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

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

340 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 17 hours ago - ★★★★★ - 4 ratings

Wine lover? Craft beer fan? Drink whisky, bourbon, cognac or rum? Or maybe it's gin or vodka or mezcal you're into? Based in Australia, but globally minded, Drinks Adventures covers all these drinks and more: Japanese sake, cider, tequila, champagne, cocktails... we could go on!
Listen in as award-winning drinks writer James Atkinson interviews the world's biggest names in craft brewing, winemaking, distilling and mixology, along with sommeliers, mixologists, sake samurais, masters of wine and certified cicerones.

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Episodes

Australian Distillers toast 20 years at April conference

March 28, 2024 07:19 - 11 minutes

The Australian Distillers Association is the peak body for the 700 craft distillers that are now spread across the country, up from just 40 a decade ago. I work pretty closely with the ADA and its chief executive Paul McLeay in my day job as media & communications manager of Spirits & Cocktails Australia. In this bonus episode, Paul and I catch up for a quick chat about the ADA Conference coming up in Brisbane on April 28 to 30, 2024, which is the association’s 20th anniversary year. I know q...

How craft beer turmoil is impacting supplier Bintani

March 27, 2024 21:46 - 30 minutes

Last year I reported on the worrying spate of insolvencies in the drinks industry, particularly among craft brewers. And things have gotten even worse so far in 2024. Dave Padden of Sydney’s Akasha Brewing was pretty open with us last year on the show about the difficulties his business was confronting. Sadly, Akasha last week became the latest brewery to enter voluntary administration. In this episode I’m joined by Dale Meddings, joint CEO of Bintani, Australia’s leading supplier of ingredie...

Tarac unveils debut whiskies made for blending

March 20, 2024 13:00 - 20 minutes

Back in early 2023 we met Jeremy Blanks and Greg Jackson of Tarac, the largest distiller of grape spirit in Australia, which is diversifying into the contract production of whisky. Twelve months on, Jeremy and Greg return to the show having recently had their first trial whiskies come of age. I’ve had a chance to taste these whiskies that have been column distilled from malted barley, and was really impressed with them. Don’t take my word for it though, if you’re a distiller and heading to th...

Andrew Caillard MW on his wine opus, The Australian Ark

March 18, 2024 13:00 - 42 minutes

We’re joined again this episode by Andrew Caillard MW, one of Australia’s leading authorities on wine. Andrew was last on the show in November 2020 discussing the debut of two Australian wines on the prestigious international wine marketplace, La Place de Bordeaux. This time Andrew joins us to discuss his magnum opus, The Australian Ark, the most extensive history of the Australian wine industry ever written. First up, Andrew and I discuss the challenges involved with getting a book of this s...

My whisky ethos: Lark Distilling CEO Satya Sharma

March 11, 2024 13:00 - 50 minutes

Satya Sharma is the new CEO of Australia’s pioneering whisky company, Lark Distilling. Sash – as he prefers to be called – has only been on deck since May 2023. But already, he has put his stamp on the Lark business. The frenzy of special releases has been dialled back in favour of a clearly defined core range. Export deals have been announced for several markets in South East Asia. 700ml bottles are on the cards, and as you just heard, the business has committed to greater transparency about...

Sparkling shiraz, Australia’s own wine style

December 06, 2023 13:00 - 19 minutes

Victorian winery Seppelt today is probably best known for its exquisite table wines. I’m talking about St Peters Shiraz from its home region of the Grampians, and chardonnay, riesling and pinot noir from the esteemed Drumborg Vineyard in the cooler climes of Henty. Perhaps lesser known to some of us is Seppelt’s rich heritage in sparkling wines. In 2022, the company highlighted that pedigree with two new cuvees named in honour of Charles Pierlot, the Frenchman who in 1890 made Australia’s fir...

