Drinks Adventures - Wine, beer, whisky, gin & more with James Atkinson

Cape Byron Single Malt Whisky is undoubtedly one of the highest profile Australian whisky launches of 2022. This is in no small part due to the involvement of an absolute legend of Scotch whisky, Jim McEwan, previously of the Bowmore, Bruichladdich and Ardnahoe distilleries on Islay. Coming up, you’re going to hear how Jim connected with Australian Eddie Brook, who founded Cape Byron Distillery on...

Scarborough Wines was founded by Ian and Merralea Scarborough in the Hunter Valley in 1987. While the Hunter’s regional flagships are clearly semillon and shiraz, Scarborough made its name on chardonnay. Chardonnay is at the fore one again for Scarborough, as the next generation of the family launch a new wine range called Keepers of the Flame. Winemaker Jerome Scarborough and his wife, the renown...

Earlier this year I had whisky expert Luke McCarthy on the show, to talk about Oz Whisky Review‘s Top Ten Whiskies of the year. Also in that episode, we discussed some exciting news at St Agnes Distillery. We’d both heard that the celebrated producer of fine Australian brandy had some single malt whiskies in the pipeline. Camborne Single Malt Whisky has since been revealed as the brand identity, a...

It’s been almost exactly three years since Balter Brewing announced its sale to Carlton & United Breweries. What happens after a buyout like this is always a bit of an unknown. But by all accounts, Balter has been going gangbusters under the new regime. Stirling Howland and Scott Hargrave of Balter are with us this episode of Drinks Adventures. You’re going to hear how CUB’s ownership has introduc...

You couldn’t find bigger shoes to fill in the Scotch whisky industry than those of Dr Jim Beveridge OBE. Jim retired at the end of 2021 after more than 40 years at Diageo, 20 of which he spent as Master Blender of the world's best-selling Scotch whisky, Johnnie Walker. As previously reported on Drinks Adventures, Jim’s successor is Dr Emma Walker – no relation to Johnnie Walker – who is the first...

Historic Yarra Valley winery St Huberts has recently had a relaunch. There’s some exciting new wine styles, and a long overdue packaging overhaul. And what was previously a very basic cellar door – in a building affectionately known as ‘the toilet block’ – has been completely redeveloped. St Huberts’ owner Treasury Wine Estates partnered with Ryan Hospitality Group to create its new home comprisin...

Sydney’s Archie Rose Distilling Company has launched an entirely new range of spirits that aims to offer a more accessible alternative to the mainstream brands that dominate the Australian market. Head distiller Dave Withers returns to the Drinks Adventures podcast to tell us about the new Fundamental Spirits offering. It includes True Cut Vodka, Straight Dry Gin and Double Malt Whisky. They’re de...

Did you know that India is the largest consumer of whisky in the world? There is a caveat on that though. It’s not all whisky as you know it. Mostly it’s what is known as IMFL, or Indian Made Foreign Liquor. In India, there’s very little regulation about what can be put in a bottle and labelled ‘whisky’, particularly for blended whiskies. IMFL is essentially a neutral spirit tinted with caramel co...

Melburnian Simone Maynard, aka the Sake Mistress, is the fourth Australian to be awarded the prestigious title of Sake Samurai. Just 70 Sake Samurais worldwide have been inducted by the Japan Sake Brewers Association since the program was introduced in 2005. There are no classes or exams. The award is given to people who champion the culture and identity of sake in Japan and global markets. Simone...

Have you had a chance to try an Aussie Wheat Ale yet? It's going to be the hottest new beer style in Australia this summer – that's if Carlton & United Breweries and retailer Endeavour Group have anything to do with it. Five breweries owned by CUB's craft beer division – Fire & Earth Ventures – have created their own version of what an Australian wheat beer could look like. When I say wheat beer,...

Fords Gin was founded in 2012 by drinks industry veteran Simon Ford, on the premise of creating the ultimate gin for use in cocktails. Now when I initially heard about that concept, my reaction was, how is that different to other gins already on the market? Aren’t they all designed for mixing? It felt like saying you’ve created the ultimate frankfurt for use in hot dogs. Simon sets me straight thi...

Master distiller John McDougall is one of very few people who has made whisky in every one of Scotland’s distilling regions – that’s Campbeltown, Islay, Highland, Speyside and Lowland — for iconic brands like Laphroaig, Balvenie and Springbank. More recently, he’s had a hand in the Australian whisky industry, helping winemaker John Casella set up the production of Morris Whisky in Victoria, which...

