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Not Another Whisky Podcast
THE THOMSON BROS. LIVE - PART 1
Season 6, Ep. 11
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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 malt
- Clynelish Distillery 12
- “Sideburn” 35
- Glenrothes Distillery 20
- Glengoyne Distillery 27
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:
- The reality of building a distillery in 2026 (spoiler: it’s not cheap)
- Budget overruns, tough decisions, and phased builds in Dornoch
- Why margins across the supply chain are under pressure
- And how independent bottlers are navigating a cooling market
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
Hosted by Mitch Bechard and Daz Haldane, this is where the whisky world gets pulled apart properly, with stories, insights, and the occasional bit of chaos along the way.
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16. CLASH OF THE DRAMS LIVE - PART 1
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13. MITCH & DAZ CATCH UP
30:49||Season 6, Ep. 13Daz 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
12. THE THOMPSON BROS. LIVE - PART 2
57:04||Season 6, Ep. 12Part 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