#137, Angus Winchester, legendary spirits educator, brand ambassador, emeritus Director of Education for BCB, Director of Bars, raconteur

Angus is so old a friend that we can't remember exactly where we met but we're 99% sure it was at a bar show or get-together of some kind, probably in London, where he, a bartender from Oxford, was in on the ground floor of what we can now look back - after thirty years - to confirm was the birth of the Second Golden Age of cocktails. He and I were the two first people from the bar biz to have "Global Brand Ambassador" on our business cards (he for Tanqueray, me for Bols), and our careers have had significant parallels and overlaps ever since. He's written numerous articles, taught at every bar show in the world and hasn't written a book. (Yet). He also just stepped down from being BCB (global)'s first-ever Director of Education, having taken the already-stellar BCB seminar program to new heights. He's a terrific public speaker, a deep thinker, funny and self-deprecating as only an Englishman can be - and he loves all things liquor and bars to distraction. In a move we can all get behind, this living legend is back running bars, as Director of Bars for the Capella luxury resort in Taipei, and as we were both in Athens for the Bar Show (he to give a great seminar on Talking In Bars, me to carry my wife Elayne's bags), I decided we had to sit down and catch up. Enjoy!Angus on IG: https://www.instagram.com/anguswinchester/?hl=en Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries: [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, and we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, or listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview or Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

I've been a fan of Ben's since his first book, Schott's Original Miscellany came out in 2002, a collection of quirky facts and insights into subcultures; his 13 (!) subsequent books expanded on the theme and have sold more than 2.5 million copies, in multiple languages, to date. Ben also wrote two of the best "homage" books in the style of PG Wodehouse, which, if you're a Wodehouse fan, I urge you to read. His newest book, Schott's Significa, delves into the worlds of hidden languages and subcultures: open-outcry stock trading hand signals, the unspoken languages of the servers of Eleven Madison Park, and the very-much-spoken insider slang of everyone from the diamond dealers of midtown Manhattan to world-famous cocktail bars like Tres Monos and Overstory. We had a very pleasant and - as you might expect - wide-ranging chat about everything, enjoy!Ben on IG: https://www.instagram.com/benschott/Ben on X / Twitter: https://x.com/benschott?s=21&t=kTsTPMPK0kgHLvK8ldrFXQBen's website: https://www.benschott.com/Buy Ben's books (and support independent bookshops): https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=ben+schott Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries: [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, and we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, or listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview or Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

The irrepressible Edvinas "Eddie" Rudzinskas is a fixture at just about every bar show and party, and the Instagram he created, @cocktails_for_you, boasts 565, 000 followers. We sat down during BCBerlin to talk about how he went from working in his native Lithuania to bartending in a small town in Ireland, falling deep down the rabbit hole of mixology, and founding Cocktails for You, initially as a Facebook page sharing all the seminars and events he'd attend, first in Ireland and then - often representing the Bartender's Association of Ireland, BAI - abroad. He's also recently been named Global Advocacy Lead for Thomas Henry mixers, and co-founded his own (delicious) Irish whiskey, Old Baile. We grabbed a spare hour (and some champagne) to talk about how he became a social media influencer, the state of the bar world,  and building brands in the onpremise, as well as a whole bunch more. Enjoy!Eddie's personal IG: https://www.instagram.com/eddie_this_is_my_life/?hl=enCocktails For You IG: https://www.instagram.com/cocktails_for_you/?hl=enOld Baile Whiskey IG: https://www.instagram.com/oldbailewhiskey/?hl=enThomas Henry mixers: https://www.instagram.com/thomashenry_borninbars/?hl=en Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries: [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, and we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, or listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview or Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

