Drinks Adventures - Wine, beer, whisky, gin & more with James Atkinson

Cape Byron Single Malt Whisky is undoubtedly one of the highest profile Australian whisky launches of 2022. This is in no small part due to the involvement of an absolute legend of Scotch whisky, Jim McEwan, previously of the Bowmore, Bruichladdich and Ardnahoe distilleries on Islay. Coming up, you’re going to hear how Jim connected with Australian Eddie Brook, who founded Cape Byron Distillery on his family’s farm in the Byron Bay hinterland in 2016. You might have already come across the Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin that’s been on the market a few years now. And you’re about to be hearing a lot more about its whiskies. Distilled by Eddie with oversight from Jim, the first batch was released in September, and the duo have big plans for their unique expression of Australian single malt. Click here to open episode in your podcast player.

Scarborough Wines was founded by Ian and Merralea Scarborough in the Hunter Valley in 1987. While the Hunter’s regional flagships are clearly semillon and shiraz, Scarborough made its name on chardonnay. Chardonnay is at the fore one again for Scarborough, as the next generation of the family launch a new wine range called Keepers of the Flame. Winemaker Jerome Scarborough and his wife, the renowned viticulturist Liz Riley, are with us this episode of Drinks Adventures. Together with Jerome’s sister, Sally Scarborough – the company’s national sales and marketing manager – they have simultaneously released three chardonnays under the new label from the 2019, 2020 and 2021 vintages. Small parcel releases commanding a price point of $100 a bottle, these wines are a pretty major departure from how the family has done things in the past. The range will showcase distinctive vineyards, different clones, oak treatment, giving the trio freedom to experiment and create something outside of Scarborough house style. I asked Jerome first up how the project was conceived. Click here to open episode in your podcast player.

Earlier this year I had whisky expert Luke McCarthy on the show, to talk about Oz Whisky Review‘s Top Ten Whiskies of the year. Also in that episode, we discussed some exciting news at St Agnes Distillery. We’d both heard that the celebrated producer of fine Australian brandy had some single malt whiskies in the pipeline. Camborne Single Malt Whisky has since been revealed as the brand identity, and the debut releases have quietly been launched on the St Agnes website. There’s four single cask expressions that celebrate the Angove family’s rich heritage in wine and spirits: Brandy Cask, Sherry Cask, Tawny Cask and Shiraz Cask. Stay with me this episode as we meet St Agnes managing director Richard Angove. It’s a brilliant discussion about the latest chapter for St Agnes, a true icon of Australian spirits. Click here to open episode in your podcast player.

It’s been almost exactly three years since Balter Brewing announced its sale to Carlton & United Breweries. What happens after a buyout like this is always a bit of an unknown. But by all accounts, Balter has been going gangbusters under the new regime. Stirling Howland and Scott Hargrave of Balter are with us this episode of Drinks Adventures. You’re going to hear how CUB’s ownership has introduced Balter’s hop-forward beers to some unlikely venues, with surprising results. But we also explore some of the other contributors to its success. Like the ‘measure twice, cut once’ philosophy that underpins its approach to packaged beer. I'll weigh in with some opinions of my own on that topic, too. And Scott tells us why the ‘haze craze’ is not really a craze, but the latest evolution of the India Pale Ale style. And speaking of style evolutions, I get their thoughts on the Aussie Wheat Ale initiative, which we explored a few episodes ago on this podcast with the participating CUB craft breweries. First up, I asked Stirling whether we’d heard correctly in that episode, that Balter’s Currumbin brewery is struggling to keep up with the popularity of its beers.

You couldn’t find bigger shoes to fill in the Scotch whisky industry than those of Dr Jim Beveridge OBE. Jim retired at the end of 2021 after more than 40 years at Diageo, 20 of which he spent as Master Blender of the world's best-selling Scotch whisky, Johnnie Walker. As previously reported on Drinks Adventures, Jim’s successor is Dr Emma Walker – no relation to Johnnie Walker – who is the first female master blender in the brand’s history. Emma joined Diageo 13 years ago and has worked extensively on Johnnie Walker for the last six years on projects such as the Blue Label Ghost and Rare series and Jane Walker by Johnnie Walker. I’m excited to share this interview with you that I recorded with Emma while she was in Sydney recently. Click here to open episode in your podcast player.

Historic Yarra Valley winery St Huberts has recently had a relaunch. There’s some exciting new wine styles, and a long overdue packaging overhaul. And what was previously a very basic cellar door – in a building affectionately known as ‘the toilet block’ – has been completely redeveloped. St Huberts’ owner Treasury Wine Estates partnered with Ryan Hospitality Group to create its new home comprising a Modern Australian and European-inspired restaurant called Quarters, the Hubert Gallery of Art – which showcases works by Indigenous artists – and of course the revamped St Hubert’s Cellar Door. St Huberts chief winemaker Greg Jarratt joins us on the Drinks Adventures podcast to discuss these exciting changes, and its latest crop of wines including some serious expressions of the regional flagships, pinot noir and chardonnay. There’s also some lesser seen varieties – pinot blanc and pinot meunier ­– and a stellar blanc de noirs sparkling rose from the 2015 vintage. This is a special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with St Huberts. I must confess to not knowing a huge amount about the winery’s back story. So first up, I asked Greg for a potted history, and some insight on what makes St Huberts’ wine style unique. Click here to open episode in your podcast player.

Sydney’s Archie Rose Distilling Company has launched an entirely new range of spirits that aims to offer a more accessible alternative to the mainstream brands that dominate the Australian market. Head distiller Dave Withers returns to the Drinks Adventures podcast to tell us about the new Fundamental Spirits offering. It includes True Cut Vodka, Straight Dry Gin and Double Malt Whisky. They’re designed to be a spirits base for your favourite mixed drinks, and they’re priced at between $55 and $85 each for a 700ml bottle. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that this is pretty sharp pricing for Aussie spirits. This is a special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with Archie Rose. First up, Dave explains what inspired the company’s ambitious move to take on the imported products that still account for more than 90 per cent of these spirit categories in Australia. Click here to open episode in your preferred podcast player.

Did you know that India is the largest consumer of whisky in the world? There is a caveat on that though. It’s not all whisky as you know it. Mostly it’s what is known as IMFL, or Indian Made Foreign Liquor. In India, there’s very little regulation about what can be put in a bottle and labelled ‘whisky’, particularly for blended whiskies. IMFL is essentially a neutral spirit tinted with caramel colouring and supplemented with something like two to 40 per cent single malt, depending on the price tag. Unsurprisingly, Indian whisky hasn’t been held in the highest regard. But that’s starting to change, thanks two distilleries in particular: Amrut, and Goa-based Paul John. Launched in 2012, Paul John produces close to 1.2 million litres a year of single malt whisky, which would place it comfortably in Australia’s top five producers in volume terms. Paul John master distiller Michael D’Souza was in Sydney recently. We sat down for this interview about the exciting evolution of Indian whisky. Click here to open episode in your podcast player.

