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.

Inside Ardnahoe Distillery? That kind of sounds familiar, doesn’t it?!

And yes, indeed. Our very first podcast episode released back in 2020 is also about Ardnahoe Distillery. Back then, all three of us, Miriam, Martin and Manuel sat down with both, Scott and Andrew Laing – co-founders and owners of the distillery – to discuss all things Ardnahoe and Hunter Laing.

This time, it’s "only" Miri and Andrew for an in-depth talk about the distillery – and it was about time – because in those 5 years between the 2 episodes, quite some things have happened, including important milestones such as the very first official Ardnahoe whisky release(s).

So, this is not a mere repetition of the first episode, but a real update!

Tune in to find out more about Ardnahoe Distillery, their whisky, the visitor experience if you make the journey to Islay, their Fèis day, intriguing collaborations and much more.

Comedian, BBC radio host, Scottish football expert, whisky and history geek, experiential ambassador at Glengoyne Distillery – you could call Gordon Dallas all of that and you wouldn’t be wrong with any of it. Gordon is a man of many talents and as you might have assumed already, that makes him a perfect guest to have on the podcast. Our hopes were high for this one, because, when do you ever have someone with a CV like that on the show? And Gordon did not disappoint one bit! This is an episode full of anecdotes, laughs, a real Scottish original, and, of course, a lot of whisky.

Apart from Gordon’s background story and his way into whisky, we talked all things Glengoyne and you will get a very special insight into this beautiful gem of a distillery. After having listened to this episode, you will surely want to travel to Glasgow right away to take the happy bus (No. X10) straight to the distillery and experience this special place yourself. And you know what? We would head back again right away if we could – the history and the beauty of the place, the exceptional whisky and the wonderful people at Glengoyne make you want to come back again and again and we definitely fell in love with this place ever more after our recording with Gordon Dallas.

So lean back, relax, maybe pour a lovely dram and let Gordon, Miriam and Martin try to bring this wonderful experience straight to your place – wherever you listen to this episode.

The sunniest day during Fèis Ìle (the Islay Whisky Festival)? 

Always Laddie Day! Why? No idea, but someone up there really seems to like the guys at Bruichladdich – and understandably so! 

The people, the hospitality, the whisky, the size of the drams in the warehouse – Bruichladdich Distillery is undeniably one of the most welcoming places on Islay.

And their head distiller, Adam Hannett, is no exception. When he welcomed us for our podcast recording it felt like entering someone’s living room to have tea and coffee with the family. We felt like home right away. And it was just great to hear Adam talk about Bruichladdich (and whisky in general) because he talks about these topics with such affection, with such passion and with this special sparkle in the eyes – just wonderful!

You have probably realised by now that we really enjoyed recording with Adam Hannett… 

… So don’t hesitate and tune in for some Bruichladdich magic (not to say Black Art) and join Adam, Miri and Manu on a deep dive into Bruichladdich Distillery.

And if you’re heading over to Islay for this year’s Fèis, this episode might also serve as a perfect preparation.

*Disclaimer: Watch out for rising excitement levels – you will probably want to leave for Islay right away. 

“People make Glasgow” – that’s the slogan the city of Glasgow selected to show that Glasgow is so much more than what you can see from the outside. 

And one could argue the same is true for Glasgow Distillery; a distillery totally different from many of those long-established ones you will find all over Scotland – a more modern one, aquite small one, maybe a more industrial one but with a wonderful charm because of so many people who love what they’re doing, who put their hearts into making their single malt, who make this place what it is and who fill it with life: “People make Glasgow Distillery”. 

One of those people who make Glasgow Distillery is Sebastian Bunford-Jones, their head of marketing, who Miri and Manu met for a chat in the distillery’s beautiful, but to date largely unused tasting room (due to the fact that the distillery is not open to the public as of now). 

Apart from working at Glasgow Distillery for about 8 years now, Sebastian is a real whisky enthusiast and that’s also why he is already excited to showcase Glasgow Distillery’s first 10-year-old whisky later this year, the journey of which he has accompanied almost from the get-go.

Listen in and discover why Glasgow is the place to be when it comes to producing single malt whisky these days. Throughout the episode, get to know Sebastian and the distillery’s special approach to making whisky. And last but not least, find out about how their beautiful tasting room, the place of recording, might be filled with life in the nearer future.

Up there in Northern Ireland in the picturesque village of Bushmills and almost directly next to the Giant’s Causeway, you will find The Old Bushmills Distillery, the world's oldest licensed whiskey distillery. And it is certainly no coincidence that the people up there often say that “without the village there would be no whiskey, and without the whiskey there would be no village”.

Why that is the case, you might ask – and in steps Julie Dixon.

Julie was introduced to us as “the good soul of The Old Bushmills Distillery and an Irish original”, and luckily, she took some time to record this brand new episode in situ.

Get to know what happens behind the scenes up there in the small village of Bushmills and listen to Julie’s lovely anecdotes brought to you straight from The Old Bushmills Distillery. Find out about the distillery’s long and eventful past, its promising present and about how the people up there are trying to make sure that Bushmills is well-prepared for the future.

We’re sure you will enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it – Julie’s warm-hearted character, her hospitality and her passion for Bushmills make this episode one not to be missed.

The “Barley to Bottle” tour at Springbank Distillery is probably one of the best experiences you can have when you’re passionate about whisky. It’s an extensive access-all-areas tour and tasting which culminates in having the chance to blend one’s very own bottle of Springbank in their blending lab. 

“Why are you telling us all of that?”, you might ask. Well, because it is just another thing that makes Springbank Springbank and truly special. Additionally, said blending lab was the place of recording for this very episode. 

After having done the “Barley to Bottle” tour the day prior (of course), we came back to meet Findlay Ross, Springbank’s director of production and a true professional when it comes to creating whiskies, at the very place of our own amateur attempts of blending a nice bottle of Springbank.

After having recorded a Springbank episode with Nicole Lindsay about three years ago, it was about time for a little update and we had a great time discussing all things Springbank once more, this time with the wonderful Findlay Ross. 

Find out about the last remaining secrets of Springbank Distillery, about Findlay’s rather unconventional path to becoming their director of production and about Findlay’s take on the term “Campbeltown funk”.

Last but not least we have to say that we are really happy that Findlay is so much better at making whisky and recording podcasts than his New York Giants are at playing American Football at the moment – but let’s not get into that… (just listen until the very end).