Join Angus and I as we roll into Elgin for the final leg of our Speyside whisky road trip – and boy, have we got a corker of an episode for you! We managed to corner Stephen Rankin, Director of Prestige at Gordon & MacPhail, the legendary independent bottler and a total powerhouse in the Scotch whisky industry.

This chat's a right laugh, folks. We dig into the incredible Gordon & MacPhail family business story, kicking off way back in 1895 when they were, believe it or not, just a local grocer. Stephen spills the beans with some hilarious and fascinating tales about growing up surrounded by whisky (literally!) – from helping his grandad knock down warehouses at Benromach Distillery to navigating the quirks of a multi-generational setup.

We chat about how independent bottling really works, the magic behind whisky maturation, and how Gordon & MacPhail's obsession with quality has kept them at the top of their game for decades. You'll get the inside scoop on their approach to cask management and why building proper whisky industry relationships is absolutely vital. Plus, Stephen drops a few hints about a brand-new release that's about to rewrite the history books – you won't want to miss it!

We'll be sipping on a cracking Glenburgie 1994 from their Connoisseurs Choice range, having a natter about their other distilleries like The Cairn Distillery, and, naturally, rounding it off with Stephen’s personal "What3Drams" picks.

If you're a fan of a good single malt whisky, love a genuine family business yarn, and fancy a chuckle, then this episode is well worth a watch (or a listen!).

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This week on Whisky Stories, it's a complete change of scenery! Graeme journeyed to India and got the incredible chance to catch up with Hemanth Rao and Harsha Thimmaiah from the Single Malt Amateur Club (SMAC) in Bangalore.

Join us as we dive into the fascinating story of how Hemanth, the visionary behind the SMAC, built India's largest whisky club from humble beginnings in 2011 to a massive community of over 7000 members today.

Harsha was the first to join him, and together, they've not only expanded the club but also became India's first 'independent bottler' and a trusted voice for some of the world's biggest whisky brands.

Due to India's strict licensing laws, we set up our recording on a vibrant rooftop terrace in Bangalore, allowing us to freely explore the 6 or 7 whiskies we had on the table!

Hemanth and Harsha offer a brilliant explanation of all things Indian Whisky, from its distilling origins to the potential impact of the new Free Trade Agreement, which will see tariffs on imported Scotch drop significantly from 150% to 75%.

Pour yourself a dram and join us for this unique global whisky adventure!

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This week on the pod, we were back in the Diggers Vaults and joined by the brilliant Ali Reynolds—a man with a seriously impressive whisky journey. From award-winning bartender to global brand ambassador, and now running his own creative spirits marketing business, Ali’s got stories for days.

After winning World Class Bartender of the Year in 2015, Ali landed a dream role as Brand Ambassador for Johnnie Walker—the world’s biggest Scotch whisky brand. From delivering masterclasses and global training sessions, to helping shape how people engage with whisky, his impact has been huge.

In this episode, we talk about:

🥃 The role Johnnie Walker has played in shaping the Scotch whisky industry

🥃 How Ali made his training sessions stand out from the rest

🥃 His move to Denmark to work with the innovative Stauning Distillery

🥃 Launching his new creative agency, Yellow Hammer, which blends his experience in bartending, brand work, and spirits marketing with his passion for photography and storytelling

Ali also shared some great drams, cracking stories, and had us in stitches more than once. This one was packed with insights, laughs, and a fresh perspective on the whisky industry from the inside out.

Enjoy!

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In this week’s episode, we were joined by Christopher Coates, Editor at Large for Whisky Magazine, along with returning guest and co-host Hazel MacLeod (aka Hazy Drams) from Woven Whisky.

Christopher took us through his incredible journey into the world of whisky—from an impromptu student tasting led by a German roommate, to working in the shop at the Scotch Whisky Experience, and eventually hitting the road (and the skies) as a full-time whisky writer, editor, and content creator.

From being handed the keys to a car and told to go find whisky stories in the Scottish Highlands, to producing world-class whisky content across print, video, and events, Christopher’s stories are as insightful as they are entertaining.

And, being the gent that he is, he brought along three brilliant whiskies for his What3Drams picks:

🥃 Dram 1: Hellyers Road ‘The Iberian’ – A Tasmanian single malt finished in sherry and port casks

🥃 Dram 2: Fuji Gotemba Single Blended – A beautiful expression from Japan

🥃 Dram 3: Tamdhu 21 – Sherried elegance from Speyside

We also caught up with Hazel on what’s new at Woven, and—of course—got stuck into plenty of top-quality Scotch whisky chat, drams, and storytelling.

