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 ALERT

We’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 HERE

We 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 Vibes

00:23 Rugby Reality Check: Dreading the England Match

00:43 Glasgow’s Pot Still Love-In: Pies, Beans & Whisky Bar Chat

02:00 Valentine’s Weekend Welcome + A Pink Port-Cask Promise

02:36 Big News: Thompson Brothers Live Tasting (Craigellachie, Mar 26)

03:52 Spirit of Speyside Prep: Uploading Events & Hosting Nine Tastings

04:47 Meet the Guest: David Stirk Returns to the Podcast

06:32 How It Started: A Glenlivet 21 Dram That Changed Everything

09:35 Breaking In: Speyside Festival Tastings to Whisky Magazine Days

11:28 Detours & Turning Points: America, 9/11, Cadenhead’s & Campbeltown

14:14 Writing Whisky Books: Campbeltown, Publishing Realities & Archives

19:16 Where He’s At Now: Master’s in History & The Drive to Carve Your Path

21:33 Next Up: What Exactly Is Creative Whisky?

21:49 The cask sample that sparked the idea to create whisky

22:22 Early indie bottling struggles: price pushback & skeptical drinkers

23:48 Why indie bottlers are booming now (and how big brands see them)

27:20 Back to uni: the whisky history books David wants to write

29:57 State of the industry: SWA numbers, India, and the next-gen drinking shift

34:15 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 dissertation

39:47 Wrap-up & host banter: upcoming trips, Islay stories, and next episode tease

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