Anthony Wills is the founder and creator of Kilchoman Single Malt Scotch Whisky, the first new distillery to be built on Islay since 1908. His previous career in wine sales led him to delve into independent whisky bottling ventures. And with deep roots to Islay through his wife’s family, the grand idea to open a new distillery actualized in 2005. The unique profile of Kilchoman is textured, rich, and elegant. And even more unique is their Islay Barley bottling, in which all of the barley is grown on their farm at the distillery. We chat fear of failing, tinkering, Sherry, and more.
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Ep 329 – Lynne McEwan: The Soul of the Island
Lynne McEwan is the global marketing manager for the outstanding Bruichladdich distillery. Lynne has grown up in the distillery and after some time away to explore the world at large, she returned to find her place on the team. A self-proclaimed “provocateur” Lynne’s voracious love of reading and learning injects new ideas into the projects at Bruichladdich. In her first trip to Texas, we chat about technology, peat, learning, and more……
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Ep 312 – James Saxon: A Tale of Two Blends
I always applaud transparency and creativity in spirits. And in the world of Scotch, sometimes a different approach is the breath of fresh air we all need. This is Compass Box. James Saxon, assistant whisky blender at Compass Box, has an interesting background and introduction into blending. As a literature student, he quite literally looked for alcoholic references in books and translated how that reflected a characters significance. Compass Box has recently created new packaging and new blends for their flagship Artist’s Blend and Glasgow Blend. But why 2 blends, why 2 cities? James tells all as we sip through the 2 delicious marks. We chat colors, season, and the…
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Ep 282 – John Campbell: A Different Kind of Island Life
John Campbell has lived on the wee island of Islay his entire life. Ensconced in the culture of Scotch production, fishing, and shepherding, Mr. Campbell couldn’t represent the tradition of Laphroaig any deeper. Working his way through all positions at the distillery, John now travels the world talking about the delicious world of peat, and the exceptional liquid that is Laphroaig. What has the 25+ years at the distillery taught him? We chat fatherhood, inspiration, numbers, and more.
