Whiskey Chats

Join me for My Chat with Willie Jack in The Friend at Hand in Belfast. Willie Jack is a legend in Belfast. He is a publican, whiskey museum curator, architectural salvager and restorer, antiques dealer, community builder, cultural ambassador and a seriously well connected and sound fella. I have wanted to speak to Willie for many years about the shrine to Irish Whiskey he has built at The Friend at Hand "whiskey shop"...... it's far more than a whiskey shop. It is a must go to in Belfast and Sonya and I were given a massive welcome from Willie and the 3 grumpiest of old men, who Willie calls staff........ Ray, Marty & Jim... They're sound too. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: www.boanndistillery.ie www.killowendistillery.com  Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Live Festival Chat with Noel Sweeney - Master Distiller. Noel is famous for his amazing time as Master Distiller at Cooley Distillery, where he became responsible for releasing alot of the amazing Irish whiskeys that we all love today. His Cooley malts and single grains are still being released by different brands and bottlers to this day, to massive plaudits. Right now, one of Noel's focuses is on his blended whiskey from his collaboration with the famous dancer Michael Flatley called...... Flatley Whiskey. He was at the Cork on a Fork festival in Cork in August 2024, where we sat down for a Live audience chat, as one of the many events at the festival. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: www.boanndistillery.ie www.killowendistillery.com  Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Live Chat at Cork on a Fork Festival I was asked to do a number of Live podcasts at a recent foodie festival in Cork - Cork on a Fork. I set up a podcast studio in the top floor bar of Cork Opera House in August 2024, in front of a Live audience, where my guests and I shared some very interesting drinks and chats. My 3 guests were: Mark Lonergan - ex-manager of The Shelbourne Whiskey Bar in Cork Barry Walsh from Killahora Orchards  Liam Murray - President of Cork Whiskey Society It was an afternoon of fine guests, fine drinks and some fine chats. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: www.boanndistillery.ie www.killowendistillery.com  Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My McConnell's Distillery Chat with Graham Millar, Head Distiller. Myself and Sonya visited McConnel's Distillery, in the old Crumlin Road Jail in Belfast, whilst up at Belfast Whiskey Week 2024. Graham showed us around their amazing converted and renovated centuries old prison wing, that is now their Distillery! The project was started over a decade ago by another party and the current shareholders were able to finally complete the earlier vision this year, by turning on the stills and starting to produce again, as one of only 2 distilleries now in Belfast city, once one of the powerhouses of whiskey production in the British empire. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: www.boanndistillery.ie www.killowendistillery.com  Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Cask Chat with Gary Ring in Boann Distillery. I visited Gary a while back, firstly joining him for a cuppa and bickie in Boann's "Distiller's Cottage", in Kestral Manor!!! I kid you not, very bougie... Gary is a distiller in Boann distillery and one of the most enthusiatic proponents of whiskey production in Irish whiskey industry..... with the added bonus of being from Cork! Lucky guy... We wandered over to the distillery and proceded to completely ignore his workshop - the stillhouse. Instead we got completely distracted with the warehouses full of wondrous casks. It was some journey... This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: www.boanndistillery.ie www.killowendistillery.com  Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Titanic Distillery Chat with Damien Rafferty. We recently visited Titanic Distillery at the Belfast city docks, while we were attending Belfast Whiskey Week 2025. We met up with Head Distiller Damien and we went for a stroll and a chat around the distillery building, finding out more about the Titanic Distillery project. It is an amazing building, the old pumphouse of the dry dock where the fateful Titanic was actually built. Huge history, huge stories, huge legacy...... I highly recommend a visit if you're at a loose end in Belfast. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: www.boanndistillery.ie www.killowendistillery.com  Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Copeland Distillery Chat with Gareth Irvine. We recently visited Copeland Distillery on The Ards peninsula in Co. Down while we we attending Belfast Whiskey Week 2025. I chatted to owner and founder Gareth Irvine about his amazing distillery that he started as part of a college module!.. It is a fantastic little distillery, in a picturesque seaside town, just of the main quay in Donaghadee. There is a coffee dock at the edge of the production area..... in the stillhouse! You can visit, enjoy a coffee and a bun and watch the entire days activities as the distillery team mash, ferment and distill tomorrow's whiskey and gin. Very cool. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie www.killowendistillery.com  Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Distillery Chat with Sarah Dowling, Cooley Distillery's Head Blender. I have wanted to see beyond the gates of the iconic Cooley Distillery for years. I finally got the opportunity and Head Blender and ex Distillery Manager Sarah Dowling showed me around. To say it was amazing is an understatement. It turns out that Cooley is a little bit boutiquey..... not the behemoth that everyone thinks it is. It is medium craft distillery that has left a very large footprint on Irish Whiskey and it was an honour to be shown around by Sarah. Full disclosure: I had microphone issues for this podcast, but with a sprinling of magic and wizardry, I managed to isolate the voices and save the podcast. New mics have now been purchased........ ; ) This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie www.killowendistillery.com  Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Wee Pub Chat with Anthony & Katie Sheehy. Anthony & Katie founded Irish Whiskey Auctions, the monthly whiskey auction in Ireland and sponsor of Whiskey Chats. They then co-founded Irish Whiskey Experiences with Barry Chandler, where they have had huge successes with their Whiskey Bus tours and upcoming Whiskey Cruise in Nov 2025. But deep in the wee county of Louth, straddling the Northern Irish border, is the best wee pub around - JJ Sheehy's - another part of their empire!! This is now where they call home and where I joined them of an evening in the bar, where we sat, chatted, drank and swapped stories. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie www.killowendistillery.com  Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Distillery Chat with Tracey Clarke in Kilbeggan. Tracey has worked as a Tour Guide in Kilbeggan Distillery for over 23yrs. She is part of the local community and would have grown up knowing it as the Old Locke's Distillery, after the family that previously owned it and ran it. It is an amazingly well preserved example of Victorian, Industrial revolution era equipment and machinery, mingled into a distillery experience and working micro distillery onsite. I would highly recommend you visit and experience it for yourself..... maybe ask for Tracey as your tour guide.... I learned an awful lot and I hope you do too. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie www.killowendistillery.com  Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Enguerrand Vandenbossche. Enguerrand is a French trained cooper, who was the Head Cooper in Tullamore Dew Distillery until 2022, owned by Beam Suntory, after working in France and for a time in Scotland at some of their industrial cooperages. For the past 2yrs, he has been working at the Good Spirits Co. in Dundalk. They are behind the Grace O'Malley whiskey brand and also store and bottle for many of the whiskey brands you see on the shelves. He is a very knowledgeable fella and I've been looking forward to chatting with him for a long time. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Distillery Chat with Gearóid Cahill in Slane Distillery. Gearóid is one of the only Master Brewers AND Master Distillers working in the alcohol industry. He spent nearly 20yrs as one of Diageo's top brewers, before going to work as Head Distiller for the fledgling Slane Distillery in Co. Meath, in the shadow of the famous concert venue, Slane Castle. They are a really interesting small distillery as they run column stills and grow most of their grain on the 1500 acre Slane farm. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat as we walked around the distillery. Laurie

