Welcome to SingleMalt TV — the whisky conversation.

In this episode, Rob Draper sits down with Fiona Coutts, Head Distiller at Hellyers Road Distillery in Tasmania, for a thoughtful conversation about distillation, maturation, and the evolution of Australian whisky.

Fiona shares the story of Hellyers Road — from its beginnings as a dairy farmers’ co-operative to becoming one of Australia’s best-known whisky distilleries — and explains why long, slow distillation and careful cask selection remain central to the Hellyers Road style.

The conversation explores bourbon casks, fermentation, maturation in Tasmania’s climate, and the changing global perception of Australian whisky, along with Fiona’s own journey through the industry.

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Watch the full video version on the SingleMalt TV YouTube channel.

At the foot of Stirling Castle, one of Scotland’s smallest distilleries is taking shape.

Cameron & June McCann and threir son Hugo—head distiller—are building Stirling Distillery with a clear focus: small scale, long timelines, and a commitment to doing things properly from the ground up.

From their beginnings in gin to the slow transition into whisky, this is a conversation about patience, family, and the reality of starting a distillery where time is the most important ingredient.

Maltstock redefined the whisky festival by removing hierarchy, formality, and expectation. Maltstock Down Under brings that same philosophy to Australia.

David Ligoff joins us to talk about what makes it different—why a more relaxed, open approach to whisky resonates, and what happens when the focus shifts from structure to shared experience.

This is a conversation about community, accessibility, and how whisky culture changes when the rules are taken away.

Franz Scheurer approaches whisky from outside its traditional framework.

Drawing on experience in food, wine, photography, and fermentation, he challenges how flavor is understood and how whisky is typically experienced—from pairing to perception.

This is a conversation about stepping beyond convention—and what whisky becomes when you do.

Maltstock began as a quiet departure from the traditional whisky festival.

Created by Teun van Wel and Bob Wenting, it removed hierarchy, formality, and expectation—replacing them with something simpler: people sharing whisky on equal terms.

In this conversation, we explore how that idea took hold, why it resonated, and what it reveals about whisky culture when the barriers are stripped away.

This is about community, atmosphere, and a different way of experiencing whisky.

For decades, Douglas Laing built its reputation selecting and bottling whisky created elsewhere.

Now, with the move into distilling at Strathearn, the company is entering a new phase. Dougal Barr, Global Brand Ambassador, brings a perspective shaped by years of working with casks—now applied to creating spirit from the beginning.

A conversation about transition, experience, and what changes when you move upstream.

Heartwood sits firmly outside the whisky establishment.

Tim Duckett doesn’t distill—he selects and shapes whisky through cask, guided by instinct and a clear sense of outcome. Joined by Franz Scheurer, this conversation explores whisky as intent rather than process.

This is about independence, flavor, and what happens when you stop trying to follow the rules.

If terroir matters in whisky, Belgrove is what it looks like in practice.

At Belgrove, nothing follows convention.

Peter Bignell grows his own rye, builds his own equipment, and rethinks every part of the process—from fuel to fermentation. The result is whisky shaped as much by environment and ingenuity as by tradition.

This is a conversation about self-sufficiency, experimentation, and redefining what a distillery can be.

Mark Reynier has never been comfortable following the accepted narrative.

As the driving force behind Bruichladdich and now Waterford, he has consistently challenged one of whisky’s most deeply held assumptions: that the cask defines the spirit.

In this conversation, Mark takes that argument further—questioning why the industry resists talking about barley, terroir, and origin, and what that reluctance reveals about how whisky is made, marketed, and understood.

This is not a polite discussion. It’s a direct challenge to the way whisky has been framed for decades—and to the people shaping that narrative.

Andrew Derbidge brings a broad perspective shaped by years working across brand, production, and global positioning with Starward—and deep involvement with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

In this conversation, the discussion moves well beyond Australian whisky. We look at the relationship between Australian and Scotch whisky, the current state of global markets, and how changing attitudes—particularly among younger drinkers—are reshaping the category.

Andrew also addresses where whisky marketing is getting it wrong, the assumptions the industry continues to make, and how those missteps affect perception and growth.

This is a wide-ranging discussion about whisky as a global category—how it is evolving, how it is communicated, and where it may be heading next.