Melburnian Simone Maynard, aka the Sake Mistress, is the fourth Australian to be awarded the prestigious title of Sake Samurai. Just 70 Sake Samurais worldwide have been inducted by the Japan Sake Brewers Association since the program was introduced in 2005. There are no classes or exams. The award is given to people who champion the culture and identity of sake in Japan and global markets. Simone’s passion for Japanese culture grew from an early love of art and anime, but it was another Australian sake samurai, restaurateur Andre Bishop, who ignited her sake journey at his Melbourne venue Nihonshu in the mid-2000s. Before COVID hit, Simone had made sake a full-time job running events and training sessions for consumers and hospitality staff. In a pandemic pivot, she launched Taste With The Toji, a hugely successful series of online events that connected folks in lockdown with brewers overseas. Soon, drinkers were logging in from Australia, Europe, the United States and other parts of Asia to bond with brewers and learn more about sake. She joins us now to share some unique insights on the Japanese sake industry. You’ll also hear about Simone’s own sake preferences, and get a run down on the Australian sake scene, including some of the top quality examples available locally, and where to find them.

Have you had a chance to try an Aussie Wheat Ale yet? It's going to be the hottest new beer style in Australia this summer – that's if Carlton & United Breweries and retailer Endeavour Group have anything to do with it. Five breweries owned by CUB's craft beer division – Fire & Earth Ventures – have created their own version of what an Australian wheat beer could look like. When I say wheat beer, more than likely you're thinking of a Belgian witbier like Hoegaarden, or a German hefeweizen like Weihenstephaner. And that's part of the problem. By and large, Australians have had an uneasy relationship with these European wheat beer styles that owe much of their flavour and aroma to particular yeasts that produce phenolic characters, which can be quite polarising. Aussie Wheat Ale promises to be something different. The parameters are still very broad, but the crux of it is a new beer style celebrating Australian-grown wheat as its core ingredient, and a more neutral yeast that doesn't get in the way of the hop aromas and flavours that we're more accustomed to. This is a special episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast, produced in partnership with Fire & Earth Ventures. We're joined by Fire & Earth's head of marketing, Andy Vance, and Tina Panoutsos, who is CUB's senior manager of beer knowledge. You might remember I interviewed Tina back in season five of the show. You're also going to hear from all five breweries involved in the project: Matilda Bay, Mountain Goat, Pirate Life, Green Beacon and 4 Pines. First up though, I asked Andy how the project was originally conceived.

Fords Gin was founded in 2012 by drinks industry veteran Simon Ford, on the premise of creating the ultimate gin for use in cocktails. Now when I initially heard about that concept, my reaction was, how is that different to other gins already on the market? Aren’t they all designed for mixing? It felt like saying you’ve created the ultimate frankfurt for use in hot dogs. Simon sets me straight this episode as he explains the serious R&D that went into Fords Gin using 150 bartender mates as a consultation panel. Working with 11th-generation distiller Charles Maxwell to balance the botanical recipe, Simon had the bartenders involved in every step, from the liquid to the shape of the bottle. In doing so, they sought to reverse engineer the most practical and versatile cocktail gin in the business. Many of those same bartenders – including King Cocktail himself, the legendary Dale DeGroff – effectively became ambassadors for Fords when they invested their life savings into the company to get it off the ground. Fords Gin was sold to Jack Daniel’s owner Brown-Forman in 2019, but there were plenty of moments where Simon questioned his decision to leave a cushy job at Pernod Ricard for the risky pursuit of spirits entrepreneur. It’s an unglamorous tale of sleeping on couches, indirect budget flights, constantly running out of money and – at one stage – almost losing the business altogether. This is a special episode of Drinks Adventures, created in partnership with Fords Gin. Settle in as we hear about Simon’s exhilarating and exhausting journey, plus his insights on the cocktail renaissance and gin’s crazy evolution over the last decade. Click here to open episode in your podcast player.

Master distiller John McDougall is one of very few people who has made whisky in every one of Scotland’s distilling regions – that’s Campbeltown, Islay, Highland, Speyside and Lowland — for iconic brands like Laphroaig, Balvenie and Springbank. More recently, he’s had a hand in the Australian whisky industry, helping winemaker John Casella set up the production of Morris Whisky in Victoria, which we talked about on the podcast in 2021 with John Casella, Michael Sergeant and Darren Peck of Morris. The Morris project brought John McDougall back to Australia recently and I managed to get some time with him to record this interview about his distinguished 60-year career. This episode coincides with the launch of a third whisky in Morris’s core range, Morris Sherry Cask. I conducted a separate interview with Michael Sergeant about the new product, and I’ve linked to that article from the show notes. We’ll come to Morris a bit later on in this interview, a front-row account of the renaissance of single malt, as seen by one man from literally every corner of Scotland.

2020 was a vintage from hell for Mount Pleasant chief winemaker, Adrian Sparks. On January 7 he made the tough decision not to make any wine from that year’s crop, due to widespread smoke taint. The next day, he found out parent company McWilliam’s was going into administration. Going on three years later, Adrian joins us on the Drinks Adventures podcast with nothing but good news from Mount Pleasant. You heard from the Calabria family last season why they didn’t want to take on Mount Pleasant as part of their acquisition of McWilliam’s Wines. The companies went separate ways after 80 years, and the Hunter Valley winery now has a new lease of life under the ownership of investment group Medich Family Office. The Mediches have gone all in to revitalise the brand, funding a renovation for the cellar door, new viticulture equipment and an optical berry sorter that most winemakers can only dream of. Even the labels have had a revamp, with founder Maurice O’Shea’s family crest back on the bottle. I started by asking Adrian to fill in the gaps since I last reported on Mount Pleasant in my 2020 podcast documentary on The Rise and Fall of McWilliam’s Wines.

Melbourne brewery Mountain Goat sold its first bottle of beer on October 4, 1997, which means the company is currently celebrating its 25th birthday. That first beer was Hightail Ale. And a few years back, when I put together a list of the most formative beers in modern Australian brewing history, it was right at the top of my ten selections. I’ve republished that article on the Drinks Adventures website here. A hell of a lot has changed in the last 25 years since Dave Bonighton and Cam Hines made what was – at the time – a pretty crazy move: Launching full-flavoured craft beers for an Australian public that weren’t really ready for them yet. This is a special episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast, produced in partnership with Mountain Goat. In 2015, the company has acquired by Asahi, which today trades locally as Carlton & United Breweries. Dave and Cam are no longer in the picture so our guest this episode is Alana Rees, head brewer, who is a veteran of the company – she’s been there since before the sale. Much of our discussion surrounds the evolution of craft beer in Australia, and of the product mix at Mountain Goat. Hightail Ale is no longer in its core range, having made way for some beers that are a little more in keeping with current trends. But I asked Alana first up what Goat has planned to mark its 25th anniversary.

