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Graeme, Angus and Ross are three friends who enjoy a dram and a chat in their local pub. We don't take ourselves too seriously and tend to invite a special guest along each week to chat about their experience in whisky.
The 'What 3 Drams' feature of the podcast dives into three specific whiskies close to them and discuss the story behind them.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Find us on Instagram - @The_Whisky_Stories
Graeme, Angus and Ross are three friends who enjoy a dram and a chat in their local pub. We don't take ourselves too seriously and tend to invite a special guest along each week to chat about their experience in whisky.
The 'What 3 Drams' feature of the podcast dives into three specific whiskies close to them and discuss the story behind them.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We were invited along to have a look around at the Woodrow's of Edinburgh warehouse with Pals of the Pod Woody and Megan.
It's always nice to get an invited into a bonded warehouse and last night we were treated to some great drams straight from the cask.
We were also sampling some whisky which will be our next Exclusive Whisky Stories Bottling!!
Woody and Megan were great hosts and as always gave us great chat and quality drams.
Arthur has been in the whisky industry for over 20 years. He's been the buyer of Scotch Malt Whisky Society and then worked his way up to Managing Director of Royal Mile Whiskies.
There's not a cask that Arthur has bought that he doesn't remember.
He's been involved in buying and selling some incredible whiskies throughout his career.
Being part of the growth of the SMWS and Royal Mile Whiskies has made him one of the most influential people within the Scotch Whisky Industry. He was responsible for what RMW would buy and how they would sell it.
He also loves talking about the history of whisky and some of the myths that surround it. He has a YouTube Channel with Dave Broom called The Liquid Antiquarian.
There's a lot of good whisky industry chat in this one.
Enjoy!
Dougal Gordon is the Brand Ambassador to Scotland for one of the best selling brands in the world, Glenfiddich. But he's also the 6th generation of the Grant Family to work in the business.
This is an episode I've been trying to make happen, and it was worth the wait.
In this episode, we get the full family history, stories of how Glenfiddich moved into becoming the top selling single malt all over the world, building distilleries against time lines and sponsoring F1 teams.
Plus Dougal was very kind not to come along empty handed as well!
Pour a dram and enjoy this cracker!
We’ve never had a wrestler on the podcast before.
I didn’t think there were many connections between whisky and wrestling. Until I met Sam Barbour a few weeks ago who explained that he is a sales exec for La Martiniquaise who own Glen Moray and Cutty Sark.
We’re HUGE fans of Glen Moray on the podcast.
And have talked a lot about the distillery, the variety of different cask releases and the quality of whisky and price.
So when we got Sam on, we thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about Cutty Sark as well as his alter wrestling ego - SBX.
He flogs whisky through the day and wrestles in the evening.
Sam is a wrestler who takes part in special wrestling events throughout Scotland. And he’s invited us along to his up coming charity wrestling night ‘WrestleMonia!’ Which is rising money for Movember.
Angus might even put his favourite leotard on for this one!
The fact that we can seamlessly talk about wrestling and whisky shows just how far this podcast has come over the last 100 episodes.
Sam also brought in snacks and we got a sneak peak and taste of the soon to be released Glen Moray Forbidden Fruit Calvados Cask.
A lot of fun recording this one.
This was the big one for us. Episode 100!
It's crazy to think that we've been doing this for so long already, but we made it to a century of podcast episodes.
Angus, Ross and I were back in Diggers in the cellar drinking drams and chatting nonsense.
We had some cracking whisky on this weeks episode which included some American Single Cask Single Malt as well as sampled of the new 2025 Ardnamerica Release.
Ross brought some goodies as well to celebrate the big occasion.
We answered listener questions as well which ranged from what whisky we would use to fight off a bear to our best and worst whisky we've had since starting the pod.
Another cracking night chatting about whisky and enjoying some good drams.
This was a cracking night.
We were joined by Pal of the Pod Fraser Souness who was taking us through a 6 dram G&M lineup.
Recorded in front of a 'live studio audience' in Diggers, we had special guest appearances from listener Launce Morgan and his 'current wife' Sandra.
Big Cameron Ewen was also in the audience with his whisky lad Ross Barr.
