Whisky Talk

Episode 72: Olaf Meier

Episode  |  15 May 2024  |  35 mins 17 secs

cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

Scotch Malt Whisky Society ambassador and Tasting Panel chairperson Olaf Meier is a fountain of knowledge, driven by a limitless number of whisky stories and a huge passion for the Society and the wider whisky world. Olaf now finds himself celebrating his 20th year representing the Society. Despite having more than two decades of whisky experience, Olaf started his journey with humble beginnings, as Duncan Gorman finds out.

Episode 71: Scotch & Sherry

Episode  |  2 May 2024  |  30 mins 56 secs

cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

In this episode we’re going on a special journey across Spain, to tell the story of whisky and sherry and the wonderful synergy between the two worlds when it comes to sherry cask matured whisky.
We travel to the oak forests of Galicia in the far northwest of Spain to take the creation of Spanish oak casks right back to the beginning, in the Cantabrian forest, before heading south to Jerez and the Sherry Triangle, to visit the cooperages and bodegas where the casks are built and then seasoned with different styles of sherry wine.

Episode 70: Paul John

Episode  |  17 April 2024  |  28 mins 32 secs

cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

Regular listeners will know that we are fortunate at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society to welcome representatives from distilleries, who visit us in our Members’ Rooms, share some special samples of their whiskies with our members, and give us their insights and knowledge about their distilleries.
In March we had a visit to the Vaults by Heemanshu Ashar from Paul John, the pioneering Indian distillery based in Goa on the country’s tropical west coast.
Before enjoying the tasting, we took the chance to find out more about Paul John distillery, India’s whisky journey since independence in 1947 and what tropical maturation brings to this spirit.

Episode 69: Flavour Journey with Kami Newton

Episode  |  3 April 2024  |  41 mins 36 secs

cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

In this episode, we’re taking a deep dive into the flavour journey that takes place every time we uncork a bottle of whisky and then nose and taste it. It’s a process that the Tasting Panel at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society goes through with every sample that is presented for possible inclusion in a Society bottling. So we caught up with Tasting Panel chair Kami Newton, to find out more about the different steps on this flavour journey and why we should take time to appreciate the complexities of what’s in our glass.

Episode 68: Blair Athol

Episode  |  28 February 2024  |  40 mins 24 secs

cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

We were fortunate to have a visit from two of the team from Blair Athol distillery to The Vaults in February, for a special tasting of four expressions of Blair Athol whisky, along with a sample of one of the Society’s own single cask offerings. Blair Athol distillery manager Derek Younie was joined by Peter Milne from Diageo’s Whisky Specialist Team to talk members through the samples and provide insight into the history and working of the distillery, what to expect from Blair Athol’s spirit character, and how it works with different casks and forms of maturation.

Episode 67: Springbank

Episode  |  31 January 2024  |  1 hr 7 mins

cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

In February, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society paid host to Melanie Stanger from Springbank distillery in Campbeltown, who visited our Members’ Room at The Vaults in Leith to tell us more about this legendary distillery and share a few special drams.

Episode 66: Pip's Prague Adventure

Episode  |  4 December 2023  |  20 mins 2 secs

cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

The vintage Lagonda belonging to Society founder Pip Hills played an instrumental part in our whisky club’s foundation, carrying the first precious cargo of single casks from Speyside back to his Scotland Street home in Edinburgh to share with friends. In 1990, Pip Hills and his brother-in-law Dick Pountain decided to take a road trip to Prague in the Lagonda, to witness Václav Havel’s inauguration as president of the Czech Republic. The magazine The Classic Motoring Review subsequently commissioned Pip and Dick to write a piece about the journey – and how Society whisky helped to make it a success. We asked Pip and Dick to tell us that story in their own words.