Adam Wadewitz joined Shaw + Smith as senior winemaker in 2013, with a strong pedigree that included stints at Seppelt and Best’s Great Western. Coming up to his 10th anniversary, Adam is now a partner and joint CEO, a role he shares with David LeMire, and he’s helped drive Shaw + Smith’s evolution into one of Australia’s most exciting wine companies. Shortly before Adam joined, Shaw + Smith founders Martin Shaw and Michael Hill-Smith purchased one of Tasmania’s top sites for chardonnay and pinot noir, the Tolpuddle Vineyard. And in 2015, the group started The Other Wine Co. as a vehicle for experimenting with some different varieties and wine styles. Shaw + Smith is currently celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Tolpuddle wines, and its expansion into the McLaren Vale region, with the acquisition of an esteemed vineyard in the Blewitt Springs sub-region. They’ve titled it MMAD – that’s M-M-A-D – an acronym of Martin, Michael, Adam and David. It’s planted to grenache, shiraz and chenin, and the debut wines have just hit the market. That’s coming up later in the interview. But given Adam is originally from McLaren Vale, I asked him how he came to spend most of his winemaking career working in cooler climate regions.

Our guest this episode is Trent Fraser, who is heading up the groundbreaking Australian Agave Project for Top Shelf International. When we spoke in early September, Trent was getting ready to unveil the brand identity for the project, which has since been revealed as Act of Treason Australian Agave Spirit. It’s the first agave spirit produced at scale in Australia, and the largest agave spirit project outside Mexico. Top Shelf — the ASX-listed company behind Ned Whisky and Grainshaker Vodka — has planted more than 500,000 blue weber agaves at its Eden Lassie farm in Far North Queensland, with one million to be planted by the end of 2024. It was the project that lured Trent home after 20-plus years in New York, where he worked for LVMH — Moét Hennessy Louis Vuitton — first on Dom Perignon Champagne, and then the Volcan Tequila brand, which he helped build from scratch. So this isn’t Trent’s first rodeo. And coming up, you'll hear why he’s so confident about the prospects for an Australian product that isn’t trying to be tequila or mezcal, but rather our own regional expression of agave, a spirit category that is currently booming worldwide.

You probably know by now that Fever-Tree are big supporters of Drinks Adventures. In fact I can say without any exaggeration that I would not be sitting here talking to you if it hadn’t been for their support over the last few years, so thanks very much to Andy and Caroline at Fever-Tree Australia. Given this relationship I reckon it’s overdue that we get Fever-Tree ambassador Trish Brew on for a short chat about one of their new mixers. And this is a product I’m personally excited about, Fever-Tree Distillers Cola. I do enjoy my dark spirits and it’s surely time we had a cola that was purpose built for mixing with the premium products we’re drinking these days. Fever-Tree Distillers Cola is made up of Caribbean Kola Nuts, Tahitian Limes, and a selection of distilled botanicals and spices, resulting in a deliciously rich and balanced mixer for your favourite dark spirits. With no artificial sweeteners or colours, Distillers Cola allows the ingredients to speak for themselves with top notes of refreshing lime, complex spices and a hint of vanilla to finish. Where leading cola brands use their strong flavour profiles to mask the flavour of spirits, Distillers Cola has been designed to complement and elevate the flavour of whiskies from the finest distilleries around the world. With whisky and cola making up 28 per cent of all mixed drinks, Distillers Cola fits perfectly into the Fever-Tree range to accommodate dark spirits drinkers who want to mix with the best.

China drinks expert Ian Ford previously joined us on Drinks Adventures in June 2020. The plan was to get his insights about the pandemic’s likely impact on the drinks industry, but it turned into a really interesting discussion about wine, spirits and beer consumption trends in China, more generally. This is another update on the dynamic Chinese drinks market, including moves by spirits giants Diageo and Pernod Ricard to establish single malt distilleries there, and the opportunities Ian can see for Australian distillers. First off though, we get Ian’s thoughts on the news that Australian icon Penfolds is set to make wine in China. It’s a bid to circumvent the punitive Chinese tariffs implemented on Australian wine imports in August 2021. I started by asking Ian whether he was surprised at the severity of those tariffs, and the ripple effect for the global wine market.

It’s not every day one of the Blues Brothers serenades you down the phone line. But that’s how things play out in the opening episode of Season 14 of Drinks Adventures, as we head to Ontario, Canada, to talk with actor, musician and comedian Dan Aykroyd. Dan is on the show primarily to talk about vodka, specifically Crystal Head Vodka, the brand he founded in 2008, long before the recent groundswell of Hollywood actors getting into the distilling business. We also get an update on his business interests in Canadian wine, and the challenges of launching the new Ghostbusters film during the pandemic. And I took the opportunity to ask Dan his thoughts on Belushi, the documentary on his late friend and collaborator, John Belushi, released in 2020.

Season 14 of Drinks Adventures is coming soon, and it promises to be absolutely massive. Here's a small taste of what I have coming up for you in the next few weeks. Join my mailing list here for more updates on the podcast.

Irish whiskey is the fastest-growing spirit category in the world, with sales to the US predicted to overtake Scotch whisky by 2030. It’s a remarkable turnaround for an industry that went through decades of decline. In 2010 there were only four operational Irish whiskey distilleries on the island of Ireland, north and south. Today there are more than 40, producing a much wider array of whiskey styles than the lighter, sweeter taste profile the country is known for. We’ll explore some of the heritage and production quirks that make Irish whiskey unique in this special episode of Drinks Adventures, made possible by the support of the Irish Whiskey Association. You’ll meet its chief executive, William Lavelle, along with representatives from some emerging Irish whiskey brands: Teeling, Slane, Boann and The Dubliner. William gets us underway with an overview of the association and its remit.

If you caught the doco-style episode I did on McWilliam’s Wines in 2020, you’ll know the company has been a market leader in fortified wines pretty much since forever. McWilliam’s is now owned by Calabria Family Wines. And far from seeing fortifieds as a dying part of the industry, you would have heard last episode that Bill, Michael and Andrew Calabria actually see a lot of potential in them. They recognise that a new generation of drinkers are now getting introduced to fortifieds via Australian whiskies that have been finished in tawny, apera, topaque and muscat casks. Thanks to Calabria’s investment, McWilliam’s has relaunched its Hanwood Estate range of tawny fortifieds with refreshed branding that takes some cues from whisky, with age statements front and centre. McWilliam’s senior winemaker Russell Cody and assistant winemaker Mel McWilliam are ‘custodians’ of the fortified barrel collection at the Hanwood Winery, including the 30-Year Old material that is considered Very Rare. In this special episode, produced in partnership with McWilliams, Russell and Mel talk about the resurgence of these historic wines, and the evolution at Hanwood to making Tawny fortified in a slightly drier style. You’ll learn how tawny is best consumed, and why you shouldn’t call it ‘port’ – which Russell himself is still wrestling with. And you'll hopefully come to understand that the rarest fortifieds present incredible value, when considered against the sky-high prices of extra mature whiskies, for example. The McWilliams Hanwood Estate Tawny Collection includes the following: McWilliam’s Classic 5-Year Aged Tawny (RRP $20.00) McWilliam’s Grand 10-Year Aged Tawny (RRP $28.00) McWilliam’s Rare 20-Year Aged Tawny (RRP $80.00) McWilliam’s Very Rare 30-Year Aged Tawny (RRP $175.00) Click here for further information.

