Mitch and Daz kick off their first proper catch-up of the year (with zero planning and maximum hair compliments), swapping updates on travel and work: Daz recaps a Dublin weekend that somehow involved more Guinness than Irish whiskey, while Mitch recounts a hectic run of podcast recordings, a corporate tasting, a long drive to see Bladnoch and the new Galloway Distillery, visits with Charlie MacLean , and his first festival since 2017, the Independent Whisky Festival.

They then rip through whisky news: InchDairnie becomes a certified B Corp; Denmark’s Stauning starts making gin; GlenAllachie releases a 35-year-old; two Karuizawa casks sell for £4.25m; The Dalmore reopens to guests April 27; Bruichladdich marks 25 years since reopening with Old Skool 10-year-old; Glenrothes launches a 56-year-old; Ricky Gervais-backed Ellers Farm debuts Three Ridings (sold via a pricey Evolution Collection); Glen Moray releases Forbidden Fruit Calvados finish; and World Whiskies Awards nod to winners Joel Harrison, Gary Mills, and Bowmore 21 as best whisky in the world, plus talk of a potential live Edinburgh “battle” vs Whisky Stories.

00:00 Cold Open Banter

00:05 First Catch Up Of Year

00:52 DA Updates And Travel

01:02 Dublin Weekend Recap

02:18 Busy Week In Scotland

03:15 Indie Spirits Festival Highlights

05:34 Whiskey News Roundup Begins

05:55 InchDairnie B Corp Milestone

07:16 Denmark Distillery Goes Gin

08:11 Martinis And Bar Legends

09:02 GlenAllachie 35 Year Release

10:34 Karuizawa Casks Auction Shock

11:52 Auction Buzz and Banter

12:15 Ollie Stories and Podcast Tease

13:34 Dalmore Reopens Visitor Experience

16:10 Bruichladdich Old School Release

17:46 Glenrothes 56 Year Decanter

19:13 Ricky Gervais Celebrity Whisky

24:17 Glen Moray Calvados Finish

25:53 Awards Season Shoutouts

27:13 Live Podcast Battle Plans

28:41 Wrap Up and Listener Thanks

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 up to the Little Brown Dog HQ to sit down with Managing Director, DR. Andrew Smith for a properly relaxed, no-BS chat about independent bottling—and everything around it.

They get into how Andrew went from hospitality (with a brief detour towards becoming a vet) to co-running one of Scotland’s more quietly interesting bottlers, what actually makes a cask worth bottling in today’s market, and why they’re not just sticking to whisky.

From Scotch to rum to Calvados, this is a conversation about flavour over category—and whether whisky drinkers might need to start looking beyond their own glass.

Andrew also shares the story behind starting Little Brown Dog, where they want to take it next, and how he sees the current state of the industry—especially the realities facing independent bottlers right now.

There’s also an unsuccessful attempt to drag Chris onto the podcast, some rally driving chat, and a crash story that definitely wasn’t meant to be funny… but absolutely is.

A loose, honest conversation with one of the good guys in the industry.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Arthur Motley on Cask Backrooms, Whisky Identity, and the Liquid Antiquarian

Arthur Motley joins Mitch & Daz in Bennet’s Bar for a cracking conversation on cask buying, whisky identity, and what happens when one of the industry’s most experienced retailers decides to go it alone.

From his early days at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society to 21 years at Royal Mile Whiskies — where he worked his way from cask buyer to managing director — Arthur has seen whisky from just about every angle.

He talks about the wild early-2000s cask market, when buying stock was a very different game, and how things gradually shifted from open sampling and relationship-led deals to tighter supply and buying “off paper.” The chat also dives into why he left Royal Mile, what his consultancy work looks like now, and why brand identity and route-to-market matter more than ever.

There’s plenty of whisky geekery too, including early Japanese SMWS bottlings, the rise of world whisky, and Arthur’s brilliant historical project The Liquid Antiquarian with Dave Broom. Expect big thoughts on the 1823 Excise Act, the speed of Scotch’s evolution, and the stories behind the liquid we all bang on about.

00:00 Rolling and intro

00:07 Meet Arthur Motley

02:14 Bennet’s Bar and pubs

02:40 Cornwall pub story

04:38 Joining Royal Mile

05:44 Early whisky scene

08:20 Whisky passion sparked

10:05 Cask buying then

14:19 Single malt boom

18:37 Leaving Royal Mile

22:15 Consultancy focus now

24:53 Identity and history work

27:27 Whisky History Needs Stories

29:50 Brand Identity Done Right

30:43 Bruichladdich Under Remy

34:37 First Japanese Bottlings

36:55 World Whisky Boom

39:36 Scotch as Global Style

42:19 Birth of Liquid Antiquarian

44:38 1823 vs 1494 Debate

47:38 Biggest Research Revelations

51:08 Patreon Plans and Community

56:09 Closing Thoughts and Farewell

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.