The Celtic Whiskey Pod

*Now with improved audio*

We caught up with Brian Nation and Patrick O'Shaughnessy during their whistle-stop tour of Ireland. A big milestone for the distillery, this was their launch of their first whiskeys which are named Keeper's Heart Irish + Bourbon and Keeper's Heart Irish + American. We conducted this interview in the Celtic Whiskey Shop the day after a great tasting event organised by the shop and held in Lost Lane. There's a great story to hear in the episode and a great future ahead for the team at the distillery.

Brian will be back to host a Masterclass at whiskeylivedublin.com. Go to the link below for ticket to that session, and to the second link to find the new whiskeys on our site.

https://www.whiskeylivedublin.com/master-classes.html

https://www.celticwhiskeyshop.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=keeper%20heart

It was well overdue that we talked to Clonakilty Distillery to find out all about the distillery and their award winning spirit. Housed in a building that was originally meant to be a bank, it has been making spirit since 2019 and in theory is now old enough to be released as whiskey. Oisín joined the team in 2022 and has been very involved in all aspects of production. We talk in the podcast about his own journey through whiskey, and the farm to glass aspect of Clonakilty. Then about maturation of the spirit whether that be the new make, mature stock or sourced stock from elsewhere. Plus, or course, a lot more. It could be time to taste some 4 year old whiskey from Clonakilty, will we see that this year? Listen on to find out. 

India is one of the most exciting emerging producers of single malt whisky. It is a country that consumes an incredible amount of whisky but that is mostly domestic blends and a number of Scottish blended whiskies. On the international market it is a different story and malt whisk(e)y drinkers across the world are slowly discovering that India has something new to offer, with a broad range of flavour profiles and expressions to be enjoyed. Paul John Distillery are one of the international trail blazers, and Al was fortunate to speak to head distiller Michael D'Souza about the formation of the distillery, the company and the diverse range of single malts they produce. Having won over 300 international whisky awards it is clear that something special is happening at their distillery in Goa. Listen to the episode to find out more.

In this 7th episode of our second series Al Higgins talks to Sarah Dowling from Cooley Distillery. Since joining the company Sarah has reached the role of Head Distiller and Blender at Cooley. She overseas the operations and also is in charge of blending an chosing casks for their bottlings. We talk about her career which started in Scotland but eventually brought her back home to Ireland, about the art of blending, current challenges facing distillers and a lot more. Listen on to hear about what's currently happening at Cooley and what we can expect from their brands. Don't forget to like and subscribe! Sláinte.

In episode 6 of series 2 Al Higgins speaks to Brendan McBride from the Crolly/Croithlí distillery in Donegal. We first sampled the new releases from Crolly at Whiskey Live in June this year and were impressed by their new approach of ageing their whiskeys in different species of oak. Yes, it's been done in various guises as seperate releases from other distillers, but Crolly have aged three identical whiskeys simultaneously in three different oak species and released them at the same time. This gives the consumer a great chance to see what each species brings to the whiskey and offers something new for us all to experience! A sample of their new make spirit fresh off their unusual Cognac stills also caught our attention. Listen on to hear about a release date for that. Crolly's situation in a fairly remote corner of Donegal means we havent yet had a chance to visit the distillery, nor I suspect have most of our listeners. So, hopefully this episode will serve as a taster and give you an impression of what is happening at this unique distillery. 

In episode 5 of our second series, I talk to two coopers working in different areas of the Irish whiskey trade. Wood is such an important part of the whiskey making process and without good quality casks we would not have all the wonderfully diverse brands of whiskey available to try. 

Ger Buckley probably needs no introduction. He is a 5th generation cooper working at Midleton Distillery and has been a great ambassador for the distillery and Irish whiskey in general. I was struck by his wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for art of coopering, I have no doubt you will enjoy our conversation.

