Islay is the island of dreams for each and every Scotch lover and even though the island does have uncountable beautiful spots, we have to admit that we love being down at Bunnahabhain Distillery enjoying a dram at the pier with its views across the sound of Islay towards the Paps of Jura. Our guest in this episode, David Brodie, beloved tour guide at Bunnahabhain, probably feels the same. David talks about how he got to Islay and Bunnahabhain, about Islay's weather, the bumpy road down to the d...
Feb 02, 2022•58 min•Ep. 15
After being a shareholder of The BenRiach Distillery, The GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh one might think all life goals have been reached. Not so Billy Walker. A few years back, he and his partners decided to sell the three distilleries but for Billy it had always been clear that this would not be the end of his journey in the whisky industry. Serendipity made it possible for him to eventually purchase The GlenAllachie in 2017. His vision was to create great whisky while not being dependent on ot...
Jan 02, 2022•26 min•Ep. 14
Seeing Andy's shining eyes at the very moment when setting foot into one of Lochranza Distillery's warehouses made one thing clear to us once more: You can never get tired of this special atmosphere and smell of the warehouses of a Scotch whisky distillery... ... the warehouse, you're wondering? Well yeah. This episode is slightly different than usual - it's an extensive and probably a bit geeky audio tour of Lochranza Distillery - and that's why, among others, we also recorded in their warehous...
Dec 11, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 13
"If Scotland was a whisky, it would be a Springbank" - that was one of the first reactions we got when starting to promote our latest episode of "The Barrel Talk". We just found this statement so perfectly fitting that we had to include it here. Springbank is so much more than just a whisky, it's probably one of the "truest" Scottish spirits you will find, it's history, it's a myth, it's family, it's delicously dirty and it is sought after. In this episode we are talking to Springbank's Nicole L...
Oct 24, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 12
Have you ever heard of the new Lochlea Distillery? If not, it's just about time to find out more about this very interesting project, situated in the heart of the Scottish Lowlands near the beautiful seaside town of Ayr. With their inaugural release just around the corner the time is more than right to go discover this new distillery with Lochlea's David Ferguson and us. In this episode you will find out why Lochlea Distillery has been a secret for so long and why only some selected few have kno...
Sep 26, 2021•53 min•Ep. 11
From French assistant teacher to distillery manager of Lagavulin, one of the most popular whisky brands worldwide. Sounds like living the American Dream - in this case, however, it is a Scottish Dream come true for Frenchman Pierrick Guillaume. In this episode, Pierrick is telling his story about how he got into the whisky industry working his way up to becoming Lagavulin's distillery manager. We also learn more about his fascination for sports, whisky, Islay and Lagavulin as well as the casks h...
Sep 03, 2021•37 min•Ep. 10
After having had the first Irish distillery on our show in the last episode, this time it’s another “first”: We have got an English whisky distillery for you! And it is not just any English distillery – it is probably the most hyped one – and we’re absolutely delighted to present Matt McKay of BIMBER Distillery to you. Of course, there is still no easy travelling (especially to the UK) and therefore it is another online recording. Matt is head of marketing and communications for BIMBER Distiller...
Jun 20, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 9
Teeling is the first Irish distillery on the show - as well as our first online recording for a podcast episode since travelling is still not possible at the moment. In this list of many "firsts", Teeling Distillery is also the first whiskey distillery to open up in Dublin in 125 years and since Irish Whiskey is on everybody's lips as of recently, we are very happy that Chris Hayes, European brand ambassador of Teeling Whiskey, took the time to talk to us. Listen in and find out more about Teeli...
May 07, 2021•53 min•Ep. 8
Before Kilchoman Distillery was built and finally opened in 2005, no one had built a distillery on Islay for 124 years. Furthermore, there was not much expertise to be found when it came to actually building a new distillery from scratch in the early 2000s because hardly anyone had done something like that before. Considering those facts, would you have "bloody done it" and taken this huge risk? Listen to the man who was brave enough and mustered all his courage to build Kilchoman Distillery on ...
Feb 17, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 7
Wick - once the herring capital of Europe and thus one of the most important harbour cities in Scotland. In 1826, Wick has also become the home of Pulteney Distillery making the town quite attractive and offering several possibilites to work there. Nowadays, however, many young people leave the town to look for work in the bigger cities. But of course, some people stay and make your visit to the North a great experience. For young Pulteney tour guide, Daniel Ross, the sky is the limit. Enjoy a d...
Jan 06, 2021•45 min•Ep. 6
The Isle of Harris is one of the most beautiful but also one of the most remote Scottish Islands. Find out why the Isle of Harris Distillery is so important for the island, the Hearach (the people of Harris) and their daily lives. This episode offers some interesting insights into the island life in this remote place in general but, of course, will also provide you with some exciting information about the current flagship of the Isle of Harris Distillery (their Harris Gin) and about their main b...
Nov 15, 2020•54 min•Ep. 5
When you go to a party as a teenager, someone offers you a dram of whisky and you absolutely don't like it, what do you think might be the end result of that? Well, for Andy Bell, the logical consequence was to make a career in the whisky industry. Listen to this episode of "The Barrel Talk" and find out more about Andy and Arran.
Sep 30, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 4
What's it like to build a new distillery on Islay? Port Ellen vs. Bowmore - How did Jim McEwan and Stewart Laing get to know each other and what does football have to do with it? In how far are Scott and Andrew Laing - the next generation - involved in the family business and what does roasted meat have to do with their relationship to whisky? Find out more in this episode of "The Barrel Talk".
Sep 30, 2020•58 min•Ep. 2
How does an ex-police officer, taking care that Scottish people don't drink too much, become Wolfburn's global brand ambassador encouraging people to actually drink a lot of whisky? And what do the Northern Lights have to do with Wolfburn whisky? Listen to this episode of "The Barrel Talk" to get to know some intriguing facts about Scotland's northernmost mainland distillery.
Sep 30, 2020•38 min•Ep. 3
Listen to our trailer to get an impression of what to expect in the future episodes of The Barrel Talk.
Sep 20, 2020•2 min•Ep. 1
