Whiskey Chats

Join me for My Hinch Distillery Chat with Emma Millar. Emma Millar is a senior distiller since 2020, at the beautiful Hinch Distillery in Co. Down, founded by Dr Terry Cross in 2019. It is clearly a labour of love. The detail and scale of Hinch Distillery really impressed me as Emma showed me around. But all the shiny things don't really matter, unless the spirit they produce is good...... and it really is. Emma showed me the only bonded warehouse onsite, behind the distillery and I'm very happy to report that we won't be running out of Hinch's wonderful whiskey any time soon. 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 enjoy listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Ardara Distillery Chat with James Doherty. James and Moira O'Doherty founded Sliabh Liag Distillers and began releasing their Silkie range of sourced smoky whiskeys, just as the covid lockdown hit, as well as An Dúlamán Irish Maritime gins. James and Moira returned to Ireland from their last pit-stop in Hong Kong, to pick up James's family legacy of distilling 'Inishowen' style or smoky whiskeys again, in his family's native Donegal. Inishowen whiskey was once a by-word for smoky whiskeys, throughout the British Empire and the world. Their 'recently' commissioned Ardara Distillery is sight to behold, resonating with Islay's distillery's style and I had a fantastic return visit with Jim to see the operation in full swing. 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 enjoy listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Tara Clarke from Dair Nua Cooperage. Tara is the National Sales Manager at the cooperage. She is the conduit between the barrels they source, import, fix, care for and distribute to most of our favourite distilleries and brands throughout the island of Ireland. It is a very important and interesting role in the whiskey industry. Before working at Dair Nua Cooperage, she worked with Grace O'Malley Spirits. She is also currently involved in the recently formed Women in Irish Whiskey advocacy group. 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 enjoy listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Master Cooper Chat with Darren Leonard. Darren is a Master Cooper, not Head Cooper, above in Dair Nua Cooperage in Foxford, Co Mayo. He is a Master Cooper because he has successfully qualified an apprentice underneath him. He is passionate about the craft of coopering and retaining the Irish traditions of coopering that Ger Buckley, Midleton Master Cooper, has "legacied" into the small band of coopers and trainees in Ireland. The whole cooper community in Ireland leaves me in awe at their skill and passion for the heritage of the craft. Darren himself apprenticed under John Neely, a famous Scottish cooper who plied his trade in Ireland, up until his untimely passing in 2018. It's so great to see Darren continuing on and building a legacy in Irish Coopering. 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 enjoy listening in to our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Palace Bar Chat with Stephen Randles, Michael Cowman & Micháel O'Flaherty. We met up in The Palace Bar on Fleet St in Dublin city centre. Owner and publican Willie Ahern kindly allowed us to use the private Power's whiskey room, on the top floor, to record the podcast. He even dropped in at the start of the chat to say hello and find out what we thought of the new Clockwork Velvet Stout from Changing Times Brewery, that was launched the day we were in the bar. Michael Cowman now works in the Good Spirits Company and also co-owns Redacted Indy Bottlers. Micháel O' Flaherty works for Micil Distillery and Stephen Randles works with Boann Distillery. All 3 lads have worked deeply in the Irish Whiskey for many years and have an amazing perspective on the whole whiskey industry and enthusiast scene. We chatted about and shared many drops over the evening..... good and bad....... I love sitting around a table with lads who get it.... 