Whiskey Chats
Food
About
Join me, Laurie O'Dwyer, on my whiskey apprenticeship, as I have a bit of craic chatting to guests about all things whiskey and spirits.
Episodes
- My Irish Whiskey Association Chat with Director Eoin O'Catháin
Join me for My Irish Whiskey Association Chat with Director Eoin O'Catháin. Eoin has been Director of the IWA for over 2.5 years. We sat for a chat in a busy Doheny & Nesbitt pub on Dublin's Baggot St, a real charming boozer in the heart o…
- My Harbourview Whiskey Hotel Chat with Adrian McLaughlin
Join me for My Harbourview Whiskey Hotel Chat with Adrian McLaughlin. Adrian, along with a few other lads, has created Ireland's first whiskey hotel, above in Co Antrim. The hotel has an amazing Wee Bar, to chill out in. A hugely diverse s…
- My Bushmills Chat with Master Distiller Colum Egan
Join me for My Bushmills Chat with Master Distiller Colum Egan. Colum has worked at Bushmills Distillery since the 90's, before becoming Master Distiller in 2002. He grew up in Portarlington, Co Laois, but a local Antrim girl drew him Nort…
- My Bushmills Cooper Chat with Alastair Kane
Join me for My Bushmills Cooper Chat with Alastair Kane. Alastair has worked in Bushmills Distillery for nearly 50yrs..!! He grew up in Bushmills village, a mere stone's throw from Bushmills Distillery, where he played as a kid. In 2012 he…
- My Bushmills Chat with 92yr old Les Duthie
Join me for My Bushmills Chat with Les Duthie. Les Duthie was the Bushmills Distillery manager from the early 70's until the mid-90's. He is 92 yrs young and has a memory like an elephant. I went and sat with Les at his home in Bushmills v…
- My Pub Chat with Stephen Magennis from Echlinville Distillery
Join me for My Pub Chat with Stephen Magennis from Echlinville Distillery. I met up with Steve in The Duke of York pub in Belfast city centre, truly one of the best decorated pubs on the island. Just amazing place to sit. We took up reside…
- My Killowen Distillery Chat with Patrick Grey Sloan
Join me for My Killowen Distillery Chat with Patrick Grey Sloan, Killowen's newest distiller. I called up to Killowen Distillery, a you do, on a typically cold, wintry day, but still got a warm welcome as always. Patrick showed me around t…
- My Garden Chat with JP, Dan & Paulie
Join me for My Garden Chat with JP O'Riordan, Dan Pennington & Paulie Costello. We met up in my back garden at Xmas time 2025 and cracked open a lash of amazing liquids to chat and banter about. We got a few things right, I got a few thing…
- My Church of Oak Distillery Chat with Greg McEntee, Head Distiller
Join me for My Church of Oak Distillery Chat with Greg McEntee, Head Distiller. The Church of Oak distillery in Monasterevin, Co Kildare started operations in 2022 and they have been quietly producing multigrain whiskey and maturing it in…
- My Cooperage Chat with Mark Quick
Join me for My Cooperage Chat with Mark Quick. Mark is the Managing Sales Director for Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Cooperage in Newbridge, Co Kildare. KBB is one of two commercial cooperages in the Republic that services the drinks industry wi…
- My Rum Chat with Mike Gilmore & Jason Kidd
Join me for My Rum Chat with Mike Gilmore & Jason Kidd. Mike Gilmore is an ex-cop from California, who moved to rural Wyoming and opened a liquor store. But he developed a fascination for flavour and founded an Independent bottling company…
- My Live Chat with Ger Buckley, Midleton's Master Cooper
Join me for My Live Chat with Ger Buckley, Midleton's Master Cooper. I was asked to host a whiskey event at the Cork on a Fork food festival in Cork city in Aug 2025. I decided to do a Live Podcast episode in the iconic Hi-B bar in the hea…
- My Snug Chat with Jim Arnoldt
Join me for My Snug Chat with Jim Arnoldt. I met up with Jim at Belfast Whiskey Week 2025 in the popular food market, the Common Market, at the Cocktail Takeover event. We sat outside the packed event, on the roadside tables and I had a ba…
- My Midleton Cooper Chat with Derek Cronin
Join me for My Midleton Cooper Chat with Derek Cronin. This is my second Chat with Derek, but the first since he qualified as a Cooper..! Derek is now a Cooper, a barrel maker, in Midleton Distillery. He can now proudly say he apprenticed…
