With close to 30 years in the whisky business to his name, Brian Kinsman perhaps needs no introduction. The malt master for William Grant & Sons is renowned for leading the whisky development of some of the most beloved Scotch whisky brands, including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Monkey Shoulder, Grant’s and, more recently, The Famous Grouse. Brian is always incredibly generous in sharing his story, knowledge, insights and advice. On this episode, he is no different, reflecting back to the early days of his career and weighing in on important topics regarding whisky, such as single malts versus blends, and prestige versus more affordable, premium products. And for any Formula One fans among our listeners, we also take a deep dive into the global Glenfiddich and Aston Martin Formula One partnership from Brian’s perspective.

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The Spirits Business Podcast is hosted by Melita Kiely, editor-in-chief of The Spirits Business. This podcast episode was edited by Matchbox Motion.

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Agave spirits have been a particularly hot commodity over the last decade. And in the last couple of years, countries outside of Mexico have looked to utilise their nations' agave supplies and create their own takes on agave spirits. Leading the charge in India is Maya Pistola, India’s first aged 100% agave spirit, which was founded by Rakshay Dhariwal, who’s originally a restaurateur by trade. However, Maya Pistola’s story very nearly ended before it had even begun when a fire destroyed its original distillery on the cusp of the brand’s launch. But Rakshay decided to take this test he’d been given, and double down on his belief that he was onto something really special. He tells me more about his journey, the development of what he’s calling ‘agavepura’, and his outlook for the future of the non-Mexican agave category.

Keep up to date with the latest spirits and cocktail news from The Spirits Business here:

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https://www.youtube.com/@TheSpiritsBusinessMagazine

The Spirits Business Podcast is hosted by Melita Kiely, editor-in-chief of The Spirits Business. This podcast episode was edited by Matchbox Motion.

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

Keep up to date with the latest spirits and cocktail news from The Spirits Business here:

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Is there anything in spirits Olivier Ward has yet to turn his hand to? Possibly yes, possibly no – but goodness, he’s done a lot. From co-founding and being editor of Gin Foundry, to establishing Spirits Beacon for Enotria, and then founding Everglow Spirits in 2024, his experience is vast. Everglow Spirits offers everything from free editorial resources on spirits categories, to advanced courses on distillery operations, and how to build distilleries. When he’s not travelling the world consulting on new distillery builds, Olivier is a fierce champion of spirits knowledge, and noticed a gap in the market for more data and information on distilling in the UK – particularly for craft producers. Earlier this year, he launched Spirit of the Nation, a UK Distilling Census and an important step in curating more information about the UK’s vast distilling landscape. In this episode, we talk through his career and insights in detail, as well as some of the key findings from the UK Distilling Census results. And no matter the size of your distillery, or spirits business, this is an episode that’s not to be missed.

Keep updated on LinkedIn:

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Follow along on X (formerly Twitter):

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Find us on Threads:

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Take a look at our videos on our YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSpiritsBusinessMagazine

The Spirits Business Podcast is hosted by Melita Kiely, editor-in-chief of The Spirits Business. This podcast episode was edited by Matchbox Motion.

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