I've always followed the industry in Australia closely, as in my opinion it is, pound-for-pound, the best mixology nation on Earth; I've visited often, for teaching and consulting, and wrote a column in Australian Bartender magazine for some years. Last year the Sydney Morning Herald broke a story (sadly, only the first of many) uncovering alleged wide-ranging abuse at the renowned Australian hospitality group Swillhouse, with allegations ranging from management ignoring complaints right up to sexual harassment and rape by former and current staff. Several former Swillhouse employees who were victims, including Jenna and Alexandra, bravely waived their right to anonymity, started a lawsuit against their former employer, and formed the Sorry Not Sorry Collective, which is currently touring with guest bartending and other events to raise awareness about these heinous issues, and to raise actual cash to fund their lawsuit. We caught up during Bar Convent Berlin; I've known Jenna for quite a while and travelled through Japan with her as part of a group learning about shochu. Because of that, and because both her and Alexandra are also Australians - automatically gregarious and affable people - and bartenders to boot, we had what could be described as a deceptively light-hearted sounding conversation that, as well as learning about their routes into bartending and the Australian scene, deals with some very deep topics indeed, ranging from the alleged abuses to the definition of sex work, consent, and a lot more. We couldn't go into every detail of the alleged abuses, because their lawsuit is ongoing, however we discussed some comparable cases in other countries, of which there are a depressing amount. This is very much worth a listen. Sydney Morning Herald article exposing abuse: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sex-sleaze-and-swillhouse-the-sinister-side-of-the-glitzy-hospitality-scene-20240820-p5k3r0.htmlJenna on IG: https://www.instagram.com/jrhemsworth/?hl=enAlexandra on IG: https://www.instagram.com/alexandr4hoo Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries: [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, and we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, or listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview or Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

I met Andrea in the End Times, even though we didn't know it, then; he made several delicious cocktails with Old Duff Genever for me, in New Zealand, in mid-March 2020, before the world closed down. Andrea is a remarkably cool guy who came from Italy to, first, Australia, and then NZ, to perfect his craft, knowing that first he had to perfect his language skills. He then worked months - even after winning national and international cocktail contests! - washing glasses, before being promoted to bartender. He's a great guy. This is a great listen. Andrea on IG: https://www.instagram.com/captainspaghetti92/?hl=enStaffies Card Game: https://www.instagram.com/staffiescardgame/?hl=enNew Zealand Bar Convention: https://www.instagram.com/nzbarcon/?hl=enAgnes Vermouth: https://www.instagram.com/agnesevermouth/?hl=en Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries: [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, and we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, or listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview or Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

Edmund co-founded Nightjar, a speakeasy cocktail bar with live music, in London with his life and business partner, Roisin Stimpson, in 2010, with its first head bartender being Marian Beke. Nightjar quickly stormed the lists of nominations, Best Bars, and more, and a lot of that success was due to Marian's incredible cocktail presentations, in bespoke vessels, using skill and flavour combinations that upped London's game significantly, and have since been copied widely. Hand-in-hand with that was Edmund and Rosie's laserlike focus on music, vibes and guest experience. Nightjar expanded to a second venue, then a third; they opened a larger version, named Oriole, then partnered with lauded operators Bobby Hiddleston and Mia Johansson to open Swift, an all-day, two-level bar concept that now has three branches in London. Me and Edmund sat down in a quiet moment during Bar Convent Berlin to catch up; I really enjoyed this, and I hope you do, too. Edmund on IG: https://www.instagram.com/edmundweil/?hl=enNightjar bars on IG: https://www.instagram.com/nightjar/?hl=enOriole bar on IG: https://www.instagram.com/theoriolebar/?hl=enSwift bars on IG: https://www.instagram.com/swiftbars/?hl=enShaken, a book on James Bond's cocktails co-authored by Edmund, himself a relative of Bond creator Ian Fleming: https://www.amazon.com/Shaken-Drinking-Fleming-Official-Cocktail/dp/0062896253/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.iVdqZa9NfDKKPUrxzWQbXVsUHoHeOji1AX4uLOuu5HuNiTu_Ge32Gvilj4xx6VEK.GUVrOCrMbhmQNB3gX5CZe6oMFWWdwKhAdP88A_y_rqU&dib_tag=se&keywords=shaken+bond+cocktail&qid=1760309343&sr=8-1 Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries: [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, and we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, or listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview or Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

