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

Wine, Beer & Whisky Network Australia
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Drinks Adventures - Wine, beer, whisky, gin & more with James Atkinson

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. Tags: wine, beer, brewing, gin, whisky, whiskey. bourbon, cognac, rum, tequila, mezcal, champagne, cocktails, cider, Japanese sake

  1. OCT 1

    Diplomatico's super premium rums, with master distiller Nelson Hernandez

    Nelson Hernandez is master distiller at Venezuela’s Diplomatico Rum, where he has worked for an incredible 38 years. After studying mechanical engineering, Nelson initially worked in the oil industry before taking a job in 1986 as Maintenance and Project Manager at the Diplomatico distillery. Working alongside rum master Tito Cordero, Nelson learnt the craft of rum production the Diplomatico way, which means applying the highest quality standards at every step of the rum-making process from the sourcing of raw materials to the bottling.   As you heard at the top of the show, Nelson relishes the opportunity to convert whisky and cognac enthusiasts over to Diplomatico’s super premium rums led by its flagship Reserva Exclusiva blend, the perfect rum for sipping and elevating classic cocktails such as the Old Fashioned. The Diplomatico brand is ranked number one globally in the super premium rum segment and Reserva Exclusiva is currently having a bit of a moment here in Australia, growing 22 per cent year-on-year. So in this special episode of Drinks Adventures – produced with the support of Diplomatico – I sat down with Nelson to find out a little bit more about the brand’s Venezuelan provenance, and the production methodologies that set Diplomatico Rum apart from its peers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    18 min

  2. SEP 23

    Soda company StrangeLove's unlikely origin story

    We're joined this episode by James Bruce, who together with school friend Stafford Fox founded StrangeLove Beverage Co in Byron Bay, Australia, in 2012. StrangeLove is an unlikely story of entrepreneurialism that began with a single product –StrangeLove Organic Ginger Beer Energy Elixir – ‘a ginger beer so hot it was almost undrinkable’ that also contained functional ingredients like green tea and yerba mate. Over an at times tumultuous decade in which James and Stafford were continually running out of money, the StrangeLove offering evolved into a portfolio of adult soft drinks, mixers and mineral waters that proved so popular the business was ultimately acquired in 2022 by Asahi Beverages. This episode of Drinks Adventures was produced in partnership with StrangeLove, which has this year come on board as a sponsor of the show. So, I’m excited to share with you the StrangeLove origin story in this conversation with James, who reveals there is a new chapter on the horizon for the company involving its first ever foray into the arena of alcohol beverages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    39 min

  3. SEP 16

    McLaren Vale's Chapel Hill Winery celebrates its 50th vintage

    Michael Fragos is chief winemaker and general manager at McLaren Vale winery Chapel Hill, which this year celebrated its 50th vintage. Michael has been with the company for the last 21 of those vintages. So, in this special episode of Drinks Adventures – produced in partnership with Chapel Hill – he shares his insights on the winery’s evolution and the attention to detail that defines its winemaking process. This meticulous approach has this year inspired the release of a new flagship wine, The Devil Shiraz 2020, which plays on the saying, ‘the devil’s in the detail’. We’ll explore that new release in this interview with Michael, along with some of the experiments and tweaks he’s made in the winery over the last couple of decades to take the Chapel Hill wines to even greater heights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    26 min

  4. SEP 2

    Australian spirits targets $1 billion export opportunity

    This is a special episode of the show reporting on Australian spirits’ ambitions of becoming a $1 billion export industry by 2035. We all know the quality is there, and that $1 billion objective is what economics firm Mandala Partners believes is achievable if the Federal Government gets behind the Australian spirits industry, just as it has done for wine over several decades now. The spirits industry tabled its ambitions in the Federal Inquiry into Food and Beverage Manufacturing in Australia, which is currently being conducted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Resources. I’ve been involved in the inquiry process through my day job as Media & Communications Manager for industry body Spirits & Cocktails Australia. This episode presents audio from four separate hearings held in Sydney, Canberra, Hobart and Melbourne between June and August, which I’ve edited together for narrative purposes. If this is the first time you’ve listened to Drinks Adventures, nearly all of the people and brands featured in this episode have appeared previously on the show: Lark Whisky spreads its wings under new CEO Satya Sharma Dr Rachel Barrie, First Lady of Scotch whisky Holly Klintworth on her cognac recon mission, plus Australian Distillers news Sam Slaney of Starward on small batch whisky trials Laphroaig distillery manager Barry McAffer World Martini Day, with Archie Rose Bone Dry Gin Hickson House Distilling Co trio unveil further plans Dr Emma Walker, Johnnie Walker’s new master blender Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    24 min

  5. AUG 27

    Keg thieves meet their match with Konvoy

    We're joined this episode by Wade Rushton-Clarke, chief executive officer, Australia and New Zealand at keg rental company Konvoy Kegs. The issue of lost and stolen kegs has long plagued brewers in Australia. But you may have seen earlier this year, a spike in instances of large-scale keg theft by opportunists who were then flogging the empty kegs off as scrap metal. This unscrupulous practice is very financially damaging for brewers who have a lot of money tied up in kegs, which they must be able to access in a timely fashion to supply their customers. Clearly, it's the last thing that the brewing industry needs right at the moment. The extent of the problem has been uncovered by Konvoy's technology that tracked the missing kegs to a handful of scrapyards, giving police the evidence they needed to bring the offenders to justice. And as a result, Konvoy has been able to reduce the incidence of missing kegs in its fleet to less than one per cent. Wade and I discussed these and other benefits of Konvoy's tracking technology in this special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with Konvoy Kegs. You'll hear how the tracking beacons can inform brewers how quickly their products are turning around in venues, so they can be confident that we consumers, are enjoying their beers in the best possible condition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    24 min

  6. AUG 12

    From beer to seaweed: Mountain Goat founder Cam Hines

    We're joined this episode by Cam Hines, co-founder of pioneering Australian craft brewer Mountain Goat. Cam exited the beer industry after the sale of Mountain Goat in 2015 to Asahi, which was one of the first in a series of craft beer acquisitions by the major brewers over the last decade. I was pretty intrigued when I learned that Cam had returned to entrepreneurship as founder of Southern Seagreens, a business farming seaweed on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. So, as we take a little bit of a tangent from our usual programming, Cam shares how he transitioned from brewing to aquaculture, initially inspired by a Tim Flannery documentary on the environmental benefits of seaweed. First up though, Cam reflects on his 18 years building the Mountain Goat Beer brand and shares his thoughts on the current state of the Australian beer industry. For more on Mountain Goat Beer as it is today, make sure you check out the episode I recorded in 2022 with current head brewer Alana Rees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    41 min

  7. AUG 8

    Kristy Lark-Booth's eclectic Tasmanian spirits

    We’re joined this episode by Kristy Lark-Booth, founder of Killara Distillery in Tasmania. Kristy is a second-generation distiller, following in the footsteps of her parents Bill and Lyn Lark, who of course pioneered the modern Australian craft spirits industry when they opened Lark Distillery in 1992. Kristy founded Killara Distillery in 2016 and is now making an eclectic line-up of quality spirits at a 26-acre property in the Coal River Valley. She’s established her own gin garden where she is growing her own juniper and other botanicals; recently planted a trial crop of barley that would enable a grain-to-glass whisky; and has ambitions of planting a vineyard for an estate brandy. Those are just a few of the projects currently underway for Kristy, who is also the new president of the Tasmanian Whisky & Spirits Association. So, coming up later in the interview we get a general update on Tasmanian industry is faring, and we get an update on the TWSA’s quest for technical standards that will properly define and protect the different categories of spirits produced in Tasmania. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    31 min

  8. JUL 29

    Mumm Terroirs sparkling wine with chief winemaker Trina Smith

    We’re joined this episode by Trina Smith, chief winemaker of white wine and sparkling wine for Pernod Ricard Winemakers. Sparkling is one of the top performing wine styles in Australia, with current economic conditions driving many of us to choose more affordable wine alternatives to champagne. This scenario has been a boon for Mumm Terroirs, the range of sparkling wines produced in collaboration with the renowned champagne house G.H.Mumm. Comprising cuvees from Tasmania here in Australia, Marlborough and Central Otago in New Zealand and Napa in the United States, the Mumm Terroirs range is growing strongly, with plans afoot to continue its expansion. This is a special episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast, produced in partnership with Mumm Terroirs. Coming up, we discuss the philosophy behind the Terroirs range; the unique characteristics of each region; and the evolving preferences for drier sparkling wines in Australia. That’s after we find out a little bit more about how Trina found her way to Pernod Ricard and the additional role of committee chair for the Australian Sparkling Wine Show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    18 min
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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. Tags: wine, beer, brewing, gin, whisky, whiskey. bourbon, cognac, rum, tequila, mezcal, champagne, cocktails, cider, Japanese sake

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