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