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 Boann Distillery Chat with Pat Cooney. Pat Cooney is the Patriarch of Boann Distillery, having founded it in 2019, alongside his family. Pat has been in the drinks industry in Ireland since the 1970's. We discuss on the episode his previous companies and his path to Boann, very interesting. Boann Distillery have been innovating and ambitious in the Irish Pot Still whiskey since Pat and co turned a Celtic Tiger era car sales-room into a thriving distillery. It must be the only marble tiled still-room on the island! A real pleasure to visit, I highly recommend. 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 Achill Island Distillery Chat with Seán & Michael McKay. I recently visited this picturesque island distillery in beautiful county Mayo, just off the west coast of Ireland, by bridge. Seán and Michael McKay are brothers. They are carrying on the legacy of their father who founded the distillery originally and they are genuinely doing their father's legacy a massive justice. They have an amazing operation at Achill Island Distillery. 2 x 5000ltr pot stills, fed by 7 fermenters, keep this a 7 day operating distillery. They have vast warehouses with 5yr old whiskey stock, that tastes amazing. This is a little gem of a distillery that will be a major part of the Irish whiskey landscape going forward. I was very impressed....... 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 Lough Mask Distillery Chat with Andrew Bourke-Hastings, Head Distiller. I recently visited this picturesque, yet industrial, distillery in beautiful county Mayo, surrounded on all sides by gorgeous lakes and mountains. Andrew started in Lough Mask as a brewer and is now their Head Distiller. They are nearing the point in their journey where they will be releasing their very own whiskey. They have a very innovative cask program going where you can jump on with a 20/30 litre cask of their own new make spirit. They are concentrating on single malt Irish whiskey and are producing amazing products, from what I saw. Well worth checking out. 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 Micil Distillery Chat with Pádraic Ó'Griallais. I visited Micil Distillery, based out the back of the Oslo Bar, in the heart of Salthill just outside Galway city, in January 2024. This is a really charming, boutique distillery that I wanted to see for a long time. I wasn't disappointed. What couldn't come across on the podcast was the amazing smell of turf that hits you as you open the front door. It was a real feast for the senses. The Ó'Griallaises are a 6th generation distilling family, all their previous generations were proud illicit Poteen (Poitín) men. Micil are well worth a visit. 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 Midleton Distillery Garden Chat with Barry Chandler, Dan Pennington, Paul Costello and Mark Lonergan. I set up a marquee out my back garden over Xmas 2024. The lads called up, Dan was on BBQ duty, I made Belfast Coffees, we had a ball. I asked Midleton Master Blender Dave McCabe for a sample set from the Midleton blending lab. He very graciously sent me an amazing array of aged whiskeys, that he was working on at the time. Midleton Distillery have vast depths of amazing liquids maturing quietly. It was amazing to get a little peak behind the curtain, of what whiskeys they have in store for the future. 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 Eimverk Distillery Chat with Eva Sigurbjornsdottir, in Reykjavik, Iceland. Eimverk produce Floki Whisky, which is famous for their sheep dung smoked whisky and many other amazing spirits. My wife Sonya and I recently visited Eva for a look around their innovative distillery, where we discovered just how much effort that they put into their production and raw materials. For a distillery located on a volcanic island, its very impressive. What a trip it was...... 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 Islay Garden Chat with Dan Pennington, Paulie Costello, Matt Kelleher & Aidan McGovern. On a recent pilgrimage to the magical whisky island of Islay, off the coast of Scotland, with a couple of good buddies, we sat out the back of our rent-a-house on Bowmare High St, for a very honest chat about the trip so far. I hope this gives anyone thinking about making the trip, an honest insight about the pitfalls and what we found amazing about Islay. What a trip it was...... 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 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