In the second part of this episode we get an alternative viewpoint from a fairly new cooperage and their lead cooper Ian Leonard. Kentucky Bourbon Barrel opened their premises in Newbridge last year and are already servicing dozens of distilleries and whiskey bonders around the country. It was a refreshing turn in the conversation to hear about a new company hitting the ground running and I have no doubt the company will go from strength to strength. 

Many thanks to everyone who helped in getting this podcast recorded, and special thanks to Ger and Ian for taking time out of their busy schedules. 

In the third episode of series two I speak to Peter Mulryan from Blackwater Distillery. Peter has gone from working as a TV producer to writing about whiskey in his book 'The Whiskeys of Ireland', and then onto distilling gin and whiskey at his own Blackwater Distillery in County Waterford. 

We talk about Peter's love for crafting and innovating unique spirits, about vintage pot still recipes and the changes to the current governing technical file, then onto the new whiskeys Blackwater will release this year and finally a bit about the pitfalls of cask ownership schemes. 

I hope you enjoy this episode. I'll be back with another great episode as soon as possible. 

Fionnán O’Connor first became well-known for his ground breaking whiskey book A Glass Apart which was a timely chronicle on single pot still whiskey just as it was about to start its current renaissance period. 

Not content with his first book he has since gone on to research the rich history of Irish whiskey and specifically the grains that were used by long lost distilleries in their pot still mash bills. 

A lengthy process of going through extensive archives has now reached its endgame and Fionnan has since persuaded distilleries to try out some of these old recipes in an attempt to revive long lost whiskey styles, and to see how the different grain ratios contribute to a variety of flavour profiles. 

In this episode you will get a real impression of the passion and dedication Fionnan has put into his work. We discuss his journey into whiskey and how he got caught up in the rich history of Irish pot still whiskey and how his research will hopefully become a valuable resource for new generations of whiskey makers. 

Link to Boan Distillery's Vintage Mashbill Casks: https://boanndistillery.ie/vintage-mash-bills/

Welcome back to the second series of the Celtic Whiskey Pod. In our first episode we are fortunate to be talking John Campbell from the Lochlea Distillery in Ayrshire. As the former Head of Distilling at Laphroaig he is vastly experienced and brings his knowledge and expertise to his new role. Lochlea launched their first release towards the end of January and it proved to be one of the fastest selling initial releases ever. Don't worry though! There will be more coming later this year. 

It was a pleasure to chat to John and in the episode we talk about farm distilling, the style of the whisky and about the various cask types that are being used for maturation. There's a lot more in there but we will let you here about it all from John. We hope you like the conversation.

A link to the Distillery's website here reveals some more information: https://www.lochleadistillery.com/

In the episode we also mention the Drams Delivered website which you can find here: https://dramsdelivered.com/

This is the second chapter of our double-header podcast with Mark Reynier from Waterford Distillery in Ireland and Renegade Rum Distillery in Grenada. In this podcast we delve into the concept of Terroir (soil, microclimate, terrain and latitude etc) and how it has an effect on distilling from both barley and sugar cane. I myself have been a sceptic on this topic in the past but a recent paper commissioned by Waterford has proven that Terroir does change the character of spirit. We discuss the paper, the farms and practices such as biodynamic and organic farming and a lot more. It is not 100% neccesary that you listen to chapter 1 of this podcast first, but we would recommend it! You can find Paper 1 on Terroir at Waterford following the link here: https://waterfordwhisky.com/element/the-whisky-terroir-project-paper-one/

Thanks to Mark Reynier for a great chat! Slainte.

