Claim OwnershipWhisky Stories Podcast
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© Graeme Kilgour
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Find us on Instagram - @The_Whisky_Stories
Graeme, Angus and Ross are three friends who enjoy a dram and a chat in their local pub. We don't take ourselves too seriously and tend to invite a special guest along each week to chat about their experience in whisky.
The 'What 3 Drams' feature of the podcast dives into three specific whiskies close to them and discuss the story behind them.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
28 Episodes
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Blair Sterrick has worked in selling booze and whisky for most of his professional life. Having worked for the likes of Diagio and Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers, he now works for the Isle of Harris Distillery selling their new whisky The Hearach and their extremely popular and iconic gin. In this episode we talk about the success of the distillery which has created a huge amount of local employment on the island and the interesting batch system used by the distillery for the whisky releases. Blair was also kind enough to bring in a couple of generous samples and glasses for us to try the different batches and releases. Enjoy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mark Davidson has spent over 20 years working in whisky. When teaching maths and engineering didn't cut it, he began working behind the bar to help out at the original Scotch Malt Whisky Society bar in Leith. From there he ended up spending the next 20+ years working in retail and delivering his own unique tastings. It was great having Mark on and he had some great knowledge and stories to tell.His blind tastings are legendary and very regular in and around the Edinburgh area and he can be found in the Royal Mile Whiskies shop on the Royal Mile most days if you want to buy some whisky from him. Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jollytopertastings/?locale=en_GB Enjoy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Thomas wanted to get into working in whisky to be around his pals and to learn more about the industry. Having spent some time working with our own Ross Barr at Scotch in the Balmoral in Edinburgh, it didn't take long for Tam to gain a real insight into the wonderful world of whisky. Since then he's started his own lockdown business and now works as Brand Ambassador for Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers representing their brands - Carn Mor, Old Perth, Mac-Talla and Aberargie Distillery. As ever this episode was a lot of fun to record. Tam brought in some great samples for us to try which included this years Islay Whisky Festival Mac-Talla release which was incredible. Enjoy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We're fast becoming a 'whisky couples' podcast now and it was great to welcome Sian Buchan on to the podcast with her husband and previous guest Jody and Paddy the dog. Sian owns Uno Mas in Edinburgh which is a very relaxed and easy going bar open till late and the perfect location for 'one more' before heading home.Having previously worked for Old Pulteney, Sian is very familiar with her whiskies and has made sure that the back bar at Uno Mas is stocked with interesting and very enjoyable drams along with plenty of other spirits from around the world. Although this episode was all about Sian, Jody was happy to keep their dog Paddy happy and chip in occasionally too. He even got to give us a bonus dram on top of his previous What 3 Drams from his episode. As ever, this was a lot of fun, Jody and Sian live for the hospitality industry and both work so hard. It was great hearing their stories and having a great laugh. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As the new Global Brand Ambassador it was great to get Stewart Dick down to Edinburgh and into the pub while he was on his travels spreading the word and dishing out drams of whisky from Torabhaig Distillery on the Isle of Skye. Skye has become a massive tourist destination for Scotland and when it comes to whisky on Skye, Talisker is the one that most people will think of. Mainly because it's the only one that's been on the island for years and years. But now Torabhaig have started producing and it's not only giving the tourists an extra whisky tour to squeeze in on a visit to Skye (if you can get past the German campervans), it's also providing exciting jobs and opportunities for the locals too. Stewart has gone from running his own pub to starting a wholesale paper and office supplies company. But it was his love for hospitality and working with whisky which took him to the famous Tomatin Distillery. From there, he became a very familiar face on TikTok as the Dramdabbler and has now amassed over 50k followers on the platform and shares very entertaining and insightful videos for his audience. But the opportunity to become Global Brand Ambassador for Mossburn Distillers brought him to where he is today. Stewart is a whisky geek and we loved hearing all about the way whisky is made at Torabhaig. Graeme also brought in some very interesting bottles he had acquired in the latest auctions, a very dinky 50cl bottle of history from the 1970's and a humongous 1.75L bottle of something else. Tune in to listen and enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Danny's job is basically to travel around the world telling incredible stories and getting people to drink Grant's Whisky. And he's