Season 6 of the Drinks Adventures podcast featured a documentary episode on The Rise and Fall of McWilliam's Wines. There are some loose ends for us to tie up, as the 143-year-old company's anticipated sale to Prcstnt Asset Management ultimately fell over. In this episode, you’ll meet the winery’s new owner, Calabria Family Wines, which was established in the Riverina in 1945 by Italian immigrants Francesco and Elisabeth Calabria, and is today led by second generation family member, Bill Calabria AM. Bill is still on the winemaking team today, and he joins us this episode along with his sons Andrew Calabria, the company’s sales and marketing manager, and Michael Calabria, general manager. The year 2022 was pivotal for Calabria, as the company acquired the McWilliam’s Wines brand and Hanwood Winery along with Deakin Estate and La La Land Wines, cementing it among the largest family-owned wine groups in Australia. Vintners & Co. Merchants is the new distribution arm of the company representing Calabria Family Wines’ international distribution partnerships and includes the Italian brands Fontanafredda, Canti and Librandi, prestigious Portugal port house Dow’s, Argentinian winery Dona Paula, and renowned French champagne producer Champagne Deutz. “We have rapidly expanded from a single producer-owned and operated wine company to a wine group housing some of Australia’s best-loved wine brands and a selection of diverse international wine distribution partnerships," Andrew Calabria said in a statement. The new brands and products will be serviced by the Calabria Family Wine Group sales team, which has added seven new members, mainly from McWilliam’s Wines. Calabria also appointed sixth generation family member, Scott McWilliam, as global brand ambassador for the McWilliam's brand. And first up this episode, I asked Scott what had happened since that supposed 2020 sale of McWilliam's, which seemed like a done deal.

Every day is International Beer Day, here at Drinks Adventures.But in case you needed another reason to celebrate the delights of beer in all its forms, this episode is going to air on the first Friday in August.And that means it’s the 16th annual International Beer Day.Kirrily Waldhorn, AKA Beer Diva, has been working in the beer industry for 23 years.A beer educator, writer and judge, Kirrily matches beer with food for a living.So you’re in good hands as we sit down for a discussion about some of the hottest beer style trends of the moment in Australia.This is a special episode produced in partnership with Zytho Brewing, which you’ll find exclusively in Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores.Created for Zythophiles – that’s another name for beer lovers – the Zytho range includes three hop-driven ales: Tropical Haze; Zesty Pale Ale and an IPA.There’s also the Velvet Luxe Stout, and winter recently brought the seasonal return of a White Stout.We’ll get Kirrily’s thoughts on this oxymoron of a beer style; along with the haze craze; the lager resurgence; and the boom in low and no alcohol craft beers; among other topics.Kirrily shares some beer and food matching tips along the way; and reveals the beer style she wishes was more popular among Australian drinkers.We started by talking about the recent news that Stout is having a re-birth in Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores, with sales up 8% on last winter.I asked Kirrily what she thinks might be driving the mainstream resurgence of one of our favourite beer styles.

We’re joined this episode by Chris Malcolm from recently launched Tasmanian whisky brand, Hidden Lake.If Chris’s name sounds familiar to you, that’s because he’s had a hand in several of the most significant Australian whisky ventures of the last decade.Chris was an early investor in Lark Distillery — going on to become its executive chairman and then CEO of the related entity, Australian Whisky Holdings.He was an early investor in, and director of, Top Shelf International, and he’s currently a director of leading oak barrel supplier, Master Cask, whose founder Darren Langhe we met back in March 2020.Today, Chris is director of group whisky production for ASX-listed craft beverages accelerator Mighty Craft, a role that gives him oversight of distilleries including Kangaroo Island Spirits, 78 Degrees – formerly known as Adelaide Hills Distillery – and Seven Seasons.Joining that portfolio is Hidden Lake, Chris’s personal project launched in partnership with Mighty Craft.And there’s a rather colourful backstory here, as Hidden Lake’s first whiskies were originally distilled at Tasmania’s controversial Nant Distillery.To recap, Nant collapsed in 2017 in a cloud of fraudulent activity that cost small investors upwards of $20 million.We had Lark’s former managing director Geoff Bainbridge on the podcast to talk about untangling the Lark brand from Nant in November 2020.Now it’s time for Chris to tell his side of that story. He says it was Lark’s “lowball” offer to investors – those are definitely his words, not mine – that enabled him to get his hands on some of Nant’s best barrels.Some of those have begun hitting the market under the Hidden Lake name. And meanwhile, he’s laying down more whisky, while looking to acquire a distillery that will be the production home of Hidden Lake.That’s just some of what’s coming up in this wide-ranging interview with Chris.

Most of us don’t think twice about going to a brewery to buy a beer, but have you ever thought about buying into the business?This episode, it’s podcast host versus podcast hosts as I chat to Bryce Leske and Alec Renehan from investing podcast Equity Mates about putting your money where your mouth is.Equity Mates has been educating Australians about investing in a jargon-free, informal style since 2017.Five hundred episodes later, they run a network of nine money-related podcasts, and will host FinFest, Australia’s biggest investing festival, in Sydney this October.This interview was a chance to get Bryce and Alec’s insights on some of the recent developments at ASX-listed companies like Treasury Wine Estates, Lark Distilling, Top Shelf International, Good Drinks and Mighty Craft, all of whom have previously featured on Drinks Adventures in one way or another.It’s not all about the share market, though. Bryce and Alec had a lot of say about the psychology behind investing, and whether equity crowdfunding is good for drinks companies (or your bank balance).Australian producers are increasingly turning to equity crowdfunding to raise capital. Just in the last couple of months, there’s been successful campaigns from Bridge Road Brewers, Akasha Brewing, Bakery Hill Distillery and Republic of Fremantle Distilling.There’s more opportunities than ever before for drinks enthusiasts like you and I to get some skin in the game.So, if you’ve ever wanted to learn the difference between an IPO and an IPA, here’s your chance.

2022 is certainly turning out to be a landmark year for Australian distilling, in many respects.In June, Starward Whisky was named the Most Awarded Distillery of the Year at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the first time an Australian distiller has taken out this title.Then came the news that the news that three out of four nominees for the International Wine & Spirit Competition - IWSC International Gin Producer of the Year are Australian: Kalkimoon and Granddad Jack’s, from Queensland, and from Victoria, Naught Gin.And you heard just recently on the podcast from Philip Moore, the first Australian inducted into the Gin Magazine Hall Of Fame.It all coincides with the 30th anniversary of Lark Distillery, the whisky company founded by Bill Lark in 1992, which effectively started the modern era of Australian distilling.I sat down with Bill Lark for a chat reflecting on the milestone in this special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with Lark.I learned how John Grant, fifth generation owner of Scotland’s famous Glenfarclas distillery, helped Bill set up his distillery in the very early days.And I asked Bill his thoughts on Lark as it is today, a very different enterprise to what he had originally envisioned.First up though, I’m excited to share some highlights from Lark Distillery’s 30th anniversary gala event held on May 26, 2022 at Lark’s new site in Pontville, Tasmania.It was MCed by Bill’s son Jack and attended by 200 guests from across Australia.The celebrations started by honouring the Mumurimina (Mu mee ree mee nah) Country that the Pontville site resides on, with a Welcome to Country and traditional smoking ceremony.You can get your hands on a variety of Lark’s exciting limited release whiskies now at larkdistillery.com.Whiskies like Lark Origins Single Malt Whisky, a special release crafted with water from Lake Sorell, where Bill Lark had that fateful discussion with his father-in-law that led to his founding Lark Distillery.This special release celebrating 30 years of Tasmanian whisky is available now at larkdistillery.com.