- My Garden Chat with Dean Fitzgerald & Cathal O'Brien part 2
Join me for My Garden Chat with Dean Fitzgerald & Cathal O'Brien part 2. Dean Fitzgerald runs the Whiskey Appreciation Society pages on Social Media platforms. He does a great job bringing people along his whiskey journey and helping to pr…
- My Stonewell Cider & Brandy Chat with Diarmuid Madden
Join me for My Stonewell Cider & Brandy Chat with Diarmuid Madden. Diarmuid is a Production Operator at Stonewell Cidery in Carrigaline, Cork. They produce an amzing array of quality ciders. Orr Apple Brandy is their new venture, their own…
- My Garden Chat with Dean Fitzgerald & Cathal O'Brien pt 1
Join me for My Garden Chat with Dean & Cathal pt 1. Dean Fitzgerald runs the Whiskey Appreciation Society pages on Social Media platforms. He does a great job bringing people along hi journey with him and helping to promote Irish brands. I…
- My Midleton Micro Distillery Chat with Barrett Stapleton
Join me for My Midleton Micro Distillery Chat with Barrett Stapleton - Head Distiller in the Micro. Barrett originally hails from the US and has beat a really interesting path to his current position in Midleton Distillery. He came back to…
- My Stonewell Cidery Chat with Daniel Emerson
Join me for My Stonewell Cidery Chat with Daniel Emerson. Founded by Daniel and Geraldine Emerson in 2009, Stonewell is a small family-run cider producer. Their story began with an old French press and apple mill from Geraldine's Loire Val…
- My Spot Whiskey Chat with Robert Mitchell
Join me for My Spot Whiskey Chat with Robert Mitchell. Robert Mitchell is the 7th generation of his family to run Mitchell & Son Wine and Spirits Merchants in Dublin city centre. Mitchell's have left a huge legacy in their wake on Irish wh…
- My Mourne Dew Distillery Chat with Donal Farrell
Join me for My Mourne Dew Distillery Chat with Donal Farrell. Mourne Dew was founded in 2017 by Donal Farrell, a former barrister and chartered accountant. His inspiration came from an unexpected place—a court case involving cold distillat…
- My Hinch Distillery Chat with Emma Millar
Join me for My Hinch Distillery Chat with Emma Millar. Emma Millar is a senior distiller since 2020, at the beautiful Hinch Distillery in Co. Down, founded by Dr Terry Cross in 2019. It is clearly a labour of love. The detail and scale of…
- My Ardara Distillery Chat with James Doherty
Join me for My Ardara Distillery Chat with James Doherty. James and Moira O'Doherty founded Sliabh Liag Distillers and began releasing their Silkie range of sourced smoky whiskeys, just as the covid lockdown hit, as well as An Dúlamán Iris…
- My Chat with Tara Clarke from Dair Nua Cooperage
Join me for My Chat with Tara Clarke from Dair Nua Cooperage. Tara is the National Sales Manager at the cooperage. She is the conduit between the barrels they source, import, fix, care for and distribute to most of our favourite distilleri…
- My Master Cooper Chat with Darren Leonard
Join me for My Master Cooper Chat with Darren Leonard. Darren is a Master Cooper, not Head Cooper, above in Dair Nua Cooperage in Foxford, Co Mayo. He is a Master Cooper because he has successfully qualified an apprentice underneath him. H…
- My Palace Bar Chat with Stephen, Michael & Micháel
Join me for My Palace Bar Chat with Stephen Randles, Michael Cowman & Micháel O'Flaherty. We met up in The Palace Bar on Fleet St in Dublin city centre. Owner and publican Willie Ahern kindly allowed us to use the private Power's whiskey r…
- My Boann Distillery Chat with Pat Cooney
Join me for My Boann Distillery Chat with Pat Cooney. Pat Cooney is the Patriarch of Boann Distillery, having founded it in 2019, alongside his family. Pat has been in the drinks industry in Ireland since the 1970's. We discuss on the epis…
- My Achill Island Distillery Chat with Seán & Michael McKay
Join me for My Achill Island Distillery Chat with Seán & Michael McKay. I recently visited this picturesque island distillery in beautiful county Mayo, just off the west coast of Ireland, by bridge. Seán and Michael McKay are brothers. The…
- My Lough Mask Distillery Chat with Andrew Bourke-Hastings
Join me for My Lough Mask Distillery Chat with Andrew Bourke-Hastings, Head Distiller. I recently visited this picturesque, yet industrial, distillery in beautiful county Mayo, surrounded on all sides by gorgeous lakes and mountains. Andre…