Episode 65: Matugga Rum

Episode  |  30 August 2023  |  31 mins 11 secs

cask strength whisky, matugga, rum, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

A taste of rum at a family gathering led husband-and-wife team Jacine and Paul Rutasikwa on the path to setting up their own distillery in the town of Livingston, near Edinburgh. Mads Schmoll paid a visit to uncover the fascinating story behind Matugga Rum and how it blends elements of African, Caribbean and Scottish cultures and heritage

Episode 64: Val McDermid

Episode  |  25 August 2023  |  22 mins 44 secs

cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

Crime writer and whisky enthusiast Val has been a fan of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society since its early days, after receiving an educational journey across the whisky regions from a friend’s father who was something of an aficionado. Whisky Talk caught up with Val in an Edinburgh coffee shop to find out more about her whisky passion, her writing career and who would be her fantasy whisky-drinking companion.

Episode 63: Maverick - The Founder's Tale with Pip Hills

Episode  |  2 August 2023  |  23 mins 47 secs

cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is marking its 40th anniversary with an updated and revised edition of Pip Hills' memoir, "Maverick – The Founder’s Tale", which now includes the story of 'coming in from the cold' after leaving the whisky club in the 1990s. Pip tells Richard Goslan about reconnecting with the Society and what we can expect from the new version of his book.

Episode 62: The sound of Glen Scotia

Episode  |  31 May 2023  |  18 mins 32 secs

cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

How do you capture the sense of sound in a distillery and its location – and then incorporate that into a song? That’s what the team at Glen Scotia set out to do, with a whisky and music collaboration in its Campbeltown home. Whisky Talk caught up with the contributors to find out more.

Episode 61: Denis Lesgourgues

Episode  |  31 May 2023  |  1 hr 18 mins

armagnac, cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

In this episode of Whisky Talk the Society strays from the familiarity of Scotland's malt whisky to the south of France for an insight into the world of Armagnac.

Denis Lesgourgues, a third-generation owner of armagnac house Château de Laubade, paid a recent visit to The Vaults to tell a packed Members’ Room about the beauty of this underappreciated spirit.

Episode 60: Kythe Distillery

Episode  |  19 April 2023  |  42 mins 27 secs

cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

With so many new distilleries coming online across Scotland, it’s sometimes hard to keep track. But when Angus MacRaild dropped the news at the start of April about his plans for Kythe distillery, it felt like time to sit up and pay attention. Angus has teamed up with partners Jonny McMillan and Aaron Chan to bring their vision for a new distillery that produces an old-style, traditional Highland style of whisky to life – complete with a fermentation of more than two weeks, a wood-fired wash still and worm-tub condensers. In their own words, efficiency is the enemy of character when it comes to their mission. Richard Goslan caught up with both Angus and Jonny to find out more about their mission.

Episode 58: Falkirk Distillery

Episode  |  5 April 2023  |  22 mins 34 secs

cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

Stray just a few moments from the M9 motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh and you will discover Falkirk Distillery, a grand whitewashed building, complete with twin copper pagodas. Duncan Gorman sat down for a chat with co-founders George and Fiona Stewart, to discuss some of the bizarre obstacles they have had to overcome building the distillery from scratch - including complications from a certain Roman wall just a stone's throw from the site. 

Episode 59: Craig Johnstone

Episode  |  5 April 2023  |  27 mins 30 secs

cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

From East Lothian to Tasmania and back to Scotland, Craig Johnstone has worked across the whisky industry for the past 20 years. Today he works for Edrington as master blender for The Famous Grouse, a role he came to via a stint as a distillery tour guide, a distillery manager and a few years behind the bar at the Society’s Members’ Room at 28 Queen Street. Mads Schmoll caught up with Craig at the 106 Sample Room to find out more about his whisky journey.

Episode 57: Richard Paterson

Episode  |  22 March 2023  |  1 hr 32 mins

cask strength whisky, scotch, scotch malt whisky society, single malt whisky, whisky

Our guest on this edition needs little in the way of introduction to any whisky fan. Richard Paterson has been working in the whisky industry for the past 57 years, with more than half a century of his career spent with Whyte & Mackay Distillers.
We were delighted to welcome Richard to the Society’s spiritual home at The Vaults in Leith recently, where one of the whisky industry’s biggest entertainers put on a special show for a room full of lucky members – taking us on a tour that included his stories and memories about Tamnavulin, Fettercairn, Jura and Dalmore.

Whatever’s in your glass…settle back for a 90-minute epic in the company of the one and only Richard Paterson.