In this first instalment of a double-header we talk to Mark Reynier, former major stakeholder of Bruichladdich Distillery and now owner of Waterford Distillery in Ireland and the new Renegade Rum Distillery in Grenada. Mark has had quite a journey through various facets of the drinks industry. It would seem that at times he has been in the right place at the right time, but in reality he is one of those rare people who seem to be able to spot opportunities where many others see potential disaster. His revival of Bruichladdich Distillery is probably somewhat taken for granted these days but at the time it was a gamble, one that fortunately paid off. The sale of his stake in the company helped fund the Waterford Distillery which has been shaking things up in Ireland, and more recently the Renegade Rum in Grenada. Mark likes to court controversy, disrupter is a word often used in the tech industry but in the spirits industry there a few who have managed to change so much in such a short space of time. He's been a target for many who are keen to rubbish some of his ideas like 'Terroir' in whiskey. I was also a skeptic on this subject matter, after listening to Mark I am now more convinced but still want to see the proof in the taste of the finished product! We had a long conversation and you can catch the second instalment shortly. Sláinte!

In episode 13 we talk to Alex Chasko Master Distiller and Blender at the Teeling Whiskey Company. Alex has been in charge of the distilling and maturation programme at Teeling since the company was founded in 2012 and the distillery was commissioned in 2015. He started off as a brewer in Portland Oregon and went on to study distilling at Herriot Watt before joining The Kilbeggan Distilling Company (aka Cooley Distillery). It is his work at Teeling that has been most noticeable and in many ways he has helped lead the revival in Irish distilling with some pioneering work on unconventional grains, wood types and barrel finished. As always he was great to talk to, unfortunately zoom caused us some technical problems and the sound quality suffered a bit. Hopefully it will not spoil your enjoyment too much. 

Darryl McNally is well known as former Master Distiller at Dublin Liberties Distillery but earlier this he left the company to pursue the dream of creating his own whiskey. In this episode we talk to Darryl about the imminent release of Limavady Irish Whiskey and about his plans for the brand in both the short term and long term. There's an interesting link up with Whistle Pig Distillery in Vermont that ensures great distribution across the USA, and that is where Darryl talked to us from. In this episode we also chat a bit about his former workplaces and the real challenges he faced when helping set up distilleries in historical buildings, and also about the future of Irish whiskey. 

For episode ten Al Higgins and Luke Crowley-Holland spoke to 6th generation distiller Pádraic Ó'Griallais. They discuss some of the myths and legends of Poitín, its origins and the future of this unique drink. Micil Distillery is the first distillery to make whiskey in Galway for 100 years and we talk about the future, the whiskey, the poitín and a lot more!

In this, our ninth episode, we talk about the 'King of Wines' otherwise known as Tokaji with Laszlo Meszaros managing director of Disznoko. Tokaji has a rich history and is one of the oldest recognised styles of wine in the world. The Tokaj area has a unique combination of micro climate and soils that help create sweet wines that are made using grapes affected by Noble Rot. At the zenith of these wines sits the mythical Essencia Tokaji which is so sweet and concentrated that it is most commonly served in a tiny glass or even a small spoon. The flavours are such that just a single sip will last for what seems an eternity.

We hope you like listening to Laszlo, Tokaji wines are one of the world's great treasures and we would encourage any wine drinker to explore them in some detail. 

Join Al Higgins and Julie Christie as we talk to Stewart Buchanan from Benriach, Glendronach and Glenglassaugh distilleries. In this episode we discuss the rebirth and rise in popularity of the distilleries, with some great descriptions of the spirit types from Stewart and a lot more. We discuss the revamped Benriach range and the changes happening across the three distilleries under their owners Brown-Forman. 

'There has never been a better time to drink sherry' is a phrase I have heard often in the last few years, and now at the tail end of the pandemic these words would seem to ring truer than ever. With plenty of mature stock and affordable prices there is a great opportunity for wine lovers to explore this category some more. Who better to discuss this fascinating world than Eduardo Ojeda Cebrián, founder of the quirky and innovative independent bottler Equipo Navazos? Eduardo and his team are not 'treasure hunters' but come close to that, they select single casks or 'botas' from the local bodegas and release them under their own 'La Bota' label. These wines are often idiosyncratic or unusual but always fascinating and delicious. There is much to discuss and we draw some parallels with the whisk(e)y world and talk about sherry casks, solera systems, the differing styles of Sherry and Montilla and much more. If you want to explore these wines or even just expand your knowledge then this episode is a good place to start.

