Inside Whisky

In this episode, Miri and Manuel sit down with Jamie Morrison, brand ambassador of the young independent bottler One Cask at a Time.

Independent bottlers have played a big role in the whisky world for a long time, but starting a new project today comes with its own challenges. Jamie shares the story behind One Cask at a Time, how the idea developed and what it takes to launch a new independent bottling venture in the modern Scotch whisky landscape.

We discuss the philosophy of focusing on carefully selected single casks, the process of choosing and releasing whisky as an independent bottler, the aspect time and the thinking behind their very first releases.

Whether you’re interested in single cask whisky, independent bottlers, or the people shaping new whisky projects, this episode offers an insightful look behind the scenes of a young and ambitious whisky brand.

Listen now and discover the story behind One Cask at a Time.

What do classical music, vintage motorcycles, brambles, indulgent flavours and The Glendronach have in common…?

… They’re all things Rachel Barrie loves – and you can definitely feel that in this brand-new episode of “The Barrel Talk”.

For the episode with Rachel, Miri teamed up with Davide, better known as @whisky_munich on Instagram, while Martin and Manu are taking a break this time.

Rachel Barrie is a woman who does not need much introduction. She’s a legend in the whisky industry and the master blender of The Glendronach, so we were thrilled, when the opportunity arose to meet her for a chat in our hometown Munich.

You can feel from the very start how much Rachel loves being Glendronach’s master blender because for her, it is a perfect opportunity to combine the affection for her hometown with the art and science of creating great whisky (such as the stunning, new 40-year-old).

There was so much to talk about, ranging from Rachel’s love for whisky from early on to insights into the whisky industry after having worked in it for decades, and from Glendronach’s history to applying her knowledge about maturation and whisky-making to create “the ultimate sherry cask indulgence”.

So pour your favourite dram and don’t miss out on this absolutely “brambleous” episode.

Whisky and storytelling go hand in hand and very often you associate a special dram with a moment, person, place or situation.

Peter MacLellan Jnr., who together with his family owns and runs Bowmore Hotel on Islay knows a thing or two about special drams and storytelling: Lucci’s Whisky Bar inside the hotel has become synonymous with the place itself and stocks an incredible and enormous selection of Islay whiskies. If there’s one Islay unicorn dram you have always wanted to try, there’s a good chance you will find it there – along with nice company and some stories from times gone by.

And to be honest, Bowmore Hotel itself is the place of many stories on its own, and we also still remember the first time we set foot into Lucci’s Whisky Bar during our very first visit to Islay. So quite naturally, a podcast with Peter had to happen at some point of our whisky journey.

So, pour your favourite dram, lean back, relax and enjoy some whisky and storytelling with Miri, Martin and Peter MacLellan Jnr. of Bowmore Hotel.

This episode is kind of special for several reasons: For starters, it is about a distillery that is very close to our hearts because we have known our guest, David, for quite a while now, second, it is an episode that we had planned to do for some time, but it somehow never materialised until now and third, it is an episode about an English whisky.

We’ve made the journey to the Yorkshire coast, near the seaside town of Filey, where farming heritage, coastal climate and a bold idea have come together to create an English single malt whisky. The Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery has surely contributed quite a bit to putting England firmly onto the whisky map with their Filey Bay single malt, and we’re joined by the company’s co-founder David Thompson.

In this episode, you will find out more about Spirit of Yorkshire’s field to bottle approach, David’s take on terroir, the unique setup of the stills at the distillery, the discussion revolving around the term “single” malt and what Filey Bay whisky has in common with Roger Federer. So lean back and tune in.

We’ve driven past Tormore so many times, always wondering what it looks like on the inside – since the distillery is not open to the public. Finally, thanks to Oliver Chilton, we got the chance to take a look behind those iconic walls.

The architecture is striking and beautiful, but not exactly the most practical design for a working distillery – and in the episode you will hear why. Beyond the façade, Tormore reveals its own character: a slightly maddening clock tower, the impressive still house, the special atmosphere inside, and of course the whisky itself – a wonderfully light and fruity Speyside spirit.

Oliver, head blender at Tormore and Elixir Distillers (or how he would say it: "just a wee blender"), shares some interesting insights about Tormore Distillery, about his way into blending along with some entertaining anecdotes he experienced during that journey and about life (and football) in Speyside in general.

So tune in and join Oliver and us on a deep dive into one of Speyside’s hidden gems.