Speyside is the absolute epicentre of Scotland’s distilling industry, and now there’s a Speyside gin to complement the region’s famed whiskies. Created by wine and spirits company Stoli Group, Tulchan Gin is a small batch gin with distinctly local flavours inspired by the terroir of Tulchan Estate. Surrounded by 22,000 picturesque acres of lochs and glens, Tulchan is a famous sporting estate in Speyside long frequented by European royalty, US Presidents and titans of industry. This is a special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with Tulchan Gin.  While global brand lead Kara Anderson was in Sydney recently, we sat down for this conversation about Tulchan and the Scottish gin renaissance.  Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chandon Etoile is a new ultra-prestige sparkling cuvee from Chandon Australia in Victoria’s Yarra Valley. It’s a multi-vintage blend comprised of eight Chandon Vintage Brut reserves – which together represent hundreds of base wines – rounded out with extended ageing. With us this episode to discuss the groundbreaking project is Chandon Australia winemaking director Dan Buckle, who has been guiding the company’s traditional-method winemaking since 2012.  Through our conversation about Etoile, Dan and I naturally explore the evolution of Chandon Australia, one of six Chandon houses globally, which was founded in 1986. This fascinating chat was made possible by the support of Chandon Australia.  Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Allan Border’s Maiden Tonne is a limited edition shiraz released by the legendary cricketer in partnership with Sanguine Estate, the Heathcote, Victoria winery owned by the Hunter family. Allan is with us this episode along with Sanguine winemaker Mark Hunter. I’ll leave it to them to share the back story of this wine, which Mark hopes will elevate Heathcote’s reputation as a region synonymous with premium shiraz.  Also in the interview, Allan reflects on his maiden tonne in cricket. I ask him whether drinking culture has changed in the Australian dressing room. And, with the Ashes starting on Friday, we get his thoughts on the Australians’ prospects in England.  In fairness to Allan I should point out that the interview was recorded a couple of weeks ago, before Australia’s resounding victory against India in the WTC Final. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bird is a new single malt Australian whisky created by renowned entrepreneur and media personality Mark Bouris in collaboration with Andrew Nugent and Paul Giles of Adelaide Hills winery Bird in Hand. Mark joins us this episode for what turned into quite a wide-ranging and insightful interview, starting with his personal journey of whisky appreciation that inspired The Bird. We talk about the decision to produce the whisky in partnership with South Australia’s Fleurieu Distillery, which you may recall got a massive rap from Dave Worthington of Boutique-y Whisky in my March podcast news bulletin. Mark and I also touch on his previous involvement with a pioneering but ill-fated beer company, 20-plus years ago now. We get his expert opinion on the nascent Australian craft spirits industry, and the challenges of selling luxury goods in the current economic climate. On that note, I should mention that this interview was conducted a few weeks ago now, before the RBA’s latest interest rate rise that Mark has absolutely slammed on social media. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Mark Bouris. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The small Scottish coastal town of Campbeltown was once home to over 30 distilleries, and it was known as the “Victorian Whisky Capital of the World”. Today, Glen Scotia is one of three surviving distilleries in the region. And both Glen Scotia and Campbeltown are developing a strong reputation among whisky enthusiasts in spite of the region’s production output, which ­is tiny in the context of Scotch whisky. Today, Glen Scotia is owned by the Loch Lomond Group and a continuing program of investment has brought dividends for the distillery. In 2021, Glen Scotia 25-Year-Old was awarded ‘Best In Show’ at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Later that same year Glen Scotia named ‘Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year’ at the Scottish Whisky Awards, making it the first distillery ever to receive both accolades, let alone within the same year. Iain McAlister is at the forefront of driving this recognition. The former engineer has been at the helm of Glen Scotia for fifteen years. Born and bred in Campbeltown, he is fiercely proud of the place he calls home, especially its community and its rich whisky heritage.   Drawing on his background as an engineer, Iain has developed and enhanced production at Glen Scotia, whilst making sure to preserve the craftsmanship and traditional skills it values. I really enjoyed this conversation with Iain, made possible by the support of the Loch Lomond Group. We recorded this interview during Iain’s first ever visit to Sydney in February 2023. You can find Glen Scotia Single Malt Whisky exclusively in Vintage Cellars, Liquorland and First Choice Liquor outlets across Australia. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Banks and Bloom Distillery + Lab is a West Australian company founded by biochemist Elaine Darby and winemaker Trent Carroll. Trent’s name might be familiar to some of you from his earlier AFL career at Fremantle and West Coast. But it was Elaine’s background that caught my eye when a media release came through recently announcing that Banks and Bloom Ice Vodka had been awarded Doubled Gold in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Between 2015 and 2018, Elaine was managing director of Auscann, an Australian pharmaceutical company focused on cannabinoid-based medicines. She’s also had careers as a winemaker and a lawyer, but it’s the medicinal cannabis that is relevant to today’s episode. Banks & Bloom owes its origins to another business founded by Elaine and Trent called Aquila Black, which has developed THC extract technology that they believe will revolutionise the cannabis drinks market overseas, where recreational cannabis is legal. To create these cannabis drinks, Aquila Black pioneered new distillation methods to extract pure clarity of flavour from classic botanicals and native Australian ingredients. And as Elaine will explain to you in a moment, this R&D turned out to be applicable to developing an innovative new range of spirits – gin, vodka and RTDs – that can be legally enjoyed today, here in Australia. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s been a groundswell of new Irish whiskey brands in recent years, which we explored in late 2022 in a special episode supported by the Irish Whiskey Association. Royal Oak Distillery predates many of the newcomers. It was founded in 2012 by the late Augusto Reina of Illva Saronno, the Italian company that owns renowned liqueur brands Disaronno and Tia Maria. Located on an 18th century estate in Ireland’s Ancient East barley growing region, Royal Oak is home of The Busker Irish Whiskey, which has recently arrived in Australia. In this episode, global brand ambassador Woody Kane will share with you the back story behind the distillery, and some of its signature production attributes that define The Busker. For starters, there’s the importance of local grains, and the fact that Royal Oak produces all three Irish whiskey expressions – malt, grain and pot still – under the same roof. And then there’s the marsala casks that are a fixture in its barrel store, thanks to parent company Illva’s ownership of Sicilian winery Cantine Florio. That’s all coming up in this special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with The Busker Irish Whiskey. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hawke’s Brewing was founded by advertising creatives Nathan Lennon and David Gibson, together with former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, in 2017. Bob Hawke passed away in 2019 but his legacy lives on at Hawke’s Brewing through a unique arrangement that diverts his royalty share in the business to Landcare Australia, the environmental charity he founded in 1989. We’ll talk about that later on in this interview with Nathan and head brewer Brodie French, as well as reflecting on some key milestones for the business. Hawke’s brought production of its beers entirely in-house since commissioning its Marrickville brewery in late 2021. And soon after, the company entered the hospitality arena in spectacular fashion with the establishment of the Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre, incorporating the Lucky Prawn Chinese Restaurant. We’ll find out a bit about Brodie’s brewing passions; Hawke’s evolution from a single SKU brand to a more diverse product offering; and its national expansion plans, including recent efforts to establish a beachhead in Melbourne. First up though, I asked Nathan about the significance to Hawke’s of the Marrickville venue, which just notched up 12 months of trading.   Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to another edition of the news on Drinks Adventures, as we get Season 16 of the show underway. Once again, we’re catching up on the news from the last couple of months. ‘Insolvency armageddon’ hits drinks industry; Mighty Craft acknowledges difficult market; Hahn bets big on Ultra Low Carb beer; Fever-Tree overhauls Australian operations; and Brown Brothers launches Extended Lees Patricia Sparkling Wine. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sydney’s Akasha Brewing Company was founded by former IT professional and passionate homebrewer Dave Padden in 2015. It has quietly grown into one of the inner west’s larger independent breweries, having quickly developed a reputation for high quality, hop-driven beer styles.  The year 2022 was pivotal for Akasha. The company undertook a $1.7 million equity crowdfunding raise that supported its diversification into barrel-aged beers, as well as funding the addition of two hospitality venues; The Barrel Room in Leichhardt and The Edwards in Newcastle. It’s also ramped up its sports sponsorship program, becoming official beer partner of the Sydney Kings and Sydney Flames professional basketball teams. Exciting times all round then, for Akasha. But as Dave acknowledges in this episode, it’s against the backdrop of some very difficult trading conditions for small independent breweries. There’s been multiple casualties in this sector already in 2023. So later on in this interview, Dave and I reflect on some of that unfortunate news, and discuss some of the steps Akasha is taking to ensure its financial sustainability as a business. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After almost five years and coming up to 200 episodes, perhaps it’s time for you to hear a little bit more about me, how I started Drinks Adventures, and where it might be headed. Recently Andrew Graham from Kaddy – the wholesale beverage marketplace – asked to interview me for its industry news pages, Kaddy Community. To which I said, ‘sure! But if we’re going to do it, we may as well record the interview properly so I can share it with my listeners’. So here it is, an edited version of that interview, with Andrew asking me the questions for a change. I hope you enjoy the chat! Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kentucky-based Michter’s Distillery was named World's Most Admired American Whiskey and second Most Admired Whisky overall by Drinks International in 2022. We'll find out the story behind its incredible trajectory from master distiller, Dan McKee, in this interview produced in partnership with Michter's. Born and raised in Indiana, Dan McKee moved to Kentucky to pursue his dream of making whiskey, beginning his career as a distillery operator at Jim Beam. Two years later, he was promoted to distillery supervisor at the affiliated Booker Noe Distillery, where he worked for seven years, before following his boss Pam Heilmann to Michter’s. Dan succeeded Pam as master distiller of Michter’s in 2019. He’s played an integral role in assisting with the construction of the company’s Shively Distillery, and also its Fort Nelson distillery with the legendary pot stills and cypress wood fermenters from the original Michter’s Pennsylvania operation. I’ll leave it to him to explain the brand’s somewhat unconventional history, and its dedication to five key production values that he believes sets Michter’s apart from other American whiskies. We caught up while Dan was in Sydney recently, preparing to launch the 2022 edition of Michter’s groundbreaking Celebration Sour Mash Whiskey, which we also discuss in this interview. Australian listeners can find Michter’s in selected Dan Murphy’s, First Choice and independent retail outlets nationally. Look out for Celebration Sour Mash Whiskey in leading whisky bars in your capital city. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jota Tanaka has worked for Kirin Brewery Company for 34 years, leading its whisky business as master blender since 2017. He’s had a really interesting career path through the Kirin business to arrive at his current role, including stints in winemaking, wine marketing and leading product development for Four Roses Distillery in Kentucky. We’ll get into some of that in this interview with Jota, who was inducted into the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame in 2022, one of many career accolades he’s received in recent years. Today, Jota is pouring his passion, skills and experience into Kirin’s flagship whisky brand Fuji, which is produced at the Fuji-Gotemba distillery at the foot of Mount Fuji. Established in 1973, Fuji-Gotemba is one of very few distilleries producing both malt and grain whisky at the same site, which explains the unusual labelling – Single Blended – on the newest Fuji Whisky expression. This is a special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with Fuji Whisky. Coming up, Jota and I explore the many different facets that make Fuji unique, including its unwavering commitment to releasing whisky when all the component parts have reached peak maturity, rather than at a certain age. He shares his experience working at the distillery when Japanese whisky was at its lowest ebb, versus the boom times of today. As Jota explains, it’s quite remarkable that Fuji-Gotemba survived the downturn at all, with another distillery, Karuizawa, famously shuttered during this period. Jota has also been actively involved in Japanese whisky industry activities to protect the integrity and reputation of Japanese whisky by assisting in the setting of labelling standards.  