I met Steve at Cologne Bar Symposium earlier this year, which also hosted the first-ever launch of Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey outside the USA. We chatted a bit and I attended his seminar; to say Steve's life is fascinating is like saying Elon Musk is a decent engineer. From a childhood of wealth in Cambodia with servants and bodyguards, to contracting polio and losing the use of one of his legs, to years of barely subsisting in a Thai refugee camp, being sponsored to come to the US as child, graduating high school and college despite severe ADHD, founding a string of successful bars despite not knowing how to bartend or cook, bars, which led to him creating Skrewball, the world's first peanut-butter flavoured whiskey with his wife (and childhood sweetheart) Brittany in 2018 and selling it to Pernod-Ricard for a rumoured 9-figure sum in 2023 after it boomed to over 600, 000 cases by 2022, his life has not been dull. He's one of the most truly inspiring people I've ever met, relentlessly upbeat and happy, despite having had more than a lifetime's worth of slings and arrows shot his way before he was even in his teens. Enjoy!Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey on IG: https://www.instagram.com/skrewballwhiskey?igsh=MXVkOGF5a3FyMWZveQ== Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries: [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, and we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, or listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview or Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

Our mutual friend (and PR guru) Laura Peet suggested I have liquor biz lifer Ken on, and he was a great guest! We chatted about the liquor industry, recent developments like GLP-1 inhibitors, the effects of phone-based gambling on drinks sales in bars, the Seagrams curse, and a whole bunch more, while I was drinking a Fre Damm Tostada a non-alc beer whose parent brand, Damm coincidentally is imported to the US by United States Beverage, where Ken's been brought in to bolster the liquor division. Ken on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenaufiero United States Beverage on IG: https://www.instagram.com/unitedstatesbeverage/?hl=esLaura Peet on IG: https://www.instagram.com/peetcom7/ Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries: [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, and we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, or listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview or Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

Sarah Morrissey is a little bundle of joy on the NY bar circuit, but also a skilled mixologist who's had her bar programs reviewed in the likes of the New York Times on multiple occasions, shepherded bar programs to James Beard and Tales of the Cocktail nominations (and wins) and is rightly respected by all who know her. She's done stints at Le Veau d'Or, Frenchette, Ernesto's, Dutch Kills, and many more. She recently also started a Substack with some highly controversial posts, and that's all it took to convince me to track her down for a chat, Philip Duff Show-style. Took us several weeks to coordinate it, but here it is!Everything from her suburban God-bothering childhood to evangelical college, her Damascene conversion to bartending, trailing a Hillstone shift manager, the problem with reviewers, the breaking news she's opening her own place, and a lot more. I loved this - you can tell - and even if Sarah's audio fell out for a few seconds now and then, it's still one of my favorite ever episodes. Sarah on IG: https://www.instagram.com/mozzy_sticks_87/?hl=esSarah's Substack: https://substack.com/@mozzysticks Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries: [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, and we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, or listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview or Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

Return guest and one of my favorite people, Robin Robinson is back! He's a sales & marketing guru, a brand sherpa, a truly gifted storyteller and spirits expert - and he's just written another book, so back on The Philip Duff Show he comes.We talked storytelling, Star Wars, some of the mindbending facts he's unearthed for the new book (First use of a sherry barrel for whiskey aging? 1854. Most important whiskey dynasty? The Haig / Stein / Jameson clan, and their Dutch connection. Molson brewing's whiskey history. Etc) the rise and stutter of Uncle Nearest, Powers inventing the nip bottle, three-chamber stills and a whole bunch more - enjoy!Robin on IG: http://www.instagram.com/robinrobinsonllcRobin's website: https://www.robinrobinsonllc.com/Pre-order “The History of Whiskey in 100 Bottles, Barrels and More”: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-history-of-whiskey-in-100-stills-barrels-and-bottles/3ee0355d8118abcf?ean=9781682689103&next=tOrder Robin's other book, "The Complete Whiskey Course": https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-complete-whiskey-course-a-comprehensive-tasting-school-in-ten-classes-robin-robinson/12350951?ean=9781454921226&next=t  Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries: [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, and we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, or listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview or Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...