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more. Brown-Forman is an American distilling company, best known as owner of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, and bourbon brands Old Forester and Woodford Reserve. But in 2016, it got into Scotch whisky in a big way, buying The BenRiach Distillery Company, which included three distilleries: Benriach in Speyside; the famous Highlands distillery Glendronach; and also in the Highlands, but somewhat lesser known, Glenglassaugh. In this special episode – produced in partnership with Brown Forman – you’ll get an introduction to these unique Scotch whisky distilleries from global brand ambassador Stewart Buchanan. Stewart’s held that role since 2012, prior to which he was Benriach’s production manager, so he has tremendous insight into these distilleries and the Scotch whisky industry generally. He was in Australia for the launch of Glendronach 50 Year Old, the oldest expression it’s ever released. We’ll cover that and much more in this interview with Stewart. And you can find the new Benriach core range in both Dan Murphy’s and First Choice Liquor stores nationally. Dan Murphy’s will also be carrying the new 21, 25 and 30 year old Benriach expressions, as well as the new Glendronach Peated and Portwood that I discussed with Stewart in this episode. More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more. Our guest this episode is Philip Moore, who in February 2022 became the first Australian inducted into the Gin Magazine’s Hall of Fame. Now you might well ask, who is Philip Moore? He’s certainly not one of our highest profile gin distillers. But he was actually the first Australian gin distiller to win a gold at the International Wine and Spirits Competition, and his distilling career stretches back to the very early days of contemporary Australian gin. Prior to that, Philip studied and trained as a horticulturist and medical herbalist. In the mid 1980s he started a specialist culinary herb nursery, Renaissance Herbs, which grew from a single greenhouse into the largest wholesale herb nursery in Australia, cultivating close to a million plants a year. Meanwhile, Philip had developed a passion for wine and subsequently, distilled spirits including gin. He exited the herbs business in 2005 and purchased a nursery site on the NSW Central Coast, where he subsequently founded Distillery Botanica and the Moore’s Dry Gin brand. And together with Tom Baker, he co-founded the hugely successful Mr Black Coffee Liqueur, which we explored with Tom back in Season 8. This is a wide-ranging interview with Philip about his career and the evolution of Australian gin. He certainly doesn’t hold back with his opinions on the use of Australian natives by distillers. He shares some tips on how to taste spirits more effectively, and you’ll also hear about Philip’s new venture, Terrigal Rum Company. That’s all coming up in this interview with Distillery Botanica founder Philip Moore. More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, distilled spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology, bars, pubs, restaurants, hospitality

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Heritage Drinks of Myanmar is a beautiful new coffee table book by Australian brewer, academic and writer Luke Corbin, who lived in Myanmar from 2016 to 2021.It takes the reader on an anthropological journey showcasing 14 different alcoholic drinks unique to Myanmar, comprising beers, wines and spirits that are integral parts of village economies.You may also like: The NBA’s wine obsession, with Baxter Holmes of ESPN: S10E1 UK wine writer Matthew Jukes on non-alc wine & more: S12E1 Brewing legend Chuck Hahn's 50-year global brewing odyssey: S11E2 Iconic cocktails: Julio Bermejo, creator Tommy’s Margarita cocktail: S4E8 While working on this book, Luke was employed as a brewer at Burbrit Brewery in the capital, Yangon.Luke talked extensively about that experience on the Radio Brews News podcast in 2019, which you can listen to here.Drinks Adventures picks up the story in 2020, as Luke shares some of the setbacks he faced while trying to complete his book, as Myanmar grappled with COVID-19 and then in February 2021, a military coup.He joins us from Chang Mai in Thailand, where he’s now based.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.World Martini Day is celebrated every year on the third Saturday in June. That’s today, Saturday June 18, if you’re listening to this episode in real time.And with us to talk martinis is Archie Rose master distiller Dave Withers, who you previously met in season 3 of Drinks Adventures.This particular episode was produced with the support of Archie Rose, or more specifically Archie Rose Bone Dry Gin.Bone Dry was the first gin produced by Archie Rose using the copper vacuum stills at its new Banksmeadow production site, opened in 2021.Coming up today, Dave will explain why it’s the perfect gin for a martini, which he says is an important cocktail for the team at Archie Rose.You can buy Bone Dry Gin direct from the company at archierose.com.au, and retailers like Dan Murphy’s, First Choice and good independent bottleshops, too.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Wynns Coonawarra Estate has featured fairly prominently on this podcast.We’ve met chief winemaker Sue Hodder, as well as viticulturist Allen Jenkins, who’s since departed the business.You’ve also heard about Wynns from Andrew Caillard MW, back in season 7, and Matthew Jukes in his masterclass on cabernet shiraz blends.This time though, we’re not talking about Wynns Cabernet. At least, not as you know it.Wynns senior winemaker Sarah Pidgeon is with us this episode to talk about Wynns Reframed, a completely new range of wines that are picked earlier, with little or no oak influence to maintain freshness and aromatics.There’s a Cabernet Rose, and a white blend of three Italian varieties.The reds meanwhile include a shiraz Riesling blend, which might sound weird, but there’s a story behind it, and a cabernet franc cab sav blend.It seems like a major departure from Wynns’ core business. So in this special podcast episode – produced with Wynns’ support – I started by asking Sarah about the origins of the Wynns Reframed concept.Wynns Reframed wines are now available nationally from select fine wine retailers (RRP $26).More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Founded by three friends with background in drinks and hospitality, Bondi Liquor Co is the first operating distillery in Sydney's eastern suburbs.Co-founder and distiller Ben Stevens has experience in both sales and production, having previously worked at Young Henrys, Clare Valley Brewing and Carlton & United Breweries.He joins us this episode for a chat about the challenges of being the first in a new area, where the authorities are unaccustomed to alcohol production.We'll explore the Bondi Liquor gin range, and the pros and cons of tying your brand name to a globally recognised place, like Bondi Beach.First up though, I asked Ben about the Bondi Liquor Co origin story.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Back in Season Four of the show, we met Thomas Mooney, co-founder and CEO of Westward American Single Malt Whiskey.Westward is brewed like a pale ale, distilled like a traditional single malt and aged in new American oak, like a bourbon.The emphasis on the brewing stage of the process came naturally for Westward’s other founder, Cristian Krogstad, and head blender and distiller, Miles Munroe, both of whom come from a brewing background.I caught up with Miles while he was in Sydney recently to launch Westward’s new cask strength expression, which follows a series of releases that have proven very popular in Australia, Westward’s biggest market outside the US.This is a special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced with the support of Westward Whiskey, which is made in Oregon, USA.And I started this conversation by asking Miles whether the American single malt whiskey scene had progressed since we met Thomas in 2019.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Starward Ginger Beer Cask began almost by accident, when the distilling team took a bit of whisky and filled it into a barrel that had previously contained their house made ginger beer.Just 85 bottles were released in 2014 of the first ever ginger beer cask, and the following few editions weren’t much easier to get hold of.It’s only now with the release of Ginger Beer Cask #7 that Starward has been able to make this whisky in substantial enough quantities that it will be more widely available, including in the American market, where Starward founder David Vitale is now based.David rejoins us this in this special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced with the support of Starward Australian Whisky.He’ll share with you the story of Ginger Beer Cask and what you can expect from the new edition.We’ll also get a long overdue update on what’s been happening at Starward since David was last on the show, which is nearly four years ago.Starward’s entry level blend, Two Fold, didn’t even exist at that stage, so there’s plenty to talk about.Not least Starward’s incredible haul of 12 Double Golds and 3 Gold Medals at the recent San Francisco World Spirits Competition, including double gold for last year’s edition of the whisky we’ll be discussing at length today, Ginger Beer Cask.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.The Gospel Distillers is a dedicated rye whiskey distillery based in Melbourne, Australia.We first met co-founder Andrew Fitzgerald in April 2020 for a chat primarily about the impact of COVID-19 on his business.Andrew returns for this opening episode of Season 13, so you’re going to find out what’s been happening at The Gospel since then.And we’ll be talking purely about rye whiskey, rather than hand sanitiser; more specifically, The Gospel’s recent entry into the US market.It seems a bold move, taking Australian rye over to the home of rye whiskey.So I asked Andrew first up how he and his business partner, Ben Bowles, came to this decision.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.B Corp is a certification program that measures a company’s entire social and environmental impact.There are now more than 4000 Certified B Corporations around the world, several of which we’ve featured on this podcast: Sipsmith Gin, Stone & Wood Brewing Company, and South Australian winery Unico Zelo.In February, Maker’s Mark joined this elite group of businesses. It’s the first distillery in Kentucky and the largest distillery in the world to achieve B Corp certification.And in this special episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast – produced with the support of Maker’s Mark – you’re going to hear about some of the environmental initiatives it’s undertaken to safeguard the future of bourbon, which of course is ultimately an agricultural product.You may also like: The NBA’s wine obsession, with Baxter Holmes of ESPN: S10E1 UK wine writer Matthew Jukes on non-alc wine & more: S12E1 Brewing legend Chuck Hahn's 50-year global brewing odyssey: S11E2 Iconic cocktails: Julio Bermejo, creator Tommy’s Margarita cocktail: S4E8 We’re joined this episode by Rob Samuels, an eighth generation whiskey maker and the grandson of Maker’s Mark founder, Bill Samuels Senior.And also with us is Trent Chapman, marketing director Oceania for Beam Suntory, Maker’s Mark’s parent company.Later on in the interview, we cover the ingredients and production practices that underpin the Maker’s Mark style, and the evolution of the bourbon industry in Kentucky, where ten new distilleries opened in 2021.The B-Corp milestone comes as Maker’s Mark continues its rapid growth in markets such as Australia.The distillery released a new expression, Maker’s 46, in 2010. But the international growth has largely been driven by classic Maker’s, which for almost 60 years was the only whiskey it produced.I asked Rob first up about the significance of this singular focus by Maker’s, at a time when many of its peers are seemingly bringing out new whiskies every other week.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Featuring wine makers Sam Neill, Maynard James Keenan and Sir Ian Botham, legendary wine critic Jancis Robinson and many more, new listeners may be interested to check out these highlights from the Drinks Adventures archive.You may also like: The NBA’s wine obsession, with Baxter Holmes of ESPN: S10E1 UK wine writer Matthew Jukes on non-alc wine & more: S12E1 Brewing legend Chuck Hahn's 50-year global brewing odyssey: S11E2 Iconic cocktails: Julio Bermejo, creator Tommy’s Margarita cocktail: S4E8 Tags:gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology, bars, pubs, restaurants, hospitality

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Launched in 2008 by American brewer, author, and beer educator Ray Daniels, the Cicerone® Certification Program is like beer's equivalent of the Court of Master Sommeliers for wine.Following last week's wine episode, we meet Shane McNamara, who in 2022 became the first Australian to reach the pinnacle of the program, Master Cicerone.He joins a group of just 19 other individuals worldwide who have this title.The Master Cicerone exam challenges individuals to master every technical and aesthetic aspect of beer. It requires an exceptional understanding of brewing, beer, and food pairing — combining outstanding tasting abilities with an encyclopaedic knowledge of commercial beers.You may also like: The NBA’s wine obsession, with Baxter Holmes of ESPN: S10E1 UK wine writer Matthew Jukes on non-alc wine & more: S12E1 Brewing legend Chuck Hahn's 50-year global brewing odyssey: S11E2 Iconic cocktails: Julio Bermejo, creator Tommy’s Margarita cocktail: S4E8 If Shane’s name is new to you, it was to me too. He’s based over in London where he currently works for the world’s biggest brewer, AB InBev, in a global role overseeing the innovation, development and quality of some beer brands you might have heard of like Stella Artois, Budweiser and Corona.When I spoke to Shane he’d just gotten back from the Czech Republic, which you’d know is the home of pilsner beer, as explored with writer Tom Acitelli back in Season 8 of the podcast.So I took the opportunity to ask Shane about the Czech beer scene today.And, later on, whether he plans on returning to Australia with his new qualifications, which he says are the payoff for thousands of hours spent studying and tasting beer.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags:gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology, bars, pubs, restaurants, hospitality

