🎙️ NOT ANOTHER WHISKY PODCAST IS GOING LIVE

On Thursday 6 August, we are taking on the guys from Whisky Stories in a live podcast battle at Uno Mas in Edinburgh.

There will be six whiskies, with three chosen by each podcast, plenty of questionable competitive behaviour.

Tickets are £20, with every penny going to The BEN, the charity supporting people working within Scotland’s hospitality industry.

The show starts at 7pm and capacity is limited, so grab your tickets before they disappear:

👉 BUY TICKETS FOR THE LIVE SHOW

Back to the episode…

Mitch and Daz are finally back together for another catch-up, covering everything from sherry-soaked holidays and Islay building sites to whisky in a can and one of the worst distillery tours Mitch has ever experienced.

Mitch reports back from Portugal and Jerez, where a private visit to the new Sherry Museum provided a much deeper dive into the history, culture and casks behind one of Scotch whisky’s most important influences.

Then it is over to Islay, including warehouse tastings, dinner at Bowmore, a visit to Ardbeg House and a hard-hat preview of the new Portintruan Distillery with Georgie Crawford. They discuss its automated floor maltings, multiple spirit styles and what another major distillery could mean for the future of the island.

There is also news of two upcoming Turas Mòr bottlings and the usual run through some of the latest whisky news.

Along the way, they get into:

• The whisky opportunity in Portugal

• Why whisky lovers should visit Jerez

• Whether Islay can retain its character as the island grows

• Port of Leith’s whisky in a can

• The new permanent release from Isle of Harris

• Four Roses being sold to Gallo

• A truly questionable distillery tasting involving plastic cups and someone else’s water bottle

• The best whiskies Mitch and Daz have tasted recently

The episode finishes with Mitch naming the GlenAllachie 19 Year Old Solera Cask as his whisky of the year so far.

Apart from his own whisky, obviously.

Follow Not Another Whisky Podcast on Instagram and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)

🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland

🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com

📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Mitch sits down with whisky industry veteran Kenny Mackay at Ballindalloch Distillery in Speyside.

Kenny has spent nearly 50 years in Scotch whisky, working with names including Peter Thompson’s, Bowmore, Macallan, Carn Mor, Lindores Abbey and Ballindalloch. In this episode, he shares stories from across his career, from missing out on becoming a helicopter pilot to helping launch Black Bowmore and shaping some of Scotland’s best known whisky brands.

We talk about the early days of malt whisky marketing, growing Macallan in Scotland, the birth of whisky collecting, the changing world of independent bottling, and why Ballindalloch’s slow, estate led approach makes it such a special distillery.

Kenny also gives his take on where the Scotch whisky industry is right now, why downturns are nothing new, and why he still sees plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

Expect brilliant stories, sharp industry insight, a few legendary bottles, and one very committed fire alarm.

00:00 Welcome to Ballindalloch Distillery

01:10 Introducing Kenny Mackay

02:20 The Navy’s loss and whisky’s gain

03:00 Starting out at Peter Thompson’s of Perth

04:20 Glen Grant, Macallan and early whisky distribution

06:20 How the industry has changed over 50 years

09:40 The story behind Black Bowmore

12:00 Bowmore 40 Year Old and early luxury whisky

13:50 Independent bottling then and now

14:30 Building Carn Mor

19:40 One of One and raising millions for charity

23:00 Ballindalloch Distillery and the single estate approach

29:00 Vintage releases and the long term family vision

31:30 Kenny’s take on the current Scotch whisky market

38:00 The cashflow reality of growing a single malt brand

39:10 Quick fire questions

44:20 Desert island drams

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.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)

🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland

🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com

📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Live from Spirit of Speyside, host Daz welcomes three blenders—Brian Kinsman (William Grant & Sons), Ollie Chilton (Elixir/ Tormore), and Sarah Burgess (Head of Whisky Creation at International Beverage, jokingly “banned” from other sessions)—to taste four whiskies and talk careers, process, and mischief. Brian explains his science-to-apprentice path under David Stewart and taking over in 2009; Ollie traces retail-to-cask-buying and acquiring Tormore in 2022; Sarah recounts starting as a Cardhu tour guide, moving through Diageo, becoming a Macallan blender via a sensory/blending interview, then returning to Scotland. They taste a 2023 Tormore “plain spirit”, a 2006–2018 Speyburn single cask, and a Glenfiddich 30 22-year with oloroso and a palo cortado finish, discuss water’s role in blending, sensory blind spots, grain’s value, stock legacy, cask strategy, innovation limits, and shifting whisky audiences toward flavor over age.

