening it up to the room for a proper audience Q&A.We cover everything from marketing and ballots to future bottlings and what the Thompson Bros distillery style is really aiming to become.If you enjoyed part one… this is where it really opens up.00:00 Part Two Kickoff00:47 Label Art Pressure02:52 Busy Life Fundraising04:31 Dram Four Sideburn05:02 Teaspoon Naming Games06:39 Burnside Trademark Lore09:52 Tasting Notes Distillery Style11:31 World Whisky Reality Check14:51 Top Picks And Value16:56 Dram Five Mystery Malt19:41 How Mystery Malt Works23:52 Scaling The Series24:53 Live Guessing Game26:44 Breaking Shelf Bias27:29 Consumer Feedback Wins28:17 Distilleries Get Competitive30:29 Big Brands Buy In32:27 Pricing Proof of Concept34:34 Final Dram Glenrothes36:03 Audience Q&A Bourbon Plans38:15 Organic Marketing Approach42:13 Favorites and Ballots Return46:54 Future Spirits and Collabs52:57 New Make Style Strategy56:28 Wrap Up and Thanks

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:North British 33 (…which turns out to be 34 — classic)A mystery maltClynelish Distillery 12“Sideburn” 35Glenrothes Distillery 20Glengoyne Distillery 27Early 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:The reality of building a distillery in 2026 (spoiler: it’s not cheap)Budget overruns, tough decisions, and phased builds in DornochWhy margins across the supply chain are under pressureAnd how independent bottlers are navigating a cooling marketThere’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 BURGESSA CLASH OF THE STILLS - THE RETURN OF THE DISTILLERS SHOWDOWN⏱️ Chapters00:00 Band Banter00:28 Live Show Kickoff01:17 Meet Thomson Brothers02:05 Six Drams Lineup02:53 Tasting Format03:12 North British Grain04:15 Label Age Mixup04:41 Pricing And Value05:16 Yearly Catch Up05:35 New Distillery Build06:40 Budget Control Lessons08:20 Phased Build Plan09:52 Business Wins And Events11:36 Blending Approach13:44 Dram Two And Tourism16:15 Diageo Decisions Debate19:03 Tourism At Dornoch20:18 Value Over Hype20:54 Castle Bottle Strategy21:35 Speyside Events Plug23:14 Clynelish Cask Breakdown25:50 Closures Hit Communities27:42 Whisky Boom Bust Math32:05 Planning For Downturns33:43 Indie Festival Buzz38:05 Sherry Cask Debate38:53 How Many Releases42:54 Subscribe And Wrap

Mitch and Daz kick off their first proper catch-up of the year (with zero planning and maximum hair compliments), swapping updates on travel and work: Daz recaps a Dublin weekend that somehow involved more Guinness than Irish whiskey, while Mitch recounts a hectic run of podcast recordings, a corporate tasting, a long drive to see Bladnoch and the new Galloway Distillery, visits with Charlie MacLean , and his first festival since 2017, the Independent Whisky Festival. They then rip through whisky news: InchDairnie becomes a certified B Corp; Denmark’s Stauning starts making gin; GlenAllachie releases a 35-year-old; two Karuizawa casks sell for £4.25m; The Dalmore reopens to guests April 27; Bruichladdich marks 25 years since reopening with Old Skool 10-year-old; Glenrothes launches a 56-year-old; Ricky Gervais-backed Ellers Farm debuts Three Ridings (sold via a pricey Evolution Collection); Glen Moray releases Forbidden Fruit Calvados finish; and World Whiskies Awards nod to winners Joel Harrison, Gary Mills, and Bowmore 21 as best whisky in the world, plus talk of a potential live Edinburgh “battle” vs Whisky Stories.00:00 Cold Open Banter00:05 First Catch Up Of Year00:52 DA Updates And Travel01:02 Dublin Weekend Recap02:18 Busy Week In Scotland03:15 Indie Spirits Festival Highlights05:34 Whiskey News Roundup Begins05:55 InchDairnie B Corp Milestone07:16 Denmark Distillery Goes Gin08:11 Martinis And Bar Legends09:02 GlenAllachie 35 Year Release10:34 Karuizawa Casks Auction Shock11:52 Auction Buzz and Banter12:15 Ollie Stories and Podcast Tease13:34 Dalmore Reopens Visitor Experience16:10 Bruichladdich Old School Release17:46 Glenrothes 56 Year Decanter19:13 Ricky Gervais Celebrity Whisky24:17 Glen Moray Calvados Finish25:53 Awards Season Shoutouts27:13 Live Podcast Battle Plans28:41 Wrap Up and Listener Thanks

Mitch heads up to the Little Brown Dog HQ to sit down with Managing Director, DR. Andrew Smith for a properly relaxed, no-BS chat about independent bottling—and everything around it.They get into how Andrew went from hospitality (with a brief detour towards becoming a vet) to co-running one of Scotland’s more quietly interesting bottlers, what actually makes a cask worth bottling in today’s market, and why they’re not just sticking to whisky.From Scotch to rum to Calvados, this is a conversation about flavour over category—and whether whisky drinkers might need to start looking beyond their own glass.Andrew also shares the story behind starting Little Brown Dog, where they want to take it next, and how he sees the current state of the industry—especially the realities facing independent bottlers right now.There’s also an unsuccessful attempt to drag Chris onto the podcast, some rally driving chat, and a crash story that definitely wasn’t meant to be funny… but absolutely is.A loose, honest conversation with one of the good guys in the industry.

Arthur Motley on Cask Backrooms, Whisky Identity, and the Liquid AntiquarianArthur Motley joins Mitch & Daz in Bennet’s Bar for a cracking conversation on cask buying, whisky identity, and what happens when one of the industry’s most experienced retailers decides to go it alone. From his early days at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society to 21 years at Royal Mile Whiskies — where he worked his way from cask buyer to managing director — Arthur has seen whisky from just about every angle.He talks about the wild early-2000s cask market, when buying stock was a very different game, and how things gradually shifted from open sampling and relationship-led deals to tighter supply and buying “off paper.” The chat also dives into why he left Royal Mile, what his consultancy work looks like now, and why brand identity and route-to-market matter more than ever.There’s plenty of whisky geekery too, including early Japanese SMWS bottlings, the rise of world whisky, and Arthur’s brilliant historical project The Liquid Antiquarian with Dave Broom. Expect big thoughts on the 1823 Excise Act, the speed of Scotch’s evolution, and the stories behind the liquid we all bang on about.00:00 Rolling and intro00:07 Meet Arthur Motley02:14 Bennet’s Bar and pubs02:40 Cornwall pub story04:38 Joining Royal Mile05:44 Early whisky scene08:20 Whisky passion sparked10:05 Cask buying then14:19 Single malt boom18:37 Leaving Royal Mile22:15 Consultancy focus now24:53 Identity and history work27:27 Whisky History Needs Stories29:50 Brand Identity Done Right30:43 Bruichladdich Under Remy34:37 First Japanese Bottlings36:55 World Whisky Boom39:36 Scotch as Global Style42:19 Birth of Liquid Antiquarian44:38 1823 vs 1494 Debate47:38 Biggest Research Revelations51:08 Patreon Plans and Community56:09 Closing Thoughts and Farewell

Time For Whisky’s Martin Eber on Hong Kong’s Generosity, Japan’s Bar Magic, and Keeping Whiskey Blogs AliveDaz welcomes Martin Eber of Time For Whisky, an Australian whisky blogger he has known for about 11 years, to discuss his journey from collecting travel-retail bottles in 2008–2009 to starting the Time For Whisky blog in 2012 and moving to Hong Kong in 2014 as the scene rapidly expanded. They highlight Hong Kong’s uniquely generous whisky culture, where rare bottles are opened and shared, and discuss the decline of long-form whisky blogs amid social media and AI-generated content, with Martin aiming to keep authentic writing going. Martin recalls standout moments including a 2018 media trip for The Macallan’s new distillery launch, and hosting an early international Starward tasting. He names Japan as the best place to drink whisky for vintage selections and pricing, then shares updates on returning to Australia, growing Time For Whisky with contributors, and observations on Australia’s booming but crowded distilling scene.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro01:37 Whiskey Beginnings in Australia02:37 Starting the Time for Whiskey Blog03:51 Moving to Hong Kong Scene05:17 Hong Kong Generosity and Rare Drams06:48 Why Blogs Still Matter09:32 Standout Whiskey Moments14:37 Japan the Best Place to Drink17:56 Back in Australia Whats Next20:21 Australian Whiskey Boom and Challenges22:58 Tasmanian Highlights and Wrap Up