Drams on the night:
🥃 Distillery Label Glenburgie 25
🥃 CC Craigellachie 2009 - UK exclusive
🥃 CC Benriach 1999
🥃 Upcoming CC Glenturret 2007 cask sample
🥃 Distillery Label Ardmore 2000
🥃 CC Upper Balblair 1993
Well done to Fraser for putting on a great lineup and giving us some great whisky chat and stories.
Thanks to everyone who came along.
Enjoy
This week, we were back out and about and heading west! We haven't ventured too far west in the two years of the podcast, so we decided to jump on a train to Helensburgh for the Lomond and Clyde Whisky Festival.
But instead of just rocking up with a lanyard and enjoying some drams, we decided to team up with the Collector Club Competitions lads, John and Scott, to do some giveaways of our own.
So, we packed our dartboard and wheel of fortune and came up with some challenges for people to try and win some whisky!
The good news is that nothing got broken and no one got injured! This episode has a bit of everything: we recorded our first-ever podcast on the train through and back, we caught up with Glen from Whyte and Mackay who chatted about Dalmore and Fettercairn, and we got a sit-down dram with Marcos from Brave New Spirits.
A lot was going on in this episode, but it's well worth a listen and was a load of fun to record.
We were back out and about for this episode on our Ian Macleod big day out.
Not only were we given full access to the distillery and taken on our own tour with Gordon Dundas, we were also treated to The Malt Master Experience and hosted by good Pal of the Pod Jake Adcook.
Jake is part of the blending team for Ian Macleod Distillers, which means he knows a thing or two about how to blend Glengoyne.
He talked us through his processes of blending whisky while we had a go at blending our very own versions of Glengoyne.
We put our efforts to the test had to select our own favourites blind.
Who do you think would be the best Master Blender of the Whisky Stories Podcast?
Hoose Drams with Mark Thomson!
This is the first time we've ever recorded in someone's house before!
When Angus and I saw Mark Thomson had put his house on the market, we were desperate to get in for a wee look around. So we turned up with a camera, a couple of mics, and some drams.
This one was a lot of fun. Mark reflected on his career, which has taken him from working in female fashion, Cafe Mambo in Ibiza (didn't know that about him), working as a Brand Ambassador for Glenfiddich, and an Independent Bottler.
Mark's got some great stories, but he also gave us a great insight into the whisky industry and the challenges that brands are facing. We spoke about the importance of a Brand Ambassador and what's involved in working for a major brand like Glenfiddich.
The episode covers it all, including:
It's just three people sitting in a kitchen, enjoying drams and having some whisky chat. We brought along the Tomatin 6 year old virgin oak distillery hand-fill, the Glen Moray House Distillery Exclusive, and my bottle of Lindores Abbey. Mark, in turn, opened up his new bottle of Tomatin 18.
There's so much in this episode to enjoy. Sit back, pour a dram, and enjoy!
Get 15% off the following tours and experiences:
Rosebank Reawakening £25 before discount
Rosebank Discovered £50 before discount
Rosebank Rekindled £95 before discount
The Residency: Tamdhu Whisky Maker £110 before discount
Use discount code: WSP15
As part of Whisky Stories x Rosebank, we got a chance to sit down with Gordon Dundas - Brand Development and Advocacy Director at Ian Macleod Distillers.
Gordon is responsible for all of the brands under the IMD umbrella which includes Rosebank, Glengoyne, Tamdhu, Lagan Bay and Una. As well as Edinburgh Gin and the blended brands like Isle of Skye.
We recorded this in the Rosebank Distillery just after our amazing access all areas tour and enjoyed drinking a Glengoyne 18, Tamdhu Distillery Exclusive Hand Fill and a Rosebank 32.
Gordon talked us through his career in whisky from the Whisky Magazine to working in Taiwan as a brand ambassador.
He's travelled the world talking about whisky and gave us a great insight into the plans ahead for the new Islay laggan Bay Distillery as well as the history of Rosebank.
Jake Adcook also joined us to talk us through the whiskies and production which was a great insight.
This episode is a packed-out catch-up filled with incredible news and a whole lot of chat. We're back in our spiritual home at The Diggers and have some major news to share right at the start!
We've secured an exclusive 15% discount for our listeners on tours at the revived Rosebank Distillery. We break down just how good a deal this is, especially with a dram of the 32-year-old Rosebank on offer!
In the episode, we also dive into:
The highly anticipated return of Scapa 16 Year Old and whether it lives up to its legendary reputation.
A lively debate on what makes a distillery "cool," with arguments for Springbank, InchDairnie, and the Thompson Brothers.
A blind tasting of a Mystery Malt from Batch 2! Can we guess what's in the bottle?
A fun fantasy about what our own independent bottling company would be and which distillery we'd approach for casks.
The craziest cask finishes we can imagine, from Irn-Bru to Buckfast.
This is a fun, off-the-cuff episode filled with plenty of laughs and even more great whisky.
Get 15% off your Rosebank tour with code: WSP15
You can also check out our visit to the distillery here:
Rosebank Distillery Tour - A Day with Ian Macleod Distillers
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This is a cracker of an episode, I don't think we've had anyone on who's done as much as Craig has done in his career.
From starting out cleaning toilets at the Glenkinchie Distillery to blending The Famous Grouse and working with Macallan, he's travelled the world and collected some amazing whisky stories on the way.
Craig took us on an incredible journey, sharing stories that prove just how global the whisky industry is. We followed his path from a tour guide at Glenkinchie to working in sales in Canada and even living in Dubai. He also talked about his time as a distiller at the Lark Distillery in Tasmania, where he got to create some truly unique whiskies, like a Christmas Cake Cask!
We talked about his work on both sides of the coin, from the incredible attention to detail that goes into every bottle of The Macallan to the surprising process behind a global brand like Famous Grouse.
We learnt so much and we've left plenty of chat in the tank for a second episode further down the line.
There's also plenty of chat about:
We were back in our spiritual home at The Diggers and had a fascinating chat with Craig Johnstone, a man whose career has taken him all over the world in whisky.
Craig took us on an incredible journey, sharing stories that prove just how global the whisky industry is. We followed his path from a tour guide at Glenkinchie to working in sales in Canada and even living in Dubai. He also talked about his time as a distiller at the famous Lark Distillery in Tasmania, where he got to create some truly unique whiskies, like a cask finished in a beer barrel!
But the real insight came when he told us about his time at Edrington, where he worked as a master blender and whisky maker. We talked about his work on both sides of the coin, from the incredible attention to detail that goes into every bottle of The Macallan to the surprising process behind a global brand like Famous Grouse. It’s a completely new look at how these iconic whiskies are made, and Craig’s straight-up approach means he doesn't hold back. This is an episode you definitely don't want to miss.
You'll want to hear about:
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This week we recorded our Indy Bottler Spotlight with the Thompson Bros in front of a live audience packed into The False Widow in Leith.
We tasted an incredible lineup of whiskies, including their "accidental blend" Blended Scotch Whisky 6 Year Old and a bargain North British 33 Year Old grain whisky.
Join us as we uncover the fascinating Dornoch whisky journey, from the Dornoch Castle Hotel to the progress on their new Struie distillery. We also get the full story behind their unique labels and the hugely popular Mystery Malt series.
This episode is packed with great Scottish whisky chat, behind-the-scenes stories, and plenty of laughs.
Featured Drams:
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This is the one we’ve all been waiting for, folks! The warehouse episode. We’ve finally got a proper peek behind the scenes and what a place to start. We're not down in the Diggers Vaults this week; we are in a massive room full of casks and the gentle, intoxicating aroma of whisky. The magic really does happen in here!
Join me and Angus as we go to the Lowland Bond, home of the tallest cask racking in Europe. Seriously. Our host, James Zorab, and his right-hand man, Chuck, gave us an exclusive tour, and we even went up to the top of the racking system. My fear of heights was well and truly tested, but the view—and the aromas—from up there were absolutely worth it.
We delved into the art and science of maturation, from the different types of racking systems to the consistent inconsistencies that make every cask unique. We'll be talking about the new rules for cask ownership, what a 'Wooga' is, and how James and his team handle everything from re-racking to the five-day sample turnaround promise that makes them feel like the "seventh emergency service."
You'll hear Chuck reveal what it’s like to handle liquid history, including a 1990 Littlemill. We also get the lowdown on the mysterious 'timing' of casks, which involves some seriously impressive teamwork from the warehouse crew.
Plus, stick around for our guests’ "What Three Casks" and a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the podcast and joined our Facebook group. We’re on a high, and the only way is up!
Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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We're back in the Diggers Vaults at the Athletic Arms, battling the heat (it's roasting!) and diving into a proper global whisky adventure! This week, Angus and I were joined by the brilliant Carl Crafts, Sales Executive for Ardnamurchan Distillery and Adelphi.
Carl, our first American guest, tells us all about his fascinating journey into the whisky world, from craft beer in the US to helping Scottish brands navigate the wild west of American exports. We're massive fans of Ardnamurchan Whisky here, and Carl gives us the inside scoop on this remote Highland gem.
We dive deep into Ardnamurchan Single Malt, discussing their unique approach with both peated and unpeated spirit, and their commitment to sustainability with a biomass boiler. We also get the lowdown on Adelphi, the independent bottler with a wild history – including a legendary washback explosion in Glasgow!
And of course, we're dramming some absolute crackers! Carl pours us the unreleased Ardnamurchan Midgie Batch 2 (with port influence and a sneaky sherry butt!), a tasty new core range expression. We also get into the nitty-gritty of their single cask whisky releases and how they balance broader appeal with limited editions, including their annual Ardnamerica bottling.
To round off a cracking chat, Carl reveals his fascinating What3Drams picks, sharing personal favourites that shaped his journey in whisky. This episode is packed with Carl's expert insights, plenty of laughs, and a deep dive into the unique world of Ardnamurchan Single Malt and Adelphi
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We're back in the Diggers Vaults at the Athletic Arms, sweating it out (it's roasting!) and diving into a proper global whisky adventure!
This week, Angus, Ross, Fraser, and I are catching up after our whirlwind travels, and I've brought back some rather unique souvenirs for us to try.
First up, we're tackling Indian whiskies! I'll share some insights from my recent trip to Mumbai for a wild blind tasting experience with the Single Malt Amateur Club.
We try some of India's biggest selling brands – Royal Stag, Blender's Pride, and 100 Pipers – and let's just say, the results are... interesting.
Some surprises in there, especially when it comes to the "Scotch" element!
Then, Fraser unveils a true unicorn: a super rare Japanese whisky from Fuji Gotemba Distillery – the mysterious Dunbar! This one has a bizarre story and some even more bizarre tasting notes (urinal cakes, anyone?!).
We also get Fraser's take on his new gig at Gordon & MacPhail, following up on our last chat with Stephen Rankin.
He gives us the lowdown on life inside one of the world's most historic independent bottlers and how their incredible whisky portfolio stretches from affordable drams to absolute treasures.
Plus, we talk about Rosebank Distillery's incredible Tamdhu residency and the unique blending experience there. And stick around for a hilarious debate on the "Seven Wonders of the Whisky World" and whether a distillery tour is better during production or shutdown.
Finally, we unveil the utterly mind-blowing Gordon & MacPhail Driver's Pack drams that Stephen Rankin generously sent us – a line-up of truly world-class, aged whiskies we'll be showcasing in a separate video!
It's just another Friday night in the pub with lots of drams, plenty of laughs, surprising whiskies, and the occasional whisky chat you won't hear anywhere else. Don't miss it!
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Join Angus and I as we roll into Elgin for the final leg of our Speyside whisky road trip – and boy, have we got a corker of an episode for you! We managed to corner Stephen Rankin, Director of Prestige at Gordon & MacPhail, the legendary independent bottler and a total powerhouse in the Scotch whisky industry.
This chat's a right laugh, folks. We dig into the incredible Gordon & MacPhail family business story, kicking off way back in 1895 when they were, believe it or not, just a local grocer. Stephen spills the beans with some hilarious and fascinating tales about growing up surrounded by whisky (literally!) – from helping his grandad knock down warehouses at Benromach Distillery to navigating the quirks of a multi-generational setup.
We chat about how independent bottling really works, the magic behind whisky maturation, and how Gordon & MacPhail's obsession with quality has kept them at the top of their game for decades. You'll get the inside scoop on their approach to cask management and why building proper whisky industry relationships is absolutely vital. Plus, Stephen drops a few hints about a brand-new release that's about to rewrite the history books – you won't want to miss it!
We'll be sipping on a cracking Glenburgie 1994 from their Connoisseurs Choice range, having a natter about their other distilleries like The Cairn Distillery, and, naturally, rounding it off with Stephen’s personal "What3Drams" picks.
If you're a fan of a good single malt whisky, love a genuine family business yarn, and fancy a chuckle, then this episode is well worth a watch (or a listen!).
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This week on Whisky Stories, it's a complete change of scenery! Graeme journeyed to India and got the incredible chance to catch up with Hemanth Rao and Harsha Thimmaiah from the Single Malt Amateur Club (SMAC) in Bangalore.
Join us as we dive into the fascinating story of how Hemanth, the visionary behind the SMAC, built India's largest whisky club from humble beginnings in 2011 to a massive community of over 7000 members today.
Harsha was the first to join him, and together, they've not only expanded the club but also became India's first 'independent bottler' and a trusted voice for some of the world's biggest whisky brands.
Due to India's strict licensing laws, we set up our recording on a vibrant rooftop terrace in Bangalore, allowing us to freely explore the 6 or 7 whiskies we had on the table!
Hemanth and Harsha offer a brilliant explanation of all things Indian Whisky, from its distilling origins to the potential impact of the new Free Trade Agreement, which will see tariffs on imported Scotch drop significantly from 150% to 75%.
Pour yourself a dram and join us for this unique global whisky adventure!
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This week on the pod, we were back in the Diggers Vaults and joined by the brilliant Ali Reynolds—a man with a seriously impressive whisky journey. From award-winning bartender to global brand ambassador, and now running his own creative spirits marketing business, Ali’s got stories for days.
After winning World Class Bartender of the Year in 2015, Ali landed a dream role as Brand Ambassador for Johnnie Walker—the world’s biggest Scotch whisky brand. From delivering masterclasses and global training sessions, to helping shape how people engage with whisky, his impact has been huge.
In this episode, we talk about:
🥃 The role Johnnie Walker has played in shaping the Scotch whisky industry
🥃 How Ali made his training sessions stand out from the rest
🥃 His move to Denmark to work with the innovative Stauning Distillery
🥃 Launching his new creative agency, Yellow Hammer, which blends his experience in bartending, brand work, and spirits marketing with his passion for photography and storytelling
Ali also shared some great drams, cracking stories, and had us in stitches more than once. This one was packed with insights, laughs, and a fresh perspective on the whisky industry from the inside out.
Enjoy!
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In this week’s episode, we were joined by Christopher Coates, Editor at Large for Whisky Magazine, along with returning guest and co-host Hazel MacLeod (aka Hazy Drams) from Woven Whisky.
Christopher took us through his incredible journey into the world of whisky—from an impromptu student tasting led by a German roommate, to working in the shop at the Scotch Whisky Experience, and eventually hitting the road (and the skies) as a full-time whisky writer, editor, and content creator.
From being handed the keys to a car and told to go find whisky stories in the Scottish Highlands, to producing world-class whisky content across print, video, and events, Christopher’s stories are as insightful as they are entertaining.
And, being the gent that he is, he brought along three brilliant whiskies for his What3Drams picks:
🥃 Dram 1: Hellyers Road ‘The Iberian’ – A Tasmanian single malt finished in sherry and port casks
🥃 Dram 2: Fuji Gotemba Single Blended – A beautiful expression from Japan
🥃 Dram 3: Tamdhu 21 – Sherried elegance from Speyside
We also caught up with Hazel on what’s new at Woven, and—of course—got stuck into plenty of top-quality Scotch whisky chat, drams, and storytelling.
It’s a longer episode this week, but trust us—it’s well worth pouring yourself a big one and settling in.
Enjoy
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