We talked about those issues extensively with Dave Broom on the podcast in 2020. Now, Jota will update you on the current state of play, and I ask him whether the standards may have come too late for Japanese whisky, given the reputational damage that has already occurred. I’m really excited to present this interview that I recorded with Jota on his first visit to Sydney in March 2023. And if you’re listening in Australia, Fuji Whisky Single Blended is exclusive to The Whisky Club as its whisky of the month for April 2023. Fuji Single Grain is available in select Dan Murphy’s and First Choice Liquor stores nationally. There’s only 300 bottles coming into Australia of Fuji Masterpiece 2022. Look out for that one in leading whisky bars near you. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James France is a 30-year veteran of the spirits industry in both Australia and abroad. In 2008 he founded the Sydney-based distribution business Vanguard Luxury Brands with the objective of bringing the best brands to the best bars, liquor stores, restaurants and hotels across Australia. He ultimately sold Vanguard in 2019 to Lion, which simultaneously acquired the biggest brand on Vanguard’s roster, Four Pillars Gin, as we previously explored with Four Pillars co-founder Cam Mackenzie on the show a few years ago now. After successfully managing that integration, James recently announced his departure from Vanguard. So I figured this was an appropriate juncture to invite him in for a chat about his experience distributing spirits over the last couple of decades, while the Australian industry was undergoing some massive changes. As you’ll soon hear… while the Vanguard story had the happy outcome of a successful exit for James, as is invariably the case, there were plenty of challenges and costly failures along the way. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The news returns to the Drinks Adventures podcast for the first time since 2021! This first edition for 2023 is using the term ‘news’ a little loosely, as I’m catching you up on some of the stories that have been on my radar since the beginning of the year: Lark dismisses buyout talk; and Sullivans Cove speculation; Pernod Ricard's first new brand in 20+ years; Indie bottler Boutique-y returns to Oz; Australia gets its second Advanced Cicerone; and  Bentspoke collaborates with Teeling Whiskey for St Patrick’s Day. Exclusive Drinks Adventures stories mentioned in the bulletin: Court lifts lid on Pirate Life distribution bust-up Lark launches IPA whisky, but ‘core range is king’ Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Roennfeldt, better known as Steve the Bartender, has been sharing easy-to-follow cocktail videos on YouTube since 2017. He’s based in Adelaide, South Australia, but he’s built a global community of cocktail enthusiasts. As at the present moment Steve has nearly 700,000 subscribers, which means he’s the country’s leading cocktail Youtuber and one of the top cocktail-related accounts globally. His debut book, Steve the Bartender's Cocktail Guide, was released in 2022. And he also co-owns Threefold Distilling, a Adelaide craft gin company that he founded in 2019 with two bartending mates. I was introduced to Steve recently by a mutual friend and have been seriously impressed by everything he’s achieved. First up in this interview, I asked him about career background prior to becoming a professional YouTuber. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Melbourne’s Starward Whisky has released smaller batch experimental products ever since the very early days. And some of these, like the Ginger Beer Cask that we explored in depth with founder David Vitale in Season 13, have gone onto bigger things. In 2020, the company created the Small Batch Experimental Series as a home for its smaller one-off releases that haven’t reached the scale required for wider distribution; showcasing new flavours, specialty ingredients and unique barrels or distilling processes. In this special episode of Drinks Adventures ­– produced with the support of Starward – head distiller Sam Slaney will take you through some of the most recent Small Batch releases including Chardonnay Cask, Starward’s first whisky matured completely in white wine casks. It was also an opportunity for me to ask Sam some more general questions about the barrel program at Starward, which has mastered red wine cask maturation to great success, claiming the title of Most Awarded Distillery at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2022. I should point out that the Small Batch series discussed in this episode is currently available to Australian listeners only. If you are listening locally, the three most recent releases – Chardonnay Cask, Munich Malt and Toffee Apple – are all available to purchase direct from the distillery at starward.com.au. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you imagine buying what was supposed to be the exact same product – any product – and having it be different every time? And in some cases, that the product you purchased was outright faulty. It wasn’t fit for purpose. This is not an acceptable scenario in any category of consumer goods. But it’s exactly what was happening in the Australian wine industry 20 years ago, and through no fault of our winemakers. The culprit was dodgy corks, which were causing widespread issues with TCA – commonly known as cork taint – as well as sporadic oxidation, and even leaking. The inconsistency was a nightmare not just for consumers, but everyone involved in the wine trade. Twenty years ago, 14 Clare Valley winemakers had had enough. They joined forces, packaging their rieslings from the 2002 vintage under screwcap, and set about educating the trade and consumers about the benefits of using this closure. And in this special episode of Drinks Adventures – made possible by the support of Taylors Wines – you’re going to hear how it all happened, and what was the wider significance of the initiative, which drove widespread adoption of screwcap across Australia and beyond. Founded in 1969, Taylors was one of the 14 Clare Valley wineries that drove the screwcap initiative from the very beginning. Look out for the new vintages of Taylors St Andrews collection with the upcoming Family Flagship Release in July 2023. You can buy Taylors St Andrews wines direct from the company’s Clare Valley cellar door or online. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maximilian Riedel is the 11th generation CEO of Austrian glassware company Riedel. The company was founded in 1756 and according to Maximilian it is currently facing some of the biggest challenges in its 267-year history. There’s been the covid pandemic obviously, but more recently, the war in Ukraine, which is hugely concerning for an energy intensive manufacturing business such as Riedel, given its reliance on Russian gas. In spite of these headwinds, Riedel recorded its most successful year of sales ever in 2022, and Australia was one of the top performing markets. With Maximilian at the helm over the last decade, Riedel has continued its innovations with glassware for specific grape varieties and occasions, and trending drinks categories like Japanese sake. Its new range Riedel Veloce has been made using a specially developed machine to create glassware that looks and feels as though it was made by hand, by a master glassmaker. I sat down with Maximilian while he was in Sydney recently for his first visit in many years. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tarac is the largest distiller of grape spirit in Australia, supplying high quality neutral alcohol and brandy spirit for use in fortified wines since 1930. And, as the craft spirits industry has taken off over the last decade, Tarac has increasingly been supplying distillers with the base alcohol to create products including gin and vodka. Now, in a milestone move for the company, it has turned its hand to the production of new make whisky. Using existing infrastructure and technology, Tarac has the capability to produce new make single malt spirit in large production volumes, helping distillers supplement their existing whisky stocks and supporting the establishment of a blended whisky category in Australia. In this special episode of Drinks Adventures – produced with the support of Tarac – you’re going to meet chief executive officer Jeremy Blanks, and sales manager and project lead, Greg Jackson. You’ll get some insight into Tarac’s 90-plus year history of distillation in Australia and why Jeremy and Greg believe it can help the fledgling Australian whisky industry unlock its full potential. And in a fascinating aside, Jeremy tells us about the historic timber coffey stills that fell into Tarac’s possession some years ago, which could one day inspire the company to create a whisky brand of its own. Just to clarify, this interview was recorded in December 2022. So when Jeremy and Greg are referring throughout our conversation to things happening ‘next year’, they’re actually talking about 2023. At the time of this episode going to air, they have received and are currently installing their brew kit, as the whisky project continues apace. Click here to open episode in your preferred podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

F1 questions were strictly off limits in this week's interview with Daniel Ricciardo about his DR3 collaboration with St Hugo Wines. Instead, I put some of those questions to James Baldwin from leading Australian F1 podcast, Lakeside Drive. James is a wine guy himself, so he gives me his thoughts on the DR3 partnership and Daniel’s F1 prospects in this bonus episode of Drinks Adventures. You can also catch me on the Lakeside Drive podcast speaking with James about my interview with Daniel and the DR3 wines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He’s best known as an eight-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner, but Daniel Ricciardo is now forging a reputation for his DR3 wines, produced in partnership with Australia’s St Hugo. After a strong critical reception and encouraging sales for the debut vintages, the project continues to evolve with the third consecutive release of Barossa Shiraz and Coonawarra Cabernet, this time from the celebrated 2021 vintage. The DR3 wines come in an eye-catching packaging created by specialist drinks design agency Co-Partnership that repositions the St Hugo brand for a new audience. And there’s new products coming into the range with more accessible pricing, like the Ric Red comprised of Daniel’s quote unquote – “Secret Sauce” – a mystery blend of grape varieties known only to him and St Hugo chief winemaker, Peter Munro. I got the opportunity to sit down with both Peter and Daniel at St Hugo in the Barossa recently, along with Eric Thomson, global marketing director at St Hugo’s parent company, Pernod Ricard. For the F1 fans among you, I did want to ask Daniel some questions about his future in the sport following the early termination of his contract with McLaren last year, but his management said F1 questions were strictly off limits in this interview. So instead, I put some of those questions to James Baldwin from the F1 podcast Lakeside Drive. James is a wine guy himself, so he gives me his thoughts on the DR3 partnership and Daniel’s F1 prospects in a bonus episode of Drinks Adventures coming out this week. Watch the podcast feed for that one, and you can also catch me on the Lakeside Drive podcast speaking with James about my interview with Daniel and the DR3 wines. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Collaboration between different drinks producers is vast these days, and in this episode you’re going to hear about one of the more interesting projects. Lark Distillery has just released Fresh IPA Cask, a single malt Tasmanian whisky finished in casks that have previously held Fresh IPA brewed by New Zealand’s Garage Project. How do you maintain the freshness and vibrancy of the Fresh IPA beers after filling them into a barrel, and then impart that into a whisky? That’s what I was trying to get my head around in this episode, produced in partnership with Lark. Head distiller Chris Thomson and assistant blender Josh Wilson will explain how they achieved this sorcery in just a moment. And you’re hear also from Pete Gillespie, co-founder of Garage Project, who gives us some background on the Fresh IPA series and explains why he’s so fond of collaborations such as this one. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve talked a lot on this podcast about how peoples’ drinking repertoires are expanding. We’re much more open to experiencing a wider range of quality beverages from different cultures that suit different occasions. This is something that Australia’s largest drinks retailer, Endeavour Group, is keenly aware of. The company has recently doubled the range of Asian beverages in its Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores as people seek out products they’ve sampled on their travels, or dining out, or perhaps in movies or TV series they’ve enjoyed. This is a special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with Endeavour. Coming up, you’re going to hear about this trend from spirits category manager James Duvnjak and Asian Beverages sourcing manager Samuel Lam. They will enlighten us on beverages including Japanese sake, shochu and gin, and Korean favourites like soju and makgeolli. Click here to open this episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr Bill Lumsden is the head of distilling, whisky creation and whisky stocks at Glenmorangie and Ardbeg distilleries. The always entertaining Bill joins us this episode as we delve into some of his recent innovations with distilling and maturation in a rapid fire chat recorded while he was in Sydney, late in 2022. You’ll hear about his experiments with a raft of different wood types; a whisky made from barley kilned with woodland botanicals, and how he was inspired by Belgian lambic brewers on a recent Ardbeg release. Also on the agenda is Glenmorangie’s recent packaging overhaul; the launch of Glenmorangie X – a whisky specifically made for mixing, or so I thought – and the controversial, record-breaking sale of a single cask of Ardbeg whisky for 16 million pounds. And finally, we get Bill’s thoughts on the emergence of whisky production in new frontiers, such as Australia. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to the Drinks Adventures podcast for 2023. If you’ve been with me on the show since the beginning you’ll recall a brilliant chat back in Season One with winemaker and brewer, Janice McDonald, who at that time was chief winemaker at Howard Park in Margaret River. Janice recently joined her partner Stuart Pym at his boutique winery Flowstone, and they’re with us this episode as we hear all about the rekindling of their exciting winemaking partnership. Janice and Stuart previously worked together in establishing the quirky Suckfizzle brand and Stella Bella Wines in 1999. They were both key players in the establishment of Matilda Bay Brewing Co in the late 1980s before taking up winemaking roles at Voyager Estate and Devil’s Lair, respectively. At Flowstone, their proven partnership will continue to focus on small parcels from vineyards they manage and own. The lead varieties are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, supplemented by unexpected and experimental wines including Gewürtztraminer, Touriga and a Shiraz Grenache blend. Click here to open this episode in your preferred podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Islay’s famous Laphroaig single malt Scotch whisky distillery has featured prominently already in this season of Drinks Adventures. Last episode, we heard how Mighty Craft’s head of distilling operations, George Campbell, got his start in the Scotch whisky industry as a tour guide at Laphroaig. And a few more episodes back we met veteran Scotch distiller John McDougall, who was Laphroaig’s distillery manager between 1970 and 1974. Following the departure of John Campbell in 2021 after 25 years at the company, Barry MacAffer was recently confirmed as the distillery manager who will take Laphroaig into a new era. He joins us this episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast, produced in partnership with Laphroaig. You’ll hear a bit about growing up on Islay and how Barry worked his way up to the top job at Laphroaig, where he started on the malt floors in 2011. We explore what makes Laphroaig unique from other distilleries on Islay; how its production has evolved over time; and some of the whiskies that are currently exciting Barry, like the limited release 10YO Cask Strength that I’ve since confirmed will be making its way to Australia in 2023. And then we get on to Laphroaig’s new Taste Trailblazers program, a global celebration of culinary pioneers pushing the boundaries of flavour. Inspired by Islay, Taste Trailblazers captures the stories of global pioneers who take their passion for taste into areas of salt, fire and peat, the elements that underpin Laphroaig’s singular flavour profile. Francis Mallmann – the world-famous Argentinian chef known for his Patagonian open-fire cooking – has been appointed Laphroaig’s Global Taste Trailblazer. You can watch a really cool documentary on the Drinks Adventures website capturing Francis's journey to Islay as he meets the Laphroaig distillery team and other Islay locals, learning about what makes Laphroaig unique and preparing a meal inspired by his experience. The Taste Trailblazers program is coming to Australia in 2023, and this documentary and podcast interview with Barry MacAffer will give you a little preview of what you can expect from these exciting culinary events. First up though, I asked Barry how it felt to join the distinguished line of distillery managers who have passed down Laphroaig’s whisky-making tradition since its beginnings in 1815. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mighty Craft is an ASX-listed craft drinks company with investments in several distilling brands that have featured previously on this podcast: Hidden Lake Whisky, 78 Degrees and Seven Seasons Spirits. In this episode, we meet Mighty Craft’s head of distilling operations, George Campbell, who joined the business in mid-2021, bringing with him a strong pedigree from the Scotch whisky industry. George started his whisky career as a Trainee Site Operations Manager for Diageo, which comprised multiple leadership roles at distilleries including Talisker, Cardhu and Mannochmore. Most recently, he spent five years at William Grant and Sons, where he led the operations of the Balvenie and Kininvie distilleries for 18 months before moving to the flagship Glenfiddich Distillery.  But whisky was kind of in George’s blood from the very beginning. He’s from Islay, for starters. And his first project for Mighty Craft led him to experience a very different kind of island life, leading the expansion of the Kangaroo Island Spirits distillery and helping establish its whisky program. You’re going to hear all about George’s adventures downunder in this episode, which was produced in partnership with Mighty Craft. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cape Byron Single Malt Whisky is undoubtedly one of the highest profile Australian whisky launches of 2022. This is in no small part due to the involvement of an absolute legend of Scotch whisky, Jim McEwan, previously of the Bowmore, Bruichladdich and Ardnahoe distilleries on Islay. Coming up, you’re going to hear how Jim connected with Australian Eddie Brook, who founded Cape Byron Distillery on his family’s farm in the Byron Bay hinterland in 2016. You might have already come across the Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin that’s been on the market a few years now. And you’re about to be hearing a lot more about its whiskies. Distilled by Eddie with oversight from Jim, the first batch was released in September, and the duo have big plans for their unique expression of Australian single malt. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scarborough Wines was founded by Ian and Merralea Scarborough in the Hunter Valley in 1987. While the Hunter’s regional flagships are clearly semillon and shiraz, Scarborough made its name on chardonnay. Chardonnay is at the fore one again for Scarborough, as the next generation of the family launch a new wine range called Keepers of the Flame. Winemaker Jerome Scarborough and his wife, the renowned viticulturist Liz Riley, are with us this episode of Drinks Adventures. Together with Jerome’s sister, Sally Scarborough – the company’s national sales and marketing manager – they have simultaneously released three chardonnays under the new label from the 2019, 2020 and 2021 vintages. Small parcel releases commanding a price point of $100 a bottle, these wines are a pretty major departure from how the family has done things in the past. The range will showcase distinctive vineyards, different clones, oak treatment, giving the trio freedom to experiment and create something outside of Scarborough house style. I asked Jerome first up how the project was conceived. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this year I had whisky expert Luke McCarthy on the show, to talk about Oz Whisky Review‘s Top Ten Whiskies of the year. Also in that episode, we discussed some exciting news at St Agnes Distillery. We’d both heard that the celebrated producer of fine Australian brandy had some single malt whiskies in the pipeline. Camborne Single Malt Whisky has since been revealed as the brand identity, and the debut releases have quietly been launched on the St Agnes website. There’s four single cask expressions that celebrate the Angove family’s rich heritage in wine and spirits: Brandy Cask, Sherry Cask, Tawny Cask and Shiraz Cask. Stay with me this episode as we meet St Agnes managing director Richard Angove. It’s a brilliant discussion about the latest chapter for St Agnes, a true icon of Australian spirits. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been almost exactly three years since Balter Brewing announced its sale to Carlton & United Breweries. What happens after a buyout like this is always a bit of an unknown. But by all accounts, Balter has been going gangbusters under the new regime. Stirling Howland and Scott Hargrave of Balter are with us this episode of Drinks Adventures. You’re going to hear how CUB’s ownership has introduced Balter’s hop-forward beers to some unlikely venues, with surprising results. But we also explore some of the other contributors to its success. Like the ‘measure twice, cut once’ philosophy that underpins its approach to packaged beer. I'll weigh in with some opinions of my own on that topic, too. And Scott tells us why the ‘haze craze’ is not really a craze, but the latest evolution of the India Pale Ale style. And speaking of style evolutions, I get their thoughts on the Aussie Wheat Ale initiative, which we explored a few episodes ago on this podcast with the participating CUB craft breweries. First up, I asked Stirling whether we’d heard correctly in that episode, that Balter’s Currumbin brewery is struggling to keep up with the popularity of its beers.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You couldn’t find bigger shoes to fill in the Scotch whisky industry than those of Dr Jim Beveridge OBE. Jim retired at the end of 2021 after more than 40 years at Diageo, 20 of which he spent as Master Blender of the world's best-selling Scotch whisky, Johnnie Walker. As previously reported on Drinks Adventures, Jim’s successor is Dr Emma Walker – no relation to Johnnie Walker – who is the first female master blender in the brand’s history. Emma joined Diageo 13 years ago and has worked extensively on Johnnie Walker for the last six years on projects such as the Blue Label Ghost and Rare series and Jane Walker by Johnnie Walker. I’m excited to share this interview with you that I recorded with Emma while she was in Sydney recently. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historic Yarra Valley winery St Huberts has recently had a relaunch. There’s some exciting new wine styles, and a long overdue packaging overhaul. And what was previously a very basic cellar door – in a building affectionately known as ‘the toilet block’ – has been completely redeveloped. St Huberts’ owner Treasury Wine Estates partnered with Ryan Hospitality Group to create its new home comprising a Modern Australian and European-inspired restaurant called Quarters, the Hubert Gallery of Art – which showcases works by Indigenous artists – and of course the revamped St Hubert’s Cellar Door. St Huberts chief winemaker Greg Jarratt joins us on the Drinks Adventures podcast to discuss these exciting changes, and its latest crop of wines including some serious expressions of the regional flagships, pinot noir and chardonnay. There’s also some lesser seen varieties – pinot blanc and pinot meunier ­– and a stellar blanc de noirs sparkling rose from the 2015 vintage. This is a special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with St Huberts. I must confess to not knowing a huge amount about the winery’s back story. So first up, I asked Greg for a potted history, and some insight on what makes St Huberts’ wine style unique. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sydney’s Archie Rose Distilling Company has launched an entirely new range of spirits that aims to offer a more accessible alternative to the mainstream brands that dominate the Australian market. Head distiller Dave Withers returns to the Drinks Adventures podcast to tell us about the new Fundamental Spirits offering. It includes True Cut Vodka, Straight Dry Gin and Double Malt Whisky. They’re designed to be a spirits base for your favourite mixed drinks, and they’re priced at between $55 and $85 each for a 700ml bottle. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that this is pretty sharp pricing for Aussie spirits. This is a special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with Archie Rose. First up, Dave explains what inspired the company’s ambitious move to take on the imported products that still account for more than 90 per cent of these spirit categories in Australia. Click here to open episode in your preferred podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that India is the largest consumer of whisky in the world? There is a caveat on that though. It’s not all whisky as you know it. Mostly it’s what is known as IMFL, or Indian Made Foreign Liquor. In India, there’s very little regulation about what can be put in a bottle and labelled ‘whisky’, particularly for blended whiskies. IMFL is essentially a neutral spirit tinted with caramel colouring and supplemented with something like two to 40 per cent single malt, depending on the price tag.  Unsurprisingly, Indian whisky hasn’t been held in the highest regard. But that’s starting to change, thanks two distilleries in particular: Amrut, and Goa-based Paul John. Launched in 2012, Paul John produces close to 1.2 million litres a year of single malt whisky, which would place it comfortably in Australia’s top five producers in volume terms. Paul John master distiller Michael D’Souza was in Sydney recently. We sat down for this interview about the exciting evolution of Indian whisky. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Melburnian Simone Maynard, aka the Sake Mistress, is the fourth Australian to be awarded the prestigious title of Sake Samurai. Just 70 Sake Samurais worldwide have been inducted by the Japan Sake Brewers Association since the program was introduced in 2005. There are no classes or exams. The award is given to people who champion the culture and identity of sake in Japan and global markets. Simone’s passion for Japanese culture grew from an early love of art and anime, but it was another Australian sake samurai, restaurateur Andre Bishop, who ignited her sake journey at his Melbourne venue Nihonshu in the mid-2000s. Before COVID hit, Simone had made sake a full-time job running events and training sessions for consumers and hospitality staff. In a pandemic pivot, she launched Taste With The Toji, a hugely successful series of online events that connected folks in lockdown with brewers overseas. Soon, drinkers were logging in from Australia, Europe, the United States and other parts of Asia to bond with brewers and learn more about sake. She joins us now to share some unique insights on the Japanese sake industry. You’ll also hear about Simone’s own sake preferences, and get a run down on the Australian sake scene, including some of the top quality examples available locally, and where to find them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you had a chance to try an Aussie Wheat Ale yet? It's going to be the hottest new beer style in Australia this summer – that's if Carlton & United Breweries and retailer Endeavour Group have anything to do with it. Five breweries owned by CUB's craft beer division – Fire & Earth Ventures – have created their own version of what an Australian wheat beer could look like. When I say wheat beer, more than likely you're thinking of a Belgian witbier like Hoegaarden, or a German hefeweizen like Weihenstephaner. And that's part of the problem. By and large, Australians have had an uneasy relationship with these European wheat beer styles that owe much of their flavour and aroma to particular yeasts that produce phenolic characters, which can be quite polarising. Aussie Wheat Ale promises to be something different. The parameters are still very broad, but the crux of it is a new beer style celebrating Australian-grown wheat as its core ingredient, and a more neutral yeast that doesn't get in the way of the hop aromas and flavours that we're more accustomed to. This is a special episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast, produced in partnership with Fire & Earth Ventures. We're joined by Fire & Earth's head of marketing, Andy Vance, and Tina Panoutsos, who is CUB's senior manager of beer knowledge. You might remember I interviewed Tina back in season five of the show. You're also going to hear from all five breweries involved in the project: Matilda Bay, Mountain Goat, Pirate Life, Green Beacon and 4 Pines. First up though, I asked Andy how the project was originally conceived. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fords Gin was founded in 2012 by drinks industry veteran Simon Ford, on the premise of creating the ultimate gin for use in cocktails. Now when I initially heard about that concept, my reaction was, how is that different to other gins already on the market? Aren’t they all designed for mixing? It felt like saying you’ve created the ultimate frankfurt for use in hot dogs. Simon sets me straight this episode as he explains the serious R&D that went into Fords Gin using 150 bartender mates as a consultation panel. Working with 11th-generation distiller Charles Maxwell to balance the botanical recipe, Simon had the bartenders involved in every step, from the liquid to the shape of the bottle. In doing so, they sought to reverse engineer the most practical and versatile cocktail gin in the business. Many of those same bartenders – including King Cocktail himself, the legendary Dale DeGroff – effectively became ambassadors for Fords when they invested their life savings into the company to get it off the ground. Fords Gin was sold to Jack Daniel’s owner Brown-Forman in 2019, but there were plenty of moments where Simon questioned his decision to leave a cushy job at Pernod Ricard for the risky pursuit of spirits entrepreneur. It’s an unglamorous tale of sleeping on couches, indirect budget flights, constantly running out of money and – at one stage – almost losing the business altogether. This is a special episode of Drinks Adventures, created in partnership with Fords Gin. Settle in as we hear about Simon’s exhilarating and exhausting journey, plus his insights on the cocktail renaissance and gin’s crazy evolution over the last decade. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Master distiller John McDougall is one of very few people who has made whisky in every one of Scotland’s distilling regions – that’s Campbeltown, Islay, Highland, Speyside and Lowland — for iconic brands like Laphroaig, Balvenie and Springbank. More recently, he’s had a hand in the Australian whisky industry, helping winemaker John Casella set up the production of Morris Whisky in Victoria, which we talked about on the podcast in 2021 with John Casella, Michael Sergeant and Darren Peck of Morris. The Morris project brought John McDougall back to Australia recently and I managed to get some time with him to record this interview about his distinguished 60-year career. This episode coincides with the launch of a third whisky in Morris’s core range, Morris Sherry Cask. I conducted a separate interview with Michael Sergeant about the new product, and I’ve linked to that article from the show notes. We’ll come to Morris a bit later on in this interview, a front-row account of the renaissance of single malt, as seen by one man from literally every corner of Scotland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2020 was a vintage from hell for Mount Pleasant chief winemaker, Adrian Sparks. On January 7 he made the tough decision not to make any wine from that year’s crop, due to widespread smoke taint. The next day, he found out parent company McWilliam’s was going into administration. Going on three years later, Adrian joins us on the Drinks Adventures podcast with nothing but good news from Mount Pleasant. You heard from the Calabria family last season why they didn’t want to take on Mount Pleasant as part of their acquisition of McWilliam’s Wines. The companies went separate ways after 80 years, and the Hunter Valley winery now has a new lease of life under the ownership of investment group Medich Family Office. The Mediches have gone all in to revitalise the brand, funding a renovation for the cellar door, new viticulture equipment and an optical berry sorter that most winemakers can only dream of. Even the labels have had a revamp, with founder Maurice O’Shea’s family crest back on the bottle.  I started by asking Adrian to fill in the gaps since I last reported on Mount Pleasant in my 2020 podcast documentary on The Rise and Fall of McWilliam’s Wines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Melbourne brewery Mountain Goat sold its first bottle of beer on October 4, 1997, which means the company is currently celebrating its 25th birthday.   That first beer was Hightail Ale. And a few years back, when I put together a list of the most formative beers in modern Australian brewing history, it was right at the top of my ten selections.   I’ve republished that article on the Drinks Adventures website here.   A hell of a lot has changed in the last 25 years since Dave Bonighton and Cam Hines made what was – at the time – a pretty crazy move: Launching full-flavoured craft beers for an Australian public that weren’t really ready for them yet.   This is a special episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast, produced in partnership with Mountain Goat.   In 2015, the company has acquired by Asahi, which today trades locally as Carlton & United Breweries.   