Inside Whisky

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 others' decisions. In this episode, Billy Walker talks about buying a running distillery, changing its character and building a new reputation in the market for an up until then rather unknown brand. Moreover, we talk about Billy's background in the whisky industry, the development of The GlenAllachie since 2017 and which other distilleries he would like to own. Yep, still not all life goals achieved as it seems. Listen in and let us take you to the Scottish Speyside to enjoy our talk with whisky legend Billy Walker.

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 warehouse. After having met Andy Bell for a first recording in Glasgow about a year ago (check out our first episode with him: "Inside Arran with Andy Bell"), we caught up once more - but this time in situ on the Isle of Arran. Andy took us around the distillery and we recorded each and every step of our tour: from water source, to malt intake, to distillation room, to filling store, to warehouse(s) and even a special surprise in the end. Join us on this tour and share some of the joy we felt during this lovely expierence.

If you want to see some pictures of the various stages of our recording, check out our Instagram profile @inside_whisky for more.

By the way, the two epsiodes with Andy are totally different but both are a lot of fun - so don't miss out on any of them! Sit back, relax, and enjoy the tour with "Inside Whisky" and Andy Bell.

"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 Lindsay, who we met in Cadenhead's tasting room in Campbeltown for the recording. Tune in and find out more about Springbank's ethos, their history, some exciting new releases and about some quite photogenic employees of the distillery - it's gonna be interesting, informative, entertaining and fun - so don't hesitate and join us on "Inside Whisky - The Barrel Talk".

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 known about it for quite a while. You will learn about the distillery's ties to Scottish legend Robert Burns and you will also get to know why "local barley" is actually a downgrade for Lochlea Whisky. On a slightly different note, you'll also find out, why a Middlesbrough FC victory might lead to the consumption of more than just one dram of Lochlea Whisky - at cask strength, of course. Let us take you over to the Scottish Lowlands, directly into the Warehouse of Lochlea Distillery where we recorded this episode together with David.

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 he dreams about at night. 

Pour a dram of Lagavulin and listen in - you won't regret it! Slàinte!

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 Distillery, however, his job description includes much more than the title might suggest. Tune in to let Matt and us take you on a tour to London to get to know more about BIMBER’s Single Malt London Whisky and, of course, about Matt and his take on English whisky, his ideas about collecting whisky, his affection for craft beer, and so much more! 

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 Teeling Whiskey, its interesting and at times a bit confusing history and their love for experimenting with whiskey. Furthermore, you will learn more about Chris, his love for languages, the Whisk(e)y he's going to celebrate his 30th birthday with and a lot more. Lean back and enjoy our latest episode! 

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 Islay - and, as we know now - turned out to be very successful with his idea. Enjoy a dram of Kilchoman whisky and find out more about Anthony Wills, founder and managing director of Kilchoman Distillery in this episode of "The Barrel Talk".

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 dram of Old Pulteney Whisky and listen to our "Inside Whisky - The Barrel Talk" episode with tour guide, Daniel Ross.

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 business: whisky. While we wait for their inaugural whisky to be released, enjoy a glass of Harris Gin and listen to our "Inside Whisky - The Barrel Talk" episode with their head distiller, Kenny Maclean.