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.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)

🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland

🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com

📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded in the historic Vaults in Leith, Mitch Bechard is joined by SMWS “chief storyteller” Richard Goslan and Kask Whisky founder Justine Hazlehurst for a deep dive into one of Scotch whisky’s most overlooked powerhouses.

Leith was never just a port. It was a whisky engine room: bonding, brokering, blending, bottling and shipping enormous volumes of Scotch around the world. At one point, the area was home to around 90–100 bonded warehouses, yet its role in shaping the modern industry is often pushed into the background.

Richard brings The Vaults to life, from its ancient origins and long links with the drinks trade to the birth of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society in 1983. He shares how the Society’s single-cask ethos developed, why bottle 1.1 became legendary, how the tasting panel works, and how SMWS bottle names manage to be both brilliant and completely unhinged.

Justine guides us through Leith’s boom-and-bust whisky past, from Pattison’s infamous 1898 crash, to wars, consolidation, the whisky loch, and the stories still hiding in plain sight on the Leith Whisky Trail. There are disputed parrots, a very real pub puma attack, independent bottling chat, festival stories, and a reminder that whisky history is always better when it hasn’t been polished to death.

A proper sense-of-place episode from one of Scotland’s most important whisky rooms.

00:00 Welcome to The Vaults in Leith

00:48 Meet Richard Goslan and Justine Hazlehurst

02:46 Inside the history of The Vaults

05:57 Why Leith matters to Scotch whisky

08:46 The origins of the Leith Whisky Trail

11:06 Wild stories from Leith’s past

12:46 SMWS founding story and bottle labels

16:30 Whisky as a shared community

19:54 Leith’s boom-and-bust whisky timeline

26:02 The whisky loch and SMWS’s first cask

28:11 SMWS codes, flavour profiles and tasting culture

29:42 How the SMWS tasting panel works

30:47 The joy of flamboyant bottle names

31:25 Creators Collection and whisky artwork

32:28 Desert island dram: SMWS 1.1

34:54 Glenfarclas and Leith connections

35:50 The independent bottling boom

38:26 Fife Whisky Festival and modern whisky culture

40:39 Justine’s Pattison crash book

45:19 The Pattison parrots myth

48:01 Finding Pip Hills again

52:07 Vaults legends and wild old days

54:35 Where to find Richard and Justine

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.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)

🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland

🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com

📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Not Another Whisky Podcast goes live from the Craigellachie Hotel for Battle of the Stills, recorded during the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.

Daz is joined by three brilliant distillers: Euan Christie from The Cabrach Distillery, Polly Logan from Tormore, and Kristy Lark from Killara Distillery in Tasmania.

Euan shares the story of The Cabrach: an area with deep illicit distilling roots, a shrinking population, and a new community-led distillery using whisky to support local regeneration. He also introduces The Feering, The Cabrach’s first blended malt, created with donated casks from across the industry.

Polly takes us inside Tormore, one of Speyside’s most beautiful distilleries, as it prepares to launch its new core range. She talks about shaping the distillery’s fruity, floral style, the importance of American oak, and working with blender Oliver Chilton.

Kristy brings the Tasmanian perspective, from growing up with a still outside her bedroom door to founding Killara Distillery. She shares how Tasmania’s climate shapes maturation and introduces a wonderfully unusual whisky inspired by a Black Velvet cocktail, finished through sparkling wine and stout casks.

There are audience questions, festival chaos, whisky gossip, and at least one answer involving rum-infused Scottish tea that probably needs a legal disclaimer.

The Cabrach – The Feering Early Harvest

A bright, bourbon-led blended malt with gentle peat and a strong community story.

Tormore – Timeless

Fruity, floral and elegant, showing orchard fruit, malt and honeysuckle notes.

Killara – Black Velvet Inspired Single Cask

A rich Tasmanian single cask involving tawny, sparkling wine, stout and glorious madness.

Please subscribe, rate and review Not Another Whisky Podcast wherever you listen. Slàinte!

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.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)

🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland

🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com

📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mitch and Daz catch up after a packed festival season, They recap Spirit of Speyside’s, Mitch’s chaotic-but-fun Tormore launch and plans to expand their sold-out “Battle of the Ambassadors” into a winter tournament, “The Road to Speyside,” with heats and a final at the festival.