Dave and Cam are no longer in the picture so our guest this episode is Alana Rees, head brewer, who is a veteran of the company – she’s been there since before the sale.   Much of our discussion surrounds the evolution of craft beer in Australia, and of the product mix at Mountain Goat. Hightail Ale is no longer in its core range, having made way for some beers that are a little more in keeping with current trends.   But I asked Alana first up what Goat has planned to mark its 25th anniversary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Wadewitz joined Shaw + Smith as senior winemaker in 2013, with a strong pedigree that included stints at Seppelt and Best’s Great Western. Coming up to his 10th anniversary, Adam is now a partner and joint CEO, a role he shares with David LeMire, and he’s helped drive Shaw + Smith’s evolution into one of Australia’s most exciting wine companies. Shortly before Adam joined, Shaw + Smith founders Martin Shaw and Michael Hill-Smith purchased one of Tasmania’s top sites for chardonnay and pinot noir, the Tolpuddle Vineyard. And in 2015, the group started The Other Wine Co. as a vehicle for experimenting with some different varieties and wine styles. Shaw + Smith is currently celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Tolpuddle wines, and its expansion into the McLaren Vale region, with the acquisition of an esteemed vineyard in the Blewitt Springs sub-region. They’ve titled it MMAD – that’s M-M-A-D – an acronym of Martin, Michael, Adam and David. It’s planted to grenache, shiraz and chenin, and the debut wines have just hit the market. That’s coming up later in the interview. But given Adam is originally from McLaren Vale, I asked him how he came to spend most of his winemaking career working in cooler climate regions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest this episode is Trent Fraser, who is heading up the groundbreaking Australian Agave Project for Top Shelf International. When we spoke in early September, Trent was getting ready to unveil the brand identity for the project, which has since been revealed as Act of Treason Australian Agave Spirit. It’s the first agave spirit produced at scale in Australia, and the largest agave spirit project outside Mexico. Top Shelf — the ASX-listed company behind Ned Whisky and Grainshaker Vodka — has planted more than 500,000 blue weber agaves at its Eden Lassie farm in Far North Queensland, with one million to be planted by the end of 2024. It was the project that lured Trent home after 20-plus years in New York, where he worked for LVMH — Moét Hennessy Louis Vuitton — first on Dom Perignon Champagne, and then the Volcan Tequila brand, which he helped build from scratch. So this isn’t Trent’s first rodeo. And coming up, you'll hear why he’s so confident about the prospects for an Australian product that isn’t trying to be tequila or mezcal, but rather our own regional expression of agave, a spirit category that is currently booming worldwide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You probably know by now that Fever-Tree are big supporters of Drinks Adventures. In fact I can say without any exaggeration that I would not be sitting here talking to you if it hadn’t been for their support over the last few years, so thanks very much to Andy and Caroline at Fever-Tree Australia. Given this relationship I reckon it’s overdue that we get Fever-Tree ambassador Trish Brew on for a short chat about one of their new mixers. And this is a product I’m personally excited about, Fever-Tree Distillers Cola. I do enjoy my dark spirits and it’s surely time we had a cola that was purpose built for mixing with the premium products we’re drinking these days. Fever-Tree Distillers Cola is made up of Caribbean Kola Nuts, Tahitian Limes, and a selection of distilled botanicals and spices, resulting in a deliciously rich and balanced mixer for your favourite dark spirits. With no artificial sweeteners or colours, Distillers Cola allows the ingredients to speak for themselves with top notes of refreshing lime, complex spices and a hint of vanilla to finish. Where leading cola brands use their strong flavour profiles to mask the flavour of spirits, Distillers Cola has been designed to complement and elevate the flavour of whiskies from the finest distilleries around the world. With whisky and cola making up 28 per cent of all mixed drinks, Distillers Cola fits perfectly into the Fever-Tree range to accommodate dark spirits drinkers who want to mix with the best. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

China drinks expert Ian Ford previously joined us on Drinks Adventures in June 2020. The plan was to get his insights about the pandemic’s likely impact on the drinks industry, but it turned into a really interesting discussion about wine, spirits and beer consumption trends in China, more generally. This is another update on the dynamic Chinese drinks market, including moves by spirits giants Diageo and Pernod Ricard to establish single malt distilleries there, and the opportunities Ian can see for Australian distillers. First off though, we get Ian’s thoughts on the news that Australian icon Penfolds is set to make wine in China. It’s a bid to circumvent the punitive Chinese tariffs implemented on Australian wine imports in August 2021. I started by asking Ian whether he was surprised at the severity of those tariffs, and the ripple effect for the global wine market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s not every day one of the Blues Brothers serenades you down the phone line. But that’s how things play out in the opening episode of Season 14 of Drinks Adventures, as we head to Ontario, Canada, to talk with actor, musician and comedian Dan Aykroyd. Dan is on the show primarily to talk about vodka, specifically Crystal Head Vodka, the brand he founded in 2008, long before the recent groundswell of Hollywood actors getting into the distilling business. We also get an update on his business interests in Canadian wine, and the challenges of launching the new Ghostbusters film during the pandemic. And I took the opportunity to ask Dan his thoughts on Belushi, the documentary on his late friend and collaborator, John Belushi, released in 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Irish whiskey is the fastest-growing spirit category in the world, with sales to the US predicted to overtake Scotch whisky by 2030. It’s a remarkable turnaround for an industry that went through decades of decline. In 2010 there were only four operational Irish whiskey distilleries on the island of Ireland, north and south. Today there are more than 40, producing a much wider array of whiskey styles than the lighter, sweeter taste profile the country is known for. We’ll explore some of the heritage and production quirks that make Irish whiskey unique in this special episode of Drinks Adventures, made possible by the support of the Irish Whiskey Association. You’ll meet its chief executive, William Lavelle, along with representatives from some emerging Irish whiskey brands: Teeling, Slane, Boann and The Dubliner. William gets us underway with an overview of the association and its remit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices