Not Another Whisky Podcast

We're back!

After a few ridiculously busy weeks, Mitch and Daz finally manage to get themselves in the same virtual room for a much-needed catch-up. And judging by what's been happening in the whisky world, they've got plenty to talk about.

Mitch's been gallivanting around Ireland, hosting whisky adventures across Scotland and launching two new Turas Mòr whiskies on the Isle of Raasay. Meanwhile, Daz has been drinking old Glengarioch, exploring whisky bars in Hong Kong and generally living his best life.

But there's some serious whisky news to get stuck into as well.

A bottle of The Macallan 1926 has sold for over £2 million at Sotheby's first auction held at the distillery. Balvenie has unveiled an extraordinary 88-year-old single malt, becoming the oldest Scotch whisky ever released. The controversial English Whisky Geographical Indication has caused a bit of a stir, and sadly, community-owned GlenWyvis Distillery has entered administration.

Naturally, Mitch has a few opinions. Particularly when it comes to what actually constitutes a single malt whisky.

In this episode:
Mitch's Irish whisky adventure, from Tullamore and Dingle to Midleton and Kinsale.
Daz's adventures with old Glengarioch and Hong Kong whisky bars.
The Turas Mòr launch on Raasay, featuring questionable Scottish weather, wild swimming and whisky on a cliff.
Daz tastes the new Turas Mòr Dailuaine and Benrinnes 12-year-olds.
The Macallan 1926 sells for over £2 million.
Balvenie releases an extraordinary 88-year-old single malt, alongside two new expressions celebrating its traditional maltings.
The English Whisky GI controversy. Should single malt whisky have to be mashed, fermented and distilled at one distillery?
GlenWyvis enters administration. What does its closure tell us about the pressures facing independent distilleries?
And the usual amount of nonsense you've come to expect from us.

Get your hands on Turas Mòr

Two new limited-edition Speyside single malts under their independent bottling brand, Turas Mòr.

Only 150 bottles of each have been produced, and both were launched during a whisky adventure on the Isle of Raasay.

Dailuaine 12 Year Old, Edition #3
A vibrant, creamy Speyside single malt with fresh orchard fruit, toasted nuts, gentle spice and a touch of oak.
Buy Dailuaine 12 Year Old

Benrinnes 12 Year Old, Edition #4
Rich, fruity and full of character, with dark berries, chocolate, fruitcake and warming spice.
Buy Benrinnes 12 Year Old

Both are exclusively available through The Speyside Whisky Shop, subject to availability.
Explore the full range: https://www.turasmorwhisky.com

Whisky news and articles

The Macallan 1926 auction

A rare 1926 Fine & Rare bottling takes centre stage at Sotheby's first auction held at The Macallan Estate.
Sotheby's: Live from The Macallan Estate
The Spirits Business: Rare Macallan 1926 sells for £2.2m (2023 record)

Balvenie 88 Year Old
Just 17 bottles of the 1931 vintage exist, making this a remarkable piece of whisky history.
Financial Times: Balvenie's 88-year-old whisky

English Whisky GI controversy
The approval of English Whisky's geographical indication has sparked debate over single malt production methods, with the Scotch Whisky Association formally appealing the decision.
Scotch Whisky Association: Appeal against English Whisky GI
UK Government: English Whisky GI specification

GlenWyvis Distillery enters administration
Sad news for the world's first community-owned distillery, with administrators appointed following prolonged financial difficulties.
Interpath: GlenWyvis enters administration
The Spirits Business: GlenWyvis secured £500,000 funding earlier in 2026

Follow the adventure
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Thanks for listening
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.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)
🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland
🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com
📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com
📲 Follow us on Instagram
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re back on the Isle of Raasay, three years after our last proper sit down with Alasdair Day, co founder and master blender at the Isle of Raasay Distillery.

Recorded at the distillery, the conversation is less about introducing Raasay and much more about how it is growing up. With the spirit now approaching nine years old, Alasdair talks us through how the original six cask recipe is developing, what they’ve learned from ex rye, Bordeaux and Chinkapin oak, and why lower filling strengths could be having a significant effect on maturation.

We also get into one of the more interesting whisky debates we’ve had for a while. How much does water really contribute to the character of a whisky? While the industry often talks about a figure around 2%, Alasdair believes Raasay’s mineral rich water could be responsible for considerably more, particularly because they use it throughout cask reduction on the island.

Away from the liquid, we talk about what the distillery has done for Raasay itself. New jobs, a growing population, people moving to the island to build their lives there, community energy projects and the relationship between the distillery and the people around it.
And, of course, we look ahead. Ten and fifteen year old Raasay, another warehouse, ideas for a whisky school, the currently paused Campbeltown distillery project, and why Alasdair isn’t exactly rushing out to fill Raasay spirit into tequila and mezcal casks just because the rules now allow it.
A proper catch up with one of whisky’s busiest men, from one of Scotland’s most remarkable wee islands.
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.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)
🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland
🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com
📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com
📲 Follow us on Instagram
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mitch heads to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Queen Street Members’ Room in Edinburgh to sit down with Calum Lawson, SMWS Member Experience Manager and co-host of the Society’s Whisky Talk podcast.

