Cask to Glass

"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 w...

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...

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...

"You have to offer value at every level" declares Simon Thompson , one half of Thompson Brothers distillers, independent bottlers and founders of Dornoch Distillery, in Dornoch in the north of Scotland, deep in the heart of the Highlands. That's why he and brother Phil are always trying to work out what they "can get away with" at the "lower end" of the price spectrum, because Phil says, "You want...

"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...

"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 Joh...

"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-repr...

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 ad...

How much whisky is stored in warehouses across Scotland? "Nobody really knows," says Martin Purvis of Commercial Spirits Intelligence . He tried to find out from HMRC - the UK's revenue and customs office. But they wouldn't tell him; not even when he used freedom of information legislation to get an answer. But he fears there's too much stock in too many barrels in too many warehouses: "I joined t...

"You'll know the game, John," admits Stephen Woodcock, head of Whisky Creation and Stocks for Glen Turner , makers of Glen Moray, Cutty Sark and many other fine whiskies and spirits. "You want to play slightly offside..." Slightly offside? Perhaps Stephen shouldn't be telling John this. But it's too late now. And besides what's done is done. "We kind of brand ourselves as cask explorers," Stephen...

When you think of whisky - Scotch whisky - where do you think of? Islay? Campbeltown? Speyside? Or, if you want to be more specific, Dufftown? Or Aberlour? But what about Glasgow? It's the largest city in Scotland. It's still the country's industrial heartland. So why not the capital of whisky too? Far-fetched as that may seem, Neill Murphy - who blogs about whisky as A Scot on Scotch - believes t...

Kenny and Viktorija Macdonald like the word "mòr", Scots Gaelic for "big". Growing up, Kenny was known as Coinneach Mòr ("Big Kenny"). He and Viktorija met in the Glasgow pub Òran Mór ("big song") over a dram of Dalmore ("big meadow"). "That whisky has a lot to answer for," Viktorija jokes... After they'd hitched up, they decided to start a whisky company called Dràm Mòr : Big Dram. Iniatially the...

Three weeks ago, US President Donald Trump came to Scotland on a private visit. During the trip he met Scottish First Minister John Swinney at his golf course in Aberdeenshire, where the two men discussed trade, tariffs and whisky. In an exclusive interview for 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀, Mr Swinney reveals details from those discussions as well as his own affection for whisky, especially Aberfeldy and Glenmor...

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" Remember Episode 14, when master blender Max McFarlane gave John what he calls " an off note whisky "? "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Max!" It took John a while to the find words to describe what he was tasting. But he finally got there: "It tastes like... poison!" Well that was an extreme example. But what else can go wrong with whisky? And how can you spot a bad whisky on the nose before it ge...

In 1887, when Alfred Barnard published his seminal guide to the The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom , he catalogued 129 Scottish distilleries, 28 Irish ditstilleries and four English distilleries. There were no Welsh distilleries. And yet, says Sean Williams host of the Wisgi Wales Podcast and founder of Wales Whisky Fest and the Welsh Whisky Society , "distilling can allegedly trace its...

Golf and whisky. Two of Scotland's great exports. They've gone around the world. Now the world rounds on Scotland to experience them both. And Hamish Malcolm brings them together.. Aka The Dram Caddy , Hamish combines his role as a golf caddy with that as a whisky guide, providing whisky tastings to golfing tourists. Usually matching five drams to five courses from Dornorch in the north to St Andr...

"It's an extraordinary time in whisky's history," says Dave Bloom author of The World Atlas of Whisky ; now in its 3rd edition but completely rewritten. Over 500 distilleries profiled; 480 whiskies sampled. No wonder Dave jokes: "I didn't have grey hair when I started." But why extraordinary? "Because there's never been such a period in whisky's history where so much has been made in so many diffe...

"I didn't set Nc'Nean up to appeal to women," admits Annabel Thoma s , founder of Nc'Nean Distillery , "but you know, I think maybe because my story ends up being told, because we have equal parts men and women working at the company, we do get probably more attention from women than maybe other brands." "That being said," she continues, "more than half of our consumers are still men, which reflec...

Whisky's about time and place and company for Gordon Dundas , Brand Development and Advocacy Director of Ian Macleod Distillers . One of Gordon's best whisky experiences was at an awards dinner in Edinburgh. He was sitting beside a colleague from Ian Macleod and his good friend Julian Van Winkle of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery -- "before Van Winkle had gone really silly pricewise and rarity and s...

"It's a really challenging time in Scotch whisky at the moment," admits Graeme Littlejohn , Director of Strategy & Communications at the Scotch Whisky Association . "I guess we'd call it an inflexion point for the industry." That's a view we've heard from several contributors on the podcast in our previous 21 episodes. For instance, in Episode 15 Andrew Symington of Edradour Distillery told Jo...

"There's a whisky for everyone," says former Scotland rugby international Ryan Gran t and independent bottler with Unkiltered . "Including the Welsh," he adds. Aye! You can pick a Scottish rugby player for the British and Irish Lion s, but you can't take away the Home Nations rivalry. Ryan was on the last Lions tour to Australia, back in 2013. And as the 2025 Lions get set to embark on their lates...

Legendary whisky maker Max McFarlane is sought out the world over as consultant by other whisky producers. For over 25 years, Max was the Master Blender and later Keeper of the Quaich at Edrington. As such his nose provided the quality control for some of the best selling whiskies in the world: Famous Grouse, Highland Park, Cutty Stark, Bunnahabhain, and The Glenrothes. He's now the Master Blender...

"It was like a revelation," Dave Alcock recalls the moment he really got into whisky. The retired sports psychologist and self-styled "whisky dramalista" had always "liked a drop". But then one Christmas, after he'd "prepped the veg", he unwrapped the present his wife had bought for him. It was a bottle of Port Ellen third edition. "I could feel it in my toes when I sipped it," he tells John in th...

It all began with Edradour for Desiree Reid, founder and managing director of the award-winning Cardrona Distillery in the Cardrona Valley on New Zealand's South Island. For her 21st birthday, she and her mother backpacked around Scotland. (Both sides of her family came from here way back when.) But something about that whisky in one of Scotland's oldest distilleries in Highland Perthshire (featur...

"Nothing will get between a man and his whisky," insists Fred Maitland of East Coast Whisky . Fred's a psychotherapist. But he also provides whisky tastings and runs tours to distilleries around Scotland. And he believes whisky keeps us connected. "It's about friendship and hobby," he tells John in this episode. "It's an incredible stimulant for conversation, for good feelings, for community, for...