extremely good at both of those things. For the third week in a row we have yet another Scotch Whisky Experience alumni on the podcast and what a recording it was. Danny has worked in the industry since he was 18. While he was working behind a whisky bar in Edinburgh, he entered a competition to become the Global Brand Ambassador for one of the most popular whisky brands in the world - Grant's Whisky. From 5,000 initial applicants, he was the one who made it and has spent the last 6 years travelling around the world, putting on some incredible events and spreading the word about Grant's and the William Grant and Sons family business. As always, it was a great night enjoying drams, swapping stories and learning all about the life of a Global Brand Ambassador. Enjoy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Once again we were joined by another alumni of the Scotch Whisky Experience who has gone on to forge his own path in the wonderful world of whisky. Whisky and tourism goes hand in hand in Scotland and Alex has worked in creating experiences for tourists and visitors throughout his career. As Visitor Attraction Manager at the Glenturret Distillery in Creif, Alex oversees the different tours and experiences on offer which can range from a 45 min tour with a dram for £18 all the way to an overnight stay and a luxury 14 course taster menu in The Glenturret LALIQUE 2 Michelin-star Restaurant with plenty of drams. As per usual, this was a great laugh to record and we heard some fantastic stories and tasted some great drams. Enjoy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We think Alistair is the first person we have had on the podcast who is a born and bred Speysider. Growing up a stones throw away from Glen Moray in Elgin, Alistair was destined to work in whisky. In this episode we were back in our new home from home - The Kilderkin Pub in Edinburgh and back in our usual booth. Alistair is now Head of Visitor Experience at the famous Scotch Whisky Experience which has now become a hotbed for future whisky ambassadors, journalists and people working in the production of whisky. Alistair talks us through his journey into the world of whisky and as per usual, after a couple of drams, the conversation and stories just began to flow. Discussions about everything from drinking drams in a hot tub to visiting barley conferences in London, this episode is packed with the usual Whisky Stories nonsense. Pour a dram, sit back and enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ross said on the first episode of this podcast that 'Big Cam' is his "Whisky Dad". We've all got to know Cameron from either working with him or enjoying his hospitality skills as the man behind Scotch in the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. As you will hear in this episode, Cameron has been part of creating a whisky experience in Scotch for hotel guests and whisky lovers to experience an incredible range of whiskies. He's got some great stories and even brought in some great samples for us to enjoy during and after the episode. Once again a big thanks to The Athletic Arms for having us. Enjoy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duggie is pretty much responsible for making sure the large majority of pubs, bars and hotels around Scotland are well stocked with whisky. The Royal Mile Whiskies shop on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh has become one of Scotland's most established whisky shops. With shelves stocked from the ground to the ceiling with thousands of different whiskies to chose from and staff who have been there so long the come with the lease of the building, it really is a treat (an expensive one) to visit and check out what they have in stock and have a good old chat. But as well as being a retailer on the 'High Street', Royal Mile Whiskies are also a very established wholesaler of whisky to bars, hotels restaurants and pubs around the whole of Scotland and some of England. And Duggie is the man in charge of managing the sales to all trade customers. It was great to be back in the Athletic Arms enjoying our spot in the 'Snug'. Angus and Graeme had been out 'working' at the Fife Whisky Festival and had lots of chat to report back from their first ever experience as 'Guest Exhibitors'. Seeing as they enjoyed it so much, if there are any other whisky companies, distilleries or bottlers who are brave enough to let the 2 of them loose on your stand at any other whisky festivals or shows then I'm sure they would happily oblige. Enjoy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It was a birthday treat for Ross as we were invited to sample the atmosphere and whisky at the Whisky Stories Landlord Kev's latest pub - The Kilderkin at the bottom of the Royal Mile. Kev was our second ever episode and first official guest (Ross was meant to be a guest but he just kept coming back every week..). It was great to catch up with Kev again and hear about his exciting plans for the pub which was very busy when we recorded. Kev seems to have found a blueprint for taking over bars and pubs and turning them into places with a reputation for good whisky, fair prices and a very welcoming atmosphere. It was great to be in different surroundings for this episode and celebrate the youngster of the podcast turning 25 years old (we're sure he's actually 45 years old). Find out more about The Kilderkin:FacebookInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When Conor came to Scotland for a holiday it didn't take him long to realise that he