The Whisky Investment Podcast by VCL Vintners

What actually happens to a cask before whisky ever goes into it? In this episode, host Alwynne Gwilt travels to Oakwood Cooperage near Glasgow to find out, sitting down with chairman Graham Hamilton to talk through the craft of coopering from the ground up. Graham tells the story of co-founding Oakwood with master cooper Brent Bowie in 2018, and how the business has grown into a 160-strong operation supplying distilleries across Scotland. The conversation covers why Scotch whisky depends on u...

What does the whisky cask market really look like in 2026? In this episode, Alwynne Gwilt sits down with Tommy Major, Head Cask Broker at VCL Vintners, for an honest conversation about the forces shaping the industry right now. Tommy breaks down what historic trade deals with India and China mean for investors, why geopolitical uncertainty can actually strengthen the case for whisky as a tangible asset, and how distilleries slowing production today could create real scarcity tomorrow. He shar...

Was 2025 really a bad year for whisky, or just a misunderstood one? In this episode of The Whisky Investment Podcast by VCL Vintners, whisky journalist Alwynne Gwilt sits down with VCL co-founder Benjamin Lancaster to unpack what really happened in the cask market last year – and what it might mean for investors in 2026 and beyond. Ben shares an insider view on headlines about oversupply, softer luxury demand and production pauses, and explains why the picture for long-term cask investors lo...

How do you actually taste whisky, beyond reading the notes on the label In this episode of The Whisky Investment Podcast by VCL Vintners, whisky journalist Alwynne Gwilt sits down with New York based author and drinks journalist Mandy Naglich, known online as @drinkswithmandy, to explore the science of flavour and the art of becoming a better taster.Mandy, one of the first 100 Advanced Cicerones in the world and author of How to Taste, breaks down how your nose, memory and emotions wor...

In this episode of the Whisky Investment Podcast, whisky journalist Alwynne Gwilt is joined by Pete Allison, whisky maker at Woven, the Edinburgh based blending house that is quietly rewriting the rules of modern whisky. From a tiny lab in Leith, Woven brings together spirits from Scotland, England, the Nordics and beyond to create blends that focus on texture, balance and storytelling. Pete shares how the team sources casks from around the world, why they see blending as the most creative a...