This episode is presented to you by Al Higgins from the Celtic Whiskey Shop and Luke Crowley Holland from the Celtic Whiskey Bar and Larder. 

Exciting times are afoot at Bushmills with the launch of new whiskeys such as the Causeway Collection and a new variety of wood finished blends. It was a fitting time to talk to the person behind these new expressions, Master Blender Helen Mulholland. Join myself (Al Higgins) and Luke Crowley Holland from the Celtic Whiskey Bar and Larder as we talk to Helen about these great new releases, the past, present and future at Bushmills and much more. Sláinte.

In episode five of the Celtic Whiskey Pod we talk to Alejandro Aispuro who is a distiller, educator and communicator on Mexican spirits. To celebrate the Cinco de Mayo we expected a celebration of all things Mexican, but our conversation became more and more fascinating as we discovered what is going on in the fields of Oaxaca and Jalisco. In this episode we discovered a huge amount about Mezcal, Tequila and other Mexican spirits. Alejandro is an enthusiast who also feels we should have a duty of care when it comes to agave farming, and sustainability. Farming and wild harvesting are at crisis point, and we as consumers have a responsibility to ask more questions of spirit makers. We learned a lot in this episode but enjoyed it immensely. We hope you do too.

In this episode we talk to Raúl Bobet an Oenologist and scientist who part owns two wineries in Spain: Castell D'encus and Ferrer-Bobet. He studied at UC Davis in California and was head wine maker and technical director at Miguel Torres for many years before he left to concentrate on his own wine businesses. He is widely regarded as one of the most talented wine makers in Spain, and maybe the world. Raúl has a passion and curiousity that has led to some interesting and delicious wines that consistently rate highly with wine critics. They are found in many of the top restaurants in Spain and beyond, but in our conversation Raúl reveals that it is most important that he makes wine that he himself is happy with. A man who is constantly improving and innovating, he reveals plans for some unique new wines and a lot more. If you know nothing about wine then we hope his enthusiasm ignites some curiosity in you, and if you know a little about wine then you will learn a lot here. Sláinte.

In episode three we chat to Graham Coull who is Master Distillery at Dingle Distillery. Graham took over at Dingle only a few months before the pandemic hit but he has already made his mark and released a handful of new bottlings. We talk about life in Dingle, the whiskey styles that he has made so far and what the future holds for the Distillery. We also delve into his interesting career which has spanned stints at Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Kininvie and Glen Moray distilleries. Finally we speculate on what challenges lie ahead both at Dingle and in whiskey world at large. Perhaps most importantly we talk about the merits of Dingle's pubs and the possibility of eventually being able to enjoy them again. Presented by Al Higgins and Julie Christie. Brought to you by the Celtic Whiskey Shop. 

Now semi-retired, Frank McHardy's career spans six decades and took him from Invergordon Distillery in the North of Scotland to Speyside, Islay, Campbeltown and County Antrim in Ireland. His most distinguished roles were stints in charge at Springbank and Bushmills, finishing up again at Springbank where he set up Glen Gyle Distillery. Our fascinating conversation covers his career path with these distilleries as he reminisces about his life and journey through the whisk(e)y world. Frank is a great character and we thoroughly enjoyed his company on this podcast. 

Welcome to our first edition of the Celtic Whiskey Pod. In this episode we chat to Kevin O'Gorman from Midleton Distillery. Kevin discuses his new role as Master Distiller and also tells us all about the first bottle to bear his name, Midleton Very Rare 2021. His role at Irish Distillers still includes his position as Master of Maturation and we discuss different wood types, experimental whiskeys and a few future releases. As you would expect the current pandemic is also discussed and we cover the challenges that whiskey makers face and the possible changes in drinking habits that may follow. This episode is presented by Al Higgins from the Celtic Whiskey Shop and by Luke Crowley-Holland from the Celtic Whiskey Bar/Irish Whiskey Experience. Sláinte!