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Canada might be best known for its ice wine, a type of dessert wine produced from frozen grapes.But it’s increasingly getting global recognition for the quality of its dry table wines.Following last week's exploration of the Irish coffee cocktail, our guest today is Canadian wine writer, educator, judge and podcaster, Natalie MacLean, who can fill you in on some of Canada's wine regions and styles to look out for.You may also like: Brewing legend Chuck Hahn's 50-year global brewing odyssey: S11E2 Iconic cocktails: Julio Bermejo, creator Tommy’s Margarita cocktail: S4E8 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 And here, we’re doing a bit of a podcast exchange. You can catch me on Natalie’s show Unreserved Wine Talk sometime around this episode going to air.After we explore Canadian wine, we’ll find out a bit more about Natalie’s podcast and her upcoming third book.It’s a memoir that she says will explore the darker side of the wine industry.Sounds very intriguing, doesn’t it? And that’s coming up later in this interview with Natalie.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Opened in 2013 by Northern Irishmen Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry, New York City’s The Dead Rabbit is surely one of the world’s most awarded bars.I can’t possibly list all the accolades they’ve picked up over the years, but they include multiple prizes for World’s Best Bar at both the prestigious Spirited Awards and the World’s 50 Best Bars.The Dead Rabbit is world famous for its Irish coffee cocktail. And this episode, following last week's wine you’ll hear Sean recount the messy incident that put them on the path to perfecting this somewhat neglected cocktail, further inspired by the legendary bartender Dale DeGroff.You may also like: The NBA’s wine obsession, with Baxter Holmes of ESPN: S10E1 UK wine writer Matthew Jukes on non-alc wine & more: S12E1 Brewing legend Chuck Hahn's 50-year global brewing odyssey: S11E2 Iconic cocktails: Julio Bermejo, creator Tommy’s Margarita cocktail: S4E8 Also with us this episode is The Dead Rabbit beverage director Jillian Vose, who explains how the sous vide cooking technique enables the team to serve the Irish cocktail perfectly and consistently every time.And if like me you’re based in Sydney, here’s a tip. You can try an Irish coffee that’s very similar to the Dead Rabbit’s at a bar in the city. Jillian visited the Duke of Clarence a few years ago to show them how it’s done, and they’ve since kept up the tradition.Sean, Jack and Jillian have now published the definitive story of the Irish coffee in a new book titled When Whiskey Met Its Match, which sets the record straight that the cocktail was invented by a Northern Irishman, Joe Sheridan.I hope you enjoy about this chat about one of my favourite cocktails. We also talk a bit about Irish whiskey, and the second Dead Rabbit book launching on February 22, called Paddy Drinks.It’s a collection of cocktail recipes that Sean hopes will help fuel Irish whiskey’s ascendancy in cocktail bars across the world.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Blind Ambition is a new film about four Zimbabwean sommeliers who form a team and compete in the World Blind Wine Tasting Championships in Burgundy.It's like a wine equivalent of the ultimate sports underdog tale, Cool Runnings, the 1993 film inspired by the true story of the first Jamaican national bobsled team.But unlike Cool Runnings, Blind Ambition is all true. It’s a documentary directed by Australian filmmakers Warwick Ross and Rob Coe, who are with us this episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast.You may also like: Brewing legend Chuck Hahn's 50-year global brewing odyssey: S11E2 Iconic cocktails: Julio Bermejo, creator Tommy’s Margarita cocktail: S4E8 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Warwick and Rob were behind the 2013 film Red Obsession, which explored how France’s finest wines have skyrocketed in price having become a status symbol in China.As you’ll hear from Warwick, the film was made possible by two of our previous guests, Jancis Robinson (S4E4) and Andrew Caillard (S7E4).When Jancis heard the story of these four Zimbabwean sommeliers who had fled Robert Mugabe’s regime, she set up a crowdfunding campaign to get them to France where they would test their skills against expert tasters from 26 other countries. The first black team ever to do so.Make sure you see the film as it’s brilliant and very moving. You don’t need to be interested in wine to enjoy it, in fact it recently won the audience award at both Tribeca (New York) and Sydney Film Festivals.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology, bars, pubs, restaurants

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Pizzini Wines in King Valley, Victoria, is one of Australia’s leading proponents of Italian grape varieties such as Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Pinot Grigio.As you’ll hear today from winemaker Joel Pizzini, it was extremely difficult convincing people to taste what were then exotic varieties back in the 90s and early 2000s.But now, Pizzini has all but phased out traditional Australian varieties like shiraz from its range.You may also like: Brewing legend Chuck Hahn's 50-year global brewing odyssey: S11E2 Iconic cocktails: Julio Bermejo, creator Tommy’s Margarita cocktail: S4E8 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Meanwhile it has expanded its Sangiovese offering to encompass premium wines at all price points, all the way up to the Rubacuori, priced at $140 a bottle and built for long-term cellaring.Pizzini has done this by continually refining its approach to growing and making these wines, taking advice from internationally renowned experts.It’s a really exciting project, and I began this interview by asking Joel where it all began.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology, bars, pubs, restaurants

A podcast for lovers of wine, craft beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Australian whisky is set for another massive year in 2022.And I’m sure that just like me, you want to know which are the hottest distilleries we should be looking out for, and insights into trends such as wine vs bourbon cask maturation.Luke McCarthy is founder of Oz Whisky Review, an independent online magazine comprising Australian whisky reviews, news and features.He’s with us this episode to reflect on Oz Whisky Review’s Top Ten Australian whiskies of last year, and the biggest debut releases expected in the coming months.You may also like: The NBA’s wine obsession, with Baxter Holmes of ESPN: S10E1 UK wine writer Matthew Jukes on non-alc wine & more: S12E1 Brewing legend Chuck Hahn's 50-year global brewing odyssey: S11E2 Iconic cocktails: Julio Bermejo, creator Tommy’s Margarita cocktail: S4E8 If you’re new round these parts, most of the brands we discuss this episode have previously appeared on the show: Bakery Hill, Heartwood / TIB, The Gospel, Starward, Morris, Overeem and Backwoods.Clearly the Oz Whiskey Review team have impeccable taste, so first up I asked Luke about the criteria they follow in putting their list together.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology, bars, pubs, restaurants

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Few Scotch whiskies are distilled and matured by the sea, like Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky.Old Pulteney is located in the town of Wick in far north Scotland, a drive of just 20 minutes or so from John O’Groats, the northeastern tip of Great Britain.Its spirit matures in warehouses located just 300m from the North Sea.And according to our guest this episode, global brand ambassador Lukasz Dynowiak, there is no mistaking the distinct salty note in the Old Pulteney whiskies that is a direct result of this coastal aspect.You may also like: The NBA’s wine obsession, with Baxter Holmes of ESPN: S10E1 UK wine writer Matthew Jukes on non-alc wine & more: S12E1 Brewing legend Chuck Hahn's 50-year global brewing odyssey: S11E2 Iconic cocktails: Julio Bermejo, creator Tommy’s Margarita cocktail: S4E8 It’s the reason why Old Pulteney is known not just as a maritime malt, but The Maritime Malt.And it has some pretty unique distilling equipment and production techniques that also contribute to its house style.Lukasz will tell you some more about those in just a moment, but suffice to say the Old Pulteney approach has been extremely successful.Led by its flagship 12-year-old expression, the Old Pulteney range has won many accolades over the years.In fact, one of its limited edition whiskies was named World’s Best Single Malt at the prestigious World Whiskies Awards just a few years ago, in 2016.This is a special episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast, produced with the support of Old Pulteney.And I asked Lukasz first up, to describe for us in a little more detail the Northern Highlands area where Old Pulteney is based.You can follow Old Pulteney on Instagram and Twitter @oldpulteneymalt, and on Facebook at @oldpulteney.The Old Pulteney range is available nationally in Australia through retailers including Dan Murphy’s.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology, bars, pubs, restaurants