Champion cider maker Tim Jones turns hand to vinegar

November 27, 2023 13:00 - 20 minutes

Dr Tim Jones is undoubtedly one of Australia’s top cider makers. After starting his drinks production career making industrial cider in Cascade Brewery, Tim joined Willie Smith’s as head cider maker in 2014. He stayed in that role until 2020 and during that period of almost six years, Willie Smith’s won a stack of trophies for its ciders showcasing the complexity offered by heirloom English and French cider apple varieties. Tim’s new venture is Wild Mother Tasmania, a vinegar company that lik...

Drinks trends with Lion innovation director, Chris Moschos

November 22, 2023 13:00 - 21 minutes

Five years ago when I started this podcast I never thought I’d see small craft brewers making products like hard seltzers, low carb and non-alcoholic beers, or “cervezas” that to me look very much like the macro lagers they originally railed against. But these are interesting and challenging times in the drinks industry. All producers are currently grappling with a plethora of economic headwinds and the need to cater for increasingly health conscious consumers. Chris Moschos, who is innovatio...

Foraging botanicals with Darwin Distilling

November 13, 2023 13:00 - 26 minutes

Darwin Distilling Co is a Northern Territory distillery founded by our guest this episode of the podcast, hospitality entrepreneur Rebecca Bullen. Originally from Victoria, Bec was lured to Darwin by the opportunity to open the city’s first wine bar, Stone House, which launched in 2016 and is still going strong today. She subsequently opened the gin bar and restaurant Charlie’s of Darwin in January 2020, with the distillery as its centrepiece. Carefully avoiding encounters with snakes and cro...

Dr Rachel Barrie, legendary Scotch whisky master blender

November 07, 2023 13:00 - 28 minutes

With more than 30 years’ experience in the whisky industry, Dr Rachel Barrie was the first female Scotch whisky Master Blender inducted into Whisky Magazine’s illustrious ‘Hall of Fame’. Also known as the 'First Lady of Scotch', Rachel studied chemistry before landing a job as research scientist at the Scotch Whisky Research Institute. She then moved into production at The Glenmorangie Company, becoming Master Blender in 2003. During that time Rachel also managed the stocks for the Scotch Mal...

Rise of Grenache, with Jimmy Watson winner Hentley Farm

October 30, 2023 13:00 - 21 minutes

Established in 1884, the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards annually attracts around 2,500 entries from over 400 wineries from across the country. The Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy is the pinnacle of the competition. It’s awarded to the best one or two year old red wine as blind tasted by the judges. Last year, the winner was the 2021 Old Legend Grenache from Hentley Farm in the Barossa Valley. It was another milestone in the ascendancy of Australian grenache, which is something I’ve discussed recent...

Classifying Australia’s top wines, with Huon Hooke

October 23, 2023 13:00 - 31 minutes

Renowned wine writer Huon Hooke previously appeared on the Drinks Adventures podcast way back in Season One, in an episode exploring Australians’ love affair with champagne. He’s finally back for this full-length chat about The Real Review Wine Classification, which launched in 2022 aiming to highlight the greatest wines of Australia and New Zealand that have an outstanding track record of a decade or longer. Huon and I discuss the fresh approach he’s taken to classifying wine versus other es...

Professor John Rasko AO, founder Two Doctors Whiskey

October 16, 2023 13:00 - 28 minutes

Two Doctors is a whiskey company founded, as the name suggests, by Two Doctors; surgeon Jerry Schwartz and Professor John Rasko AO, a clinical hematologist, pathologist and scientist. Professor Rasko is with us this episode to discuss his epic side hustle, which utilises the brewing equipment at Sydney Brewery’s production facility in the Hunter Valley, NSW. The brewery and distillery are based at Rydges Resort Hunter Valley, one of several hotels owned by Jerry’s other business, Schwartz Fam...

Top Shelf chasing profit; Brookie’s Excise Strength Gin; Oliver’s Taranga wine & Small Acres Cyder

October 09, 2023 13:00 - 19 minutes

In this edition of the news on Drinks Adventures: Top Shelf declares pathway to profitability; Cape Byron campaigns for tax relief with Excise Strength Gin; Business booming at McLaren Vale winery, Oliver’s Taranga; and New lease on life for Orange, NSW cider maker Small Acres. Click here to open episode in your podcast player.