It’s a longer episode this week, but trust us—it’s well worth pouring yourself a big one and settling in.

Enjoy

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This week, it was back to just the four of us in the cosy confines of The Diggers Whisky Vaults—mics on, drams poured, and loads of listener questions to get through.

After the great feedback from our last group episode, we were buzzing to sit down again for another proper whisky chat.

We kicked things off catching up on life—Ross’s new role, Angus’s holiday stories, and then got stuck into the important stuff:

🥃 Whisky dilemmas

🥃 The one dram we’d drink forever

🥃 Moral questions from listeners

🥃 A fresh round of Play Your Distilleries Right

🥃 And yes… the best whisky to pair with a fish supper

This one was full of laughs, genuine whisky chat, and a brilliant reminder of why we love doing this podcast.

A huge thanks to everyone who sent in questions—we couldn’t get to them all, but we’ll be doing more of these soon!

Enjoy

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This week on the pod, there was no Angus and no Ross, so it was just Chuck and me left to figure things out… luckily, we weren’t alone for long. We were joined by friend of the pod Sian Buchan, owner of Uno Mas, and her pal Jane Ross, who brought the energy, the stories, and the drams.

Jane wears many whisky hats—she runs The Powder Room, False Widow, and the legendary Mother Superior Whisky Bar in Leith, and she’s also one half of Whisky & Witches.

She had just returned from Feis Ile 2025 on Islay, where she somehow managed to win bottles of whisky in pinball competitions—that alone is worth tuning in for.

We chatted all about:

🥃 Travelling to Islay

🥃 Launching a whisky bar during Covid

🥃 The origins of Whisky & Witches

🥃 The art of putting on amazing whisky events

We also started dreaming up the Whisky Stories BIG Night Out with Sian and Jane—two people who seriously know how to throw a party with a proper pour.

And yes, after what feels like forever, we FINALLY tried the famous Tomatin 6-Year-Old Virgin Oak… and Chuck asked an important question for our listeners to help out with.

This episode was a proper laugh, full of whisky, banter, and the kind of guests who make this podcast what it is.

Enjoy!

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This week, we were joined by BIG friend of the pod Mike Brown, Global Brand Ambassador for Ian Macleod Distillers—the team behind Tamdhu, Glengoyne, Rosebank, and Smokehead.

This marks Mike’s third appearance on the pod… technically. The first one got deleted (my fault), and this time, I forgot to press record for the first five minutes. That’s what happens when you go for a couple of pre-podcast drams…

Despite the chaos, this episode was packed with incredible whisky chat. Mike spends his time travelling the world, leading tastings and masterclasses for whisky lovers and industry folk alike—and every time he’s on the pod, he comes loaded with samples, stories, and good humour.

This time round, Mike brought some cracking whiskies to share, including a special message and dram drop from fellow podcast guest Jake Adcock.

As always, it was a brilliant, relaxed, whisky-fuelled session with plenty of laughs, brilliant insight, and more than a few drams.

Expect stories from the road, brand talk across Tamdhu, Glengoyne, Rosebank, and Smokehead, and the usual dose of mayhem when Mike’s around.

Enjoy!

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This week on the podcast, we hosted our first-ever LIVE Distillery Spotlight tasting and what a night it was! We were joined by Scott Sneddon (aka the Engineer of Flavour) and Daniel Cunningham from InchDairnie Distillery, as part of our ongoing collaboration with one of the most innovative whisky producers in Scotland.

We had a packed room of whisky fans at The Diggers Vaults, all eager to taste the incredible lineup of drams, and they did not disappoint. Scott guided us through five brilliant whiskies, including a couple of exclusive previews and a very special unreleased dram drawn straight from cask the day before the tasting:

🥃 RyeLaw 1st Release

🥃 RyeLaw 2nd Release (not yet released)

🥃 KinGlassie Double Matured

🥃 KinGlassie Raw

🥃 8-Year-Old Unpeated InchDairnie matured in an Amontillado cask – a one-off cask sample shared just for the event

Scott, as always, brought the stories, the science, and plenty of laughs as he explained how InchDairnie are pushing boundaries in whisky production from their use of alternative grains to their focus on flavour innovation and fermentation.

This episode captures the energy of the night, the quality of the whiskies, and the ongoing story of modern Scotch whisky being written in Fife.

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