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, gin, vodka, tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Veteran beer writer Matt Kirkegaard probably doesn’t require an introduction for many of you.But just in case, Matt is founder of the beer industry publication Brews News, which I edited for a few years prior to starting Drinks Adventures.His podcast Radio Brews News is Australia’s longest running beer podcast, with an archive of 644 episodes at the time of writing.Matt’s never short of an opinion. So, following a particularly eventful year in the beer industry, I figured I was long overdue to invite him on for a chat.You may also like: The NBA’s wine obsession, with Baxter Holmes of ESPN: S10E1 UK wine writer Matthew Jukes on non-alc wine & more: S12E1 Brewing legend Chuck Hahn's 50-year global brewing odyssey: S11E2 Iconic cocktails: Julio Bermejo, creator Tommy’s Margarita cocktail: S4E8 Coming up for you in this episode, Matt and I discuss the booming non-alcoholic beer segment – is it really booming?We cover the recent trend of breweries raising capital by way equity crowdfunding, with mixed results. And in fact, since we recorded this conversation, Gold Coast outfit Black Hops has completed their latest raise, which at $2.2 million is the largest ever campaign by an Australian brewery.Also on the agenda is the latest IP dispute between Australian breweries, and whether the legendary West Australian company, Feral Brewing, is damaged goods after being listed for sale by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.And in a related discussion, we consider in retrospect the wisdom of Coke naming a craft beer brand after an obscure country town that no-one visits.Matt also fills us in on recent projects at Brews News, including its efforts to find out, how many breweries are there really in Australia?More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology, bars, pubs, restaurants

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, gin, vodka, tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.How many Australian gins would you guess are currently on the market?In early 2021, The Gin Queen, Caroline Ashford, counted 600 of them, not even including limited editions and seasonal releases.You may also like: The NBA’s wine obsession, with Baxter Holmes of ESPN: S10E1 UK wine writer Matthew Jukes on non-alc wine & more: S12E1 Brewing legend Chuck Hahn's 50-year global brewing odyssey: S11E2 Iconic cocktails: Julio Bermejo, creator Tommy’s Margarita cocktail: S4E8 Caroline is back with us again on the Drinks Adventures podcast, to share with you her Top Ten Australian Gins of the year.First up though, Caroline reveals her tally of Australian gins available year-round as at January 2022 – and it’s a pretty crazy number once again.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, gin, vodka, tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Italy’s wonderful array of digestif amari demands exploration.Amari is the plural of amaro, which means ‘bitter’ in Italian. It’s also the name given the country’s unique liqueurs that are intensely bitter and often very sweet too, flavoured by infusing herbs, spices and other botanicals in a distilled wine or neutral spirit base.You may also like: The NBA’s wine obsession, with Baxter Holmes of ESPN: S10E1 UK wine writer Matthew Jukes on non-alc wine & more: S12E1 Brewing legend Chuck Hahn's 50-year global brewing odyssey: S11E2 Iconic cocktails: Julio Bermejo, creator Tommy’s Margarita cocktail: S4E8 The theme of this episode has been inspired by the amari degustation event organised by the Italian Cultural institute, Sydney at its premises in December 2021, during the World Week of Italian Cuisine.Presented by today’s expert bartender, Federico Malavenda, the degustation featured a tasting of seven Italian amari: Braulio; Cynar; Poli Vaca Mora; Cappelletti Sfumato; Amara Blood Orange; Toro Centerba; and Averna. The Italian Cultural Institute is an official branch of the Italian government, dedicated to the promotion of the Italian culture in Australia through the organisation and support of events, exhibitions and festivals, in collaboration with major local institutions.This episode has been produced with their support.Federico Malavenda is bar manager at Bistecca Restaurant in Sydney, which has a menu of no less than 85 different amari.This was recognised at the Wine List of the Year Awards in late 2021, when Bistecca picked up the gong for Best Digestif List.Stay with me as Federico gives you an overview of amaro and shares what he’s doing with digestif amari at Bistecca.First up, a little history. Federico says these unique and storied liqueurs have been an integral part of Italian culture for generations.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology, bars, pubs, restaurants

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, gin, vodka, tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.British wine writer Matthew Jukes should already be familiar to you, as a Drinks Adventures listener.But if you missed his brilliant masterclass on Australian shiraz cabernet blends, stop what you’re doing and go back to Season Three of the show.Matthew’s back with us to share with you his new non-alcoholic drink brand, Jukes Cordialities, which he’s recently launched into Australia.More must-listen episodes: Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 The market has been inundated with non-alcoholic wines in recent years, but Matthew says he’s yet to find one that’s drinkable, and I’d have to concur with him on that assessment.With Jukes, he set about mimicking the experience of drinking a fine wine in the form of what are essentially deluxe adult cordials designed for mixing with still or sparkling water.Matthew sent me some to try and I have to say, they are astonishingly good. I’m currently having a little break from alcohol and this is by far the best alternative I’ve found to glass of wine at the end of the day. In fact, I’ve already been out and purchased a box of Jukes 6, my favourite of the collection.They’re not cheap, but neither is a decent bottle of wine. And when Matthew explains the ingredients and craftsmanship involved the premium pricing is understandable.Located in Australia? You can purchase Jukes Cordialities online here if you’re interested in trying them for yourself.Later on in this interview, Matthew reveals the pandemic upheaval currently affecting Australian winemakers in the UK.This latest misfortune comes after the Chinese tariffs on Australian wine. The industry can’t catch a break at the moment!Wherever you are, I hope 2022 is treating you well. Welcome to Season 12 of the Drinks Adventures podcast. New episodes should be dropping every Tuesday and hopefully also Thursday some weeks too.More must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology, bars, pubs, restaurants

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, gin, vodka, tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.Happy New Year from Drinks Adventures. Here's a sneak peek at some of the beer, wine and spirits content you can expect when the show returns for 2022.We'll be speaking to brewing expert Matt Kirkegaard, wine writer Matthew Jukes and Canadian wine expert Natalie Maclean, and exploring one of the world's most iconic cocktails, the Irish coffee.In the meantime, join my mailing list for semi-regular updates from the Drinks Adventures Podcast, and other articles and reviews by me.I’ll draw some names every month to win a set of drink coasters, featuring custom designs by artist Barry Patenaude.Cheers!James AtkinsonMore must-listen episodes: Two Paddocks wine with Sam Neill, pinot noir obsessive: S6E6 Wine critic Jancis Robinson on the changing world of wine: S4E4 Brewing historian Tara Nurin, and beer sensory expert Briony Liebich: S11E6 Cocktails meet coffee with Mr Black Spirits: S8E5 Tags: gin, distilling, distillery, distiller, liquor, craft spirits, cocktail, cocktails, drink, drinks, wine, winemaking, winemaker, viticulture, beer, craft beer, brewing, agave, tequila, mezcal, bartender, bartenders, sommelier, sommeliers, cicerone, whisky, whiskey, cognac, bourbon, vodka, vineyard, mixology, bars, pubs, restaurants