Recorded live at the Craigellachie Hotel, this one’s exactly what you’d hope for from a Not Another Whisky Podcast live show, six drams, zero filter, and the Thomson Brothers in full flow.

Mitch sits down with Phil and Simon for part 1 of a six-dram tasting that quickly turns into a deep dive on value, volatility, and what’s actually going on behind the scenes in whisky right now.

On the tasting table:

• North British 33 (…which turns out to be 34 — classic)
• A mystery malt
• Clynelish Distillery 12
• “Sideburn” 35
• Glenrothes Distillery 20
• Glengoyne Distillery 27

Early doors, the conversation gets into why older grain whisky like North British is suddenly everywhere, and how the Thomson Brothers are managing to put out bottles that don’t require a small bank loan (the North British sits at 40.1% and around £65, make of that what you will).

From there, it opens up into a proper industry chat:

• The reality of building a distillery in 2026 (spoiler: it’s not cheap)
• Budget overruns, tough decisions, and phased builds in Dornoch
• Why margins across the supply chain are under pressure
• And how independent bottlers are navigating a cooling market

There’s also a no-holds-barred discussion on whisky tourism — including the impact of decisions by Diageo, the closure of Clynelish’s visitor centre, and the wider shift toward high-end, limited-access experiences.

Somewhere in the middle, there’s a quick detour into upcoming Spirit of Speyside shows (because even in the middle of a tasting, you’ve still got tickets to sell…).

By the final dram, the conversation lands on sherry casks, long-aged whisky, and the realities of keeping things interesting — before cutting off mid-flow with a Glen Garioch 27 discussion and a neat little cliffhanger for Part Two.

TICKETS FOR OUR SHOWS:

THREE BLENDERS WALK INTO A BAR WITH BRIAN KINSMAN, OLVER CHILTON AND SARAH BURGESS

A CLASH OF THE STILLS - THE RETURN OF THE DISTILLERS SHOWDOWN

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 Band Banter

00:28 Live Show Kickoff

01:17 Meet Thomson Brothers

02:05 Six Drams Lineup

02:53 Tasting Format

03:12 North British Grain

04:15 Label Age Mixup

04:41 Pricing And Value

05:16 Yearly Catch Up

05:35 New Distillery Build

06:40 Budget Control Lessons

08:20 Phased Build Plan

09:52 Business Wins And Events

11:36 Blending Approach

13:44 Dram Two And Tourism

16:15 Diageo Decisions Debate

19:03 Tourism At Dornoch

20:18 Value Over Hype

20:54 Castle Bottle Strategy

21:35 Speyside Events Plug

23:14 Clynelish Cask Breakdown

25:50 Closures Hit Communities

27:42 Whisky Boom Bust Math

32:05 Planning For Downturns

33:43 Indie Festival Buzz

38:05 Sherry Cask Debate

38:53 How Many Releases

42:54 Subscribe And Wrap

Hosted by Mitch Bechard and Daz Haldane, this is where the whisky world gets pulled apart properly, with stories, insights, and the occasional bit of chaos along the way.

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