Just before Christmas, Angus and Graeme headed along Queen Street in Edinburgh to meet Andrew Murphy who is the Venue Manager for the Queen Street bar but has also worked in the SMWS Vaults down in Leith and is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and their whisky.

Andrew also talks us through the importance of diversity within the whisky world, as a gay man, he is very keen to promote the LGBTQ community within the whisky industry and put on a special 'Drag me to the Whisky Tasting'. Better get the lipstick and high heels looked out for this years tasting!

We had some great drams and Andrew talked us through the amazing story of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and how it was founded and has grown to a massive global organisation, yet still holds on to the founding principles of flavour first.

Enjoy

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Happy New Year from the Whisky Stories Podcast!

What a year it's been and there was no better way to end 2024 than to sit in the Dug Oot back room in the Athletic Arms sandwiched nicely between the bar and the gents toilets, drinking drams, having lots of laughs and looking back on the year.

We had former guests Ali Baxter from Scotch Whisky Experience and Chuck Kerr in with us for this one and we spent the last hour and 40 mins (or so) of 2024 looking back on some of our whisky highlights of the year, remembering some of the great whisky stories that we've heard and the whiskies that we've sampled.

A few sore heads on New Years Day...

Happy New Year and enjoy.

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We've probably all seen or heard about these online competitions where you can win a huge prize by just buying a ticket for a couple of pounds. But how do they actually work and are they real?

We caught up with John and Scott Lang (they're not brothers, just pals) from The Collectors Club.

Every week they give away thousands of pounds worth of whisky prizes to the people who enter their competitions. Whisky bottles ranging from £50 all the way to £30,000 worth!

These lads have approached whisky from an angle where it's being appreciated as a collectable item rather than something that can be drank. However, they are both quick to point out that they both enjoy drinking and sharing drams just as much as collecting them.

In this episode we found out how 2 pals shared a journey into whisky, found themselves interested in the collecting side of things and then ended up creating a business where people can win some incredible whisky bottles and prizes through their competitions.

John and Scott were great company and brought in some fantastic drams for us to enjoy during this recording. They explained exactly how The Collectors Club Competitions works and talked about how they both found a shared passions for whisky at the same time which has taken them on a wild ride.

Enjoy

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In this episode we were underground with Simon Smith in The Lost Close in Edinburgh.

This was the second time we've had Simon on the podcast to share his views, stories and wealth of knowledge on world whisky with us.

Simon has such a passion and enthusiasm for whisky, it makes him so easy to chat to and listen to.

He is running a pop-up bar in The Lost Close which has some incredible whisky to enjoy, picked by Simon. Old blends, strange old bottlings and really interesting international whisky. If you're in and around Edinburgh, it's well worth a visit. - https://www.instagram.com/the_desert_isle/profilecard/?igsh=dGt5eHZxNDNjejQ5

As well as running the pop-up bar, Simon is also working with whisky brands and other venues to help with collaborations and to curate their whisky collections. He's had some great success with the The George Hotel Inveraray. We were lucky enough to sample his recent collaboration with the hotel and Ardnamurchan Distillery.

He is also hosting one of his very popular Burns Nights at Saint Lukes in Glasgow on the 22nd of Jan. As per Simon's usual way of things, he likes to approach Burns in a totally different way and talk about the connections between Burns and whisky. Tickets still available here.

Simon has been a great friend of the show, a regular cameo on our ventures out and about and will definitely be back on for a third episode. This was a lot of fun recording in the old dark tunnels from hundreds of years ago under the city centre, and the whisky was fantastic too.

Find out more about Simon's work with Whisky and Cynicism - whiskyandcynicism.com

Enjoy

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For this episode we were underground in the deep and dark Diggers Whisky Vaults with Cameron Ewen - The Scotch Cam and Moa Reynolds - Swedish Whisky Girl to talk all about their new book that was released last month - The Balmoral Guide to Scotch Whisky.

It was great to catch up with Cam again and we really enjoyed meeting Moa for the first time and hearing all about her journey from Sweden that led her to literally marrying into whisky with her 'current husband' Cody Reynolds.

Moa started an her Swedish Whisky Girl social media accounts as a way to show her on journey into the wonderful world of whisky and it soon picked up a lot of popularity. Now she has been able to give up her day job and works full time showcasing whisky brands and working on some really exciting projects.

Projects like the new book that has been co-written by herself and Cam.

The book is a guide to the Scottish Whisky available in the famous Balmoral Hotel Whisky Bar- Scotch which Cameron is the manager of.

Cameron has collated his top whiskies behind the bar and written his own notes on the liquid and flavours while Moa has dived into the distilleries and writes about the interesting points about these whiskies as well as busting some whisky myths.

We also discussed the incredible news that Diggers are now doing Whisky Take-Aways!

This was so much fun to record and it's always nice when a guest puts and keeps Ross in his place!

Enjoy

Buy the book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/SCOTCH-Balmoral-guide-Scottish-whisky/dp/1784729515

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This was our fourth Indy Bottler Spotlight and we were back and packed into the Snug in the Athletic Arms once again.

This was by far the busiest live event that we have done and it was great to see so many new faces coming along.

Greg Urquhart knows how to deliver a tasting. I've now been to 4 tastings that he's hosted and each one has it's very own unique twist on it and this one was no exception.

Greg told us all about his journey into the wonderful world of whisky and also talked us through his role within the business and how manages the ever growing cast inventory and bottling processes at Gleann Mor Spirits.

In this Rare Find tasting we were treated to:

🥃 Aberfeldy 13yo 

🥃 Aultmore 14yo 

🥃 Deanston 18yo

🥃 Medium Peated Islay 11yo

🥃 Mystery Dram

The highlight of the night for us was the unveiling of our very own Rare Find Whisky Stories Podcast Whisky!

The Mystery Dram on the evening was a collaboration bottling that we have been quietly working in in the background.

A 25 year old blend made up of 3 Speyside Single Malts and a Lowland Grain. This is an absolute belter and still on sale for only £85 for a bottle.

Order now - https://rarefindwhisky.co.uk/whiskystories25

Hope you enjoy!

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We were back in the Athletic Arms with drams in front of us and Chuck Kerr back in to tell us more about his whisky travels around the world.

We were also joined by Ant Crowther who is the bar manager at the Last Word whisky and cocktail bar in Edinburgh.

We talked about whisky cocktails and heard how Angus likes to make his version of an Old Fashioned.

Lots of drams, some great stories and plenty of good whisky chat.

Enjoy

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We were invited back to the Glasshouse in Edinburgh for a chat with Ken Langenfeld from the Kilchoman Distillery as part of the build up to the Glasshouse's Kilchoman December Malt of the Month.

This was a great chat with someone who hasn't just fallen in love with Scottish Whisky, but also fallen in love with Scottish women.

Ken Langenfeld is the UK and French Sales Manager for Kilchoman and spends his time spreading the word and selling the incredible whisky that is produced on Islay.

As one of the first new distilleries to open back in 2005, the distillery will soon be celebrating it's 20th anniversary. This raised the debate about when a distillery is no longer classified as a 'new distillery.

We also chatted about the interesting decision that Kilchoman have made not to put age statements on the majority of their releases.

As Ken explains, his journey into whisky from working and managing bars around the world, it's all about the flavour and age, doesn't necessarily need to dictate that.

Ken was kind enough to bring along some of the drams that will be on offer in the Glasshouse throughout the whole of December and he will also be showcasing these at the up and coming cheese and whisky pairing event on the 10th of Dec in the hotel bar.

Enjoy

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Another 'whisky couple' joined us for this episode.

Tom and Monique met while working in The Whisky Shop in Edinburgh.

Tom from Australia and Monique from Canada both found themselves bonding over their new love of whisky and needing a job while they stayed in Edinburgh.

Monique is still working in The Whisky Shop, but Tom is now working for Scotland's oldest Independent Bottler Cadenheads.

Both of them have great whisky stories and between them both, they've shared some great drams and experiences.

We even managed to squeeze in a few couple whisky games.

This was a great laugh to record and I hope you enjoy it.

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What a night we had recording this episode!

The Thomson family goes so far back, it's hard for Finn to work out which great great great great Grandfather he's referring to.

Finn didn't just bring some fantastic whisky with him for us to enjoy, he brought along loads of cool old bottles, decanters, sample bottles and pictures which highlight the history behind his family and the whisky industry.

It was great having another live audience who chipped in with their own thoughts, questions and wanky tasting notes.

I hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed recording it.

Cheers

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