Waubs Harbour Maritime Tasmanian Whisky, with Tim & Bec Polmear

October 02, 2023 13:00 - 30 minutes

Few Australian distillery launches in 2023 have been greeted with the excitement surrounding Waubs Harbour in Bicheno, Tasmania. It’s easy to see why. The distillery’s striking location in a former oyster hatchery on the rugged Tassie coast promises a true maritime expression of Australian single malt whisky. The founders bring with them some pretty impressive pedigree in both distilling and business generally. Head distiller Rob Polmear was previously head of production at Lark Distillery, a...

Australia’s wine grape revolution, with Max Allen

September 25, 2023 13:00 - 40 minutes

Renowned drinks writer Max Allen returns to the Drinks Adventures podcast this episode, three years on from our interview launching his last book, Intoxicating: Ten Drinks That Shaped Australia. Max’s new book that we’ll be discussing today is called Alternative Reality: How Australian Wine Changed Course. It explores the Australian wine industry’s rapid embrace of non-mainstream grape varieties over the last two decades, which can all be traced back to 2001 in Mildura, north east Victoria, w...

The Beer Drinker's Toolkit with Mick Wust; Chris Malcolm slams Mighty Craft failures & Morris Tokay Barrel Whisky

September 06, 2023 13:00 - 23 minutes

In this edition of the news on Drinks Adventures: Chris Malcolm slams Mighty Craft failures; Morris releases Tokay Barrel Whisky; and Introducing The Beer Drinker’s Toolkit, a new book by Mick Wust. And, on a personal note, announcing my new industry role as media & communications manager at Spirits & Cocktails Australia. This is the final episode of Season 16. I'm taking a short break to catch up on back of house stuff, so we can start anew in a few weeks’ time. Click here to open episod...

Burch family toasts 30 years at Howard Park Wines

August 28, 2023 13:00 - 27 minutes

Western Australia’s Howard Park Wines featured on this podcast very early on when I interviewed then chef winemaker Janice McDonald, in October 2018. Janice has since moved on to focus on the Margaret River wine company she founded with partner Stuart Pym, Flowstone Wines, which we explored on Drinks Adventures in early 2023. In this episode we welcome Howard Park’s current chief winemaker Nic Bowen to the show, together with Natalie Burch, general manager and marketing director. Nic joined H...

New Zealand’s whisky renaissance, with Greg Ramsay

August 22, 2023 13:00 - 32 minutes

Whisky production disappeared from New Zealand in 1997 with the closure of the Willowbank Distillery in Dunedin. But in 2009 Tasmanian entrepreneur Greg Ramsay brought together a group of investors to purchase Willowbank’s remaining stocks and re-launch New Zealand whisky to the world. Greg joins us this episode as we explore some of New Zealand’s little-known whisky-making heritage, and the whisky renaissance that’s now underway. His company, dubbed The New Zealand Whisky Collection, is curr...

Reshaping Australian rum, with Brix Rum’s James Christopher

August 14, 2023 13:00 - 39 minutes

James Christopher of Sydney’s Brix Rum is with us again this episode, following his previous appearance back in Season Two. It was very early days for Brix when we last spoke in 2018, at which time the company was relying on imported spirit for the dark rums in its range. Brix has now come to market with a new core range of rums fully produced here in Australia, which have superseded the imported product, in beautiful packaging designed by podcast sponsor, Co-Partnership. It seemed a pivotal ...

Bridge Road Brewers at 18, with founder Ben Kraus

August 07, 2023 13:00 - 34 minutes

Founded in 2005 in Beechworth, north east Victoria, Bridge Road Brewers is currently celebrating its 18th birthday. This is a significant milestone for any business, let alone a craft brewer. And it’s particularly momentous for Bridge Road, which is currently poised to open a brewpub venue in East Brunswick, Melbourne, following a successful $1.5 million crowdfunding campaign in 2022. Founder Ben Kraus is with us this episode for a really interesting discussion about the challenges of remaini...