Join me for My Live Festival Chat with Noel Sweeney - Master Distiller. Noel is famous for his amazing time as Master Distiller at Cooley Distillery, where he became responsible for releasing alot of the amazing Irish whiskeys that we all love today. His Cooley malts and single grains are still being released by different brands and bottlers to this day, to massive plaudits. Right now, one of Noel's focuses is on his blended whiskey from his collaboration with the famous dancer Michael Flatley called...... Flatley Whiskey. He was at the Cork on a Fork festival in Cork in August 2024, where we sat down for a Live audience chat, as one of the many events at the festival. 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 Live Chat at Cork on a Fork Festival I was asked to do a number of Live podcasts at a recent foodie festival in Cork - Cork on a Fork. I set up a podcast studio in the top floor bar of Cork Opera House in August 2024, in front of a Live audience, where my guests and I shared some very interesting drinks and chats. My 3 guests were: Mark Lonergan - ex-manager of The Shelbourne Whiskey Bar in Cork Barry Walsh from Killahora Orchards  Liam Murray - President of Cork Whiskey Society It was an afternoon of fine guests, fine drinks and some fine chats. 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 McConnell's Distillery Chat with Graham Millar, Head Distiller. Myself and Sonya visited McConnel's Distillery, in the old Crumlin Road Jail in Belfast, whilst up at Belfast Whiskey Week 2024. Graham showed us around their amazing converted and renovated centuries old prison wing, that is now their Distillery! The project was started over a decade ago by another party and the current shareholders were able to finally complete the earlier vision this year, by turning on the stills and starting to produce again, as one of only 2 distilleries now in Belfast city, once one of the powerhouses of whiskey production in the British empire. 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 Cask Chat with Gary Ring in Boann Distillery. I visited Gary a while back, firstly joining him for a cuppa and bickie in Boann's "Distiller's Cottage", in Kestral Manor!!! I kid you not, very bougie... Gary is a distiller in Boann distillery and one of the most enthusiatic proponents of whiskey production in Irish whiskey industry..... with the added bonus of being from Cork! Lucky guy... We wandered over to the distillery and proceded to completely ignore his workshop - the stillhouse. Instead we got completely distracted with the warehouses full of wondrous casks. It was some journey... 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 Titanic Distillery Chat with Damien Rafferty. We recently visited Titanic Distillery at the Belfast city docks, while we were attending Belfast Whiskey Week 2025. We met up with Head Distiller Damien and we went for a stroll and a chat around the distillery building, finding out more about the Titanic Distillery project. It is an amazing building, the old pumphouse of the dry dock where the fateful Titanic was actually built. Huge history, huge stories, huge legacy...... I highly recommend a visit if you're at a loose end in Belfast. 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 Copeland Distillery Chat with Gareth Irvine. We recently visited Copeland Distillery on The Ards peninsula in Co. Down while we we attending Belfast Whiskey Week 2025. I chatted to owner and founder Gareth Irvine about his amazing distillery that he started as part of a college module!.. It is a fantastic little distillery, in a picturesque seaside town, just of the main quay in Donaghadee. There is a coffee dock at the edge of the production area..... in the stillhouse! You can visit, enjoy a coffee and a bun and watch the entire days activities as the distillery team mash, ferment and distill tomorrow's whiskey and gin. Very cool. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  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 Distillery Chat with Sarah Dowling, Cooley Distillery's Head Blender. I have wanted to see beyond the gates of the iconic Cooley Distillery for years. I finally got the opportunity and Head Blender and ex Distillery Manager Sarah Dowling showed me around. To say it was amazing is an understatement. It turns out that Cooley is a little bit boutiquey..... not the behemoth that everyone thinks it is. It is medium craft distillery that has left a very large footprint on Irish Whiskey and it was an honour to be shown around by Sarah. Full disclosure: I had microphone issues for this podcast, but with a sprinling of magic and wizardry, I managed to isolate the voices and save the podcast. New mics have now been purchased........ ; ) This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  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 Wee Pub Chat with Anthony & Katie Sheehy. Anthony & Katie founded Irish Whiskey Auctions, the monthly whiskey auction in Ireland and sponsor of Whiskey Chats. They then co-founded Irish Whiskey Experiences with Barry Chandler, where they have had huge successes with their Whiskey Bus tours and upcoming Whiskey Cruise in Nov 2025. But deep in the wee county of Louth, straddling the Northern Irish border, is the best wee pub around - JJ Sheehy's - another part of their empire!! This is now where they call home and where I joined them of an evening in the bar, where we sat, chatted, drank and swapped stories. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  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 Distillery Chat with Tracey Clarke in Kilbeggan. Tracey has worked as a Tour Guide in Kilbeggan Distillery for over 23yrs. She is part of the local community and would have grown up knowing it as the Old Locke's Distillery, after the family that previously owned it and ran it. It is an amazingly well preserved example of Victorian, Industrial revolution era equipment and machinery, mingled into a distillery experience and working micro distillery onsite. I would highly recommend you visit and experience it for yourself..... maybe ask for Tracey as your tour guide.... I learned an awful lot and I hope you do too. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  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 Enguerrand Vandenbossche. Enguerrand is a French trained cooper, who was the Head Cooper in Tullamore Dew Distillery until 2022, owned by Beam Suntory, after working in France and for a time in Scotland at some of their industrial cooperages. For the past 2yrs, he has been working at the Good Spirits Co. in Dundalk. They are behind the Grace O'Malley whiskey brand and also store and bottle for many of the whiskey brands you see on the shelves. He is a very knowledgeable fella and I've been looking forward to chatting with him for a long time. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 Distillery Chat with Gearóid Cahill in Slane Distillery. Gearóid is one of the only Master Brewers AND Master Distillers working in the alcohol industry. He spent nearly 20yrs as one of Diageo's top brewers, before going to work as Head Distiller for the fledgling Slane Distillery in Co. Meath, in the shadow of the famous concert venue, Slane Castle. They are a really interesting small distillery as they run column stills and grow most of their grain on the 1500 acre Slane farm. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 as we walked around the distillery. Laurie

