Nicholas Pollacchi joins Mitch and Daz for the 200th episode of Not Another Whisky Podcast — which feels equal parts milestone and minor miracle.

We rewind to April 2021 when the audio was ropey, the format was loose, and Mitch decided he’d edit every episode himself (questionable life choice). From there, listener questions take over — which means things escalate quickly.

We relive:

• A VIP bourbon night in New York
• Tequila egg-white cocktails (don’t ask)
• A celebrity moment at The Edition
• Car-crash tastings in Campbeltown and Las Vegas
• Hecklers in Vegas
• Festival highs in Chicago, Seattle, and Taiwan
• And tastings in Moscow… and a Siberian banya

There’s debate on single grain, whether Fife counts as a region, innovation vs regulation, collecting vs opening bottles, dream guests, dream casks, and the ultimate “last bottle” gift.

Mostly though, this one’s about the listeners. The people who’ve turned up, sent questions, bought tickets, and backed two Speyside lads talking whisky for far longer than anyone expected.

200 episodes down.

Still serious about whisky.

Still not taking ourselves too seriously.

00:00 Cold Open Bar Banter

00:33 Episode 200 Kickoff

01:37 Roasting the Fits

03:29 How We Got Here

04:15 New York VIP Night

05:52 Tequila Egg White Cocktail

08:21 Afterparty & 30 Rock Cameo

11:19 Catching Up With Mitch

11:56 Early Podcast Days

14:18 Fan Questions Begin

17:58 Car Crash Tasting Stories

20:35 Vegas Heckler Showdown

24:42 Best Whisky Festivals

30:31 Is Fife a Region?

31:53 Rethinking Grain Categories

33:10 Innovation vs Regulations

35:22 Favourite Bottles

37:01 Snow Phoenix Alcatraz Story

39:54 Dream Distillery Manager Year

42:43 Celebrity Dream Guests

46:05 Last Dram Gift Picks

49:03 Tariffs & The US Market

50:23 Weirdest Tasting Locations

52:17 Siberia Banya Adventure

56:17 Owning a Dream Cask

01:00:49 Closing the 200th Episode

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This week we welcome Ardnahoe distillery manager David Livingston to discuss the Islay distillery’s location, origins, and whisky style. Livingston explains Hunter Laing’s long-held ambition to create their own distillery, Ardnahoe’s opening in 2018, and his own third-generation Islay whisky background. He reflects on how Islay has changed with tourism and the rise of single malts, and why whisky is vital to the island’s economy as farming and fishing decline. The conversation covers Fèis Ìle’s growth and 40th anniversary, Ardnahoe’s early production moments, and the distillery’s approach to making spirit—slow mashing, fermentations over 70 hours, slow distillation, and worm tubs aimed at a sweet, heavy-bodied, fruity spirit with peat on the finish. We also discuss Ardnahoe’s core range (including Infinite Loch), cask strength releases, future aging ambitions, the visitor experience and staff, and how Ardnahoe benefits from Hunter Laing’s independent bottling heritage and bar selection, including the Kinship range.

00:00 Welcome to Islay: Introducing Ardnahoe & Distillery Manager David Livingston

00:49 That View (and the Coffee): Why Ardnahoe’s Location Is So Special

01:35 How Ardnahoe Happened: Hunter Laing’s Dream Becomes a Distillery (2018–Now)

03:26 Born & Bred Islay: David’s Whisky Upbringing and Peat-Bog Memories

04:43 Islay Then vs Now: Tourism, Single Malts, and the Island Economy

07:25 Fèis Ìle at 40: Music, Whisky, Culture—and 2026 Plans

10:40 From Banter to Build: David’s Role, Arran Detour, and the First Spirit Run

14:35 Making the Spirit: Slow Mashing, Long Ferments, Worm Tubs & Flavor Goals

16:19 Tasting Notes & Core Range: Infinite Loch, Cask Strength, and Smoke Level (40 PPM)

20:58 Production Split & Switching Styles: Peated vs Unpeated Campaigns

23:23 Looking Ahead: Quality Over Quantity, Visitor-Centre Vibes, and Independent Bottlings

27:40 Wrap-Up & Invitations: Ferry Logistics, Twin Rooms, and Final Thanks

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This week Mitch sits down with David Stirk — whisky writer, independent bottler, whisky historian — for a wide-ranging conversation on Campbeltown, the rise (and early struggles) of indie bottlers, and where the Scotch industry is and might actually be heading.

From his first life-changing dram of Glenlivet 21 in 1996 to building Creative Whisky, rewriting the history of Campbeltown, and diving into a Master’s in History to sharpen his research, this episode covers David's graft, controversy, and some properly strong opinions about surplus production and the future of Scotch.

Before all that, though…

Daz and Mitch chat about existential dread about Scotland’s rugby chances. Standard start to the week and kick of with with winter vibes, whisky chat, and a public service announcement about the pies at Glasgow’s Pot Still (worth the train fare alone).

LIVE TASTING ALERT

We’re hosting the Thompson Brothers (Phil & Simon) at the Craigellachie Hotel on March 26th at 7pm. It will be loud, it will be chaotic, it will sell out. Tickets at notanotherwhiskypodcast.com or via the Instagram link.

BUY TICKETS HERE

We also get into Spirit of Speyside prep — nine events hosted by us this year, four live podcast tastings, and listings landing mid-February. If last year’s sell-outs taught us anything… move fast.

00:00 Snowy Speyside Catch-Up: Whisky, Fire & Winter Vibes

00:23 Rugby Reality Check: Dreading the England Match

00:43 Glasgow’s Pot Still Love-In: Pies, Beans & Whisky Bar Chat

02:00 Valentine’s Weekend Welcome + A Pink Port-Cask Promise

02:36 Big News: Thompson Brothers Live Tasting (Craigellachie, Mar 26)

03:52 Spirit of Speyside Prep: Uploading Events & Hosting Nine Tastings

04:47 Meet the Guest: David Stirk Returns to the Podcast

06:32 How It Started: A Glenlivet 21 Dram That Changed Everything

09:35 Breaking In: Speyside Festival Tastings to Whisky Magazine Days

11:28 Detours & Turning Points: America, 9/11, Cadenhead’s & Campbeltown

14:14 Writing Whisky Books: Campbeltown, Publishing Realities & Archives

19:16 Where He’s At Now: Master’s in History & The Drive to Carve Your Path

21:33 Next Up: What Exactly Is Creative Whisky?

21:49 The cask sample that sparked the idea to create whisky

22:22 Early indie bottling struggles: price pushback & skeptical drinkers

23:48 Why indie bottlers are booming now (and how big brands see them)

27:20 Back to uni: the whisky history books David wants to write

29:57 State of the industry: SWA numbers, India, and the next-gen drinking shift

34:15 Book plug: David Stirk’s whisky library (and what each one covers)

36:41 What’s next: festivals, Little Brown Dog, and a Glasgow distilling dissertation

39:47 Wrap-up & host banter: upcoming trips, Islay stories, and next episode tease

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

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