Join me for My Distillery Chat with Connor Howlett at Stillgarden Distillery, in the heart of Dublin city. Connor has worked as a brand ambassador and chief gardener at Stillgarden for a couple of years now, after he finished his English and Film degree in 2021. He is very passionate about creating spirits of real integrity and it was a pleasure to spend an afternoon chatting with him. Stillgarden Distillery make modern Irish spirits using as many local grown botanicals as we can and capture those amazing flavours through some very cool science. They have a gin school onsite and offer training and experiences for many different groups.  I have uploaded images of most of the bottles spoken about in this episode exclusively to my Patreon Channel. Join below. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat as we walked around the distillery. Laurie

Join me for My Historic Bottle Chat with Leo Phelan. Leo is a lifelong whiskey enthusiast. He has been knee deep in the Irish whiskey world for over 20yrs. He is a founding member and former president of the Irish Whiskey Society. He has become one of the authorities on historic Irish whiskey bottles in Ireland and is regularly consulted on authenticating bottles. He has amassed an amazing collection of historic bottles himself and I visited Leo at his home, to chat about his collection and learn a little more about his fascinating legacy Irish bottles. I have uploaded images of most of the bottles spoken about in this episode exclusively to my Patreon Channel. Join below. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat as we walked around the distillery. Laurie

Join me for My Peated Garden Chat with JP, Kevin & Aidan. JP O'Riordan, Kevin Murphy & Aidan McGovern called up to my back garden and we had a fantastic afternoon chatting about peated/ turfed/ smoky whiskeys, beer and a cocktail. I love recording the Garden Chats, they're the most fun. Always good to share great drops with buddies. This is part 1, there is another part to be released next. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat as we walked around the distillery. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with John O'Connell in West Cork Distillers in Skibbereen. My wife Sonya and I visited John on a very, very rainy Saturday afternoon and we were welcomed with open arms. What an amazing distillery John O'Connell, Ger McCarthy and Denis McCarthy have built. Supporting well over 200 local jobs in their locality, buying only Irish grain for use in the distillery and running over 16 different stills with 4 more in production, this is an impressive large craft operation. You will not find a more intelligent, gentle and humble person in the Irish whiskey industry than John O'Connell. A big thanks to Cathal O'Brien from West Cork Distillers for arranging this for me. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat as we walked around the distillery. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Stephen D'alton, co-author of Wise's Irish Whiskey book. Stephen recently collaborated with the legendary Midleton Master Distiller Emeritus Barry Crockett on a book detailing the story behind the distilling Wise family dynasty in Cork.  The Wise's once ran the highest output Irish Whiskey distillery in the 1800's, at North Mall Distillery along the banks of the River Lee in Cork city, exporting to the far flung corners of the British Empire and the Americas. Stephen and I had a fantastic, rambling, chat about their book and inevitably meandered our way to all sorts of topics. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Bill Lark, the Godfather of Australian Whiskey. Bill & his wife Lyn were responsible for reigniting the Australian whiskey industry in the early 90's. His brand Lark Distillery is still going and he is still involved in Lark Distillery in an ambassadorial role. His is a truly fascinating tale of what you can achieve when you set your mind on a lofty goal. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Tasmanian Whiskey Garden Chat with Dan, Paul Costello & JP. This Garden Chat was recorded a couple of months back. I was gifted a box of Tasmanian Whiskey samples from Transportation Whiskey founder John Halton up at Belfast Whiskey Week 2023, who is one of the biggest advocates for Irish Whiskey in Australia and Tassie Whiskey in Ireland. It is a selection from some of the many distilleries in Tasmania and it didn't disappoint. JP O'Riordan, Dan Pennington and Paul Costello joined me in my back garden and we had a ball discovering all these new flavours. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Garden Chat with Dan Pennington, Paul Costello & JP O'Riordan. My 3 buddies called up to my back garden a couple of weeks ago and we cracked open many bottles and samples of liquids we had never heard of. Join us as we discover some amazing new liquds and spirits and have a laugh aswell along the way. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie