Whiskey Chats

Join me for My Ardbeg Distillery Chat with Jackie Thomson, Visitor Centre Manager. On a recent pilgrimage to the magical whisky island of Islay, off the coast of Scotland, with a couple of good buddies - Dan, Paulie, Matt and Aidan, we visited Ardbeg Distillery. Here, I met up with Jackie Thomson, an absolute livewire of a lady and an enthusiatic whisky evangelist. She is a recent Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame inductee for 2023. I'm not in the least bit surprised. She gave us a behind the scenes walk around the old distillery and what a amazing facility it is. She was an absolute pleasure. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: www.boanndistillery.ie www.killowendistillery.com  Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Derek Mather in The Laddie Snug at Artisan. On a recent pilgrimage to the magical whisky island of Islay, off the coast of Scotland with a couple of good buddies, we made an overnight detour to the small town of Wishaw, midway between Edinburgh and Glasgow, to the famous Artisan restaurant. Head chef, owner, curator and co-founder of the Friends of Bruichladdich FaceBook group, Derek Mather, founded this whisky mecca 16 yrs ago..... and the grub ain't half bad either..... Derek and his wife Fiona have amassed 1000's of bottles of Independently bottled Scotch whisky, all open and for sale by the dram at their Artisan Restaurant. Derek doesn't believe in full bottles and prices each dram with a marginal mark-up, so that whisky lovers can visit and afford to drink some of the most fantastic whisky bottles they will ever have the pleasure of sampling. We sat in his Laddie Snug and had a great chat about what he's been up to. It was an absolute pleasure. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: www.boanndistillery.ie www.killowendistillery.com  Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Belfast Chat in The Friend at Hand with Jim, Mark & Séamus. On this episode, I had 3 guests who joined me in a round-table chat in the spectacular tasting room in the back of The Friend at Hand whiskey shop and museum in the heart of Belfast city. . Jim Ingram who works in The FAH and has the YouTube Channel The Whiskey Novice. . Séamus Óg Birt, Brand Ambassador in Echlinville Distillery in Co. Down. . Mark McConville, Brand Ambassador for Bushmills Distillery in Co. Antrim. We all brought a couple of bottles of special liquids to the table for the chat and we had a ball. It was recorded during Belfast Whiskey Week 2024 and Pride was also on in Belfast at the same time. You will hear one of the many Pride parties happening in the background, as we had the back door open onto the courtyard of The Dark Horse bar next door. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: www.boanndistillery.ie www.killowendistillery.com  Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Willie Jack in The Friend at Hand in Belfast. Willie Jack is a legend in Belfast. He is a publican, whiskey museum curator, architectural salvager and restorer, antiques dealer, community builder, cultural ambassador and a seriously well connected and sound fella. I have wanted to speak to Willie for many years about the shrine to Irish Whiskey he has built at The Friend at Hand "whiskey shop"...... it's far more than a whiskey shop. It is a must go to in Belfast and Sonya and I were given a massive welcome from Willie and the 3 grumpiest of old men, who Willie calls staff........ Ray, Marty & Jim... They're sound too. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: www.boanndistillery.ie www.killowendistillery.com  Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for early access episodes and more, for a few euros a month and help me deliver the best podcasts to you. https://www.patreon.com/whiskeychatspodcast I really hope you listening in to our chat. Laurie