Join me for My Bushmills Chat with Les Duthie.

Les Duthie was the Bushmills Distillery manager from the early 70's until the mid-90's.

He is 92 yrs young and has a memory like an elephant. I went and sat with Les at his home in Bushmills village, a mere stone's throw from Bushmills Distillery.

He grew up in Glasgow and entered into the drinks industry in the 1950's, where he spent his entire career, ending up as Distillery Manager in Bushmills during a pivotal point in Irish history - The Troubles.

This was a privilege to sit and chat with Les and I expect you will learn as much from him as I did.

Thank you to his daughter Shirley and also to Adrian McLoughlin from The Harbourview Whiskey Hotel in Carnlough for facilitating this chat.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by:

• www.boanndistillery.ie
• www.killowendistillery.com

Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you.

https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast

I really hope you enjoy listening in to our chat.

Laurie

Join me for My Pub Chat with Stephen Magennis from Echlinville Distillery.

I met up with Steve in The Duke of York pub in Belfast city centre, truly one of the best decorated pubs on the island. Just amazing place to sit.

We took up residence in the wee snug, down the back, an chatted about Stephen's time working in the whiskey industry for nearly 20yrs. Steve has a really good perspective of where we were before the resurgance of Irish Whiskey and where we are now. He is not afraid to speak the hard truths too and it made this chat all the more interesting.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by:

• www.boanndistillery.ie
• www.killowendistillery.com

Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you.

https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast

I really hope you enjoy listening in to our chat.

Laurie

Join me for My Killowen Distillery Chat with Patrick Grey Sloan, Killowen's newest distiller.

I called up to Killowen Distillery, a you do, on a typically cold, wintry day, but still got a warm welcome as always. Patrick showed me around the new still room and we chatted about how an Estimator ended up distilling potcheen and whiskey up the side of the Mourne Mountains.

I really enjoyed getting to know Patrick, who is already proving himself to be another passionate flavour maker at Killowen Distillery

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by:

• www.boanndistillery.ie
• www.killowendistillery.com

Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you.

https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast

I really hope you enjoy listening in to our chat.

Laurie

Join me for My Garden Chat with JP O'Riordan, Dan Pennington & Paulie Costello.

We met up in my back garden at Xmas time 2025 and cracked open a lash of amazing liquids to chat and banter about. We got a few things right, I got a few things wrong......!!.... but the main thing is we had a ball doing it, as usual.

Thanks to the lads for calling up and to Dan for cooking some amazing pizza on the pizza oven after we finished recording.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by:

• www.boanndistillery.ie
• www.killowendistillery.com

Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you.

https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast

I really hope you enjoy listening in to our chat.

Laurie

Join me for My Church of Oak Distillery Chat with Greg McEntee, Head Distiller.

The Church of Oak distillery in Monasterevin, Co Kildare started operations in 2022 and they have been quietly producing multigrain whiskey and maturing it in the best of cask from the Casknolia Cooperage in Spain.

The distillery was built around the old Ballykelly mills, which is alongside the Royal Canal. They predominantly use local grain grown in Kildare, supporting local farmers and the economy.

I was honoured to be one of the first people allowed in to record at the distillery. This was facilitated and arranged by Ger Garland.

I met up with Head Distiller Greg McEntee who showed me every inch of the place and I was highly impressed with the quality being produced using highly innovative methods and materials.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by:

• www.boanndistillery.ie
• www.killowendistillery.com

Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you.

https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast

I really hope you enjoy listening in to our chat.

Laurie

Join me for My Cooperage Chat with Mark Quick.

Mark is the Managing Sales Director for Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Cooperage in Newbridge, Co Kildare. KBB is one of two commercial cooperages in the Republic that services the drinks industry with barrels, advice and repair works.

Mark and the team of coopers and technicians deliver seriously quality wood into the Irish and international drinks industries. I have an unending fascination with wood, so getting to wander around a working cooperage with Mark was a real treat.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by:

• www.boanndistillery.ie
• www.killowendistillery.com

Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you.

https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast

I really hope you enjoy listening in to our chat.

Laurie

Join me for My Rum Chat with Mike Gilmore & Jason Kidd.

Mike Gilmore is an ex-cop from California, who moved to rural Wyoming and opened a liquor store. But he developed a fascination for flavour and founded an Independent bottling company called Roaming Roads Spirits, where he seeks out amazing spirits, including amazing rums, from all over the world and bottles them. I discovered..... very successfully..

Jason Kidd founded Two Shores Rum and also has Blood Monkey Gin. Blood Monkey Gin is a genever style of gin, that originates from The Netherlands. Two Shores Rums are finished in the best of casks that Jason sources. Two really good ranges of spirits.

The 3 of us met over Zoom and had a deep dive chat about their rums.

I learned alot from the lads and I know you will too.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by:

• www.boanndistillery.ie
• www.killowendistillery.com

Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you.

https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast

I really hope you enjoy listening in to our chat.

Laurie

Join me for My Live Chat with Ger Buckley, Midleton's Master Cooper.

I was asked to host a whiskey event at the Cork on a Fork food festival in Cork city in Aug 2025. I decided to do a Live Podcast episode in the iconic Hi-B bar in the heart of Cork city.

The Hi-B notoriously doesn't allow mobile phones and encourages people actually talking to each other. I know, innovative..! So I couldn't think a better place to host Midleton Master Cooper Ger Buckley for a chat about the Dair Ghaelach or Irish Oak series of whiskeys that he and the team pioneered at Midleton Disitillery.

This was recorded in front of a Live audience, the placed was packed out the door....... with 35 people...

A big Thank You to Rachel O'Donnell, owner and proprietor of the Hi-B, for giving over the use of the bar on a busy festival Saturday afternoon.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by:

• www.boanndistillery.ie
• www.killowendistillery.com

Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you.

https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast

I really hope you enjoy listening in to our chat.

Laurie