We’ve done whisky specials before but here we are, back with another one. Why? Well, there are always plenty of mighty fine whiskies to shout about. Besides, why the hell not?

We start with two whiskies born and raised in the US. One is the result of two actor friends who bonded over their love of the spirit so much, they decided to create their own one. Rather aptly, it’s called Brother’s Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Our other pick is also the result of two bright minds coming together: this time it’s Sirdavis created by Dr Bill Lumsden and Queen B herself, the one and only Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, in partnership with Moët Hennessy.

Listen to our brand new episode on your favourite podcast channel or direct right here…

Our book is a glorious road trip journal across Japan in which renowned whisky expert Dave Broom shares his very personal observations of the spirit and the place in ‘The Japanese Way of Whisky’. And while we’re on the subject of travel, there’s certainly a whisky-based cocktail or two on the menu at Shakerato, the new bar in Amsterdam from the team behind Mexico City’s award-winning Handshake bar.

And then there’s our guest, the fabulous Georgie Bell-Leoni, who has been evangelising about whisky for over 15 years. She tells us about her love of the spirit, how to fully appreciate it and guides us through a tasting of one of the bottlings on offer from her award-winning company The Heart Cut.

Tune in wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts or via the link above.

In this episode…

We’re mixing…

Matcha Highball

Ingredients:
60ml Japanese whisky (we used Hibiki)
15ml honey water
15ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp Matcha powder
Chilled club soda to top
Lemon wheel to garnish

Method:
Chill Collins glasses. Shake first four ingredients over ice. Pour into the chilled Collins glass, top with Club Soda and garnish with a lemon wheel.

By Jason Patz, from Food & Wine Magazine

Talking to…

Opening up…

Tasting…

And…

Dropping into…

Catch up with every episode of The Cocktail Lovers Podcast here:

The Cocktail Lovers Podcast Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10

The Cocktail Lovers theme music is by Travis ‘T-Bone’ Watson