How to Drink Australian (wine), with sommelier Jane Lopes

July 31, 2023 13:00 - 30 minutes

How to drink Australian is a landmark wine book by American sommeliers Jane Lopes and Jonathan Ross. Jane and Jonathan have intimate knowledge of the wine scene in Australia, having both worked professionally here; Jane as wine director at renowned Melbourne restaurant Attica, and Jonathan as beverage director at Rockpool Dining Group. Jane and Jonathan were so blown away by the wines they experienced during their time here that upon returning to the US in 2020 they founded Legend, a wine imp...

Judging craft spirits with Seb Costello

July 25, 2023 13:00 - 22 minutes

When Seb Costello opened the cocktail bar Bad Frankie in Melbourne in 2014, he did something that was almost unthinkable at the time; creating a drinks menu comprised completely of Australian craft spirits. Seb understandably became known as a champion of Australian distilling. This, coupled with his sensory skills and broad appreciation for different spirits categories, saw him appointed chief judge of the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards in 2020. At the time of this episode going to air,...

Cognac recon and Australian Distillers news with Holly Klintworth

July 17, 2023 13:00 - 31 minutes

We previously met Holly Klintworth on the Drinks Adventures podcast back in March 2021. So if you’re keen to get the back story on Holly’s distillery, Bass & Flinders, head on back to that episode in Season 8. Holly’s back with us having recently returned from a six-week internship in Cognac, supported by a Churchill Fellowship. The trip had the objective of learning the art of brandy production from leading cognac producers, so that she could share her findings with the Australian industry. ...

Stone & Wood Cloudy Pale Ale, Hinterland Hazy & more, with Caolan Vaughan

July 10, 2023 13:00 - 24 minutes

We’re joined this episode by Stone & Wood head brewer Caolan Vaughan, to get an update on recent goings on at the company. And as always, there’s plenty happening. Like the rebranding and reformulation of Cloud Catcher, now known as Cloudy Pale Ale; and the launch of its new Australian Hop Series, starting with the Hinterland Hazy. We get the latest on the Counter Culture label, reserved for left field and inventive beers. And I ask Caolan what happened to Forest for the Trees, the saison off...

Protecting the Tasmanian whisky brand, with TWSA president Cam Brett

July 03, 2023 13:00 - 18 minutes

Tasmania is the birthplace of Australian whisky in the modern era, with unique positioning as the country’s only island state. For some time now its distillers have entertained the idea of protecting these attributes with a geographical indication or appellation ensuring that products labelled ‘Tasmanian whisky’ meet certain standards.  Recently on the Drinks Adventures podcast we met Cam and Suzy Brett of Spring Bay Distillery in Tasmania. Cam is also president of the Tasmanian Whisky and Sp...

Langtons auction highlights; Lark Distilling CEO speaks; Gospel Legacy Rye; & more

June 28, 2023 13:00 - 19 minutes

Welcome to another edition of the news on Drinks Adventures. Coming up this bulletin: Langtons Barossa wine auction nets $200K; Lark investors meet new CEO Satya Sharma; The Gospel unveils a tribute to Maryland-style rye whiskeys; and South Australian Parliament honours distillers on World Gin Day. Click here to open episode in your podcast player.

Tasmanian whisky, gin and vodka with Cam & Suzy Brett of Spring Bay Distillery

June 26, 2023 13:00 - 37 minutes

Established in 2015 at Spring Beach in Tasmania, Spring Bay Distillery is the realisation of a dream for whisky-loving owners Cam and Suzy Brett. We’ve actually heard from Cam a couple of times previously on this podcast; in one of my news bulletins back in 2021, and in the special Lark 30th anniversary episode in 2022. So it’s long overdue I invited Cam and Suzy on for an in-depth chat about Spring Bay. While it’s definitely single malt whisky that inspired their distillery, Spring Bay has a...

Tulchan Gin, the new spirit of Speyside

June 20, 2023 13:00 - 17 minutes

Speyside is the absolute epicentre of Scotland’s distilling industry, and now there’s a Speyside gin to complement the region’s famed whiskies. Created by wine and spirits company Stoli Group, Tulchan Gin is a small batch gin with distinctly local flavours inspired by the terroir of Tulchan Estate. Surrounded by 22,000 picturesque acres of lochs and glens, Tulchan is a famous sporting estate in Speyside long frequented by European royalty, US Presidents and titans of industry. This is a speci...

Chandon Etoile redefines luxury sparkling wine

June 14, 2023 13:00 - 29 minutes

Chandon Etoile is a new ultra-prestige sparkling cuvee from Chandon Australia in Victoria’s Yarra Valley. It’s a multi-vintage blend comprised of eight Chandon Vintage Brut reserves – which together represent hundreds of base wines – rounded out with extended ageing. With us this episode to discuss the groundbreaking project is Chandon Australia winemaking director Dan Buckle, who has been guiding the company’s traditional-method winemaking since 2012.  Through our conversation about Etoile, ...

Allan Border talks wine and Ashes predictions

June 13, 2023 13:00 - 36 minutes

Allan Border’s Maiden Tonne is a limited edition shiraz released by the legendary cricketer in partnership with Sanguine Estate, the Heathcote, Victoria winery owned by the Hunter family. Allan is with us this episode along with Sanguine winemaker Mark Hunter. I’ll leave it to them to share the back story of this wine, which Mark hopes will elevate Heathcote’s reputation as a region synonymous with premium shiraz.  Also in the interview, Allan reflects on his maiden tonne in cricket. I ask hi...

Mark Bouris on whisky and the economy

June 07, 2023 13:00 - 34 minutes

The Bird is a new single malt Australian whisky created by renowned entrepreneur and media personality Mark Bouris in collaboration with Andrew Nugent and Paul Giles of Adelaide Hills winery Bird in Hand. Mark joins us this episode for what turned into quite a wide-ranging and insightful interview, starting with his personal journey of whisky appreciation that inspired The Bird. We talk about the decision to produce the whisky in partnership with South Australia’s Fleurieu Distillery, which y...

Scotch whisky survivor Glen Scotia spreads its wings

June 05, 2023 13:00 - 33 minutes

The small Scottish coastal town of Campbeltown was once home to over 30 distilleries, and it was known as the “Victorian Whisky Capital of the World”. Today, Glen Scotia is one of three surviving distilleries in the region. And both Glen Scotia and Campbeltown are developing a strong reputation among whisky enthusiasts in spite of the region’s production output, which ­is tiny in the context of Scotch whisky. Today, Glen Scotia is owned by the Loch Lomond Group and a continuing program of inv...

New spirits range has origins in cannabis research

May 31, 2023 13:00 - 29 minutes

Banks and Bloom Distillery + Lab is a West Australian company founded by biochemist Elaine Darby and winemaker Trent Carroll. Trent’s name might be familiar to some of you from his earlier AFL career at Fremantle and West Coast. But it was Elaine’s background that caught my eye when a media release came through recently announcing that Banks and Bloom Ice Vodka had been awarded Doubled Gold in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Between 2015 and 2018, Elaine was managing director of ...

Introducing The Busker Irish Whiskey

May 29, 2023 13:00 - 24 minutes

There’s been a groundswell of new Irish whiskey brands in recent years, which we explored in late 2022 in a special episode supported by the Irish Whiskey Association. Royal Oak Distillery predates many of the newcomers. It was founded in 2012 by the late Augusto Reina of Illva Saronno, the Italian company that owns renowned liqueur brands Disaronno and Tia Maria. Located on an 18th century estate in Ireland’s Ancient East barley growing region, Royal Oak is home of The Busker Irish Whiskey, ...

How Hawke’s Brewing has evolved its brand, team and beers

May 24, 2023 13:00 - 32 minutes

Hawke’s Brewing was founded by advertising creatives Nathan Lennon and David Gibson, together with former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, in 2017. Bob Hawke passed away in 2019 but his legacy lives on at Hawke’s Brewing through a unique arrangement that diverts his royalty share in the business to Landcare Australia, the environmental charity he founded in 1989. We’ll talk about that later on in this interview with Nathan and head brewer Brodie French, as well as reflecting on some key m...

Season 16 Trailer

May 23, 2023 13:00 - 1 minute

Season 16 of Drinks Adventures starts this week! Here's a sneak preview of some of the outstanding episodes coming up featuring all your favourite beverage categories: Wine, whisky, beer, gin, vodka and more.

Drinks insolvencies; Mighty Craft latest; Hahn’s big bet; Fever-Tree & Brown Brothers

May 23, 2023 00:55 - 19 minutes

Welcome to another edition of the news on Drinks Adventures, as we get Season 16 of the show underway. Once again, we’re catching up on the news from the last couple of months. ‘Insolvency armageddon’ hits drinks industry; Mighty Craft acknowledges difficult market; Hahn bets big on Ultra Low Carb beer; Fever-Tree overhauls Australian operations; and Brown Brothers launches Extended Lees Patricia Sparkling Wine. Click here to open episode in your podcast player.

Akasha expanding despite brewing industry challenges

April 17, 2023 13:00 - 33 minutes

Sydney’s Akasha Brewing Company was founded by former IT professional and passionate homebrewer Dave Padden in 2015. It has quietly grown into one of the inner west’s larger independent breweries, having quickly developed a reputation for high quality, hop-driven beer styles.  The year 2022 was pivotal for Akasha. The company undertook a $1.7 million equity crowdfunding raise that supported its diversification into barrel-aged beers, as well as funding the addition of two hospitality venues; ...

How this podcast was born! And where it’s going…

April 03, 2023 13:00 - 25 minutes

After almost five years and coming up to 200 episodes, perhaps it’s time for you to hear a little bit more about me, how I started Drinks Adventures, and where it might be headed. Recently Andrew Graham from Kaddy – the wholesale beverage marketplace – asked to interview me for its industry news pages, Kaddy Community. To which I said, ‘sure! But if we’re going to do it, we may as well record the interview properly so I can share it with my listeners’. So here it is, an edited version of that...

Michter’s rise to most admired American whiskey

March 29, 2023 13:00 - 30 minutes

Kentucky-based Michter’s Distillery was named World's Most Admired American Whiskey and second Most Admired Whisky overall by Drinks International in 2022. We'll find out the story behind its incredible trajectory from master distiller, Dan McKee, in this interview produced in partnership with Michter's. Born and raised in Indiana, Dan McKee moved to Kentucky to pursue his dream of making whiskey, beginning his career as a distillery operator at Jim Beam. Two years later, he was promoted to d...

Japanese whisky's evolution, with Fuji master blender Jota Tanaka

March 22, 2023 13:00 - 36 minutes

Jota Tanaka has worked for Kirin Brewery Company for 34 years, leading its whisky business as master blender since 2017. He’s had a really interesting career path through the Kirin business to arrive at his current role, including stints in winemaking, wine marketing and leading product development for Four Roses Distillery in Kentucky. We’ll get into some of that in this interview with Jota, who was inducted into the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame in 2022, one of many career accolades he’s rec...

Spirits veteran James France, founder Vanguard Luxury Brands

March 20, 2023 13:00 - 28 minutes

James France is a 30-year veteran of the spirits industry in both Australia and abroad. In 2008 he founded the Sydney-based distribution business Vanguard Luxury Brands with the objective of bringing the best brands to the best bars, liquor stores, restaurants and hotels across Australia. He ultimately sold Vanguard in 2019 to Lion, which simultaneously acquired the biggest brand on Vanguard’s roster, Four Pillars Gin, as we previously explored with Four Pillars co-founder Cam Mackenzie on th...

Lark dismisses buyout talk; Pernod’s new whisky; Boutique-y returns to Oz; Advanced Cicerone Paul Daley & Bentspoke X Teeling collab

March 15, 2023 22:45 - 20 minutes

The news returns to the Drinks Adventures podcast for the first time since 2021! This first edition for 2023 is using the term ‘news’ a little loosely, as I’m catching you up on some of the stories that have been on my radar since the beginning of the year: Lark dismisses buyout talk; and Sullivans Cove speculation; Pernod Ricard's first new brand in 20+ years; Indie bottler Boutique-y returns to Oz; Australia gets its second Advanced Cicerone; and  Bentspoke collaborates with Teeling Wh...

Steve The Bartender: YouTube star, author & distiller

March 13, 2023 13:00 - 25 minutes

Steve Roennfeldt, better known as Steve the Bartender, has been sharing easy-to-follow cocktail videos on YouTube since 2017. He’s based in Adelaide, South Australia, but he’s built a global community of cocktail enthusiasts. As at the present moment Steve has nearly 700,000 subscribers, which means he’s the country’s leading cocktail Youtuber and one of the top cocktail-related accounts globally. His debut book, Steve the Bartender's Cocktail Guide, was released in 2022. And he also co-owns ...

Starward’s Sam Slaney on small batch trials, debut white wine cask

March 06, 2023 13:00 - 24 minutes

Melbourne’s Starward Whisky has released smaller batch experimental products ever since the very early days. And some of these, like the Ginger Beer Cask that we explored in depth with founder David Vitale in Season 13, have gone onto bigger things. In 2020, the company created the Small Batch Experimental Series as a home for its smaller one-off releases that haven’t reached the scale required for wider distribution; showcasing new flavours, specialty ingredients and unique barrels or distil...

How Clare Valley drove screwcap revolution for wine

March 01, 2023 19:52 - 22 minutes

Can you imagine buying what was supposed to be the exact same product – any product – and having it be different every time? And in some cases, that the product you purchased was outright faulty. It wasn’t fit for purpose. This is not an acceptable scenario in any category of consumer goods. But it’s exactly what was happening in the Australian wine industry 20 years ago, and through no fault of our winemakers. The culprit was dodgy corks, which were causing widespread issues with TCA – commo...

Maximilian Riedel: Glassware CEO and wine influencer

February 27, 2023 21:15 - 31 minutes

Maximilian Riedel is the 11th generation CEO of Austrian glassware company Riedel. The company was founded in 1756 and according to Maximilian it is currently facing some of the biggest challenges in its 267-year history. There’s been the covid pandemic obviously, but more recently, the war in Ukraine, which is hugely concerning for an energy intensive manufacturing business such as Riedel, given its reliance on Russian gas. In spite of these headwinds, Riedel recorded its most successful yea...

Tarac unlocks blended whisky opportunity for Australia

February 23, 2023 13:00 - 37 minutes

Tarac is the largest distiller of grape spirit in Australia, supplying high quality neutral alcohol and brandy spirit for use in fortified wines since 1930. And, as the craft spirits industry has taken off over the last decade, Tarac has increasingly been supplying distillers with the base alcohol to create products including gin and vodka. Now, in a milestone move for the company, it has turned its hand to the production of new make whisky. Using existing infrastructure and technology, Tarac...

Daniel Ricciardo postscript, with Lakeside Drive F1 podcast

February 20, 2023 13:00 - 14 minutes

F1 questions were strictly off limits in this week's interview with Daniel Ricciardo about his DR3 collaboration with St Hugo Wines. Instead, I put some of those questions to James Baldwin from leading Australian F1 podcast, Lakeside Drive. James is a wine guy himself, so he gives me his thoughts on the DR3 partnership and Daniel’s F1 prospects in this bonus episode of Drinks Adventures. You can also catch me on the Lakeside Drive podcast speaking with James about my interview with Daniel and...

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@byjamesatkinson 64 Episodes