This was a cracking night.

We were joined by Pal of the Pod Fraser Souness who was taking us through a 6 dram G&M lineup.

Recorded in front of a 'live studio audience' in Diggers, we had special guest appearances from listener Launce Morgan and his 'current wife' Sandra.

Big Cameron Ewen was also in the audience with his whisky lad Ross Barr.

Drams on the night:

• 🥃 Distillery Label Glenburgie 25

• 🥃 CC Craigellachie 2009 - UK exclusive

• 🥃 CC Benriach 1999

• 🥃 Upcoming CC Glenturret 2007 cask sample

• 🥃 Distillery Label Ardmore 2000

• 🥃 CC Upper Balblair 1993

  Well done to Fraser for putting on a great lineup and giving us some great whisky chat and stories.

  Thanks to everyone who came along.

  
  

  Enjoy

This week, we were back out and about and heading west! We haven't ventured too far west in the two years of the podcast, so we decided to jump on a train to Helensburgh for the Lomond and Clyde Whisky Festival.

But instead of just rocking up with a lanyard and enjoying some drams, we decided to team up with the Collector Club Competitions lads, John and Scott, to do some giveaways of our own.

So, we packed our dartboard and wheel of fortune and came up with some challenges for people to try and win some whisky!

The good news is that nothing got broken and no one got injured! This episode has a bit of everything: we recorded our first-ever podcast on the train through and back, we caught up with Glen from Whyte and Mackay who chatted about Dalmore and Fettercairn, and we got a sit-down dram with Marcos from Brave New Spirits.

A lot was going on in this episode, but it's well worth a listen and was a load of fun to record.

We were back out and about for this episode on our Ian Macleod big day out.

Not only were we given full access to the distillery and taken on our own tour with Gordon Dundas, we were also treated to The Malt Master Experience and hosted by good Pal of the Pod Jake Adcook.

Jake is part of the blending team for Ian Macleod Distillers, which means he knows a thing or two about how to blend Glengoyne.

He talked us through his processes of blending whisky while we had a go at blending our very own versions of Glengoyne.

We put our efforts to the test had to select our own favourites blind.

Who do you think would be the best Master Blender of the Whisky Stories Podcast?

Hoose Drams with Mark Thomson!

This is the first time we've ever recorded in someone's house before!

When Angus and I saw Mark Thomson had put his house on the market, we were desperate to get in for a wee look around. So we turned up with a camera, a couple of mics, and some drams.

This one was a lot of fun. Mark reflected on his career, which has taken him from working in female fashion, Cafe Mambo in Ibiza (didn't know that about him), working as a Brand Ambassador for Glenfiddich, and an Independent Bottler.

Mark's got some great stories, but he also gave us a great insight into the whisky industry and the challenges that brands are facing. We spoke about the importance of a Brand Ambassador and what's involved in working for a major brand like Glenfiddich.

The episode covers it all, including:

• Delivering training sessions in Nigeria
• Whisky industry trends
• Comparing the value of new distilleries and the older originals
• How to break into the Glenfiddich Blending Room

It's just three people sitting in a kitchen, enjoying drams and having some whisky chat. We brought along the Tomatin 6 year old virgin oak distillery hand-fill, the Glen Moray House Distillery Exclusive, and my bottle of Lindores Abbey. Mark, in turn, opened up his new bottle of Tomatin 18.

There's so much in this episode to enjoy. Sit back, pour a dram, and enjoy!

Get 15% off the following tours and experiences:

Rosebank Reawakening £25 before discount

Rosebank Discovered £50 before discount

Rosebank Rekindled £95 before discount

The Residency: Tamdhu Whisky Maker £110 before discount

Use discount code: WSP15

As part of Whisky Stories x Rosebank, we got a chance to sit down with Gordon Dundas - Brand Development and Advocacy Director at Ian Macleod Distillers.

Gordon is responsible for all of the brands under the IMD umbrella which includes Rosebank, Glengoyne, Tamdhu, Lagan Bay and Una. As well as Edinburgh Gin and the blended brands like Isle of Skye.

We recorded this in the Rosebank Distillery just after our amazing access all areas tour and enjoyed drinking a Glengoyne 18, Tamdhu Distillery Exclusive Hand Fill and a Rosebank 32.