Join me for My Distillery Chat with Connor Howlett at Stillgarden Distillery, in the heart of Dublin city. Connor has worked as a brand ambassador and chief gardener at Stillgarden for a couple of years now, after he finished his English and Film degree in 2021. He is very passionate about creating spirits of real integrity and it was a pleasure to spend an afternoon chatting with him. Stillgarden Distillery make modern Irish spirits using as many local grown botanicals as we can and capture those amazing flavours through some very cool science. They have a gin school onsite and offer training and experiences for many different groups.  I have uploaded images of most of the bottles spoken about in this episode exclusively to my Patreon Channel. Join below. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 as we walked around the distillery. Laurie

Join me for My Historic Bottle Chat with Leo Phelan. Leo is a lifelong whiskey enthusiast. He has been knee deep in the Irish whiskey world for over 20yrs. He is a founding member and former president of the Irish Whiskey Society. He has become one of the authorities on historic Irish whiskey bottles in Ireland and is regularly consulted on authenticating bottles. He has amassed an amazing collection of historic bottles himself and I visited Leo at his home, to chat about his collection and learn a little more about his fascinating legacy Irish bottles. I have uploaded images of most of the bottles spoken about in this episode exclusively to my Patreon Channel. Join below. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 as we walked around the distillery. Laurie

