Ulysses Whiskey x Art is a new whiskey journey that celebrates James Joyce's great work in a unique way. The first whiskey release is available to buy in advance now ahead of a release date on Blooms Day this year, you can also buy the whole range of 18 whiskeys in advance from celticwhiskeyshop.com The concept behind each whiskey 'episode' is both complex and intruiging. It is a story in itself and is definitely something that is best explained by the company's founder Paul Dubsky....

Westward Whiskey and their parent company have been distilling in Portland Oregon since 2004, and they take a slightly different slant on your usual American Whiskey with their entire focus being on single malt production. It wasn't always that way however, and in the way that has become customary they also started off distilling gin to make ends meet while the whiskey matured. Their gin brand was a major success and means that they can now concentrate on what Miles Munroe and his team are...

*Now with improved audio* We caught up with Brian Nation and Patrick O'Shaughnessy during their whistle-stop tour of Ireland. A big milestone for the distillery, this was their launch of their first whiskeys which are named Keeper's Heart Irish + Bourbon and Keeper's Heart Irish + American. We conducted this interview in the Celtic Whiskey Shop the day after a great tasting event organised by the shop and held in Lost Lane. There's a great story to hear in the episode and a great future...

It was well overdue that we talked to Clonakilty Distillery to find out all about the distillery and their award winning spirit. Housed in a building that was originally meant to be a bank, it has been making spirit since 2019 and in theory is now old enough to be released as whiskey. Oisín joined the team in 2022 and has been very involved in all aspects of production. We talk in the podcast about his own journey through whiskey, and the farm to glass aspect of Clonakilty. Then about...

India is one of the most exciting emerging producers of single malt whisky. It is a country that consumes an incredible amount of whisky but that is mostly domestic blends and a number of Scottish blended whiskies. On the international market it is a different story and malt whisk(e)y drinkers across the world are slowly discovering that India has something new to offer, with a broad range of flavour profiles and expressions to be enjoyed. Paul John Distillery are one of the international...

In this 7th episode of our second series Al Higgins talks to Sarah Dowling from Cooley Distillery. Since joining the company Sarah has reached the role of Head Distiller and Blender at Cooley. She overseas the operations and also is in charge of blending an chosing casks for their bottlings. We talk about her career which started in Scotland but eventually brought her back home to Ireland, about the art of blending, current challenges facing distillers and a lot more. Listen on to hear about...

In episode 6 of series 2 Al Higgins speaks to Brendan McBride from the Crolly/Croithlí distillery in Donegal. We first sampled the new releases from Crolly at Whiskey Live in June this year and were impressed by their new approach of ageing their whiskeys in different species of oak. Yes, it's been done in various guises as seperate releases from other distillers, but Crolly have aged three identical whiskeys simultaneously in three different oak species and released them at the same time....

In episode 5 of our second series, I talk to two coopers working in different areas of the Irish whiskey trade. Wood is such an important part of the whiskey making process and without good quality casks we would not have all the wonderfully diverse brands of whiskey available to try.  Ger Buckley probably needs no introduction. He is a 5th generation cooper working at Midleton Distillery and has been a great ambassador for the distillery and Irish whiskey in general. I was struck by his...

Irish wine, whilst very much an emerging category, is already making waves and impressing consumers and restaurateurs. In episode 4 of series two we talk to two of the pioneers in bringing Irish wine to the masses.  First up we visited David Llewellyn of Llewellyn's Orchard. On his farm in Lusk, County Dublin he grows grapes in the open air and also under the cover of polytunnels. We hear about David's journey through winemaking, his experiences through different vintages and how the weather...

In the third episode of series two I speak to Peter Mulryan from Blackwater Distillery. Peter has gone from working as a TV producer to writing about whiskey in his book 'The Whiskeys of Ireland', and then onto distilling gin and whiskey at his own Blackwater Distillery in County Waterford.  We talk about Peter's love for crafting and innovating unique spirits, about vintage pot still recipes and the changes to the current governing technical file, then onto the new whiskeys Blackwater will...

Fionnán O’Connor first became well-known for his ground breaking whiskey book A Glass Apart which was a timely chronicle on single pot still whiskey just as it was about to start its current renaissance period.  Not content with his first book he has since gone on to research the rich history of Irish whiskey and specifically the grains that were used by long lost distilleries in their pot still mash bills.  A lengthy process of going through extensive archives has now reached its endgame...

Welcome back to the second series of the Celtic Whiskey Pod. In our first episode we are fortunate to be talking John Campbell from the Lochlea Distillery in Ayrshire. As the former Head of Distilling at Laphroaig he is vastly experienced and brings his knowledge and expertise to his new role. Lochlea launched their first release towards the end of January and it proved to be one of the fastest selling initial releases ever. Don't worry though! There will be more coming later this year.  It...

