Not Another Whisky Podcast

Five years ago, Dr Whisky joined us to talk about blending whiskies from 14 different countries. Five years later, he's back, and apparently he's still not run out of ideas. Or ways to get himself into trouble.This week, Mitch catches up with old friend Sam Simmons, Head of Whisky at Atom Brands and the creative mind behind That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Wormtub, Darkness and a frankly ridiculous number of whisky releases.And Sam's got a few things to get off his chest.Are whisky shows actually putting people off whisky? Have enthusiasts become so obsessed with cask strength, single malts and age statements that we've forgotten how to simply enjoy a dram? And with warehouses full of whisky and consumers tightening their belts, has the industry got a little carried away with itself?We also get into the changing world of independent bottling, Atom's return to independent ownership, the joys of blended whisky and why a Johnnie Walker Black Label on ice is sometimes exactly what the doctor ordered.Then there's Dalry Milk. What started as an emotional love letter to Edinburgh turned into a whisky inspired by a chocolate bar, complete with a rather polite request from the lawyers to stop selling it. You couldn't make it up.Throw in 21-year-old world whisky blends, worm tub condensers, exciting new distilleries, peanut butter whisky and Sam's new life in Norway, and we've got plenty to talk about.It's whisky, friendship, a few strong opinions and absolutely no requirement to take any of it too seriously.Welcome back, Dr Whisky.LINKS & DRAMS MENTIONEDWant to explore some of Sam's creations? Here are the links to the brands, bottles and questionable ideas we talked about.Atom Brands – The home of Sam's whisky creations.Master of Malt – Where you'll find many of the whiskies discussed.That Boutique-y Whisky Company – Independent bottlings, brilliant labels and plenty of unusual drams.Wormtub Whisky – Big, bold, meaty whiskies, including the single cask releases Sam discusses.Darkness Whisky – Intensely sherried whiskies from Atom.21 Year Old World Whisky Blend – Sam's latest adventure in blending whiskies from around the world.Dalry Milk (Removed by the Fun Police) – The infamous Edinburgh grain whisky that got the lawyers interested.The Islay Collection – A collaboration with Studio Minerva featuring 16, 20 and 30 year old Islay single casks.Master of Malt Flavoured Whisky Range – Peanut Butter, Mint Choc and Gingerbread. If you've enjoyed the episode, give us a follow, leave a review and share it with a fellow whisky lover. Preferably one who doesn't insist everything has to be cask strength.

We're back! After a few ridiculously busy weeks, Mitch and Daz finally manage to get themselves in the same virtual room for a much-needed catch-up. And judging by what's been happening in the whisky world, they've got plenty to talk about.Mitch's been gallivanting around Ireland, hosting whisky adventures across Scotland and launching two new Turas Mòr whiskies on the Isle of Raasay. Meanwhile, Daz has been drinking old Glengarioch, exploring whisky bars in Hong Kong and generally living his best life.But there's some serious whisky news to get stuck into as well.A bottle of The Macallan 1926 has sold for over £2 million at Sotheby's first auction held at the distillery. Balvenie has unveiled an extraordinary 88-year-old single malt, becoming the oldest Scotch whisky ever released. The controversial English Whisky Geographical Indication has caused a bit of a stir, and sadly, community-owned GlenWyvis Distillery has entered administration.Naturally, Mitch has a few opinions. Particularly when it comes to what actually constitutes a single malt whisky.In this episode:Mitch's Irish whisky adventure, from Tullamore and Dingle to Midleton and Kinsale.Daz's adventures with old Glengarioch and Hong Kong whisky bars.The Turas Mòr launch on Raasay, featuring questionable Scottish weather, wild swimming and whisky on a cliff.Daz tastes the new Turas Mòr Dailuaine and Benrinnes 12-year-olds.The Macallan 1926 sells for over £2 million.Balvenie releases an extraordinary 88-year-old single malt, alongside two new expressions celebrating its traditional maltings.The English Whisky GI controversy. Should single malt whisky have to be mashed, fermented and distilled at one distillery?GlenWyvis enters administration. What does its closure tell us about the pressures facing independent distilleries?And the usual amount of nonsense you've come to expect from us.Get your hands on Turas MòrTwo new limited-edition Speyside single malts under their independent bottling brand, Turas Mòr.Only 150 bottles of each have been produced, and both were launched during a whisky adventure on the Isle of Raasay.Dailuaine 12 Year Old, Edition #3A vibrant, creamy Speyside single malt with fresh orchard fruit, toasted nuts, gentle spice and a touch of oak.Buy Dailuaine 12 Year OldBenrinnes 12 Year Old, Edition #4Rich, fruity and full of character, with dark berries, chocolate, fruitcake and warming spice.Buy Benrinnes 12 Year OldBoth are exclusively available through The Speyside Whisky Shop, subject to availability.Explore the full range: https://www.turasmorwhisky.comWhisky news and articlesThe Macallan 1926 auctionA rare 1926 Fine & Rare bottling takes centre stage at Sotheby's first auction held at The Macallan Estate.Sotheby's: Live from The Macallan EstateThe Spirits Business: Rare Macallan 1926 sells for £2.2m (2023 record)Balvenie 88 Year OldJust 17 bottles of the 1931 vintage exist, making this a remarkable piece of whisky history.Financial Times: Balvenie's 88-year-old whiskyEnglish Whisky GI controversyThe approval of English Whisky's geographical indication has sparked debate over single malt production methods, with the Scotch Whisky Association formally appealing the decision.Scotch Whisky Association: Appeal against English Whisky GIUK Government: English Whisky GI specificationGlenWyvis Distillery enters administrationSad news for the world's first community-owned distillery, with administrators appointed following prolonged financial difficulties.Interpath: GlenWyvis enters administrationThe Spirits Business: GlenWyvis secured £500,000 funding earlier in 2026Follow the adventureEnjoyed the episode? Give us a follow, leave a review and share it with someone who loves a good dram and a healthy dose of whisky industry nonsense.Thanks for listening