Join me for My Peated Garden Chat with JP, Kevin & Aidan. JP O'Riordan, Kevin Murphy & Aidan McGovern called up to my back garden and we had a fantastic afternoon chatting about peated/ turfed/ smoky whiskeys, beer and a cocktail. I love recording the Garden Chats, they're the most fun. Always good to share great drops with buddies. This is part 1, there is another part to be released next. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 as we walked around the distillery. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with John O'Connell in West Cork Distillers in Skibbereen. My wife Sonya and I visited John on a very, very rainy Saturday afternoon and we were welcomed with open arms. What an amazing distillery John O'Connell, Ger McCarthy and Denis McCarthy have built. Supporting well over 200 local jobs in their locality, buying only Irish grain for use in the distillery and running over 16 different stills with 4 more in production, this is an impressive large craft operation. You will not find a more intelligent, gentle and humble person in the Irish whiskey industry than John O'Connell. A big thanks to Cathal O'Brien from West Cork Distillers for arranging this for me. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 as we walked around the distillery. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Stephen D'alton, co-author of Wise's Irish Whiskey book. Stephen recently collaborated with the legendary Midleton Master Distiller Emeritus Barry Crockett on a book detailing the story behind the distilling Wise family dynasty in Cork.  The Wise's once ran the highest output Irish Whiskey distillery in the 1800's, at North Mall Distillery along the banks of the River Lee in Cork city, exporting to the far flung corners of the British Empire and the Americas. Stephen and I had a fantastic, rambling, chat about their book and inevitably meandered our way to all sorts of topics. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Bill Lark, the Godfather of Australian Whiskey. Bill & his wife Lyn were responsible for reigniting the Australian whiskey industry in the early 90's. His brand Lark Distillery is still going and he is still involved in Lark Distillery in an ambassadorial role. His is a truly fascinating tale of what you can achieve when you set your mind on a lofty goal. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Tasmanian Whiskey Garden Chat with Dan, Paul Costello & JP. This Garden Chat was recorded a couple of months back. I was gifted a box of Tasmanian Whiskey samples from Transportation Whiskey founder John Halton up at Belfast Whiskey Week 2023, who is one of the biggest advocates for Irish Whiskey in Australia and Tassie Whiskey in Ireland. It is a selection from some of the many distilleries in Tasmania and it didn't disappoint. JP O'Riordan, Dan Pennington and Paul Costello joined me in my back garden and we had a ball discovering all these new flavours. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Garden Chat with Dan Pennington, Paul Costello & JP O'Riordan. My 3 buddies called up to my back garden a couple of weeks ago and we cracked open many bottles and samples of liquids we had never heard of. Join us as we discover some amazing new liquds and spirits and have a laugh aswell along the way. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Alex Thomas, Master Blender with Bushmill's Distillery. Alex has spent most of her career in Bushmill's. A couple of year's ago she was afforded the honour of developing her own brand within the distillery and so The Sextant was born. From there she progressed from Master Blender of The Sextant to Master Blender of Bushmills, a position she cherishes. It was amazing to hear the passion Alex has for her role and Bushmills is in safe hands with her as Master Blender. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Ronan Collins from Redacted Independent Bottlers. I met up with Ronan before Xmas in The Palace bar on Fleet St in Dublin. We had a great chat about Ronan and Michael Cowman's new Indy Bottler company, Redacted.  Redacted have 2 releases to date - Killowen Single Cask and their new 200ml 'Naggin' series, the first being a 20yr old Single Grain from Cooley finished in a Barolo wine cask from Italy. They are both great releases IMHO. I hope you enjoy the chat from the cosy atmosphere of The Palace bar. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Gavin Clifford from Garden County Distillery. Their new distillery is not producing just yet, but it's not for the lack of equipment. It's all there and they are on the cusp of turning on the stills in the very near future, so it was great to get the opportunity to see Garden County Distillery in this fledging stage. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Walking Chat with Ger Garland from Keepers Heart Whiskey. Ger and I walked around Dublin city centre before Xmas, to shoot the breeze and catch up on his new role as Global Brand Advocacy Manager for Keepers Heart, having spent most of his career as one of the faces of Irish Distillers / Midleton. The eagle eyed amongst you will have spotted Keepers Heart bottles in many, many pubs across Ireland, so Ger is busy getting the brand out there, but he spared a few minutes for me to catch-up. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Dave Mulligan in Bar 1661. Dave opened Bar 1661 a number of years ago, to showcase poitín and cocktails. In those few short years, he has built one of the most respected cocktail bars in Europe, won multiple awards including Best Bar at the Irish Bar of the Year Awards in 2022 and has attracted some of the best bar staff in Dublin to come work there. It is an amazing bar and I managed to squeeze a few minutes from Dave to sit for a chat. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Dr Jack O'Shea in Clontarf Castle. Jack started his distilling career in 1979 with Cooley Distillery. He has worked around the world, helped and advised many of our current distilleries to get started, educated many of the distillers currently working in the whiskey industry through his teaching with the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and also found time to be a past president of the Irish Whiskey Society. I am skipping over alot of his career....... I've been looking forward to sitting and chatting with Jack for a couple of years now and we finally made it happen....... inside the ancient 'keep' that sits proudly alongside the reception of the hotel. It was a bit special..... This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Barry Crockett at the silent North Mall Distillery in the heart of Cork City. This is a cracking episode. What an amazing chance I got, to record with one of the most significant distillers of the modern era. Barry took over as Master Distiller from his father Max Crockett, at the old Midleton Distillery; at the time when the New Midleton Distillery was in the planning and commissioning stage in late 1970's Ireland. I got to ask him about that time on this podcast. But we spent an afternoon strolling around the remnants of what was North Mall Distillery and discussing his research into his recently released book 'Wise's Irish Whiskey', which he co-wrote with Stephen D'alton.  Link for Wise's Irish Whiskey book by Barry Crockett & Stephen D'alton: https://www.corkuniversitypress.com/9781782055754/wises-irish-whiskey/ This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 What an honour, I hope you enjoy our chat. Laurie

Join me for My 2nd Chat with Fionnán O'Connor. This episode with Fionnán was recorded just after he submitted his doctural thesis on Historic Irish Mashbills and then embarked on a trip to Italy and France, visiting distilleries, libraries, universities and places of significance in the history of distilling in Europe. He had a very interesting journey and I was dying to find out more about it.  We met over Zoom, had some cracking drops and had a great oul' chat. Drops on the night: Redbreast 10yr Cast Strength Irish Whiskey Society Marrowbone Lane 11yr old Trad Pot Still Killowen Peated Pot Still finished in Tawny Port cask Link for Fionnán's crowdfund project: www.creatur.ie This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 hope you enjoy our chat, Laurie

