CHATTING ABOUT THE WHISKY WORLD WITH DAVID STIRK

This week Mitch sits down with David Stirk — whisky writer, independent bottler, whisky historian — for a wide-ranging conversation on Campbeltown, the rise (and early struggles) of indie bottlers, and where the Scotch industry is and might actually be heading.From his first life-changing dram of Glenlivet 21 in 1996 to building Creative Whisky, rewriting the history of Campbeltown, and diving into a Master’s in History to sharpen his research, this episode covers David's graft, controversy, and some properly strong opinions about surplus production and the future of Scotch.Before all that, though…Daz and Mitch chat about existential dread about Scotland’s rugby chances. Standard start to the week and kick of with with winter vibes, whisky chat, and a public service announcement about the pies at Glasgow’s Pot Still (worth the train fare alone).LIVE TASTING ALERTWe’re hosting the Thompson Brothers (Phil & Simon) at the Craigellachie Hotel on March 26th at 7pm. It will be loud, it will be chaotic, it will sell out. Tickets at notanotherwhiskypodcast.com or via the Instagram link.BUY TICKETS HEREWe also get into Spirit of Speyside prep — nine events hosted by us this year, four live podcast tastings, and listings landing mid-February. If last year’s sell-outs taught us anything… move fast.00:00 Snowy Speyside Catch-Up: Whisky, Fire & Winter Vibes00:23 Rugby Reality Check: Dreading the England Match00:43 Glasgow’s Pot Still Love-In: Pies, Beans & Whisky Bar Chat02:00 Valentine’s Weekend Welcome + A Pink Port-Cask Promise02:36 Big News: Thompson Brothers Live Tasting (Craigellachie, Mar 26)03:52 Spirit of Speyside Prep: Uploading Events & Hosting Nine Tastings04:47 Meet the Guest: David Stirk Returns to the Podcast06:32 How It Started: A Glenlivet 21 Dram That Changed Everything09:35 Breaking In: Speyside Festival Tastings to Whisky Magazine Days11:28 Detours & Turning Points: America, 9/11, Cadenhead’s & Campbeltown14:14 Writing Whisky Books: Campbeltown, Publishing Realities & Archives19:16 Where He’s At Now: Master’s in History & The Drive to Carve Your Path21:33 Next Up: What Exactly Is Creative Whisky?21:49 The cask sample that sparked the idea to create whisky22:22 Early indie bottling struggles: price pushback & skeptical drinkers23:48 Why indie bottlers are booming now (and how big brands see them)27:20 Back to uni: the whisky history books David wants to write29:57 State of the industry: SWA numbers, India, and the next-gen drinking shift34:15 Book plug: David Stirk’s whisky library (and what each one covers)36:41 What’s next: festivals, Little Brown Dog, and a Glasgow distilling dissertation39:47 Wrap-up & host banter: upcoming trips, Islay stories, and next episode teaseHosted 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: [email protected]📲 Follow us on InstagramSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/not-another-whisky-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.