had to stay.With plenty of experience in working in the bar trade, Conor began to learn more and more about whisky.But it was during lockdown when he really began to study the whisky making process and it wasn't long before an opportunity of a lifetime landed on his lap and he began working at the new Holyrood Distillery in Edinburgh.What's interesting about Holyrood is that the distillery is not doing what most others do when it comes to finding a distinct flavour and sticking with it.As Conor explains, it's all about experimenting and playing around with different yeasts, malts and fermentation to explore what kind of flavours can be created.As the Senior Distiller at the distillery, Conor overseas all of that process in the early production stages and explains his role and his journey into whisky.Once again, a big thanks to the Athletic Arms for having us and it was also a welcome return for Ross Bar who was back and looking refreshed after his wedding planning State Side.Enjoy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This is a Whisky Stories epic episode with over 2 hours of whisky chat, story telling, tasting drams and lots of laughs. Mike Brown is a brand ambassador for Ian Macleod Distillers who own Glengoyne Distillery, Tamdhu Distillery, Rosebank Distillery and the brand Smokehead. Mike's job is to talk about all of these distilleries and brands and he's very, very good at his job. Like a lot of brand ambassadors, Mike started working in the bar trade but it was his Scottish roots that brought him up north of the border and it wasn't long before he was working in whisky. In this episode, Mike talks us through the stories, whiskies and history of Glengoyne, Tamdhu, Smokehead and Rosebank and he brought some lovely samples in for us to try as well. One sample which was incredible to taste was the new make spirit from the newly revamped and redeveloped Rosebank Distillery. As you'll probably tell from the intro to this episode and my voice from about halfway through, we did enjoy a dram or 2 or 3 while recording this. But the sore head the next morning was totally worth it and we had a lot of fun while recording. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
George and Rachel are the second 'whisky couple' to join us on the podcast. Having met through whisky at the Soho Whisky Club in London, they've had a journey through whisky that has taken them to Australia and then back to Scotland.George worked as General Manager at the Soho Whisky Club and it was there that Rachel first clocked eyes on the handsome chap working behind the bar. It wasn't long before they were on their travels to Australia where George spent some time working at the Starward Distillery in Melbourne. It was there where he got some hands-on experience in distilling whisky and getting to know exactly how a distillery works from the inside. When they moved back to the UK Keeble Cask Co. was started and George operated as a broker selling casks to different buyers. Then in January 2023, they decided to bottle their first whisky under the brand Fragrant Drops and they haven't looked back. George and Rachel were great fun to have on and had plenty of brilliant stories and lots of information on the wonderful word of independently bottles whisky. And they get extra bonus points for bringing in their own samples for us too! Enjoy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Angus and Graeme took a trip to St Andrews to meet Chris and Euan from Eden Mill. Although the new distillery is currently under construction and not expected to be fully completed until spring/summer 2025, we were able to enjoy recording this episode in the cosy cabin they have on site called The Bothy. Eden Mill already has single malt whisky and a blend on the market. The distillery has been producing whisky since 2013 and there are plenty of casks sitting maturing nicely for bottling between now and when the new distillery will reopen. We heard all about the exciting plans as well as the history behind the distillery in the area. There was loads of great chat about the local area and surrounding areas in Fife. Euan and Chris were great hosts and cracked open a couple of bottles for Angus to enjoy as Graeme was the designated driver for this trip. This was great fun to record and we really enjoyed being out 'on the road' recording an episode at a distillery (or construction site of a distillery). To find out more about Eden Mill, you can check out their website - https://www.edenmill.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Woody and Megan are our first 'whisky couple' to have joined us on the podcast. Woody travelled from Hong Kong to Edinburgh to study Medical Science, but after realising he was no good in the lab, he decided to swap that and begin his journey into brewing and distilling. Megan and Woody began by exporting Scottish beer and spirits to the eastern Asian markets and decided to invest in a cask of whisky. Now they have their own warehouse, bottling line and a van. They supply bars and shops around the UK with their independently bottled whisky as well as supporting other indy bottlers with stock and their bottling and labelling services. We took a real deep dive into the world of independent bottling, cask purchasing and investment and found out exactly how much work goes into starting your own whisky business. This was a lot of fun to record once again at The Athletic Arms in Edinburgh and we enjoyed a good few of their whiskies that they had on offer. You can find all you need to know about Woodrow's of Edinburgh through their website - https://www.woodrowswhisky.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Simon Smith doesn't just know his way around a whisky bar, he literally curates and creates them. In our longest episode recorded, Simon talks us through his journey from Australia to Inverary in the Nort West of Scotland and how he became known within the industry for his incredible work in curating and creating whisky collections. Simon created his own business from writing about the cynicism in whisky online in his blog. What started as a way to keep him amused during lockdown, has now grown into his own business which specialises in events, training and consultancy for whisky and other spirits. He has also opened his own pop-up bar in Edinburgh City Centre which was so successful over the festive period he has extended his license to keep it open for another couple of months. As this will be going up on Burns Night, we also spend some time talking about the great Bard and his connections to the whisky industry. There's also some very ropey and probably not fully factual history stories dotted in this episode. This is our longest episode that we've recorded, but the drams were flowing and the chat was great and we could easily have gone on and chatted for much longer. Pour yourself a dram, sit back and relax to another episode of the Whisky Stories Podcast. How to find Simon - https://www.whiskyandcynicism.com/Instagram - whiskyandcynicism Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fraser and Ross have known each other for nearly 24 years, which is the same time Angus and Graeme have been pals since the old days at school.So this made the perfect episode to sip some drams and enjoy being old pals.Fraser works in luxury hospitality at the amazing Scotch Bar in the Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh. With over 500 whiskies to chose from, and the expertise of the guys behind the bar, Scotch is a great place for anyone to visit. They also boast to having the only open bottle of 40 year old Macallan (outside of the distillery) in Scotland, available for an eye watering £850.Fraser talks us through his experience in becoming one of the whisky ambassadors for the bar, what he had to learn and shares some great stories of his time working behind the bar and delivering great tastings.Ross and Fraser grew up together on the sunny shores of Dumbar, but after school they drifted apart, only to find themselves both working behind the bar in Scotch years later as colleagues.Fraser has some great stories and we all had a good laugh recording this one with a few fantastic drams to go with it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jody is a well known character in the world of whisky. As you'll be able to tell in this episode, he's got plenty of chat and loves a dram. Big shout out to Paddy the dug (dog) who is also the first pub dog to have appeared on the podcast!Jody didn't have the most conventional entries into the wonderful world of whisky, but that's what makes his story so good. From working off-shore in the North Sea as a chemical engineer, to starting his own bar in Edinburgh. Jody has had a great journey which led him to becoming Brand Ambassador for Monkey Shoulder. He's now working with different brand portfolios with an emphasis on other whiskies from around the world. This included Nikka Whisky from Japan, Taiwanese Single Malt Kavalan and the Indian classic Amrut. What a character with a strong North Eastern Scottish accent and some brilliant stories and chat. Once again, a big thanks to The Athletic Arms - Diggers in Edinburgh for hosting us with plenty of amazing drams on offer. If you want to find Jody on socials, his Instagram is the best place to go - @_The_Motto_Monkey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Meeghan has spent the majority of her working life in the drinks industry. Having started off working in bars, she's gone on to work in Japan brewing Sake, she's been involved in brewing beer, wine making and now she's a director at a new distillery in the Highlands - GlenWyvis. As well as working in the distillery, Meeghan also has her own company called SagasuDrinks who offer a wide variety of services to the spirits, beer and wine industry. Meeghan is qualified to deliver WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) training courses - find out more. This episode was recorded in the build up to Christmas and we were not in our usual surroundings. A big thanks to the Gleneagles Townhouse in Edinburgh City Centre for hosting us in one of their private members rooms. We had also enjoyed a few beers and drams in the build up to recording this which made us all nice and 'relaxed' before recording. Meeghan kindly brought in some very cool, tasty and interesting sampled from GlenWyvis Distillery for us to try. Although the distillery isn't open to the public, I have had a chance to have a look around before recording this episode. Despite being labelled a 'new distillery', GlenWyvis already have a number of releases out and available to buy. The distillery is also very unique in the sense that it is a 'community owned' distillery in Scotland. This was a great laugh recording and hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording. How to find Meeghan: Instagram - @sagasudrinksWebsite - https://www.sagasudrinks.com/GlenWhyvis Distillery - https://www.glenwyvis.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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