Indy Bottler Spotlight LIVE from Leith with Pintail: Sweet Wine Casks & New Pubs
This week’s episode is another LIVE Indy Bottler Spotlight, and for our 7th edition, we were down in Leith with a brilliant crowd and an even better lineup of whisky.We were joined by friend of the pod Simon Smith, representing the Independent Bottler Pintail. Not only did Simon guide us through a delicious lineup of drams, but he also welcomed us into his brand-new pub, The Finch, to record the episode—just hours after getting the keys!While The Finch isn’t open just yet, we’ve no doubt it’ll become a go-to spot for a proper dram, especially with Simon behind the bar.Pintail is a fascinating bottler, known for their focus on sweet wine cask finishes, sourcing casks from across Europe and giving their whiskies a unique twist. Simon walked us through the history of wine cask use in Scotch whisky and broke down the five-dram tasting lineup in style.🥃 Inchgower 16yo Banyuls Cask🥃 Linkwood 14yo Loupaic Cask🥃 Tullibardine 10yo Calvados Cask🥃 Dailuaine 14yo Palo Cortado Sherry Barrel🥃 Laphroaig 16yo Oloroso Sherry BarelWe were also joined by the always entertaining Launce Morgan and his lovely 'current wife' Sandra, who made the journey up from England for the night.As always, this Indy Bottler Spotlight was packed with great whisky, proper stories, and plenty of laughs.Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
1:41:49
Global Whisky Adventures with Barley Baxter: Old Pulteney, Speyburn & Stories from Around the World
This week, we were joined by the brilliant Stuart Baxter—aka Barley Baxter—Global Spirits Ambassador for International Beverage, covering iconic Scotch whisky brands like Old Pulteney, Speyburn, Balblair, and anCnoc.Stuart’s whisky journey began with the Chivas Ambassador Programme, and since then, he’s travelled the globe sharing drams and stories. One highlight? His wild time working in India—including that unforgettable night as the only guest in an entire hotel.We dived into the history of Old Pulteney Distillery, including the wild days of prohibition in Scotland when the distillery was—believe it or not—used as a morgue.Stuart brought some fantastic whiskies for us to try, including a dram from Speyburn, which only opened its doors to visitors in the last three years. With its drum maltings from 1905—the first distillery to install them—it’s now firmly on my must-visit distillery list.We were also lucky enough to sample a rare staff-only bottling from Balmenach, and a surprise dram from New Zealand—Cardrona Single Malt Whisky.And if that wasn’t enough, we even uncovered the bizarre connection between Dr Seuss and a drunken duck in a kilt...An episode packed with whisky, scotch, distillery stories, global adventures, and big laughs.Enjoy! 🥃🌍🦆 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
1:53:25
Full Access at Tomatin: Scotch from the Cask & Distillery Road Trip Games
This week, we bring you the final episode from our epic Whisky Stories road trip up north—and we’re wrapping it up in style with a private tour of Tomatin Distillery.Located in the heart of the Highlands, Tomatin is a Highland Distillery with a rich history and a reputation for producing some truly exceptional Scotch whisky. We were lucky enough to get access-all-areas, diving deep into the production process, the history of the distillery, and of course… sampling whisky straight from the cask in their oldest warehouse.Along the way, we kept the fun going with a few of our favourite games—Mystery Distillery and Play Your Distilleries Right—and we also heard the chaotic tale of Chuck’s mad dash to the airport after one too many drams the night before his flight to Japan.This episode is packed with great laughs, brilliant insight, and some stunning Tomatin whisky. A huge thanks to the team at Tomatin Distillery for the warm welcome and the unforgettable experience.Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
1:28:33
Whisky Stories Grand Tour Dornoch Episode 2 - Dornoch Distillery and HUGE plans
We’re back in Dornoch for Episode 2 of our Highland whisky adventure, and this time, Phil and Simon Thompson gave us the full behind-the-scenes tour of everything they’ve built—and everything that’s still to come.We started at the heart of it all: the Dornoch Distillery, tucked away in the back garden of Dornoch Castle. This tiny distillery—built in an old storage building—is one of the smallest in the world, but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in character and craftsmanship.The lads walked us through their whisky-making ethos, from using heritage barley and old-school yeast strains, to how they push their tiny stills to get the character they’re after.Then it was a short stroll through the town to visit their bonded warehouse, where they store, bottle, and label both their independent releases under Thompson Bros and their own Dornoch Distillery whisky.We also got a sneak peek into their exciting new project—Mystery Distillery—and we’re already buzzing for what’s to come.After a quick browse in their bottle shop, we made our way to the site of their next big venture: the future home of the Struie Distillery. Phill and Simon shared the vision behind the build and how whisky fans can get involved through their crowdfunding campaign.And of course, we wrapped it all up back at the Dornoch Castle bar, enjoying some cracking whiskies... and some seriously questionable opinions about how to eat French pastries.Another brilliant episode full of whisky, scotch whisky, whisky history, and a look into the future Highland whisky.Enjoy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
1:41:00
Whisky Stories Grand Tour Dornoch Episode 1 - The Thompson Brothers
We hit the road for a true Highland whisky adventure as the Whisky Stories Grand Tour to Dornoch begins!Leaving Edinburgh bright and early at 7am, we jumped in the Whisky Wagon and headed north. After a quick stop at Tomatin Distillery (more on that in a future episode!), we made our way to Dornoch to meet the brilliant Phill and Simon Thompson—aka the Thompson Bros.Phill and Simon welcomed us with open arms for the weekend and gave us the full story behind their incredible journey—from bottling 1930s-era whisky on their parents’ kitchen table, to launching their own line of independent bottlings, building the tiny but mighty Dornoch Distillery, and now planning their bold next step: the brand-new Struie Distillery.We stayed at the beautiful Dornoch Castle, enjoyed a cracking evening in the cellar with the lads, and were treated to some amazing whiskies and proper Highland hospitality.This is just Episode 1 of our Dornoch adventure—stay tuned for Part 2 next week, and trust us, you won't want to miss it.Enjoy! 🥃🏰🔥 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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.
Österreich