Daz recounts Fèis Ìle highlights at Laphroaig’s 40th anniversary tastings and Bowmore events, including a boat trip on Loch Indal and a 1969 Bowmore dram.

They taste three whiskies: Chivas Charles Leclerc 16 (40%), Raasay Hungarian Oak (50%), and SMWS “A Belter for America” Tullibardine 10 (61%). They announce being shortlisted for the Scottish Podcast Awards, discuss Tormore’s new releases, the Bon Accord closing, Woven’s new Leith blending experience, and Glen Cairn’s leadership change, then tease upcoming episodes and a giveaway of a Ferrari cap plus whisky samples for reviews.

00:00 Whisky Stories Banter

00:48 New Theme Tune Debate

02:23 Show Intro and Catch Up

03:55 Festival Season Rundown

05:31 Tormore Launch Chaos

08:10 Road to Speyside Plan

12:24 Three Drams Lineup

13:51 Chivas x Leclerc Collab

17:52 Fèis Ìle Highlights

23:57 Feis vs Speyside Vibes

27:33 Raasay Island Escape

29:11 Hungarian Oak Tasting Notes

31:41 Warehouse Night Stories

32:53 Podcast Award Shortlist

34:35 Whisky World News Roundup

36:43 Edinburgh Whisky Experiences Boom

38:32 Glen Cairn Leadership Change

39:40 World Cup Whisky Bottling

44:28 Deep Dives and Cooper Traditions

46:57 Wrap Up and Listener Giveaway

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.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)

🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland

🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com

📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mitch and Daz take a deep dive into coopering — the ancient craft behind every great dram.

Recorded in Edinburgh over suspiciously large highballs, the episode traces the cask from Celtic barrel-makers and Roman trade routes to modern whisky maturation, wood policy, rejuvenation and the global cask trade.

Mitch speaks with Ian MacDonald, former head cooper at The Balvenie, who started his apprenticeship in 1969 and spent over 50 years in the trade. Ian shares stories of rebuilding bourbon barrels into hogsheads, working alongside David Stewart, being paid per cask, apprentice initiations, and why coopering is far more than “just hammering bits of wood together."

The episode also features Lawrence Proctor, manager of Camlachie Cooperage and president of the Coopering Federation, who explains the modern reality of running a cooperage: cask repair, rejuvenation, apprenticeships, bourbon barrel prices, industry slowdowns and why coopers are often the first to feel the pressure when whisky dips.

Ian MacDonald — former Head Cooper at The Balvenie

Lawrence Proctor — Manager at Clydeside Cooperage and President of the Scottish Coopering Federation

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.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)

🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland

🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com

📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daryl interviews Sarah Dowling, lead whisky maker at Laphroaig, tracing her path from a genetics and environmental background to a 2012 Edrington recycling contract that turned into a long whisky career via sensory panels, Diageo, and nearly seven years at Cooley in Ireland (working on Connemara and other releases, and even managing the site). She discusses how her palate evolved from missing vanilla to treating smoke as a “neutral,” and how collaborative tasting works best when nobody gets told what they “should” taste. Sarah explains the organic Willem Dafoe collaboration (the “Unforgettable” campaign), built from pilot blends, repeated tastings, and an Oloroso-driven 14-year whisky bottled at 53.7% with rich texture. For Fèis Ìle’s 40th anniversary, Laphroaig’s Càirdeas is fully matured in French oak, noted for Lapsang souchong-like smoke and melon notes, and Sarah previews interactive Laphroaig Day tastings, parties, and Friends of Laphroaig camaraderie.

00:00 Welcome Sarah Dowling

01:09 From Sustainability to Whisky

02:59 Discovering Sensory Panels

07:03 Finding Flavor Blind Spots

11:53 Irish Whiskey Calling

16:41 Life at Cooley Distillery

17:55 Full Time Blender Role

18:36 Willem Dafoe Collaboration

20:34 Building the Oloroso Blend

23:47 First Tastes and Bold Character

24:28 Bold New Release

25:07 Willem Gets It

26:17 On Set Inspiration

29:05 Friends And Festivals

30:40 French Oak Cairdeas

31:58 Tasting Notes Tea Smoke

35:51 Feis Ile Tastings

38:04 Friends Stories And Farewell

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.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)

🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland

🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com

📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.