  Join me for My Cooperage Chat with Ian Leonard from Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Cooperage. Ian served his cooper's apprenticeship under the legenary Scottish Cooper John Neilly. He has carried forward his traditional skills from his master to Kentucky Bourbon Barrel, which is the Irish subsidiary of a huge American stave company, who are currently managing 22,000 barrels in Ireland. It is an impressive operation. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 hope you enjoy our chat, Laurie

Join me for My Chat with Mike & Peter Clancy from Lough Ree Distillery. Mike and Peter were in Cork for the launch of Cork Whiskey Society's inaugural Exclusive Bottling, Lough Ree Sheares St. While they were knocking about my way, I said it would be a travesty if I didn't catch them for a chat, so i did. We met up in the back bar of the Imperial Hotel and I had a ball finding out all about the Lough Ree project. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 hope you enjoy our chat, Laurie

Join me for My Chat with John Cashman in Powerscourt Distillery. I visited John a couple of weeks ago and learned all about the Powerscourt Distillery project from one of the Irish Whiskey Industry's long time advocates. John is one those guys who pounded pavements throughout the world, singing the praises and raising the profile of Irish Whiskey, long before the current resurgence and interest. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie 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 hope you enjoy our chat, Laurie

Join me for My Walking Chat with Eddie O'Halloran at Watercourse Distillery. Eddie worked at the now silent Watercourse Distillery in Blackpool, on the northside of Cork City, before going on to work in Midleton Distillery until 2016. He worked in Watercourse Distillery in the late 60's / early 70's just before it closed, as part of the amalgamation of it's parent company Cork Distilleries Company into Irish Distillers, along with Jameson and Powers. We walked around Blackpool village, in what's is left of both Watercourse and The Green Distilleries, both once part of CDC  and Eddie peeled back the remnants of what was once a sprawling column distillery. .......This is a cracker. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for 96hr 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 hope you enjoy our chat, Laurie  

Join me for My Chat with Ian Garratt aka John McDougal.  Ian has many FaceBook groups under his belt - Friends of Waterford, Friends of Bruichladdich, Friends of Midleton and now Friends of Irish Whiskey. He has an impecable talent for releasing fantastic spirits within these groups and he kindly agreed, eventually, to sit for a chat with me. We met up in Bar 1661 on Green St, Dublin. Thanks to Dave Mulligan for allowing us the use of the space. It's one of the best cocktail and poitín bars in Ireland, Well worth a visit next time you're in Dublin. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for 96hr 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 hope you enjoy our chat, Laurie  

Join me for My with Robert Johnson from Irish Whiskey Auctions.  Rob has been part of the IWA team since near the start. He doesn't have an exact job title, but he kinda does a bit of everything. I jumped onboard his WA wagon in August 2023, to keep him company on his monthly bottle collection rounds. We travelled from Cork To Cahir and back again and we had a grand chat about..... yup, whiskey. He's an interesting lad. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for 96hr 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 hope you enjoy our chat, Laurie

Join me for My 2nd Walking Chat with Michael Carr. Michael and I dida podcast a while back, strolling through the historic Liberties area of Dublin city, taking in all the lost whiske heritage of the area. I enjoyed it so much, I asked him to go again, in a different part of Dublin city.  And wow, what an enjoyable education he gave me on the subtle links to our whiskey history all around the streets of Dublin. Amazing podcast.  This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for 96hr 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 hope you enjoy our chat, Laurie

Join me for My Distillery Chat with Brian Mongan from Great Northern Distillery. I visited with Brian in Great Northern Distillery in Dundalk and I must have seen every dept in the place with him, on our stroll around. What a magnificent place John Teeling has built, such great people and whiskey. We finished up in the blending lab, where I bumped into GND's newest apprentice blender, Jade Sheehy. She had a twinkle in her eye soon after I arrived and quickly asked Brian if she should pull out 'The Bottle'...... I won't spoil it, you'll have to listen to the end..... but I think they made my decade with the gift they allowed me to sample. Amazing... This episode of the podcast is sponsored by: Irish Whiskey Auctions  www.boanndistillery.ie Don't forget to sign up to my Patreon channel for 96hr 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 hope you enjoy our chat, Laurie