Gordon talked us through his career in whisky from the Whisky Magazine to working in Taiwan as a brand ambassador.

He's travelled the world talking about whisky and gave us a great insight into the plans ahead for the new Islay laggan Bay Distillery as well as the history of Rosebank.

Jake Adcook also joined us to talk us through the whiskies and production which was a great insight.

This episode is a packed-out catch-up filled with incredible news and a whole lot of chat. We're back in our spiritual home at The Diggers and have some major news to share right at the start!

We've secured an exclusive 15% discount for our listeners on tours at the revived Rosebank Distillery. We break down just how good a deal this is, especially with a dram of the 32-year-old Rosebank on offer!

In the episode, we also dive into:

The highly anticipated return of Scapa 16 Year Old and whether it lives up to its legendary reputation.

A lively debate on what makes a distillery "cool," with arguments for Springbank, InchDairnie, and the Thompson Brothers.

A blind tasting of a Mystery Malt from Batch 2! Can we guess what's in the bottle?

A fun fantasy about what our own independent bottling company would be and which distillery we'd approach for casks.

The craziest cask finishes we can imagine, from Irn-Bru to Buckfast.

This is a fun, off-the-cuff episode filled with plenty of laughs and even more great whisky.

Get 15% off your Rosebank tour with code: WSP15

You can also check out our visit to the distillery here:

Rosebank Distillery Tour - A Day with Ian Macleod Distillers

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This is a cracker of an episode, I don't think we've had anyone on who's done as much as Craig has done in his career.

From starting out cleaning toilets at the Glenkinchie Distillery to blending The Famous Grouse and working with Macallan, he's travelled the world and collected some amazing whisky stories on the way.

Craig took us on an incredible journey, sharing stories that prove just how global the whisky industry is. We followed his path from a tour guide at Glenkinchie to working in sales in Canada and even living in Dubai. He also talked about his time as a distiller at the Lark Distillery in Tasmania, where he got to create some truly unique whiskies, like a Christmas Cake Cask!

We talked about his work on both sides of the coin, from the incredible attention to detail that goes into every bottle of The Macallan to the surprising process behind a global brand like Famous Grouse.

We learnt so much and we've left plenty of chat in the tank for a second episode further down the line.

There's also plenty of chat about:

We were back in our spiritual home at The Diggers and had a fascinating chat with Craig Johnstone, a man whose career has taken him all over the world in whisky.

Craig took us on an incredible journey, sharing stories that prove just how global the whisky industry is. We followed his path from a tour guide at Glenkinchie to working in sales in Canada and even living in Dubai. He also talked about his time as a distiller at the famous Lark Distillery in Tasmania, where he got to create some truly unique whiskies, like a cask finished in a beer barrel!

But the real insight came when he told us about his time at Edrington, where he worked as a master blender and whisky maker. We talked about his work on both sides of the coin, from the incredible attention to detail that goes into every bottle of The Macallan to the surprising process behind a global brand like Famous Grouse. It’s a completely new look at how these iconic whiskies are made, and Craig’s straight-up approach means he doesn't hold back. This is an episode you definitely don't want to miss.

You'll want to hear about:

• Craig’s tips for whiskies to drink in 45-degree heat.
• The surprising cask policy behind Famous Grouse.
• How a bartender’s trick can make you look smarter.
• The genius of Australia's most rebellious distiller, Peter Bignell

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

This week we recorded our Indy Bottler Spotlight with the Thompson Bros in front of a live audience packed into The False Widow in Leith.

We tasted an incredible lineup of whiskies, including their "accidental blend" Blended Scotch Whisky 6 Year Old and a bargain North British 33 Year Old grain whisky.

Join us as we uncover the fascinating Dornoch whisky journey, from the Dornoch Castle Hotel to the progress on their new Struie distillery. We also get the full story behind their unique labels and the hugely popular Mystery Malt series.

This episode is packed with great Scottish whisky chat, behind-the-scenes stories, and plenty of laughs.

Featured Drams:

• Thompson Brothers Blended Scotch Whisky 6 Year Old
• Glen Scotia 11 Year Old
• North British 33 Year Old
• Dornoch Distillery Single Cask Sample
• Mystery Malt Series (Torabhaig and Altmore)

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