- My Micil Distillery Chat with Pádraic Ó'Griallais
Join me for My Micil Distillery Chat with Pádraic Ó'Griallais. I visited Micil Distillery, based out the back of the Oslo Bar, in the heart of Salthill just outside Galway city, in January 2024. This is a really charming, boutique distille…
- My Midleton Distillery Garden Chat with Barry, Dan, Paul & Mark
Join me for My Midleton Distillery Garden Chat with Barry Chandler, Dan Pennington, Paul Costello and Mark Lonergan. I set up a marquee out my back garden over Xmas 2024. The lads called up, Dan was on BBQ duty, I made Belfast Coffees, we…
- My Eimverk Distillery Chat with Eva Sigurbjornsdottir in Iceland
Join me for My Eimverk Distillery Chat with Eva Sigurbjornsdottir, in Reykjavik, Iceland. Eimverk produce Floki Whisky, which is famous for their sheep dung smoked whisky and many other amazing spirits. My wife Sonya and I recently visited…
- My Islay Garden Chat with Dan, Paulie, Matt & Aidan
Join me for My Islay Garden Chat with Dan Pennington, Paulie Costello, Matt Kelleher & Aidan McGovern. On a recent pilgrimage to the magical whisky island of Islay, off the coast of Scotland, with a couple of good buddies, we sat out the b…
- My Ardbeg Distillery Chat with Jackie Thomson
Join me for My Ardbeg Distillery Chat with Jackie Thomson, Visitor Centre Manager. On a recent pilgrimage to the magical whisky island of Islay, off the coast of Scotland, with a couple of good buddies - Dan, Paulie, Matt and Aidan, we vis…
- My Chat with Derek Mather in The Laddie Snug at Artisan
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 Wi…
- My Belfast Chat in The Friend at Hand with Jim, Mark & Séamus
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…
- My Chat with Willie Jack in The Friend at Hand in Belfast
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 ambassad…
- My Live Festival Chat with Noel Sweeney - Master Distiller
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…
- My Live Chat at Cork on a Fork Festival
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 fro…
- My McConnell's Distillery Chat with Graham Millar, Head Distiller
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 a…
- My Cask Chat with Gary Ring in Boann Distillery
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…
- My Titanic Distillery Chat with Damien Rafferty
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…
- My Copeland Distillery Chat with Gareth Irvine
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 a…
- My Cooley Distillery Chat with Sarah Dowling, Head Blender
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…
- My Wee Pub Chat with Anthony & Katie Sheehy
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 Chandle…
- My Kilbeggan Distillery Chat with Tracey Clarke
Join me for My Distillery Chat with Tracey Clarke in Kilbeggan. Tracey has worked as a Tour Guide in Kilbeggan Distillery for over 23yrs. She is part of the local community and would have grown up knowing it as the Old Locke's Distillery,…
- My Chat with Enguerrand Vandenbossche
Join me for My Chat with Enguerrand Vandenbossche. Enguerrand is a French trained cooper, who was the Head Cooper in Tullamore Dew Distillery until 2022, owned by Beam Suntory, after working in France and for a time in Scotland at some of…
- My Slane Distillery Chat with Gearóid Cahill, Head Distiller
Join me for My Distillery Chat with Gearóid Cahill in Slane Distillery. Gearóid is one of the only Master Brewers AND Master Distillers working in the alcohol industry. He spent nearly 20yrs as one of Diageo's top brewers, before going to…
- My Stillgarden Distillery Chat with Connor Howlett
Join me for My Distillery Chat with Connor Howlett at Stillgarden Distillery, in the heart of Dublin city. Connor has worked as a brand ambassador and chief gardener at Stillgarden for a couple of years now, after he finished his English a…
- My Historic Bottle Chat with Leo Phelan
Join me for My Historic Bottle Chat with Leo Phelan. Leo is a lifelong whiskey enthusiast. He has been knee deep in the Irish whiskey world for over 20yrs. He is a founding member and former president of the Irish Whiskey Society. He has b…