We’re back on the Isle of Raasay, three years after our last proper sit down with Alasdair Day, co founder and master blender at the Isle of Raasay Distillery.Recorded at the distillery, the conversation is less about introducing Raasay and much more about how it is growing up. With the spirit now approaching nine years old, Alasdair talks us through how the original six cask recipe is developing, what they’ve learned from ex rye, Bordeaux and Chinkapin oak, and why lower filling strengths could be having a significant effect on maturation.We also get into one of the more interesting whisky debates we’ve had for a while. How much does water really contribute to the character of a whisky? While the industry often talks about a figure around 2%, Alasdair believes Raasay’s mineral rich water could be responsible for considerably more, particularly because they use it throughout cask reduction on the island.Away from the liquid, we talk about what the distillery has done for Raasay itself. New jobs, a growing population, people moving to the island to build their lives there, community energy projects and the relationship between the distillery and the people around it.And, of course, we look ahead. Ten and fifteen year old Raasay, another warehouse, ideas for a whisky school, the currently paused Campbeltown distillery project, and why Alasdair isn’t exactly rushing out to fill Raasay spirit into tequila and mezcal casks just because the rules now allow it.A proper catch up with one of whisky’s busiest men, from one of Scotland’s most remarkable wee islands.

Mitch heads to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Queen Street Members’ Room in Edinburgh to sit down with Calum Lawson, SMWS Member Experience Manager and co-host of the Society’s Whisky Talk podcast.Calum’s route into whisky wasn’t exactly mapped out from the beginning. From years in Glasgow hospitality and running a bar and restaurant, he moved into the Society as manager of the Bath Street Members’ Room, spent time on the whisky buying team, and now finds himself helping shape everything from member experiences and international tastings to podcasts and new releases.We get into the wonderfully terrifying world of blind tasting and SMWS’s new Caskmaster competition: eight mystery drams, nine possible answers and absolutely nowhere to hide. Mitch recalls Charlie MacLean’s advice never to blind taste Scotch whisky, while Calum explains why the Society decided to ignore that advice entirely.There’s also plenty of Society chat: how those mysterious distillery numbers work, how single casks are selected, why ridiculous bottle names such as “Beware of the Lurking Gherkin” are part of the fun, and what actually goes into creating memorable whisky experiences for members around the world.But there’s also a bit of news.CopperCairn and The Scotch Malt Whisky Society are teaming up for a Speyside adventure from 12–15 March 2027, bringing Society members north for a few days of behind-the-scenes distillery access, whisky dinners, tastings, blending sessions and a few distinctly CopperCairn additions along the way.There is even talk of a dip in the River Spey. Speedos remain optional. Probably.And there’s another twist: the 2026 Caskmaster Champion will win a place on the CopperCairn Speyside trip, making the stakes in the Society’s blind tasting championship considerably higher than bragging rights over your mates.Caskmaster 2026The Caskmaster Grand Final takes place at The Vaults in Leith on 12 November 2026.The overall champion receives lifetime membership of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society as well as a place on the CopperCairn Speyside adventure from 12–15 March 2027.Find out moreThe Scotch Malt Whisky Society: smws.comSMWS Whisky Talk: www.smws.com/podcastCopperCairn: coppercairn.com

This week we welcome whisky maker, consultant and long-time friend of the podcast Brendan McCarron back to Not Another Whisky Podcast.And this time, we’re talking yeast.It might not sound like the sexiest part of whisky making, but the deeper you go, the more fascinating it gets.We chat about how yeast was viewed when Brendan first started making whisky at Diageo, whether Scotch became a little too focused on yield and consistency, and why distillers are now starting to look at yeast as a genuine tool for creating flavour.From Glenmorangie and Holyrood to InchDairnie, Loch Lomond, The Lakes and what American whiskey producers have been doing for decades, we get into different strains, longer fermentations, wild yeast, wine yeast and just how much influence the little buggers can actually have.We also talk about Brendan’s work with new distilleries, how the conversation around yeast has changed during his career, working alongside Dr Bill Lumsden, and whether Scotch whisky has been a little bit behind the curve.It gets geeky.But in a good way.Welcome to The Yeastie Boys.

This episode is a wee bit different.Earlier this year, Mitch met Graeme and Angus from Whisky Stories and the idea was simple: get both podcasts in the same room, pour a few drams, and record something together.That idea quickly grew into a live event, a charity night, and a raffle that raised an incredible £1,400 for The BEN, supporting people across the hospitality and licensed trade.Recorded live at Uno Mas, this episode sees Not Another Whisky Podcast go head to head with Whisky Stories, with the brilliant Mark Thompson trying his best to keep everyone in line.Expect drams, audience votes, questionable tactics, brilliant whisky chat, and a few strong opinions along the way.We get into favourite distillery visits, cask finishes, whisky bars, and the kind of stories that only come out when you put whisky people in front of a live audience.A huge thank you to everyone who donated bottles, prizes, minis and support for the raffle, and to Sian at Uno Mas for letting us use the venue.Pour yourself something good and enjoy a proper live whisky night with NAWP and Whisky Stories.

Daz is flying solo this week as he sits down with Highland Park’s Martin Markvardsen on the eve of his twentieth anniversary as the distillery’s brand ambassador.Martin takes us back to his early days managing the legendary Quaich Bar at the Craigellachie Hotel, where 784 whiskies, industry characters and the occasional lock in provided a fairly thorough education. He explains how repeatedly including Highland Park 18 in his tastings eventually led to a phone call offering him the ambassador’s job.They look back at what whisky ambassadorship involved in 2006, from lengthy technical masterclasses and enormous whisky festivals to the characters who shaped the industry, including Jim McEwan, Charlie MacLean, Dave Broom, Ronnie Cox, Ian Miller and Ian Logan.Martin and Daz also discuss how the role has changed. Today’s ambassadors need to understand social media, online tastings, cocktails and content creation alongside the traditional production knowledge and storytelling. There are tales of sideways Zoom tastings, Facebook mistaking Martin’s Highland Park tattoo for pornography and Daz missing his own masterclass after a particularly enthusiastic night aboard the Viking Line.Finally, they attempt to choose their greatest Highland Park releases of all time, covering bottles including Leif Eriksson, the 1977 Bicentenary, Hjarta, the original 50 Year Old, Dark Origins and the ever dependable Highland Park 18.A relaxed and wonderfully nostalgic conversation about two decades with one distillery, the people who make whisky special and why Martin still has no plans to slow down.

After more than 200 episodes, we have finally given Irish whiskey the proper attention it deserves. Mitch and Daz are joined by Barry Chandler, better known as Irish Whiskey Barry, an independent educator, community builder and three-time Whisky Magazine Ireland Communicator of the Year.Barry guides us through Irish whiskey’s past, present and future using three pot still whiskeys. We begin with Redbreast 12 and uncover the story of Gilbey’s, Dublin’s historic whiskey bonders, the “priest’s tipple” and the surprising connection between Redbreast and the original Baileys bottle.For the present, Barry chooses Boann Legacy, an accessible modern pot still whiskey that represents Ireland’s extraordinary growth from just four working distilleries to more than 50.Finally, we head to the Mourne Mountains and Killowen, a tiny direct-fired distillery Barry describes as “Ireland’s Springbank,” where historic mash bills, radical transparency and hands-on production point towards the future.Along the way, we discuss the Dingle effect, the myths surrounding the malt tax, oats in Irish whiskey, triple distillation, Jameson’s dominance, the current review of the Irish whiskey technical file and the commercial pressures facing the country’s newer distilleries.Plus, Barry explains why “smooth” might be one of whiskey’s most useless compliments.Follow Barry on Instagram and TikTok at @irishwhiskeybarry, and discover Stories & Sips, Three Drams and Irish Whiskey Experiences through his channels.