Inside Whisky

Some stories are best told over a dram—and Glencadam has more than 200 years' worth of stories to share. In this episode of The Barrel Talk , hosts Miri and Manuel sit down with Iain Forteath, Master Blender and Global Brand Ambassador for Angus Dundee Distillers, to uncover the story behind one of the Highlands' best-kept whisky secrets. Elegant, fruit-forward, traditionally crafted, and proudly...

What does it take to build a whisky legacy that lasts over a century? For this episode, Miri and Martin are joined by Stephen Rankin, Director of Prestige at Gordon & MacPhail for a deep dive into one of Scotland’s most iconic independent whisky families. Together, they explore the story behind the family business – from its beginnings as a grocery and early international tea trading business...

What do sherry casks, Speyside tradition, bold character, Spanish flair and Tamdhu Distillery have in common…?  … They’re at the very heart of this brand-new episode of The Barrel Talk . For this episode, Miri is joined by two fantastic guests: Sandy McIntyre, distillery manager and the man behind the day-to-day magic at Tamdhu, and Carlos Pérez Arnau, European brand ambassador for Ian Macleo...

In this episode, Miri and Manuel sit down with Jamie Morrison, brand ambassador of the young independent bottler One Cask at a Time. Independent bottlers have played a big role in the whisky world for a long time, but starting a new project today comes with its own challenges. Jamie shares the story behind One Cask at a Time, how the idea developed and what it takes to launch a new independent bot...

What do classical music, vintage motorcycles, brambles, indulgent flavours and The Glendronach have in common…? … They’re all things Rachel Barrie loves – and you can definitely feel that in this brand-new episode of “The Barrel Talk”. For the episode with Rachel, Miri teamed up with Davide, better known as @whisky_munich on Instagram, while Martin and Manu are taking a break this time. Rachel Bar...

Whisky and storytelling go hand in hand and very often you associate a special dram with a moment, person, place or situation. Peter MacLellan Jnr., who together with his family owns and runs Bowmore Hotel on Islay knows a thing or two about special drams and storytelling: Lucci’s Whisky Bar inside the hotel has become synonymous with the place itself and stocks an incredible and enormous selectio...

This episode is kind of special for several reasons: For starters, it is about a distillery that is very close to our hearts because we have known our guest, David, for quite a while now, second, it is an episode that we had planned to do for some time, but it somehow never materialised until now and third, it is an episode about an English whisky.  We’ve made the journey to the Yorkshire coa...

We’ve driven past Tormore so many times, always wondering what it looks like on the inside – since the distillery is not open to the public. Finally, thanks to Oliver Chilton, we got the chance to take a look behind those iconic walls. The architecture is striking and beautiful, but not exactly the most practical design for a working distillery – and in the episode you will hear why. Beyond the fa...

Inside Ardnahoe Distillery? That kind of sounds familiar, doesn’t it?! And yes, indeed. Our very first podcast episode released back in 2020 is also about Ardnahoe Distillery. Back then, all three of us, Miriam, Martin and Manuel sat down with both, Scott and Andrew Laing – co-founders and owners of the distillery – to discuss all things Ardnahoe and Hunter Laing. This time, it’s "only" Miri and A...

Comedian, BBC radio host, Scottish football expert, whisky and history geek, experiential ambassador at Glengoyne Distillery – you could call Gordon Dallas all of that and you wouldn’t be wrong with any of it. Gordon is a man of many talents and as you might have assumed already, that makes him a perfect guest to have on the podcast. Our hopes were high for this one, because, when do you ever have...

The sunniest day during Fèis Ìle (the Islay Whisky Festival)?  Always Laddie Day! Why? No idea, but someone up there really seems to like the guys at Bruichladdich – and understandably so!  The people, the hospitality, the whisky, the size of the drams in the warehouse – Bruichladdich Distillery is undeniably one of the most welcoming places on Islay. And their head distiller, Adam Hanne...

“People make Glasgow” – that’s the slogan the city of Glasgow selected to show that Glasgow is so much more than what you can see from the outside.  And one could argue the same is true for Glasgow Distillery; a distillery totally different from many of those long-established ones you will find all over Scotland – a more modern one, aquite small one, maybe a more industrial one but with a won...

Up there in Northern Ireland in the picturesque village of Bushmills and almost directly next to the Giant’s Causeway, you will find The Old Bushmills Distillery, the world's oldest licensed whiskey distillery. And it is certainly no coincidence that the people up there often say that “without the village there would be no whiskey, and without the whiskey there would be no village”. Why that is th...

The “Barley to Bottle” tour at Springbank Distillery is probably one of the best experiences you can have when you’re passionate about whisky. It’s an extensive access-all-areas tour and tasting which culminates in having the chance to blend one’s very own bottle of Springbank in their blending lab.  “Why are you telling us all of that?”, you might ask. Well, because it is just another thing...

There are probably not too many places in Europe that one would label as “extremely un-get-at-able” – but that’s exactly how George Orwell once described the Isle of Jura when he spent several years there in the late 1940s to write his masterpiece and final work, 1984. During his time there, Orwell unfortunately did not have the pleasure to enjoy Jura whisky because the distillery fell silent in t...

Almost 20.000km from home – quite the distance to record a podcast in situ, don’t you think?! Well, we did it anyway… We travelled halfway around the globe to meet up with Matt Johns of Pōkeno Whisky in New Zealand to record this episode. Matt founded Pōkeno Distillery together with his wife Celine as a “passion project” just about an hour south auf Auckland in the small village of Pōkeno, to craf...

Donald & Alexander Johnston, Ian Hunter, Bessie Williamson, Iain Henderson, John Campbell, Barry MacAffer – quite an illustrious round of people – and all of them special for Laphroaig in their very own way. And today’s episode is about Barry MacAffer, who has spent the best part of 13 years working at the distillery and who has now decided to leave Islay, Scotland, the UK and even Europe to s...

Today, the 7th of June 2024, marks the day that Rosebank finally opens its doors to visitors again and we got the chance to have a look behind the curtain shortly before the grand reopening of the distillery to talk to distillery manager Malcolm Rennie. Originally being founded in 1840, Rosebank had to endure a lot of agony up to this point in 2024 and we don’t know, yet, what the future holds for...

Have you ever met Kenny Macdonald? No? Really?? Then here’s your chance!  Kenny is the co-founder of independent bottler Dràm Mòr, which he founded together with his wife Viktorija. Since he claims himself that he is not the “brains” of the company – what does he bring to the table? Well, he’s a real showman and a great storyteller and an absolute joy to listen to – so quite naturally, we wan...

Indian Single Malt Whisky – sounds quite exotic at first sight – and probably it is to some extent. But it’s also so much more than that: It’s made with pride, it’s unique, it’s very flavourful, it’s delicious and there are so many things to be discovered about Indian whisky and also the country itself. For this episode, our journey through the world of whisky has brought us together with Madhu Ka...

MCDXCIV – does that ring a bell? And no, it’s not a typo… It’s a Roman numeral and it stands for 1494, quite a pivotal year in the world of whisky and especially for the newly founded Lindores Abbey Distillery. 1494 is the year in which, according to the Scottish Whisky Association, the earliest documented record of distilling in Scotland occurred in the Exchequer Rolls (the tax records): An entry...

10 centimetres of snow, a single track road and its end, a Viking-style longhouse, mystically lit by torches and overlooking a picturesque Norwegian fjord – wow! That’s what our arrival looked like when approaching Aurora Spirit Distillery - quite the way to arrive at a distillery… Okay, okay, you have to go there in late autumn or winter for the snow and the torches are well-animated electrical t...

Campeltown – once the whisky capital of the world – has become a place of whisky pilgrimage more and more in the last years. Nonetheless, many people still disregard the Glen Scotia Distillery in favour of their bigger neighbour. However, we think that is a mistake!  At Glen Scotia, Iain McAlister and his team produce a worldclass spirit and mature it to perfection. And apart from the great w...

If you think of a whisky distillery in Scotland which stands for powerful and peaty whisky with a hint of sweet vanilla and citrus, which is extremely good at storytelling, very creative in bringing old myths to life to describe and sell their whiskies with worldclass marketing but which is also seen as quite polarising at times throughout the whisky community, which distillery name pops up in you...

Far up north, just off the northernmost point of the UK’s mainland, there are the Orkneys – islands shaped by the sea and extreme weather. And right up there, on these rough islands, there’s a distillery which is extremely beautifully situated and producing surprisingly smooth whisky. Of course, we are talking about Scapa Distillery overlooking the breathtaking Scapa flow. And that’s exactly the p...