Calum’s route into whisky wasn’t exactly mapped out from the beginning. From years in Glasgow hospitality and running a bar and restaurant, he moved into the Society as manager of the Bath Street Members’ Room, spent time on the whisky buying team, and now finds himself helping shape everything from member experiences and international tastings to podcasts and new releases.

We get into the wonderfully terrifying world of blind tasting and SMWS’s new Caskmaster competition: eight mystery drams, nine possible answers and absolutely nowhere to hide. Mitch recalls Charlie MacLean’s advice never to blind taste Scotch whisky, while Calum explains why the Society decided to ignore that advice entirely.
There’s also plenty of Society chat: how those mysterious distillery numbers work, how single casks are selected, why ridiculous bottle names such as “Beware of the Lurking Gherkin” are part of the fun, and what actually goes into creating memorable whisky experiences for members around the world.
But there’s also a bit of news.

CopperCairn and The Scotch Malt Whisky Society are teaming up for a Speyside adventure from 12–15 March 2027, bringing Society members north for a few days of behind-the-scenes distillery access, whisky dinners, tastings, blending sessions and a few distinctly CopperCairn additions along the way.
There is even talk of a dip in the River Spey. Speedos remain optional. Probably.
And there’s another twist: the 2026 Caskmaster Champion will win a place on the CopperCairn Speyside trip, making the stakes in the Society’s blind tasting championship considerably higher than bragging rights over your mates.

Caskmaster 2026
The Caskmaster Grand Final takes place at The Vaults in Leith on 12 November 2026.
The overall champion receives lifetime membership of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society as well as a place on the CopperCairn Speyside adventure from 12–15 March 2027.

Find out more
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society: smws.com
SMWS Whisky Talk: www.smws.com/podcast
CopperCairn: coppercairn.com
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.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)
🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland
🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com
📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com
📲 Follow us on Instagram
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we welcome whisky maker, consultant and long-time friend of the podcast Brendan McCarron back to Not Another Whisky Podcast.
And this time, we’re talking yeast.

It might not sound like the sexiest part of whisky making, but the deeper you go, the more fascinating it gets.

We chat about how yeast was viewed when Brendan first started making whisky at Diageo, whether Scotch became a little too focused on yield and consistency, and why distillers are now starting to look at yeast as a genuine tool for creating flavour.

From Glenmorangie and Holyrood to InchDairnie, Loch Lomond, The Lakes and what American whiskey producers have been doing for decades, we get into different strains, longer fermentations, wild yeast, wine yeast and just how much influence the little buggers can actually have.
We also talk about Brendan’s work with new distilleries, how the conversation around yeast has changed during his career, working alongside Dr Bill Lumsden, and whether Scotch whisky has been a little bit behind the curve.

It gets geeky.

But in a good way.

Welcome to The Yeastie Boys.
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.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)
🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland
🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com
📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com
📲 Follow us on Instagram
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mitch and Daz are back together for a long-overdue August catch-up, recorded from the glamour of Daz’s self-proclaimed “bitchin’ kitchen.”
They compare notes on what they’ve been up to, the whisky they’ve been drinking and the general chaos of a busy summer before diving into some of the more unusual stories from around the whisky world.

There’s the retired farmer storing a £750,000 whisky collection in converted pigsties, Woven and Civerinos combining whisky, Scottish honey and a fairly aggressive collection of chillies, and the arrival of the new Stannergill Distillery in Caithness.
Mitch also shares his experience at The Macallan’s Coconut Dreams pop-up beside the Spey, including the slightly surreal sight of Macallan being poured into a blender to make piña coladas.

The pair also discuss the new signature single malt from the Isle of Harris and whether whisky drinkers occasionally need to become a little less precious about how their drams are enjoyed.

Later in the episode, Mitch catches up with Victoria Miller, founder of Sip Seekers, to hear about the platform she has created to make discovering and booking Scotland’s distilleries, tastings and drinks experiences considerably easier.

Expect whisky news, old drams, questionable kitchens, expensive pigsties and the usual amount of informed nonsense.

Links to news and Sip Seekers

£750k Pigsty Whisky Collection – The Whiskey Wash
Woven x Civerinos Hot Honey
The Macallan – Inspired by Fresh Coconut
Stannergill Distillery Starts Production – The Spirits Business
The Isle of Harris Single Malt Whisky
Sip Seekers
Not Another Whisky Podcast on Acast


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.

🥃 New episodes every week(ish)
🎤 Live shows & tastings across Scotland
🎟️ Web: www.notanotherwhiskypodcast.com
📩 Enquiries & partnerships: whiskypodcast@gmail.com
📲 Follow us on Instagram
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.