Recorded live at the Craigellachie Hotel, this one’s exactly what you’d hope for from a Not Another Whisky Podcast live show, six drams, zero filter, and the Thomson Brothers in full flow.

Mitch sits down with Phil and Simon for part 1 of a six-dram tasting that quickly turns into a deep dive on value, volatility, and what’s actually going on behind the scenes in whisky right now.

On the tasting table:

• North British 33 (…which turns out to be 34 — classic)
• A mystery malt
• Clynelish Distillery 12
• “Sideburn” 35
• Glenrothes Distillery 20
• Glengoyne Distillery 27

Early doors, the conversation gets into why older grain whisky like North British is suddenly everywhere, and how the Thomson Brothers are managing to put out bottles that don’t require a small bank loan (the North British sits at 40.1% and around £65, make of that what you will).

From there, it opens up into a proper industry chat:

• The reality of building a distillery in 2026 (spoiler: it’s not cheap)
• Budget overruns, tough decisions, and phased builds in Dornoch
• Why margins across the supply chain are under pressure
• And how independent bottlers are navigating a cooling market

There’s also a no-holds-barred discussion on whisky tourism — including the impact of decisions by Diageo, the closure of Clynelish’s visitor centre, and the wider shift toward high-end, limited-access experiences.

Somewhere in the middle, there’s a quick detour into upcoming Spirit of Speyside shows (because even in the middle of a tasting, you’ve still got tickets to sell…).

By the final dram, the conversation lands on sherry casks, long-aged whisky, and the realities of keeping things interesting — before cutting off mid-flow with a Glen Garioch 27 discussion and a neat little cliffhanger for Part Two.

TICKETS FOR OUR SHOWS:

THREE BLENDERS WALK INTO A BAR WITH BRIAN KINSMAN, OLVER CHILTON AND SARAH BURGESS

A CLASH OF THE STILLS - THE RETURN OF THE DISTILLERS SHOWDOWN

00:00 Band Banter

00:28 Live Show Kickoff

01:17 Meet Thomson Brothers

02:05 Six Drams Lineup

02:53 Tasting Format

03:12 North British Grain

04:15 Label Age Mixup

04:41 Pricing And Value

05:16 Yearly Catch Up

05:35 New Distillery Build

06:40 Budget Control Lessons

08:20 Phased Build Plan

09:52 Business Wins And Events

11:36 Blending Approach

13:44 Dram Two And Tourism

16:15 Diageo Decisions Debate

19:03 Tourism At Dornoch

20:18 Value Over Hype

20:54 Castle Bottle Strategy

21:35 Speyside Events Plug

23:14 Clynelish Cask Breakdown

25:50 Closures Hit Communities

27:42 Whisky Boom Bust Math

32:05 Planning For Downturns

33:43 Indie Festival Buzz

38:05 Sherry Cask Debate

38:53 How Many Releases

42:54 Subscribe And Wrap

Hosted by Mitch Bechard and Daz Haldane, this is where the whisky world gets pulled apart properly, with stories, insights, and the occasional bit of chaos along the way.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)

🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland

🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com

📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.

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

Mitch and Daz kick off their first proper catch-up of the year (with zero planning and maximum hair compliments), swapping updates on travel and work: Daz recaps a Dublin weekend that somehow involved more Guinness than Irish whiskey, while Mitch recounts a hectic run of podcast recordings, a corporate tasting, a long drive to see Bladnoch and the new Galloway Distillery, visits with Charlie MacLean , and his first festival since 2017, the Independent Whisky Festival.

They then rip through whisky news: InchDairnie becomes a certified B Corp; Denmark’s Stauning starts making gin; GlenAllachie releases a 35-year-old; two Karuizawa casks sell for £4.25m; The Dalmore reopens to guests April 27; Bruichladdich marks 25 years since reopening with Old Skool 10-year-old; Glenrothes launches a 56-year-old; Ricky Gervais-backed Ellers Farm debuts Three Ridings (sold via a pricey Evolution Collection); Glen Moray releases Forbidden Fruit Calvados finish; and World Whiskies Awards nod to winners Joel Harrison, Gary Mills, and Bowmore 21 as best whisky in the world, plus talk of a potential live Edinburgh “battle” vs Whisky Stories.

00:00 Cold Open Banter

00:05 First Catch Up Of Year

00:52 DA Updates And Travel

01:02 Dublin Weekend Recap

02:18 Busy Week In Scotland

03:15 Indie Spirits Festival Highlights

05:34 Whiskey News Roundup Begins

05:55 InchDairnie B Corp Milestone

07:16 Denmark Distillery Goes Gin

08:11 Martinis And Bar Legends

09:02 GlenAllachie 35 Year Release

10:34 Karuizawa Casks Auction Shock

11:52 Auction Buzz and Banter

12:15 Ollie Stories and Podcast Tease

13:34 Dalmore Reopens Visitor Experience

16:10 Bruichladdich Old School Release

17:46 Glenrothes 56 Year Decanter

19:13 Ricky Gervais Celebrity Whisky

24:17 Glen Moray Calvados Finish

25:53 Awards Season Shoutouts

27:13 Live Podcast Battle Plans

28:41 Wrap Up and Listener Thanks

Hosted by Mitch Bechard and Daz Haldane, this is where the whisky world gets pulled apart properly, with stories, insights, and the occasional bit of chaos along the way.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)

🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland

🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com

📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.

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

Mitch heads up to the Little Brown Dog HQ to sit down with Managing Director, DR. Andrew Smith for a properly relaxed, no-BS chat about independent bottling—and everything around it.

They get into how Andrew went from hospitality (with a brief detour towards becoming a vet) to co-running one of Scotland’s more quietly interesting bottlers, what actually makes a cask worth bottling in today’s market, and why they’re not just sticking to whisky.

From Scotch to rum to Calvados, this is a conversation about flavour over category—and whether whisky drinkers might need to start looking beyond their own glass.

Andrew also shares the story behind starting Little Brown Dog, where they want to take it next, and how he sees the current state of the industry—especially the realities facing independent bottlers right now.

There’s also an unsuccessful attempt to drag Chris onto the podcast, some rally driving chat, and a crash story that definitely wasn’t meant to be funny… but absolutely is.

A loose, honest conversation with one of the good guys in the industry.

Hosted by Mitch Bechard and Daz Haldane, this is where the whisky world gets pulled apart properly, with stories, insights, and the occasional bit of chaos along the way.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)

🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland

🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com

📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.

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