Episodes

  • Inside Lindores Abbey Distillery with Drew McKenzie Smith

    Inside Lindores Abbey Distillery with Drew McKenzie Smith
    Mar 22 2024
    MCDXCIV – does that ring a bell? And no, it’s not a typo… It’s a Roman numeral and it stands for 1494, quite a pivotal year in the world of whisky and especially for the newly founded Lindores Abbey Distillery.

    1494 is the year in which, according to the Scottish Whisky Association, the earliest documented record of distilling in Scotland occurred in the Exchequer Rolls (the tax records): An entry lists “To Friar John Cor, 8 bolls of Malt, wherewith to make Aqua Vitae for King James IV.”

    Friar John Cor produced this water of life exactly in the place where you find Lindores Abbey Distillery today. Cool background story – don’t you think?!

    Mr. John Howison then bought the Lindores Abbey estate in 1913 and we had a chance to talk to his great-grandson Drew McKenzie Smith, who, together with his wife Helen, founded Lindores Abbey Distillery in 2016.

    We know, we know, that’s a lot of facts and numbers, but isn’t it absolutely fascinating? In our opinion, it is! We hope you think the same because if yes, this presents a perfect chance for you:
    Listen in and find out more about Drew McKenzie Smith and Lindores Abbey and maybe discover some more intriguing stories about its historic past, its malty present and its promising future.
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    39 mins
  • Inside Aurora Spirit Distillery with Tor Petter Christensen

    Inside Aurora Spirit Distillery with Tor Petter Christensen
    Nov 18 2023
    10 centimetres of snow, a single track road and its end, a Viking-style longhouse, mystically lit by torches and overlooking a picturesque Norwegian fjord – wow! That’s what our arrival looked like when approaching Aurora Spirit Distillery - quite the way to arrive at a distillery…

    Okay, okay, you have to go there in late autumn or winter for the snow and the torches are well-animated electrical torches, but still, our “wow” keeps standing – and we haven’t even mentioned the majestic Northern Lights, yet, which you can perfectly spot there when it’s clear at night. 

    After parking the car and then walking by the Viking longhouse, which is actually a whisky warehouse, we finally arrived at our final destination, Aurora Spirit Distillery, the producers of Bivrost Whisky: A beautiful and very modern building with a vast glass front, offering a perfect view of the fjord, coupled with traditional wooden elements. Stepping inside, you recognise right away all the thoughtfully staged artifacts reminiscent of the old Vikings – all very moody! 

    Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a man, who can actually claim that he is 100% Viking himself (a very calm and charming one, as we might add): Tor Petter Christensen, founder and CEO of Aurora Spirit Distillery.

    Before our recording, Tor took the time to give us an extensive tour of the entire site and we were hooked in no time – what an absolutely fabulous place to produce the northernmost whisky in the world. Spectacular!

    Are you curious now? Well, you should be! So don’t miss out on our new podcast episode with Tor and find out more about Aurora Spirit Distillery, Bivrost Whisky and producing whisky at 69° North. We’re sure it’s time well-spent – especially during the darker time of the year. So lean back and enjoy.

     
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    55 mins
  • Inside Glen Scotia with Iain McAlister

    Inside Glen Scotia with Iain McAlister
    Sep 30 2023
    Campeltown – once the whisky capital of the world – has become a place of whisky pilgrimage more and more in the last years. Nonetheless, many people still disregard the Glen Scotia Distillery in favour of their bigger neighbour.

    However, we think that is a mistake! 

    At Glen Scotia, Iain McAlister and his team produce a worldclass spirit and mature it to perfection. And apart from the great whisky you can get there, the atmosphere when you arrive at the distillery is just absolutely wonderful. Everybody is so warm-hearted and welcoming and distillery manager Iain McAlister is no exception to that (maybe he’s actually the reason for it?!).

    That said, we had a wonderful time recording this episode with Iain and to chat all things Campbeltown, whisky, Glen Scotia and bees (yes, indeed). 

    If you might not be as familiar with Glen Scotia, yet, this is your chance! And if you are an expert already, we’re pretty sure there are some more lovely details to be discovered in this episode.

    So don’t hesitate, tune in and get to know the wonderful Iain McAlister and his Glen Scotia Distillery.
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    46 mins
  • Inside Ardbeg with T.J. Littlejohn

    Inside Ardbeg with T.J. Littlejohn
    Aug 26 2023
    If you think of a whisky distillery in Scotland which stands for powerful and peaty whisky with a hint of sweet vanilla and citrus, which is extremely good at storytelling, very creative in bringing old myths to life to describe and sell their whiskies with worldclass marketing but which is also seen as quite polarising at times throughout the whisky community, which distillery name pops up in your head?

    For many of you, just like for us, the answer is probably going to be Ardbeg.

    Year in, year out many people make the pilgrimage to Scotland and the Isle of Islay to experience their beloved Ardbeg Distillery first hand and we really have to say that Ardbeg, at least for us, is still a benchmark when it comes to hospitality. Even more so when you travel there during the Islay Whisky Festival, Fèis Ìle, and that’s exactly what we did once more this year.