This is the second chapter of our double-header podcast with Mark Reynier from Waterford Distillery in Ireland and Renegade Rum Distillery in Grenada. In this podcast we delve into the concept of Terroir (soil, microclimate, terrain and latitude etc) and how it has an effect on distilling from both barley and sugar cane. I myself have been a sceptic on this topic in the past but a recent paper commissioned by Waterford has proven that Terroir does change the character of spirit. We discuss...

In this first instalment of a double-header we talk to Mark Reynier, former major stakeholder of Bruichladdich Distillery and now owner of Waterford Distillery in Ireland and the new Renegade Rum Distillery in Grenada. Mark has had quite a journey through various facets of the drinks industry. It would seem that at times he has been in the right place at the right time, but in reality he is one of those rare people who seem to be able to spot opportunities where many others see potential...

In episode 13 we talk to Alex Chasko Master Distiller and Blender at the Teeling Whiskey Company. Alex has been in charge of the distilling and maturation programme at Teeling since the company was founded in 2012 and the distillery was commissioned in 2015. He started off as a brewer in Portland Oregon and went on to study distilling at Herriot Watt before joining The Kilbeggan Distilling Company (aka Cooley Distillery). It is his work at Teeling that has been most noticeable and in many...

In episode 12 we talk to Carol Quinn from the Midleton Archive. With documents and artifacts dating back to the infancy of Irish Whiskey this valuable record has been a source of fascination, inspiration and education for whiskey makers and enthusiasts since Carol's work started approximately 10 years ago. Recently the Jameson employee records have been made available through the Ancestry website and these can be found at https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61942/. We talk about...

Darryl McNally is well known as former Master Distiller at Dublin Liberties Distillery but earlier this he left the company to pursue the dream of creating his own whiskey. In this episode we talk to Darryl about the imminent release of Limavady Irish Whiskey and about his plans for the brand in both the short term and long term. There's an interesting link up with Whistle Pig Distillery in Vermont that ensures great distribution across the USA, and that is where Darryl talked to us from. In...

For episode ten Al Higgins and Luke Crowley-Holland spoke to 6th generation distiller Pádraic Ó'Griallais. They discuss some of the myths and legends of Poitín, its origins and the future of this unique drink. Micil Distillery is the first distillery to make whiskey in Galway for 100 years and we talk about the future, the whiskey, the poitín and a lot more! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/celtic-whiskey-pod/message

In this, our ninth episode, we talk about the 'King of Wines' otherwise known as Tokaji with Laszlo Meszaros managing director of Disznoko. Tokaji has a rich history and is one of the oldest recognised styles of wine in the world. The Tokaj area has a unique combination of micro climate and soils that help create sweet wines that are made using grapes affected by Noble Rot. At the zenith of these wines sits the mythical Essencia Tokaji which is so sweet and concentrated that it is most...

Join Al Higgins and Julie Christie as we talk to Stewart Buchanan from Benriach, Glendronach and Glenglassaugh distilleries. In this episode we discuss the rebirth and rise in popularity of the distilleries, with some great descriptions of the spirit types from Stewart and a lot more. We discuss the revamped Benriach range and the changes happening across the three distilleries under their owners Brown-Forman.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/celtic-whiskey-pod/message

'There has never been a better time to drink sherry' is a phrase I have heard often in the last few years, and now at the tail end of the pandemic these words would seem to ring truer than ever. With plenty of mature stock and affordable prices there is a great opportunity for wine lovers to explore this category some more. Who better to discuss this fascinating world than Eduardo Ojeda Cebrián, founder of the quirky and innovative independent bottler Equipo Navazos? Eduardo and his team are...

Exciting times are afoot at Bushmills with the launch of new whiskeys such as the Causeway Collection and a new variety of wood finished blends. It was a fitting time to talk to the person behind these new expressions, Master Blender Helen Mulholland. Join myself (Al Higgins) and Luke Crowley Holland from the Celtic Whiskey Bar and Larder as we talk to Helen about these great new releases, the past, present and future at Bushmills and much more. Sláinte. --- Send in a voice message:...

In episode five of the Celtic Whiskey Pod we talk to Alejandro Aispuro who is a distiller, educator and communicator on Mexican spirits. To celebrate the Cinco de Mayo we expected a celebration of all things Mexican, but our conversation became more and more fascinating as we discovered what is going on in the fields of Oaxaca and Jalisco. In this episode we discovered a huge amount about Mezcal, Tequila and other Mexican spirits. Alejandro is an enthusiast who also feels we should have a...

In this episode we talk to Raúl Bobet an Oenologist and scientist who part owns two wineries in Spain: Castell D'encus and Ferrer-Bobet. He studied at UC Davis in California and was head wine maker and technical director at Miguel Torres for many years before he left to concentrate on his own wine businesses. He is widely regarded as one of the most talented wine makers in Spain, and maybe the world. Raúl has a passion and curiousity that has led to some interesting and delicious wines that...