In episode 184, host David Kermode welcomes Kristiane Sherry to talk through her findings and observations after tasting almost 120 whiskies while compiling Club Oenologique’s Scotch Whisky Report 2024.
First on the agenda, Kermode finds out how Sherry became a leading whisky expert, what she loves about the spirit and how she approaches tasting.
Sherry and Kermode then move onto the Report. They analyse Sherry’s findings and uncover some of the patterns and trends she discovered while blind tasting 116 Scotch whiskies. One finding that Sherry is particularly keen to emphasise is the shift to a more balanced approach to flavour creation, with distillers relying less on casks and peat. Kermode highlights the strong performance of blended whisky in the report before asking Sherry if she believes whisky’s ‘golden age’ has come to an end. To finish their interview, Sherry shares more details about the World Whisky Experience, where she will be hosting two masterclasses.
In the second part of the episode, Kermode is joined by Billy Abbott of The Whisky Exchange to talk through all things Irish whiskey. Abbott explains the key differences between Irish and Scottish whisky, outlines some of the unique variations in style and highlights some of the flavours synonymous with Irish whiskey.
Discover more episodes of The Drinking Hour with David Kermode here.