    During all the festivities and the busy hustle of Ardbeg Day 2023 (and his top-secret Ardbeg Committee event), T.J. Littlejohn, Global Expierence & Advocacy Manager of The Glenmorangie Company, which Ardbeg is a part of, took the time to talk to us and tell us some lovely stories (very Ardbeggian, isn’t it?!). 

    So raise a dram of TEN, Uigeadail, Corryvreckan, An Oa, Wee Beastie, Smoketrails, BizarreBQ, Heavy Vapours or maybe The Harpy’s Tale (we could probably continue this list forever…) and join us to relive Ardbeg Day 2023 with T.J. and learn some more about this wonderful Islay distillery. 
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    36 mins
  • Inside Scapa Distillery with Mick Swanney

    Inside Scapa Distillery with Mick Swanney
    Jul 8 2023
    Far up north, just off the northernmost point of the UK’s mainland, there are the Orkneys – islands shaped by the sea and extreme weather. And right up there, on these rough islands, there’s a distillery which is extremely beautifully situated and producing surprisingly smooth whisky. Of course, we are talking about Scapa Distillery overlooking the breathtaking Scapa flow.

    And that’s exactly the place where we recorded this episode with Mick Swanney, team leader at Scapa Distillery. As a real Orcadian, Mick knows a lot of stories about his home, Orkney, and obviously, he also knows a thing or two about whisky. 

    Find out about Scapa’s history and its superb whisky, about the rivalry with their neighbouring distillery (or is it?), life on Orkney and why you shouldn’t believe everything that’s on the internet. 

    Lean back, pour a dram and let a real Orcadian tell you some stories about his home - this remote, rough and captivating place, which, on top, also produces some absolutely incredible whiskies.
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    37 mins
  • Inside Thompson Bros Distillers with Phil and Simon Thompson

    Inside Thompson Bros Distillers with Phil and Simon Thompson
    May 26 2023
    How do you produce whisky inefficiently on purpose and why would you want to do that? Well, we also wanted to know and asked Phil and Simon Thompson of Thompson Bros Distillers, Dornoch Castle Hotel and the relatively newly founded Dornoch Distillery.

    Despite their young age, Phil and Simon have had the chance to try some extraordinary whiskies from times long gone, dating back as far as the 1900s. Inspired by that they set themselves the goal of recreating an old-style spirit.

    And since whisky creation takes time, they are independently bottling very high quality single cask whiskies and their own blends in the meantime, using a very sophisticated ballot system to get their whisky into the “right” hands – but better listen for yourself and let Phil and Simon explain it to you first hand.

    Certainly being one of our most entertaining episodes with a lot of geeky knowledge and whisky enthusiast-friendly perspectives, this is one not to be missed!
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    53 mins
  • Inside Irish Whiskey with Teeling, Powerscourt & Jameson

    Inside Irish Whiskey with Teeling, Powerscourt & Jameson
    May 3 2023
    Green rolling mountains, sleepy and bleating sheep, idyllic villages and vivid cities with wonderful people, vibrant traditional pubs with passionate folk music, delicious local food and, of course, a long and quite eventful history of producing whiskey…

    … Does that sound appealing to you? If yes, come join Miri on her trip to Ireland and experience the Emerald Isle with her!

    For this episode, the three of us sat down together to have a chat about Miri’s journey and, of course, Miri didn’t come back from Ireland empty-handed. She brought some short interview snippets with her, which she recorded on-site at several distilleries. So, you can look forward to interviews with Alex Chasko of Teeling Distillery, John Cashman of Powerscourt Distillery and Diarmuid Madden of Jameson Distillery.

    Guided through the country by John Callely of Whiskey Island, who you will also get to know during this episode, and Gracie Boylan of @tourismireland and @entdecke_irland, Miri had the chance to discover the stunning beauty of Ireland and we couldn’t wait to listen to Miri’s and her interview partners’ stories – maybe you feel the same now?!

    If all that has made you curious, sit down, relax, pour yourself a lovely dram of whiskey and come discover a glimpse of Ireland with us.
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    48 mins
  • Inside Dewar's Aberfeldy with Gary Ross

    Inside Dewar's Aberfeldy with Gary Ross
    Apr 16 2023
    If we told you that there is a distillery in the Scottish Highlands, which is beautifully situated, easily accessible, has a very rich history, but which is still quite often overlooked, would you want to know more about it – especially if you knew that they promise you the “golden dram”?

    Well, we were certainly intrigued and once we visited for the first time, we couldn’t but visit many more times in the following years.

    Of course, we’re talking about Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery, where we met with Gary Ross, distilleries ambassador for John Dewar & Sons, to record this episode in the distillery’s visitor centre.

    Gary, who describes himself as a “mega whisky nerd” was absolutely wonderful and we had a great time wandering about the distillery and then also recording with him. He is extremely knowledgeable, very likeable and tremendously enthusiastic and excited about whisky. If that wasn’t enough already, he also calls himself a “sub-par home brewer” and he is a member of the Bacardi Boyband – if you want to know what that is all about, just listen in!

    We hope you will enjoy listening to the episode as much as we did recording it. Let Miriam and Martin take you with them on their journey to Aberfeldy to spend an hour with Gary Ross, chatting about all things Aberfeldy (and more).
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    49 mins