2020 was a vintage from hell for Mount Pleasant chief winemaker, Adrian Sparks. On January 7 he made the tough decision not to make any wine from that year’s crop, due to widespread smoke taint. The next day, he found out parent company McWilliam’s was going into administration. Going on three years later, Adrian joins us on the Drinks Adventures podcast with nothing but good news from Mount Pleas...

Melbourne brewery Mountain Goat sold its first bottle of beer on October 4, 1997, which means the company is currently celebrating its 25th birthday.   That first beer was Hightail Ale. And a few years back, when I put together a list of the most formative beers in modern Australian brewing history, it was right at the top of my ten selections.   I’ve republished that article on the Drinks Adventu...

Adam Wadewitz joined Shaw + Smith as senior winemaker in 2013, with a strong pedigree that included stints at Seppelt and Best’s Great Western. Coming up to his 10th anniversary, Adam is now a partner and joint CEO, a role he shares with David LeMire, and he’s helped drive Shaw + Smith’s evolution into one of Australia’s most exciting wine companies. Shortly before Adam joined, Shaw + Smith founde...

Our guest this episode is Trent Fraser, who is heading up the groundbreaking Australian Agave Project for Top Shelf International. When we spoke in early September, Trent was getting ready to unveil the brand identity for the project, which has since been revealed as Act of Treason Australian Agave Spirit. It’s the first agave spirit produced at scale in Australia, and the largest agave spirit pro...

You probably know by now that Fever-Tree are big supporters of Drinks Adventures. In fact I can say without any exaggeration that I would not be sitting here talking to you if it hadn’t been for their support over the last few years, so thanks very much to Andy and Caroline at Fever-Tree Australia. Given this relationship I reckon it’s overdue that we get Fever-Tree ambassador Trish Brew on for a...

China drinks expert Ian Ford previously joined us on Drinks Adventures in June 2020. The plan was to get his insights about the pandemic’s likely impact on the drinks industry, but it turned into a really interesting discussion about wine, spirits and beer consumption trends in China, more generally. This is another update on the dynamic Chinese drinks market, including moves by spirits giants Dia...

It’s not every day one of the Blues Brothers serenades you down the phone line. But that’s how things play out in the opening episode of Season 14 of Drinks Adventures, as we head to Ontario, Canada, to talk with actor, musician and comedian Dan Aykroyd. Dan is on the show primarily to talk about vodka, specifically Crystal Head Vodka, the brand he founded in 2008, long before the recent groundswe...

Season 14 of Drinks Adventures is coming soon, and it promises to be absolutely massive. Here's a small taste of what I have coming up for you in the next few weeks. Join my mailing list here for more updates on the podcast.

Irish whiskey is the fastest-growing spirit category in the world, with sales to the US predicted to overtake Scotch whisky by 2030. It’s a remarkable turnaround for an industry that went through decades of decline. In 2010 there were only four operational Irish whiskey distilleries on the island of Ireland, north and south. Today there are more than 40, producing a much wider array of whiskey sty...

If you caught the doco-style episode I did on McWilliam’s Wines in 2020, you’ll know the company has been a market leader in fortified wines pretty much since forever. McWilliam’s is now owned by Calabria Family Wines. And far from seeing fortifieds as a dying part of the industry, you would have heard last episode that Bill, Michael and Andrew Calabria actually see a lot of potential in them. The...

Season 6 of the Drinks Adventures podcast featured a documentary episode on The Rise and Fall of McWilliam's Wines. There are some loose ends for us to tie up, as the 143-year-old company's anticipated sale to Prcstnt Asset Management ultimately fell over. In this episode, you’ll meet the winery’s new owner, Calabria Family Wines, which was established in the Riverina in 1945 by Italian immigrants...

Every day is International Beer Day, here at Drinks Adventures. But in case you needed another reason to celebrate the delights of beer in all its forms, this episode is going to air on the first Friday in August. And that means it’s the 16th annual International Beer Day. Kirrily Waldhorn, AKA Beer Diva, has been working in the beer industry for 23 years. A beer educator, writer and judge, Kirril...

We’re joined this episode by Chris Malcolm from recently launched Tasmanian whisky brand, Hidden Lake. If Chris’s name sounds familiar to you, that’s because he’s had a hand in several of the most significant Australian whisky ventures of the last decade. Chris was an early investor in Lark Distillery — going on to become its executive chairman and then CEO of the related entity, Australian Whisky...